Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was a bright, sunny day, and you were making the most of it by going out and enjoying it. It was also your day off, an added advantage. You went for a walk in the park, had lunch at an outdoor café and finally did some much needed shopping with a friend.

A day well spent…

As a new employee of Tony Stark, you were quite thrilled with the nature of your job and the opportunity it presented. Assisting Stark in developing cool new stuff, as well as, finding loopholes in the existing computer programs was your main game. You were one of the handful people selected for the job, and it filled you with pride. Plus, living in the same building as other superheroes—it was a dream come true for you.

Hence, you let the stressful side of the job slide from your conscious thoughts. It was a price you were doubly willing to pay to be in the company of some very exceptional individuals. And not to mention, the substantial paycheck didn’t hurt either.

Upon your return to the Avengers’ Tower, you were loaded with shopping bags, with both your arms carrying enough weight to make them strain. But you marshaled on, thankful that the tower elevators listened to voice commands.

When you reached your floor, you hurried towards your apartment, desperate to relieve the weight of the bags from your tired arms.

Just then a tall, imposing figure came strutting down the corridor, essentially blocking your way—Loki. He had a sullen look on his face, which wasn’t really a surprise. He looked mildly pissed off almost all the time. However, today, there was nothing mild about it.

Well, fuck…

The dark lord of the Sith was scary as hell and a pain in the ass for everyone on most days, so you had learned to avoid him whenever possible. It was kind of hard to do when he was lodging on the same floor as you, but you were learning stealth from the best in the business. However, right now, there seemed to be no way to avoid him as he was coming straight at you.

You tried, though, by moving a bit to the side to give him ample space to pass by. He, on the other hand, didn’t give you an inch. As a result, your whole body brushed against his as he walked past you.

And it was a firm, well formed body… but you were too busy being terrified to appreciate that little detail.

Loki froze upon the contact and turned to glare at you. “Watch where you’re going, mortal!”

“I’m sorry, but I did move,” you mumbled, avoiding his flashing eyes. “You didn’t.”

You mentally smacked yourself. Why engage him when you knew how dangerous he was?

“You dare challenge a God to move in deference to you?” He asked darkly, taking a step towards you.

You took a step back, resolved to make light of the situation, because well, he was making you nervous. But your brain decided that sarcasm was in order. “Yeah, I’m so sorry, please don’t smite me.”

You didn’t wait for his response as you turned and all but scurried towards your apartment. He stopped you just as you reached your door, grabbing your arm and turning you back around.

“Now you dare to mock me? Have you no sense of self preservation?” he asked, crowding your personal space.

God, he was super angry today for some reason, and you had planted yourself right in the path of wrath. Way to go…

“I do, it’s why I said sorry. Not trying to mock you. Now can we please be civil with each other?” Your voice shook as you spoke, but nonetheless, you tried to act calm. “Like good neighbors?”

Loki smiled at you. It was not a friendly smile. It was an ‘I’m going to murder you and get off on it’ kind of smile.

“Good neighbors? I hardly knew I even had one, given the way you go out of your way to avoid me.”

“I’m not the only one who avoids you,” you muttered, trying to pull your arm from his steely grip. “And I’ve only been here two weeks.”

His grip tightened. “Ah, new recruit to the posse of jesters they call the Avengers?”

You let go of the bags and they dropped on the floor with a thwack. Then your struggles to be free renewed.

“No, I’m a professional coder, not a superhero, now please let go.”

The murderous smile on his face only became more gleeful. “What, no snappy comebacks now?”

He gave a little shake to your arm and your whole body swayed as a result. It was the first time you were at the receiving end of the might of an otherworldly being. You actually feared for your life now.

After much struggling on your part, he let go of your arm. But instead of moving away, he pressed his body against yours. “I could easily crush you with nothing but a wee bit of my strength. I could throw you out of this wretched tower with a flick of my wrist. Do you even know how much trouble you’re in?”

“Okay, I’m sufficiently scared now,” you agreed, pressing your back against the wall to create some space between the two of you, to no avail. “Can you please back off?”

His eyes darkened and he gave you a once over, all cruel and calculating. “No, I find that I’m rather fond of how fear looks on you.”

“Loki…” You called his name as a warning for him to back off. “What kinda statement is that? What the hell is wrong with you?”

“There are innumerable things wrong with me,” he said, looking down at you with the gaze of a predator, “and you’d have done well to not provoke me.”

“I did nothing to provoke you! I tried to move away but you pushed against me!”

“Perhaps you didn’t try hard enough.” He pushed his body flush against yours as his hands grasped your waist. “Perhaps you wanted me to brush against you.”

“No… wha—why would I?” You couldn’t even form a coherent sentence—he was too close for comfort. And your stupid brain decided that this was the perfect time to give you feedback on how hot he was.

He was pressed to you so closely that you could feel the definition of his abs and pecks through his dark t-shirt. Your body couldn’t help but respond to the proximity. You felt your nipples hardening, much to your embarrassment.

“Well, I’m brushing against you now, and you’ve done nothing to stop me.”

You realized that sad truth a bit too late. You should’ve pushed him away, or at least tried to, but all you had done was stand there uselessly as he bore down on you and pushed you further into the wall.

“As if I could stop you,” you replied meekly.

“You didn’t even try.”

Just to prove him wrong, you grabbed his shoulders, intending to give him a shove. But you just kept holding on for no reason. The intended shove just didn’t come.

“Or maybe… you don’t want to,” he said, licking his lips as he watched you with curious eyes. There was still an edge to his voice, but it wasn’t all anger and rage now. That only served to scare you more.

He lowered his head and spoke teasingly, though his tone was downright sinister. “What happened, mortal? So quiet now. Is something the matter with your tongue?”

His breath fanned across your face and neck, cool like an autumnal breeze. He smelled like a heady mixture of mint, camphor and boreal forests. It was luring you in like a honeyed trap.

“You said that you’re sufficiently scared of me. Is fear the only thing you’re feeling right now?”

He was taunting you, knowing that your body had gone in another direction than fear. You were getting weirdly turned on by his intimidating presence.

Loki dropped his head further, reaching your exposed neck to inhale deeply. Cold lips landed on your pulse point then, making your knees tremble with their sensual caress. It was wrong, so so wrong, but in this moment, your body was enjoying the attention way too much.

Loki laughed in your ear, sinister and sexy mashed into one melodious sound. “Still incapable to even try to push me away, I see. Interesting…”

He pushed his hand up to cup your breast, running a thumb across your nipple through your clothes.  You arched into his hand, cursing your body’s sensitivity, but made no move to stop him.

“Very interesting,” Loki purred, sucking on your neck while both his hands proceeded to grab and pinch your breasts. Your hands remained passive on his shoulders, frozen in shock and pleasure.

You knew you should’ve tried to put a stop to it, that it was not okay to let him paw at you like that. But something about a powerful man cornering and overwhelming you made you weak in the knees with mounting desire.

“Oh, this is rich,” Loki crooned gleefully, pinching and pulling on your nipples almost to the point of pain. “So you like being manhandled?”

You bit your lip and remained quiet, too ashamed to admit the truth, and too aroused to act on that shame. Your passivity just gave him the handle to keep on with the groping.

“I must say, I’m quite curious to see how far I can take this with you.” Oh, you shared that curiosity with him, alright.

His hand popped the button on your jeans and quickly unzipped them. When he slipped past the waistband of your panties, your whole body jerked.

“Please…” you managed to whisper… in protest or in supplication, you weren’t sure yourself.

He snaked an arm around your waist to hold you steady as he stared down at you inquiring eyes. His fingers hovered just above your pleasure point, caressing the skin with feather-light touch. He was waiting for you to protest in earnest, to tell him to stop.

Well, so were you.

However, your lips couldn’t form a single syllable of objection. Loki took due notice of that and laughed again, moving his hand further down to hold you firmly between your legs.

“You’re so wet,” he gloated, pressing his fingers to your clit. “Such is your response to my threats? I like how your own body betrays you.”

You gasped as his fingers rubbed more insistently on your pleasure point, but still, your body remained pliant to his exploits. Getting bolder, Loki sank his finger deep inside you. Now, you couldn’t help but moan.

He pleasured you masterfully, like you were a musical instrument and he a maestro. There was no way you were protesting to that. Climax was just round the corner and your body reached for it a drug.

“Want me to stop?” he asked, fingers stilling inside you. He grabbed the back of your head to make you look up and into his eyes.

Your lips quivered and your body moved to hump his fingers. A low, almost inaudible ‘no’ escaped your lips.

“What was that? I couldn’t hear you, dear.” Oh, he could, but he clearly wanted you to spell it out.

“No… please don’t stop,” you cried, opening your legs to give him more access.

“You want to come?”

“Yes,” you replied immediately, squeezing his shoulders in a desperate plea.

“Hmmm,” he hummed, stroking you slowly as he appeared to be in deep contemplation. “Too bad, my mortal harlot, you can’t.”

With that, he pulled his hands from you, making you lurch.

You looked at him in absolute shock and he gave you a devious smirk. As you stared, he brought his glistening fingers to his mouth and sucked them clean of your juices.

And then he walked away without saying a single word, sauntering down the corridor, leaving you aroused and frustrated and so damned confused.

Chapter Text

The charity fundraiser party was in full swing at the Avengers’ Tower. SHIELD agents, superheroes, celebrities and other famous people, all were there.

It was kind of overwhelming to witness one of Tony Stark’s parties for the first time in your life.

Sipping your cocktail and generally engaging in small talk with fellow partiers, you tried your best to aptly socialize. It was a nice enough setting to enjoy yourself, but you couldn’t.

A certain erstwhile villain was making your life hell.

His gaze was set on you. No matter where you decided to go, you felt him watching you. It was extremely unsettling and creepy. Yet, every time your eyes met across the room, jolts of arousal shot through you. And he’d smirk knowingly every damn time, forcing you to look away in shame.

You had been avoiding him since yesterday, when the ‘episode’ in the corridor happened. You had been convinced that there’d be security footage of that somewhere, and someone would come to you with charges of indecent behavior. But so far, nothing happened. You had a feeling that Loki had a lot to do with that.

He knew magic, after all, and no one was really sure of its true extent and power. There was talk about imposition of curbs on his magic, to ensure that it couldn’t be used for destructive ventures, but again, no one you knew was certain of it.

What you certainly knew was that he had used it somehow to manipulate the surroundings while he had his way with you. Well… nearly had his way with you.

You grumbled to yourself… you wouldn’t let the so called god of mischief affect you like that. It happened once, it wouldn’t happen again. You had even decided to move to another apartment as soon as one was available.

The only reason you were stuck on the same floor as him was because the tower was packed full. Tony Stark even joked about building a new tower to adjust the new recruits. You wished he wasn’t joking.

Someone touched your elbow and you started. You looked up to see that it was one of the SHIELD agents you were talking to earlier. He was good looking and charming, and you had tried to flirt with him a bit. But then your eyes had inadvertently landed on Loki, and the glare he had sent in your direction made you run to the other side of the party hall.

“Hey,” the agent—Vincent—greeted you once again. “The dance floor seems to be heating up. Wanna have a go?”

You nodded, excited to note that he was interested in you. The evening looked more promising now.

As you hit the dance floor with Vincent, you momentarily forgot all about Loki and focused on enjoying yourself. Vincent was a decent dancer, and you were having a nice time swaying and bouncing with him to the beats of really fun music.

And then the slow music began, where you were pulled in by Vincent to have a grind against him. He was making his intentions quite obvious by now, and you were actually entertaining the idea of taking him to your apartment for the night.

A little fun in the sack didn’t hurt anyone, right? You deserved it, as you handled a stressful job and had hardly seen any action recently. That was, not counting the action that was kind of foisted upon you by the god of mischief.

“Hey Vincent,” you whispered in his ear as both of you slow danced together. “Would you… like to come up to my apartment?” The question didn’t seem out of place, for the party was generally come to a wrap anyway.

Vincent’s eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. Needless to say, the dance floor was abandoned in a hurry.

Your eyes searched for any signs of Loki as you pulled Vincent towards the elevators. He was nowhere to be seen, which gave you a lot of relief. The last you saw of him, he was at Thor’s side, looking sulky but resigned.

Once inside the elevator, you pushed yourself against Vincent and kissed him. He was taken aback for a moment, but then he returned the kiss sweetly. You tried to feel the anticipation of a promising, sex-filled night, but somehow, you only felt a lukewarm response from your body.

Anyway, you were determined to scratch the itch.

When the elevator doors opened to your floor, you giggled with excitement and pulled Vincent along, heading to your apartment.

Vincent, however, stopped in his tracks. He was looking straight ahead with a look of pure panic. You turned around to see what had caused him to act this way.

Standing in the corridor was none other than Loki, looking royally pissed off. Oh damn…

He walked towards you and Vincent in a slow, threatening way. Each step was pronounced by the loud thump of his boots against the floor.

Vincent backed away, shoving your hands off him in a hurry.

“I remember you,” Loki said, staring straight at Vincent and ignoring you. “You were one of those dimwits who had escorted me to my temporary prison on the helicarrier. I must say, I do hold grudges close to my heart.”

With the threat delivered, it didn’t take Vincent even a whole second to rush back to the elevator and flee.

You gaped at Loki. What the hell was he trying to accomplish by threatening a SHIELD agent? He was supposed to be friendly with them now.

He turned to you then, courting the same smirk he had been giving you before Vincent had arrived on the scene. Now, it was your turn to flee.

You hadn’t even run ten steps when he suddenly appeared in front of you, blocking your exit.

“Going somewhere?” he asked, hands clasped behind his back as he began walking towards you.

You were forced to take steps back as he approached, to keep your distance to him consistent. This, however, was his way of herding you to your apartment door. You realized that when your back hit the door frame.

There was no room to back away now. You couldn’t believe you were back in this predicament.

“I must say, you’re quite desperate to be fucked,” he said harshly, looming over you. “Picking up a near stranger to achieve your goal.”

He tsk’ed at you as you gave him a glare of indignation. “He wasn’t a stranger!”

“Well, who is he to you?”

“He’s an agent.” You struggled to define anything else about Vincent, so you tried to put the focus on Loki. “And you hardly have the authority to tell me this, when you yourself dared to touch me. I probably know less about you than about Vincent.”

“I’ll have to remedy that, then.”

“What?”

“I’ll have you know me better, much better than that worm by the end of this night.”

Before you could respond, he pulled you to him by your shoulders and pressed his lips to yours. You flailed in his arms as he picked you off the floor to kiss you thoroughly. Your feet dangled in the air as you helplessly succumbed to his lips.

Against your better judgment, you found yourself liking the feel of his lips over yours, of his tongue around yours. You discovered just how good he tasted.

And good lord could he kiss…

That one kiss caused a flood of arousal in you, where Vincent couldn’t even manage a trickle. That was the root of your problem.

When Loki finally released you from his hold, you found him glowering impatiently at the door.

“Open the damned door,” he growled, nudging you towards it.

You turned around and punched in the unlocking code with trembling hands. All this while, Loki pressed into you from behind, making it known that he was indeed eager to ravage you.

You tried to convince yourself that you were obeying him under duress, but deep down you knew you were chasing the thrill of the unknown with him.

As soon as the door opened, Loki dragged you inside and closed it with a resounding thump.

He then backed you straight to your bedroom, stalking towards you with hungry eyes, giving off the vibe of a predator that had gone without a meal for far too long.

All the while, you stared at him like a rabbit caught in headlights.

You stopped when your calves hit the bed, feeling confused and unsure of what awaited you. You were scared of his strength and his menacing visage, but at the same time, oddly magnetized by his dangerous persona.

“Are we r-really d-doing this?” you stammered, shivering as he regarded you from head to toe, making you feel awfully anxious and incredibly turned on.

He didn’t respond to you, just kept gazing at you like you were a buffet and he a ravenous man. And then his hands shot out and ripped your dress from your body in a single move. You gasped, shaken and completely off balance.

He pushed you on to the bed and you let him, your body once again refusing to resist his advances.

His eyes roved all over your newly exposed skin while he loosened his tie and began unbuttoning his shirt.

“I… I’m not sure about this,” you mumbled, pushing yourself higher on the bed, away from him, as your confused brain tried to make sense of the present situation.

Loki cocked his head and narrowed his eyes at you as his tie and shirt hit the floor, revealing his sculpted upper body musculature. “You want to be fucked, don’t you?”

You gulped nervously. “Kind of… but… ugh.”

“My confused little mortal, you should feel grateful, for you’re going be taken by a God,” he stated arrogantly as he stared you down.

“I didn’t ask you to!” you protested, yelping as he quickly pounced on to the bed and grabbed your legs. You fell against the bed as he pulled, trembling in a weird combo of fear and arousal.

“Loki… please,” you began, your hands fluttering against his bare arms.

He pushed you into the mattress as his face hovered over yours, his mesmerizing eyes boring into you. “Let me make it clear to you. I will ravish you, and you will love it. So you’d do well to drop the pretence of resistance.”

You swallowed thickly, wondering if you were actually pretending to resist. When his lips descended on yours again, your vacillation with your desires remained, but it was steadily leaning towards lust rather than self preservation.

The battle didn’t last all that long.

Your hesitant acquiescence showed when you accepted the touch of his hands as they roamed all over your body. It showed as he deepened the kiss and you moaned in response. Your mind warred with itself, though, as you knew he was dangerous and stronger than any other guy you had intimately known.

But that was your weakness—a strong, dominating man pushing your limits and making you surrender. It was a running fantasy of yours, but never the one you’d dare to try out or even mention to anyone.

Loki was tapping into that dark recess of your mind, where propriety went for a toss and you wanted to be forced into pleasure. It was why your body was responding to him with such enthusiasm despite the fear.

He broke the kiss and turned you on your stomach, exposing your back to him. The hook of your bra gave him a bit of a pause, but he was quick to figure it out and open it. It was brushed off your shoulders hastily as his lips sucked and nipped down your back, moving steadily lower.

You could do little else but twitch and gasp under his attentions.

He pulled your panties down just enough to expose your ass, which grabbed and kneaded to his heart’s content. You nervously wondered if he’d leave bruises, but didn’t complain.

“Turn around and face me,” he ordered, pushing off you.

You shifted on your back slowly, with your hands crossed over your chest. He batted your hands away and cupped your breasts eagerly, rubbing your nipples with his thumbs.

“So soft,” he groaned in appreciation, “I like how you feel in my hands, and I must say it’s a most pleasant surprise.” Pinching and pulling and teasing followed, leaving you writhing under him.

He moved lower then, and removed your panties quickly. You helped him along by raising your legs compliantly. He pulled your thighs apart and gazed you at you with a feral hunger, making you fidget anxiously.

Your disquiet, however, turned into eagerness and desperation the moment his fingers and mouth descended on your aroused flesh. You panted and moaned and begged for release, much to Loki’s amusement.

His mouth left your pleasure point just as you were about to come, and he looked at you with a devious smile. “Do you want to come?”

“P-please don’t p-pull away,” you whimpered, humping his fingers frantically, fearing he’d repeat the cruelty of the previous day.

Loki chuckled and hummed against your clit then, sending pleasurable vibrations down your core. You cried out as you finally found your release against his mouth and fingers.

He didn’t relent, though, and his assault on your aroused and swollen flesh became more intense. You shrieked and tried to push him away, but it only egged him on. It was too much to bear, but he left you with no other option but to give in and take it.

Helpless against the attack of his tongue and fingers, you came a second time quickly, sobbing and mumbling incoherently. Thankfully, he let up and let you catch your breath, though you knew it wouldn’t be for long.

You heard the rustle of fabric and discerned that he was getting fully undressed. Silently, you turned your head and watched him.

Oh, naked Loki was a treat for the eyes…

But… as your eyes drifted lower and settled on his fully aroused form, you were prompted to wonder if you’d be able to walk normally the next day.

Chapter Text

You made your way to your office cabin slowly, gingerly, trying your best to appear normal… trying not to appear like a freaking god with a monster between his legs completely ravaged you last night.

With that thought, memories from the previous night assaulted your mind once again.

Him pinning you to the bed while fucking you with the force of a sledgehammer, taking the term ‘fucked into the mattress’ a little too literally…

Him murmuring the lewdest things in your ear as his hard length ploughed into you from behind…

Him telling you to scream his name, for he loved it…

Loki had been relentless, and you could do nothing else but take it as he held you in his clutches. The sheer power of his actions, the command he wielded over you, all had served to take control away from you.

And when he was done with you, you had been left trembling and panting on your bed. Your eyes had been glassy and unfocused, but you had felt the intensity of his gaze on you while he had dressed himself. Your mind had been a jumble of thoughts, with most of them flitting around all the sexual exploits he had drawn from you.

You hadn’t been fucked… you had been owned. And the dark, forbidden parts of your mind had rejoiced in that. You had no choice but to admit that him being forceful had been a huge turn on. It was your deepest, darkest fantasy come true.

Now, in the light of the day, your actions of last night came back to haunt you. You’d have been okay with it if it were any other random guy. But no… it was Loki. He was fucked up on many levels, his past villainy was still fresh in everyone’s minds, and he was still kind of evil in the way he had treated you.

You knew you had essentially put your hand in a hornet’s nest.

Now, you’d have to try to avoid him even more than you did earlier.

You had just about settled down at your workstation when Tony Stark called you and asked you to come over to his office. You groaned in resignation and made the trek, awful as it was in your present condition.

“So, Matrix, I’ve noticed that you’ve put in a lot of good work in our latest project, and it’s quite impressive,” Stark claimed as he swung sideways in his chair, facing you across the table. “The presentation will be on in a few minutes, everyone will be attending.”

“Really? Awesome!” Excitement flooded your veins upon hearing his words of praise, so much that you didn’t even react to the nickname he’d just given you. “Everyone? As in…?”

“All the technicians and programmers in my employ, plus the Avengers. It’s a security program after all, and they need to be in on it. I’m keeping SHIELD off it for now, but I’m sure either Clint or Nat would share the info.” He seemed kind of pissed off after uttering that last sentence. Interesting.

“I’m sure they’ll like it as well. Less threats to Earth equals less headaches for them,” you reasoned, tapping your fingers against your seat to release some of your excitement.

“Yeah, about that…” Stark began after a few beats. “I have an assignment for you, but I need to trust you fully for it. And I’m telling you from the get-go that your career’s future depends on how well you handle it.”

You wondered what that meant, until he passed you a non-disclosure agreement. That confused you, because you had already signed a non-disclosure agreement while entering Stark’s employ.

“Yeah, I know what you’re thinking,” said Stark, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the table. “This agreement is strictly for the assignment I’m giving you. And no one other than both of us—you and I—are aware of it. I want it to remain that way.”

“I’m still not aware of it,” you blurted, growing nervous thinking about what sort of crazy stuff might be coming your way. “And I don’t wanna do anything illegal.”

“That’s a relative term,” he argued, giving you a reassuring smile. “And don’t worry, I’ll pay you extra for this work.”

“What do I have to do?”

“Use your coding skills to keep an eye on certain parts of SHIELD. There’s some weird shit going on there.”

Your eyes widened in shock. “Why don’t you do it yourself?”

“I probably lack the subtlety and the time required for it.”

“Why me?”

“You’re the best I’ve got right now, and I’ve tested you thoroughly.”

So, the security program you helped in designing had been a test of sorts?

Stark gave you a levelled a stare which said that he meant business.

“Okay… but what if they find out?” The thought of that happening was unsettling enough to make you shudder in fear.

“Try not to let them find out, but don’t fret, I have your back.” Stark winked at you and handed you a pen.

He obviously wasn’t going to give you the time to think it over. It was a tempting offer, and the money you could earn through it was four times the salary you were getting.

For the first time since you accepted his job offer, you kind of regretted it. Still, you signed the agreement.

As you exited Stark’s office, you came face to face with none other than Loki. You were so startled to see him that a little squeak escaped you as you stopped in front of him.

He leered at you, and then tried to block your path as you made an awkward attempt to walk past him. His behavior only added to your nerves.

“I had thought that after last night I’d find you running towards me rather than away from me,” he said, grasping your wrist. “Or maybe you like being chased and hunted down like a quarry. Hmm?”

His cold grip made you shiver, reminding you of how the temperature difference between your body and his had created new sensations inside you last night.

“Please, now is not the time to—”

The door to Stark’s office opened, and immediately, Loki let go of your hand. You took a step away from him in a hurry, just as Stark emerged, walking with a purpose towards the presentation room. He saw you and gave you a curt nod of acknowledgement, nothing more. You remained quiet.

He then focused on Loki and gave him a wry smile. “Reindeer Games, I never thought you’d respond to my invite. I guess there is still hope for you!”

“I merely came to refresh my knowledge of the meager Midgardian technology, Stark, don’t flatter yourself.” The statement was delivered with such contempt, it almost felt tangible.

Stark simply rolled his eyes and opened the door to the presentation room in fake deference to Loki. “Please come in, your highness, grace this hall with your glorious presence.”

You silently giggled at Stark’s antics, all the while Loki glared at him as he walked in.

The presentation room filled in with Stark’s employees quickly. The rest of the Avengers’ team came in soon after, but Thor was nowhere to be seen.

You noticed how Loki chose to sit in the back, and everyone seemed to avoid sitting anywhere near him, including the superheroes.

“Stark,” he called from the back, “Send one of your minions to explain this absurd endeavour to me. Make it a little more engaging and I might be persuaded to help with it.”

You heard a collective groan throughout the crowd. Loki was trying his best to be as annoying as possible.

Stark sighed and looked in the general direction of the front row. His eyes landed on you, and you saw the decision being made in a split second.

“Matrix, please go and do the needful. You know about this project in depth, go fry his brains.”

You scowled and tried to speak up, but Stark gave you the look that said ‘I know you’re not thrilled about this, neither of us are, but you gotta do what you gotta do.’

There was no way out. You kind of hated Stark in that moment.

Slowly, you rose from your seat and walked towards the back of the room, where Loki was waiting. He looked thoroughly bored, but you could see the obvious glee in his eyes.

It was humiliating in a way, to sit with your tormentor and explain mundane things to him while the not so mundane details about your thorough fucking at his hands assaulted your memory.

The lights dimmed as you reached your intended seat, shrouding the room in darkness. Even though a crowd was right next to you, the prospect of sitting in a darkened room with Loki was making you nervous.

“Let me give you the basics of the project first…,” you began as soon as you sat down, wanting to keep everything work oriented between the two of you.

“Hush now,” he interrupted, shifting closer to you. “I know all about this project and I know that you’re deeply involved in it.”

“Then why did you ask…?” You looked at him in surprise, and he gave you a predatory grin which answered your question. The asshole did the whole charade of ‘not knowing about the project’ to see if Stark would do the predictable thing and send you. It all worked out as he had wished.

You tried to shift away from him, but he put an arm around you and stopped you from doing so.

“Now let’s talk about what I actually wanted to discuss. There’s a change in your gait,” he whispered in your ear as you glanced around nervously. “Are you still sore and distended from our activities of last night?”

You blushed deeply but remained silent, hiding your face from him with the curtain of your hair. This was exactly why you didn’t want to sit here. He was trying to rub it in your face, by mentioning last night, by reminding you how easily you had capitulated to his demands.

Before you, the screen came to life and the project presentation began playing. You were too worried to pay it any mind.

“Answer me,” he all but ordered, his voice low and menacing.

“Yes,” you answered, closing your eyes in shame.

He brushed your hair away, removing your flimsy blind of safety.

“Look at me.”

You did as he asked, not wanting to attract the attention of anyone in the crowd.

“Do you want me to make it better?” he asked, his eyes dancing with delight.

“Loki, please…” You didn’t know what to do. You simply tried to plead with him, though unsure of what exactly you were pleading for.

“I’ll make it feel good,” he said, making a waving move with his hand. “I’ll make it feel blissful.”

The next thing you knew, his hand was under your skirt, creeping higher.

“There are people around us, are you mad?” you whispered, staring at him with widening eyes.

“So you’d be fine with it if the people weren’t here?”

His hand was rubbing against your panties now, tantalizing you with light nudges to your clit. It was arousing you despite the soreness.

“Just… don’t start with this.” You grabbed his forearm, but couldn’t pull his hand out from under your skirt.

“Why not?” he countered. “You let me play with you last night. You pleaded with me to fuck you, again and again. Suddenly feeling demure now?”

“Oh god… if someone sees me like this, I’m ruined.”

“Then remain quiet and don’t attract attention to yourself.”

“But… but… this is indecent,” you let out weakly as he pulled your panties to the side to rub your clit in slow circles.

“That’s why it’s fun. Now open wide, darling.” Once again, you found yourself following his orders. Your legs opened up to allow him more access.

Your eyes scanned the crowd to see if anyone noticed Loki’s shenanigans in the back, but everyone seemed to be riveted with the presentation.

You heard Loki whisper in a foreign tongue then, and suddenly, an electric feeling jolted you, focused right at your clit. You bit your lip to remain silent as the electric buzz intensified.  What the hell was he doing?

You had no idea what was going on, and it scared you. As you stared into his eyes with obvious panic, he brought his other hand up to gesture a ‘shhh’ to you.

His still buzzing fingers dipped into your wetness then, and you stiffened in discomfort. But soon enough, the ache between your legs evaporated, leaving behind a pleasant feeling as the buzzing stopped.

You realized that the pleasant feeling was him finger-fucking you, stimulating all your pleasure points.

Once again, stirrings of panic rose in your mind as you looked ahead. Loki was pleasuring you in a room full of people. And yet, you were letting him… you were enjoying it, even.

“You’re so wet, you’re practically drenching my fingers,” he crooned in your ear, his cold lips brushing against your earlobe.

You were obscenely wet, and it was embarrassing. You had nothing to say for your traitorous body.

“I bet you would still let me touch you, even if the people were watching. What say you?”

You just shook your head mutely, trying to keep from making any noise.

He chuckled, curving his fingers inside you as he intensified their movements. “Oh, I know the answer to that, even if you don’t. Now be a dear and come for me.”

“Someone will hear… see,” you said brokenly, even as you felt yourself contract around his fingers.

“I don’t care if someone will see or hear you, you will come for me. Right here, right now,” he growled in your ear, holding you tighter in his grip.

As if his words were an express command and you were compelled to listen to them, you came, hard, with his fingers drawing out your pleasure against your will. You whimpered quietly as you writhed in his arms, hoping that no one in the room decided to turn their heads in your direction.

The presentation came to a conclusion as you regained your lost breath. Loki removed his hold on you and sat back against his chair, licking his fingers slowly as he looked ahead at the now dimming screen.

You exited the room before the lights came on or anyone had a chance to stand up. You simply wanted to get the hell out of there before anyone saw your reddened, post orgasmic face.

Once outside, you took deep, calming breaths as you headed for the elevators.

You wanted to avoid bumping into anyone in this state and your cabin seemed like a nice sanctuary. You knew you wouldn’t encounter anyone around there right now, as everyone was still inside the presentation room.

Once on your office’s floor, you nearly sprinted to reach your safe haven.

You didn’t make it far when a hand grabbed your arm and pulled you towards a supply closet. You knew that grip well by now, and you struggled against it.

Chapter Text

“Just what do you want now?” you asked irately, wrenching your arm free of Loki’s grasp once you were both inside the closet. “And how did you reach here so fast?”

Loki narrowed his eyes at you, even though a smile played on his lips. “How I reached here isn’t relevant. Should you not be thanking me for easing your pains?”

You could feel the heat coming off your ears now, as you tried to face him with a brave front. The fact that he had finger-fucked you just minutes ago dampened the effect, though.

“No, I’m not thanking you, since you were the cause of it.”

“Well, then I shall reverse the effect.” With that he grabbed your shoulders and turned you around to face the closet door.

“What are you—” You couldn’t even form a whole sentence, finding that in a short second, he had flipped your skirt and pulled your panties down.

A whole lot of jostling happened then. He pulled you back against his chest. You struggled to get free. In the midst of all that thrashing, he was somehow able to pull his erection free. He kicked your legs open and you increased your struggles, even as you got wetter and wetter all throughout it.

Loki bent you over slightly and canted his hips forward. And just like that, you found yourself stuffed full of the monster again. You were so wet that it went in without much of a problem this time round.

“You were saying something?” he grunted in your ear as he began moving in and out of you.

“I—I fucking hate you!” you moaned, your traitorous body surging against him to take him deeper. Your hands were extended towards the closet door, as if wanting to escape, but the rest of your body remained in his thrall as he fucked you from behind.

“You may hate me, but you love the way I take you,” he stated with an assertive thrust, taking your breath away. “You love the way I force you into pleasure.”

“No… that’s not true!” That was so so true… it was kind of scary that he understood you on such an intrinsic level.

His movements became unhurried then, as he took you in deep, languorous strokes. Slowly and surely, he pretty much fucked all the protests out of you.

“You can deny it all you want, darling. Your struggles are but a sham to keep your self-image,” he grunted, slipping his hand inside your top, “But deep down, your body is begging to be taken. It’s why you always end up either with my fingers or my cock in your pussy.”

There it was, your secret desire to be forced, exposed like a raw nerve, and Loki was bent on exploiting it fully. You could say nothing to refute his claim, you didn’t utter a word to him then, as he owned you once again. You were too ashamed of the harsh truth of his words and too overwhelmed by his actions.

As his movements grew more forceful, your whole frame bounced and shook. His arms were the only thing anchoring you in place, holding you close as he took his fill of pleasure from you.

Your orgasm approached fast, and you were unable to keep yourself quiet. Moans and gasps passed from your lips, in tandem with his vigorous thrusts.

“You better keep quiet, for people are now passing by outside,” he warned, his lips nipping at your earlobe, “and I’m sure you don’t want to expose yourself.”

He was right, you could hear people milling about outside, and hence, you tried to keep quiet. He, in turn, tried to make it difficult for you to remain silent as he reached down to rub your clit.

It was clear that he was thoroughly enjoying your fear of discovery, for he laughed at your suppressed sobs of pleasure. And for some fucked-up reason, it worked to push you towards your climax. Your hands fluttered uselessly by your side as he held you caged in his arms, fucking you mercilessly throughout your orgasm.

“Oh yes, come, my mortal harlot,” he growled savagely into your ear as he buried himself deep inside of you, amplifying your peak of pleasure. “Take all of my cock, all of my seed.”

You felt him throb and spurt inside you, reaching his climax in a torrent of guttural groans. By now you were hanging limply in his arms, lost in the afterglow while he rutted into you.

When he was done, he released you from his grasp and you leaned against the closet walls to recover. Suddenly, you felt a snap at your legs and looked down to see that he had ripped your panties off.

“What…” You looked at him in shock. “Why?”

“Because I feel like it,” he replied, giving you his typical evil smirk as he pocketed the torn panties. “And don’t even think to argue.”

“I could report you, you know,” you said in a small voice, totally lacking conviction. “Everyone would believe me.”

“You could, but you won’t.”

“Why not?”

He pushed you against the closet wall and took your lips in a heated kiss. At the same time, his fingers pushed between your legs and cradled your wet, swollen flesh, making you gasp into his mouth. You were highly sensitive after the thorough fucking he had given you. He knew it, but that didn’t stop him from playing with you some more.

He pulled back slightly, so that his lips brushed against yours with every spoken word.

“You know why you won’t report me. Because these lips hunger for me,” he said, pushing two long fingers inside you to emphasize which lips he was talking about. “And for them to be slaked, these lips”—He nipped and pulled at your mouth with his teeth—“must remain silent.”

He stroked between yours legs till you were a quivering mess, and then, in a mean move, pulled out his fingers from you.

“Now right your clothes and go back to your little chamber. I’m sure you have work to do.”

He licked his lips and watched you like a hawk as you tried to straighten out your disheveled appearance. And no matter how much you tried, you couldn’t get rid of the post-fuck look. Reluctantly, you looked up at him.

“I can’t go out looking like this,” you stated anxiously, your hands still trying to smoothen the stubborn wrinkles in your clothes.

He flicked his wrist and suddenly, your clothes were wrinkle free and your hair was back to its usual style, no longer a rat’s nest. However, you noticed that he didn’t do anything for the mess between your legs.

“Th-thank you…” you blurted out grudgingly, “but I do need panties.”

“No, you don’t.”

Your lips parted in indignation. “What?”

He lowered his head till his gaze leveled with yours, intimidating you with its intensity. “You heard me, darling. I want you go bare beneath that unassuming skirt of yours. I want you to feel my seed dripping between your legs as you walk out of here. Now off you go.”

He opened the closet door and gestured for you to exit, ignoring your reddened face—or perhaps enjoying it.

You felt kind of humiliated as you walked back to your cabin sans your panties. His cum trickled from between your legs and marked your thighs, just as he had stated.

A lot of tissues got sacrificed as you cleaned yourself once reaching the cabin. You were so angry at yourself, because even this humiliation that Loki imposed on you resulted in a fresh wave of arousal.

You entered your cabin in a hurry, wanting to settle down at your workstation as quickly as possible. You were running a few minutes late and didn’t want to delay work any further.

Further delay, however, was inevitable, it seemed…

Loki was sitting in your office chair, fiddling with your Captain America and Iron Man bobbleheads. He put them back in their place and turned the chair to face you as you stared at him in surprise.

For a whole week, you had seen neither hide nor hair of him, as he and the other Avengers had gone off on a mission together. Now, he was back, smiling deviously at you as his fingers made a come-hither gesture to call you over.

God, those evil fingers…

“Did you miss me?” he asked with a fake sweetness that grated on your nerves.

“Loki, we’re done,” you stated with as much assertiveness as you could muster. “Please leave.”

“Are we?” he asked, tilting his head and tipping his chin forth, looking speculatively at you.

“Yes.”

His eyes narrowed. You knew that look by now—he was taking your rejection as a challenge. You needed to get away from him. Quickly.

As you turned towards the cabin door, it slammed shut on its own, trapping you inside. You gaped at Loki, who simply waved his hands dismissively.

“The door shall remain locked till I release it.”

“Why?”

“Because I need you to answer me. Are we really done here?”

“No… I’m not having any kind of talk with you.” You shook your head, backing away towards the door “Just… no.”

“Who said we were about to have a conversation?”

He shot out of the chair and grasped both your shoulders, pulling you against his chest. All that sudden movement was disorienting, and as a result, you fell right into his embrace. He kissed you hard, forcing your mouth open as his tongue chased yours.

Just that one kiss was enough to make you wet between your legs.

“Are we done?” he asked quietly as he removed his lips from yours. You didn’t answer.

He tore your top open then, making you shriek in surprise. You tried to pull it together, or whatever scraps were left of it, but he shoved your hands away. Then, in a single move, he pushed your bra down to release your breasts and fondled them enthusiastically, like they were his personal toys.

And the worst part was that he wasn’t being harsh with your body like he had been with your clothes. His touch was persistent but oh so seductive. Even the little pinches he delivered on your nipples weren’t hurtful—just purely arousing. His touch was so enticing that you found yourself pushing your chest right into his hands.

Once he was done playing with your breasts, he dragged you to your workstation and proceeded to bend you over it. You struggled against his actions, but it was feeble and fading fast.

When he pulled your pants and panties down together, your struggles were but in name only. You were dripping wet and eager for his touch.

“Ooh, look at you,” he groaned, fingers brushing against your clit, spreading your arousal all around it. “These lips surely aren’t saying that we’re done.”

You shook your head in denial, even as your body welcomed his touch. Your legs spread on their own, giving him the go-ahead to delve deeper into you, which he readily did.

“So tell me again, are we done?” He laughed cruelly, sliding his fingers in and out of you at a maddeningly slow pace to tease you with the promise of a climax.

“Ugh… Loki, please,” you whispered, humping his fingers to increase the friction.

“I cannot hear you, darling. Are we done?” He then increased the intensity of his strokes inside you, making you jerk in response.

“No!” you half yelled, half moaned, just on the brink of a wonderful orgasm. That’s when he removed his fingers, leaving you unsatisfied.

“That’s more like it,” he said, covering your body with his, his arousal coming to rest against your entrance. You knew what was coming next, and your body rejoiced in anticipation.

When he finally pushed inside you, your body arched in pleasure and there was no denying it. You were once again caught in a pattern of sexual surrender with Loki, and you were enjoying it.

“How could you even think that we’re done. We’re not even close to being done,” he growled, thrusting into you in quick strokes.

You shook your head as your eyes rolled back in pleasure. God… it was bliss, especially after a week of nothing in the name of sex.

He grabbed your neck from behind and began fucking you more vigorously, causing the whole workstation to shudder. The Cap and Iron Man bobbleheads shook and jiggled with every thrust Loki gave, looking as if they were shaking their heads in disapproval.

“You can’t… keep doing this… to me,” you muttered between his thrusts, shivering in the dark sexual high your body was riding.

“Oh, I beg to differ. Now answer me again, darling, are we done here?” Loki asked, reaching between your legs to deliver light slaps on your clit.

You cried out in shock and pleasure, uttering a vehement ‘no’ in reply to his demands. But he continued tormenting you with the slaps, right till you climaxed.

His thrusts ceased and he pushed deep within you in an unrelenting grind, right as you began contracting around him. A low groan came from him… and then he was shuddering inside you as he joined you in orgasmic delight.

You lay beneath him, inert and subdued, as he filled you with his essence. The quivers of your orgasm were still there, but they were receding quickly.

“We’re done when I say that we’re done,” he murmured, brushing your hair aside to plant kisses on your shoulder. “Do you understand?”

You nodded, but didn’t utter a word of acknowledgement.

Suddenly, your hotline to Stark beeped, jerking you out of your sex induced passivity. You tried to push Loki off you in order to receive Stark’s message, but he held you down with his body.

“What’s the hurry?” he asked, biting your shoulder lightly. “I’m sure Stark can wait.”

“No, he can’t.” You tried to slither from beneath him, but it didn’t work. His arms were literally holding you in place, pinned to the table. “Please get off me, this may be important!”

“Why such panic, darling. Is it about that secret assignment he gave you?”

You froze.

Panic didn’t even begin to cover the surge of emotions you were feeling right now.

Loki knew about your secret assignment against SHIELD. Your life was officially about to be ruined…

Chapter Text

Loki watched you intently while you talked to Stark over the hotline, his hand resting possessively over your hip. You were completely naked as you stood at your workstation, your clothes now in Loki’s magical hold.

Your face was hot and beet red, and your hands trembled as they held the receiver to your ear. Talking to your boss in a state of undress had not been on your to-do list for today, or any day.

Loki was such an asshole to have put you in such a demeaning situation…

“Got anything for me?” Stark asked, sounding tired as hell.

“Uh… not yet.”

“See to it that you report to me if you find anything suspicious, no matter how small or insignificant it appears to be. Okay?”

“Will do. What about the project we were about to start at the lab itself?” You were trying to sound casual, but you weren’t sure that it was working. Talking was hard when you could feel the hand on your hip slipping towards the apex of your legs.

“That’s gonna be underway soon. I’ve just come back from a mission, Matrix, gimme a break.”

“Oh, yeah, sorry. How was it?”

You tried to bat Loki’s hand away. The attempt was useless against his insistent touch.

“Well, let’s just say… explosive?”

“Seems like the usual then.”

Stark laughed at your deadpan tone. Loki chose that moment to insert a finger inside you. You gave him a pleading look, and he gave you an indifferent one in return.

“Oh, one more thing. Reindeer Games will be joining us at the lab. I’ll be testing his magic, working against and with our devices, and you’ll have to input that in your coding. It’s miracle that he even agreed, the diva that he is.”

Loki grinned, looking pleased that he was being mentioned, and his finger began moving inside you with tantalizing strokes.

“Oh? Okay…” you croaked, grabbing Loki’s hand to make him stop.

“Wow, not even a bit enthused, huh? Don’t let him dampen your spirits, Matrix.”

“Yeah.” Oh, he certainly wasn’t dampening your spirits…

“I know he can be annoying, but we gotta ignore it to learn more about the mechanics of his magic.”

“Right…” You were now reduced to one word answers, as Loki had decided to full on finger-fuck you. God, you hated him…

Stark paused. “Are you okay?”

“Uh, I actually have a headache. But otherwise, yeah,” you mumbled, trying not to gasp and give away the fact that you were now humping two very long fingers.

“You need time off?”

“No. I’ll be fine.” No, you were certainly not going to be fine.

“Just make sure that you cure it by tomorrow. I want you at your best when we start at the lab.”

“Sure,” you ground out, just as Loki began rubbing your clit with his thumb, not faltering even slightly on the rhythm he had formed inside you.

“Alright then, do your thing, and don’t hesitate to reach me in case of a find.”

“I will.”

“Later, Matrix.”

You put the receiver down and hung your head in shame as Loki continued playing with you, leading you to another climax at his hand. You could do nothing to stop him, even though you wanted to. It didn’t help that your body once again got off on the humiliation of it all.

When you were done trembling and gasping from your orgasm, he pulled his fingers out and gave you his usual arrogant smirk.

“I like the fact that I can make you come apart anywhere, anytime, and in nearly any situation,” he purred, lifting one of your legs up to line his erection against your wetness.

“Please, no more.” You looked up at him with anxious eyes, hoping that he’d listen.

“Seeing you come so deliciously has whetted my appetite once again, darling,” he confessed, still keeping himself poised for entry. “I’ll be gentler this time, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“No, that’s not… I just…” you gasped as his head slipped inside your folds. “You, SHIELD… please. I can’t.”

“Can’t let anyone know?” he asked, sliding further in.

You nodded, sighing in surrender now, as he plunged fully inside you.

“I assure you,” he said, holding you more firmly against him, not yet moving, “It wasn’t my intent to use your secret to coerce you. You’ve yielded to me anyway.”

“Then why mention it?” you griped, turning your face away as he came closer.

“To let you know that I’m aware of it.” He kissed your neck and jaw, and his cool lips on your heated skin made you shiver.

“What are you going to do about it?”

“I’ll do what I think befits the situation.”

The thrusts began then, slow but steady, making you shudder with every movement. Your insides were already sensitive from the pounding you had received from him earlier. It heightened the impact of all his movements now.

“Don’t… don’t tell on me,” you pleaded, grabbing onto his neck and shoulders as he drove into you.

“I won’t divulge your secret, if you don’t divulge ours.”

“I won’t.” You were quick to agree, knowing full well that he wasn’t above using your secret as leverage against you, to keep you compliant.

“Good. We have an understanding.”

He then turned your face towards his and took your lips in a long, sensual kiss. You opened up and let him in, losing yourself to his seduction once again, like a broken record.

You were in a club, all by yourself, dealing with your problems in what seemed to be the universal way—drinking them away.

No friends were called over, because you were scared to spill the beans on everything, from SHIELD to Loki. And that was a big no-no.

Why exactly were you even here? You had no idea, it just seemed like a rational thought at the moment you decided to do it.

You looked around at the people in the club, wondering if you’d recognize anyone. No one seemed familiar. That was both a comforting and a disheartening thought. You craved company, but were too terrified of seeking it.

You were certain that you hadn’t thought life would take this turn when you had joined Stark Industries. Instead, you had thought that it would take a successful, happy turn. How did things go wrong so fast? How did you get trapped in a world of lies?

You were a programmer, not a spy. Lies and subterfuge wasn’t your thing, and yet, now you were forced to rely on these very skills. Skills you were sure you weren’t even average at, let alone decent.

Grabbing your drink, you took a big gulp and closed your eyes, wanting to get lost in the ensuing alcoholic void that’d be your brain. Soon.

A hand came down on yours then. A cold hand.

There was no mistaking who that hand belonged to, even though your eyes were still closed.

“Leave me alone,” you grumbled, unwilling to open your eyes and face the root of your problems. “Go away.”

You expected an arrogant comeback, something that put you in your place, but he said nothing. He just kept his hand resting over yours, stopping you from taking another gulp of your drink.

“What do you want?” you asked, reluctantly opening your eyes to face him. “Another round of force-fucking me into the nearest flat surface?” Even as you said that rather irately, you were taken by a shot of arousal that made your body buzz.

Such sick, twisted thing… you hated your mind and body in that moment.

Loki looked at you evenly as you went through your inner struggle. You gave him what you hoped was a blank stare, and not a lusty one. The last thing you needed was to encourage him.

“Have you eaten anything?” he asked casually, finally deciding to speak.

“What, you don’t fuck girls who are on empty stomach?”

He gave you a look that totally said ‘judging you right now’ and you couldn’t help but giggle at the ridiculousness of that.

“I choose to fuck the ones who are sober enough to enjoy it.”

You rolled your eyes and tried to pull your hand from under his, to have another go at your drink, but he didn’t let you. That pissed you off and you glared at him.

“Take your hand off!”

“Have you eaten anything?” he asked again, ignoring your demand.

“The fuck do you care?”

Loki’s expression changed from even to stern in a split second. That sobered you up a bit, and aroused you even more.

“Get up,” he commanded, his voice a low growl.

You shot up from your seat so fast, you weren’t even sure what happened… did you just follow his orders like a freaking dog?

And then he pulled you in his arms and on to his lap. He did it so effortlessly, you couldn’t even fight it.

Once settled over his thighs, he kept you in place by the weight of his arm around your waist. You could do little more than squirm. Your drink was completely forgotten, lying abandoned on the table in front of you.

A scared thought crept up… he wouldn’t do anything sexual in a crowded place like a club, would he?

The thought was equal parts disturbing and well, grudgingly exciting.

“Let me go,” you protested meekly, the alcohol making everything blurry and slow, rendering you completely defenseless against him.

Loki laughed in your ear and proceeded to order some food.

What the fuck?

“What are you trying to do?” you asked, still squirming in his grip.

“To feed you, since you seem disinclined to do so yourself.”

You looked on with confusion as the food arrived. It was essentially all finger food, which baffled you. Until Loki started feeding you, that is.

It was strangely erotic, eating from his hand, with his elegant fingers offering you a delicious fare, a promise of more, later…

And it wasn’t just strictly about the food. Loki took full advantage of having you in his lap. He kissed your neck every now and then, between the food bites, while his hand on your waist stroked up and down sensually. He even rubbed your nipples, surreptitiously, right through your top and lacy bra.

All of this kept you in a near constant state of arousal, despite the fact that you were drunk and pretty unsettled.

“Can I finish my drink?” you asked him after eating your finger sandwich. You were reduced to seeking permission now, knowing that rebelling would get you nowhere.

He rolled his eyes and handed you your drink. You drank it quickly, worried that he might take it away again. Things got even more blurry then, and you found yourself leaning on to him, feeling drowsy.

You were a sleepy drunk, always.

The last conscious thought you had, before officially passing out, was that it felt nice to stick your nose into the crook of his neck and inhale deeply. He smelt so good…

You woke up with a headache, which wasn’t surprising, since you had deliberately and stupidly gotten drunk. What surprised you was that you were still clothed, and in Loki’s arms.

You blinked several times to adjust your sight to the dark room, realizing that you were not in your own bed. It wasn’t hard to guess whose bed it was.

Shifting in his arms, you tried to move away, but he tightened them around you.

“Where to?” he asked, and you noticed that his voice didn’t sound heavy with sleep.

“Bathroom,” you replied succinctly, trying to see his face and read his expression. It was too dark and you were unsuccessful in doing so.

“Fine.” He let you go, and you practically ran to the bathroom, feeling like your bladder might burst.

Upon returning, you tried to creep out the bedroom and ultimately, out of his apartment.

You found the door securely locked, with the static of his magic covering it fully. You paced in the living room for a while, feeling the headache worsening by the minute.

You were unsure of what you were supposed to do now. Loki knew you were here, and that you had attempted to escape. But he hadn’t sought you out. What could you do now, if not escape?

With a reluctant sigh, you returned to the bedroom.

“It took you a while,” he said, rising from the bed to approach you. “Were you planning to leave without saying farewell?”

“I thought you were sleeping,” you mumbled, staring intently at the floor. “I have a headache, I need to leave.”

Without another word, he touched your forehead and murmured something you couldn’t understand. The magical static flowed from his fingers then, and right into your temple. You jerked and tried to back away, but his other hand grabbed you and kept you close.

Within a few seconds, the static was gone, along with your headache. Well, wasn’t that handy?

“Better?” he asked, looking down at you.

You nodded mutely, feeling so extremely awkward that it almost felt like a tangible thing.

“Come.” He pulled you along as he went back to bed. There was little you could do to protest, pretty sure that protesting wasn’t going to work with him. It never did.

You were stiff as a rod as he settled underneath the sheets and drew you into the cage of his arms once again.

“Relax,” he all but ordered, rubbing his hand up and down your back. It was a soothing gesture, and it felt all wrong coming from him.

You were certain that he would begin with the ruthless seduction anytime now. You were even anticipating it, with your body growing wet and hot with just the thought of it happening. Pavlov’s dog had nothing on you, it seemed.

“Why did you agree to it, if it scares you so?”

His question startled you. It wasn’t what you were expecting.

“What? Agree to what?”

“The spying assignment.”

“I… don’t really know. It seemed like a good decision at the time.”

Why were you even having this discussion? Wasn’t he supposed to be fucking you already?

“You wanted the riches that Stark offered you, yes?”

“Yeah, and also, to impress him,” you stated honestly, a bit relieved to finally have the matter out in the open with someone. Though, Loki wasn’t the one you had expected to have this discussion with.

“Ah, not the wisest motivation to have.” Something about the way he said it made it seem like he wasn’t just talking about your circumstances. You let it slide, though.

“How did you know?”

“I have my ways,” he answered enigmatically. “I know everything that goes on in the lives of your heroes.”

He pulled you closer then, in a manner that you felt his breath on your shoulder from behind.

“Were you listening to us when he offered me the assignment?” How else would he have known that Stark had lured you in with money?

“Perhaps. Now sleep.”

You blinked in confusion once again. Was he not going to seduce you? At all?

But… you were aroused as hell…

His breathing evened out then, and you realized that he was asleep. Apparently, seduction was not on his agenda tonight.

Chapter Text

When you woke up again, it was morning. What woke you up was Loki’s kisses, peppering down your back and shoulders.

Your clothes were gone now, and you assumed that so were his. You were lying on your stomach, and it seemed that that’s how you were to remain. So, it was finally here… the fucking you were wondering about last night was going to happen now

You stayed still while he slowly adjusted your body to his whims, pushing your legs apart to settle between them. You felt the weight of his body over yours, and at the same time, the weight of his hard length at your very aroused and ready entrance.

He chuckled in your ear as his head pushed in. “You can stop pretending to sleep, darling.”

“I wasn’t… pretending,” you mumbled, breathing heavily as he nudged his way in further.

“So you say.” He chuckled again, slipping a hand beneath your abdomen to pull you flush against him. “You’re so wet and ready for me, I didn’t even need to touch you. Dreamt of something pleasant?”

You gasped and grasped the sheets as he pushed all the way in. You were unable to respond to his taunting question.

He kept an excruciatingly slow pace as he pushed in and out of you, seemingly leisurely in the same manner as mornings usually were. It was far removed from his usual style, and it had you in a state of deep confusion.

Well, he had you in a state of deep confusion since last evening, for that matter.

“Loki…” you moaned, just on the edge of pleasure, which is where his slow fucking was keeping you. “Please…”

“I do so love it,” he murmured, biting your earlobe as he began rubbing your clit, “when you’re reduced to begging in your need for pleasure.”

You gasped and your body curved against his. Your clit had been screaming for attention for hours, and now that it had it, it was overwhelming and just too much to bear. But you knew that telling that to Loki might just make him more enthusiastic in stroking it.

So you buried your head into the pillow and accepted the slow torment he was giving you.

But he only let you hide in the pillow for a minute or so, before pulling your head back by grabbing a handful of your hair.

“Don’t asphyxiate yourself, darling,” he said, increasing the pace of his strokes, “it would ruin the moment we’re having.” A sharp thrust emphasized his point, making you nearly lurch forward on the bed. “Now, wouldn’t it be tragic if I have to set aside my pleasure to revive you in the middle of this?”

You whimpered, about ready to come. There was something inherently arousing about the fact that he exerted complete control over your body. You couldn’t move unless he wanted it, and you were forced to take whatever he was giving you, subdued as you were.

And Loki got off on it as much as you did, as was evident from his deep groans of pleasure, uttered in unison with your moans as you climaxed.

He bore down on you as his own orgasm began, and you got literally pinned to the mattress as he spurted inside you. The weight of his body was a bit much, but still, you took it.

“This is a good way to start a day,” he whispered in your ear, then pulled out and spanked your ass, making you yelp in shock. “Now off to the shower you go.”

You sat up in the bed, all awkward, and with a distinct feeling of wet mess between your legs. “I… I think it’s best that I go to my apartment. I don’t have fresh clothes here.”

Your eyes were lowered, a deliberate move to avoid eye contact with him. Having a normal conversation with him was so difficult in the light of your circumstances.

“Don’t worry about the clothes,” he said, and then in a single move pulled you up and out of the bed. “Now go, before I slap your lovely rear again.”

Blushing hard, you did as he said.

Inside the bathroom, you got a bit curious and tried to see what kind of soap and shampoo he used. Conditioner too, for he had such wonderfully soft hair.

However, your explorations were interrupted midway, as you were grabbed by Loki and pushed against the shower wall.

“God, I thought I was supposed to be having a shower!” you protested, holding on to his neck as he picked you up by your waist. “What are you even doing?

And then he simply positioned you over his still rock hard erection and pushed in. It slid right in, aided by the fact that you were still quite aroused and had a load of wetness between your legs.

“Understand what I’m doing?” he grunted, moving his hands to your ass to hold you in position. “Now wrap your legs around me.”

“Yeah, but we just had sex…” you cried, but still followed his command to place your legs around his waist.

“As you can see,” he responded, picking a fast, grinding rhythm to fuck you. “I’m still aroused and quite unsated.”

“Okay,” you said weakly, resigned to let him have another go.

Loki was quite impatient this time round, taking you with such intensity and pace that your eyes were rolling in pleasure in no time at all.

“Oh god… fuck!” you moaned, drowning in pre-orgasmic delight all over again. You arched your back and that put your breasts right in his face, an opportunity he didn’t waste, teasing them with his wicked mouth and tongue.

And then it felt like you were floating, weightless even, as he fucked you through two orgasms before finally hitting his own.

When you calmed down, you were rather surprised to see that the feeling of weightlessness wasn’t an illusion. He was using magic to keep you from falling off him.

How convenient…

“Okay, you’ve had your fun with me, now let me shower,” you muttered, once again avoiding his eyes.

“As you wish,” he replied, and then turned the shower on behind your back.

You gasped as the spray hit you, and Loki simply laughed in response. It made him twitch inside you—damn, he was still inside you!

Once you were sufficiently wet, like drowned cat, he turned off the shower and reached for the soap. You looked at him in utter shock as he lathered up the soap and began running his soapy hands all over you.

“What… are you doing?” you asked as he thoroughly cleaned your breasts. The nipples especially were cleaned as if they had centuries of dirt on them.

“Repetitive question.” He smiled crookedly, hands still focused on your breasts. “I’m helping you shower.”

“Loki, please just let me down already.” You shivered, and he twitched again.

“I’m not keeping you up.”

“Your magic is,” you groaned, “I can’t get down if you keep me plastered on yourself by your magic.”

He proceeded to clean your back then, quite blatantly ignoring your complaints.

“Wash your hair first, then we’ll see about it.”

You couldn’t believe the ridiculousness of the moment as you tried your best to wash your hair, with him still inside you, messing with you in the most pleasurable and weird way.

And once you were done, he had the cheek to ask you to wash him and do his hair. You tried to act cranky about it, but it only made him smile wider.

And really, you couldn’t actually be annoyed for too long. It wasn’t like rubbing hands all over the chiseled planes of his body or running fingers through his soft hair was a punishment. Also… he gave you another round of fucking once you were done, and that distracted you enough to hush your complaints.

Thankfully, he let you down after that.

“Thanks,” you mumbled, feeling a bit unsteady on your feet. You turned around immediately and began hurrying through your shower ritual, hoping he’d do the same and leave you alone for now.

There was only so much fucking one could take. You already felt sore and worn out from it all.

Loki did leave you be for the rest of the shower, but you felt his eyes on you, watching you avidly. You tried your best to ignore him, but still, the heat of his gaze was prominent.

Once done, you tried to leave the shower enclosure but he stopped you by grasping your wrist and pulling you back against his chest.

“What is it now?” you asked apprehensively, worried that he wanted another go at sex.

“Shhh…” he whispered in your ear, and then reached between your legs.

“Loki, please, no more,” you whimpered as he slid a finger in.

You were about to start struggling and protesting when you felt the light electric buzz of his magic, right where you were sore. Sweet relief came over you as you as the soreness gradually receded, all thanks to his healing touch.

“Thank you,” you murmured, leaning against him as the magical buzz slowly withdrew.

He huffed as he let you go. “I merely don’t want to see you limping and complaining about it later in the day.”

Asshole…

Loki seemed poised to say something more, but then he stopped and looked ahead, as if suddenly preoccupied. Then he pulled you towards the inner corner of the shower enclosure, his whole body language tense.

“Stay quiet and remain here,” he said, just as a loud noise came from outside the bathroom.

You jerked in response, but Loki simply gestured for you to remain quiet with a finger to his lips.

He then walked out swiftly, leaving you alone in the enclosure.

“Brother, you were in the bath?” It was Thor, there was no mistaking that booming voice.

Shit, Thor was here!

“As you can see,” came Loki’s casual reply. “Do you need something from me or are you just here to interrupt my morning rituals?”

“At least get dressed, Loki, we can converse at leisure then.”

Good lord, Loki was standing in front of Thor in all his butt naked glory?

“No, not at leisure, I’m not so free with my time. Get on with it.”

“Might I ask what has you so busy?”

“I have to be at the laboratory, a place you probably have never visited. Stark and I are doing some experiments.”

A beat of silence passed.

“Do you have company?”

You hugged yourself and shivered, scared about the possibility of being discovered.

“What makes you think so?”

“Your current state?”

What current state? What was Thor talking about? You were so confused…

“I was in the shower, Thor, it’s but natural that I’m naked. Now what is it that you want?”

“You’re aroused.”

What the hell, Loki? Still aroused, after all that fucking?!

“It’s morning, you oaf, it happens.” Loki sounded slightly pissed now. Oh damn…

“Thinking of someone special, brother?”

“I don’t have anyone special.”

“You were obviously thinking of someone, else it would’ve gone back to its passive state.”

Was Thor seriously talking to Loki about his erection? And here you thought that you had seen and heard nearly everything due to the joy that was the internet.

“Yes, perhaps I was fantasizing about your precious Jane Foster.”

Your eyes widened as you heard Thor growl in anger. “You will not speak of her this way, Loki. We’ve had this discussion before!”

“Then tell me why you’re here and then kindly leave,” Loki responded coolly.

“Father has reduced your sentence, seeing how much well behaved you have been lately.”

You almost laughed at that statement. Loki and well behaved?

“I’m most pleased,” Loki said in a deadpan tone. “Is that all?”

“I have to inform the Avengers of the same, and I believe most of them will not be very happy to hear it. But I am most pleased for you, brother.”

You heard Loki snort derisively. “So, does this mean that you’re taking me back to Asgard?”

“Not yet, you still have to serve the rest of your sentence,” Thor responded, sounding highly irritated now.

Loki sighed. “Of course. Well then, it’s time for you to leave. And try to knock before breaking the door the next time you visit. Had I planned to escape, I’d have done so by now.”

Thor laughed at that quip, so loud and unbearable that your heart lurched in reaction. “Where’s the fun in that? I thought you appreciated tricks.”

A heavy sigh was heard… it was probably Loki. “Farewell, brother.”

“Farewell. And I hope you take care of that,” Thor said, still laughing heartily, “before you reach the laboratory. Mortals would perish otherwise.”

“Do you want to remain here and watch me take care of it?” Loki dared him, not sounding amused at all.

“I am leaving, but don’t be mad for my jesting, for you chose to come out in this state.” You heard receding footsteps then, and assumed it to be Thor walking away.

For a while, all was quiet. Then Loki came back in the shower enclosure and threw a towel at you, with you barely able to catch it.

“I have laid your clothes out on the dressing table,” he muttered, looking supremely grumpy as he wrapped a towel around himself. “Get dressed and leave quickly.”

You scurried past him and got dressed in record time, totally ignoring the fact that he had pretty much dismissed you.

Like a hired escort, or, a convenient concubine… your mind whispered.

You shook your head and tried to dispel those nasty thoughts, but they were quite incessant. There came a point where you felt like you’d punch a wall or something…

Hence, you simply dashed to your apartment without saying bye to Loki, not even paying mind to the broken main door of his. You needed to be at the lab in half an hour, and you had to calm yourself before that.

Loki would be there as well, and you needed to prepare yourself to deal with that situation as well.

Chapter Text

Work was good. Work was interesting and fascinating. This particular kind of work was what you had always wanted to do.

But now it was marked by the presence of Loki—the source of your agitation, as well as your sexual pleasure.

Two days had gone by since he had dismissed you from his apartment, much to your humiliation. And now, he was simply ignoring you as you aided Stark in his endeavor to better understand his magic.

Two days of Loki acting as if he hadn’t even touched you, ever, let alone spent a hell lot of a time inside you…

As if your humiliation already hadn’t reached a high point…

Also, he was acting all kinds of disinterested and arrogant and unhappy to be at the lab. Well, you knew that he was mainly acting that way to drive Tony Stark up the wall. That was one of his hobbies, it seemed.

Loki liked to annoy people, in general, and that’s exactly what he was doing with Tony Stark. Poor Stark was presently trying to make him use his magic on a metal box which had numerous censors on it, some of which you yourself had installed. But Loki wasn’t listening to Stark at all, as was evident in the way he used magic on that box.

He made the box vibrate. Then he made it bounce in its place. And lastly, he made the box do little twirls, like a square ballerina. All of that was not what Stark had wanted.

“No, try to make this box disappear from here and make it appear at that specific spot so that Matrix can take readings through her program.” Stark was making frantic hand gestures now, to emphasize what he wanted from Loki. It was probably the fifth time he was doing it.

“My apologies for not following your commands like a puppet.” Loki gave him a disdainful look and then simply rolled his eyes.

Well, at least you were being left alone to your work in the midst of their bickering…

The box was then blasted from its spot, and it appeared right in front of you with a loud bang and a lot of sparkles, startling you so much that you reeled back with a gasp.

Talk about jinxing yourself…

You stared at Loki in shock, and he simply sneered at you. You had to look away, as even his sneering was reminding you of the ways he had claimed you in the past few days.

The computer screen was suddenly very interesting, and very helpful in dealing with Loki’s antics. Ignoring them, mainly.

“Seriously, you’re gonna take out my right-hand man for this project—I mean, right-hand woman—just to spite me?”

“That hardly caused her a scratch, and you’re talking as if I burned her.”

Well, Loki was kind of burning you in other ways, but Stark didn’t need to know that.

“You okay?” Stark asked you, and you nodded in reply, with a thumbs-up for an extra.

But then Loki walked up to you and gave you a once over, slowly, in a way that made you feel rather objectified. As he turned to look at Stark, though, his demeanor turned really cold and abrasive.

“Your delicate minion seems to be doing perfectly fine.”

Stark rolled his eyes. “Yeah well, then, your highness, would you like to come back and resume the experiment?”

Loki went back to his ‘enclosure’ again, a small space Stark had built in for him to stand in while he demonstrated his magic. It wasn’t really necessary, but Stark simply wanted to keep him in an enclosed space… just for shits and giggles.

In the next few minutes, Stark got busy with the experiments again, with Loki in a mildly compliant mood. You took the readings well and good, and everything seemed to be running smoothly for a change.

And then Stark had to ruin it by wearing noise canceling headphones to ‘hear’ Loki’s magic as it got activated. You weren’t sure what exactly that entailed, as he didn’t ask you to develop anything for that purpose. But Stark got so involved in it that he hardly looked up from the computer screen.

That gave Loki ample opportunity to stare creepily at you through the enclosure whenever he thought you weren’t noticing. Whenever you looked up, though, he’d give you a displeased look.

Well, wasn’t this project full of joy…

Just as you were entering an algorithm to interpret the latest data, Pepper Potts walked into the lab. Your guess was that she was here to remind Stark of the important engagements of the week, ones he had forgotten in his quest to understand Loki’s magic.

Stark didn’t notice her, but Loki did. And her presence, surprisingly, was welcomed by Loki, who had earlier frowned upon any visits from others, especially the Avengers.

“Virginia,” he said, approaching her before she could get to Stark. “You look absolutely stunning, dear.”

Potts stopped in her tracks and stared at Loki in a way a bunny stares at bright headlights. “Loki… Oh… thank you.”

Her confusion and apprehension was palpable. You almost snorted… almost.

You tried not to appear too observant of the conversation, but his tone struck you as strangely friendly. Hence, you were curious.

Loki circled Potts with an air of admiration you never really got to witness on him, and it kind of made you feel envious of Potts.

“The scarf you’re wearing is truly complimenting your dress and your sweet and peachy complexion,” he said, touching her deep burgundy scarf with a look of wonder on his face. “Where did you procure it from?”

“My stylist did,” she replied, still hesitant and looking a bit bothered by Loki’s proximity. “I didn’t know you had an interest in women’s fashion.”

“You’d be surprised by the things that interest me, dear. And women, in particular, interest me a lot.” He moved a bit closer to her and then delicately grasped a strand of her hair. “I believe you possess a really nice hair texture as well. Do you style it a lot?”

“Not all that much, but yeah, for the events I have to attend.”

“You do know I can prepare your hair with the aid of my magic?” He smiled down at her, saccharine sweet. “Well, I’d be honored to do it if you’d grant me the opportunity the next time you need to be styled.”

She was clearly taken aback by the offer, as were you. “Well, I… I’ll think about it. That’s really… sweet of you. Thanks.”

“Oh, no need to thank me, it’d be my pleasure to use my magic for something worthwhile, rather than rot here in this useless endeavor.” He gestured towards the enclosure with distaste.

That’s when Stark noticed the interaction and removed his headgear. “Hey, rock of ages, what the hell are you doing over there? I told you to remain in there with the box.”

Stark made it to Potts in record time and then made to stand between her and Loki.

“Tony, he was just complimenting me on the dress, that’s all,” she explained, resting a hand each on Loki’s and Stark’s forearms.

“Oh yeah… since when did he become a fashionista?” Stark asked, glaring at Loki, who was still focused on Potts.

“Tony, it’s okay.” She turned to Loki with an apologetic look. “I’m sorry. I do appreciate your compliments.”

“Well, I do not.” Stark looked annoyed as hell now. You suddenly felt an overwhelming need for popcorn.

Loki simply smiled in a benign way, ignoring Stark completely. “Oh, you’re deserving of all the compliments, Virginia.”

“Wait, why is he calling you Virginia? No one gets to call you Virginia.”

“Tony, stop, you’re embarrassing me and yourself.”

Potts then pulled Stark out of the lab and into the corridor outside. Yet, you could still discern their conversation, because Stark couldn’t keep his volume down.

“What the hell, Pepper, don’t come here. I told you I’m testing a volatile thing.”

“Is ‘volatile thing’ a codename for Loki? Also, one of your subordinates is here.”

Loki then looked at you and winked. You ignored him completely and went back to looking at your computer screen.

“Yes, because I need her. She developed several of the programs needed for this experiment.”

“I only came here to tell you that you need to be there for the charity gala being organized by the Coop Corp group. Remember?”

“When?”

“Today evening, Tony. I even left a reminder.”

“My reminders need reminders.”

She sighed heavily then. “That’s accurate.”

You were looking quite intently into the screen, reading data, when you felt hands grabbing you from behind. By now, you knew that grip well.

You turned your head and glared at Loki, all the while struggling against him. What was he even trying to do, grabbing you like that in the lab?

“But why were you talking to Loki? Do not talk to reindeer games, I told you before.”

“He didn’t harm a hair on me. He was being nice, actually. Don’t you guys want him to be nice? I thought that was the whole point of bringing him here.”

Loki held a finger to his lips, indicating for you to remain quiet. You hissed and tried to get out of his hold, but he didn’t let go. Then you noticed his dilated eyes and the determined look on his face, and it made you squirm nervously. You knew that look…

“Yeah, he may be acting all nice lately, but I don’t trust the guy.”

“He’s been helping you out, with missions and repairs. Give him a little break, maybe?”

“What the hell, Pepper? A few compliments... and you cross over to the dark side?”

Panicking, you tried to move away quietly, not wanting either Stark or Potts to discover what was happening inside the lab while they argued. Loki, though, was not having it.

“Tony, stop it. I’m about to leave for the pre-gala meetings, I just came here to remind you about it.”

“I need you to make me a plan where I can avoid the galas. I’m so done with them. And I have work to do.”

“That’s part of your work.”

“Yeah, whatever. But just… don’t come down here again. At least until we’re done with reindeer games’ magic mojo.”

“Let me go,” you whispered, giving Loki a meaningful look. “Are you mad?”

“Perhaps.” He grinned at you and then flipped your skirt up. Your struggles to get away renewed tenfold as his intentions became clear.

“I might get him to do my hair tonight.”

“What?!”

“Loki, please…” You trembled in his grasp as he magicked your panties away. “Not here.”

His fingers found their way inside you then, even as you kept protesting quietly.

“He offered to do my hair. He can do it by magic. You should come see it.”

“No way. Pepper, I just told you—”

“He’s not a threat to me, Tony. I can gauge that much. In fact, I should be worried about you spending so much time with him.”

Loki’s fingers pumped in and out of you quickly, and your inherent horniness made it all the more easier for him to manipulate you. You grew hot and aroused in no time at all, much to your shame.

“You mean he’s after my d—”

“Really, you need to spell it out? I didn’t mean you, specifically. Just that he seems that way...”

You sighed in surrender and leaned against the table as his fingers settled deep inside you. The slickness of your arousal only helped him along. You bit your lip and tried to keep quiet as he pleasured you.

"Really? So what… now he’s your gay best friend who coos and gushes over your dresses?”

“You’re so ready to be fucked,” Loki whispered in your ear, chuckling lightly. “I didn’t even have to try…”

And then, before you could react or say anything, he pulled his fingers out and pushed his hard length in… all of it, in one single move. You didn’t even know when he had freed that monster.

“Loki!” You tried to keep your volume low, conscious of the people outside, but panic had you in its grip, just like Loki. “We c-can’t do this…”

He began moving in and out of you rapidly, ignoring your protest. “Oh, but we already are…”

Your body was so ready for him that he didn’t even meet the slightest bit of resistance from it. Everything was slick and wet, and he was making good use of it.

“You don’t have to stereotype people, Tony.”

“Look, if he’s gay, you don’t need to worry about it.”

If you weren’t getting fucked so hard, you’d have laughed at the ongoing debate between Stark and Potts. Whatever Loki was… gay wasn’t it at the moment.

“Loki, I—”

“Shhh… we don’t want to attract their attention,” he grunted in your ear, not slowing his pace even the tiniest bit, “or do you want to welcome them here and let them watch?”

You shook your head and tried to control the moans that were threatening to break from your lips. There was no escape. Loki was already having his way with you, there was nothing you could do to stop him now. You could only control your own responses, at best.

Or perhaps, not even that…

A low moan came forth from you, and you panicked again.

“C-cover my m-mouth please…” you whispered, arching against him.

Loki laughed in your ear but complied with your request, covering your mouth with his hand. It was so big that it nearly covered your nose as well, making it difficult for you to breathe.

With a trembling hand, you grabbed his hand and lowered it a bit. The action somehow tickled his funny bone even more, for he chuckled more heartily this time, sending the vibrations right between your legs.

“…can’t believe we’re having this discussion.”

“Yeah, neither can I. But really, I mean it. Don’t do this, not with him.”

The conversation was now lost to you. You didn’t even care what was being said now. You simply closed your eyes against the pleasure Loki was giving you. You could feel the early imprints of your approaching climax and your body reveled in it.

That’s when Loki became more erratic and rougher in his handling of you, jostling your whole body with his thrusts. You gasped into his hand and tried to loosen his hold on you. But once again, it was futile.

“They could walk back in any time, and I want to have my fill of you,” he muttered impatiently, thrusting deep inside you and going into a grind. You had no time to even catch your breath.

Your orgasm was just on the brink, though, and you were pushing against him now, in a desperate bid to achieve it. If he was getting something from your body, perhaps you should too, right?

Loki let out a deep, quiet grunt then, as he throbbed and spilled into you, much to your surprise. Well, that was indeed quick… for him, that is.

“I promise, dear, I’ll be careful. You can come and watch too, I already offered.”

“Like I want to watch something as boring as that.”

“Want to come, don’t you?” Loki whispered in your ear, caressing your whole body as he kept releasing into you.

“Yes…” you whispered back, shamelessly pushing against him to achieve some sort of friction. You were trying to chase your own pleasure now.

But then Loki suddenly pulled out, leaving you wanting and right on the edge. “Perhaps then you’d like to come to me, seeking it, later.”

You turned around and gaped at him as he righted his clothes and yours with magic.

He saw your agitation and smiled, a little too sweetly. “They’re almost done fighting over my sexuality. Tony will be back here. Do you want to put on a show?”

You shook your head, but still, felt cheated of your own pleasure.

But he was right. Stark walked in mere moments later and did a double-take seeing Loki standing next to you.

“Now what the hell are you doing back there?” he asked Loki, crossing his arms.

“Not discussing your sexuality, at least,” Loki answered, walking back to his enclosure, leaving Stark in shock.

No one talked much after that, especially not Stark. You could hardly manage a sentence or two… being too frustrated and angry at Loki.

And yet… you wanted relief.

Chapter Text

It was evening, just after dinner. You came out of the shower and immediately started checking up on SHIELD, as per your secret mission. All of your traps were giving you absolutely nothing.

You briefly wondered if your boss, Tony Stark, would think that you weren’t being thorough enough…

Even though the thought kind of annoyed you, you were okay with the possibility of him calling the mission off because of zero results.

Then, at least, you wouldn’t have to keep secrets. And also, Loki wouldn’t hold such a power over you…

You shook your head. Loki held a kind of strange power over you with or without the secret mission. No point in denying that.

You rubbed your thighs together and squirmed in your chair. He had left you without an orgasm, and your body still tingled from the memory that rough fuck in the lab. Well, damn him…

You wanted relief from the state of constant horniness you were now in. But you weren’t going to go running to him for that.

Hurriedly, you closed the spying programs and locked your computer, then took off your clothes. Settling on your bed, you tried to achieve some pleasure on your own.

However, it wasn’t happening…

After about half an hour of trying and failing, you lay in your bed, frustrated beyond belief. Not a single orgasm achieved.

Fingers… your trusted dildo… nothing seemed to work. Loki had essentially ruined you for anything other than him.

You hated him so much…

Leaving your bed, you put on your cotton shorts and tank top, then headed for the main door. You were conflicted and confused about approaching him, and it was downright humiliating to think of what you were about to do.

As soon as you got out, though, you came face to face with the devil himself.

“I come seeking you and you present yourself to me,” he said, his eyes raking all over your body, “what a fortuitous thing.”

You then noticed that he was dressed in a dark suit, which was hugging all the contours of his form rather nicely.

“Where were you?” you blurted out, then almost regretted it as it sounded as though you were desperately looking for him.

He grinned at you, looking a bit too pleased with himself. “I was preparing dear Virginia for tonight’s event. And then she extended an invitation to me to attend the same. I could hardly refuse such a kind offer.”

He then turned and walked up to his apartment door, tipping his chin in your direction—a gesture for you to follow him inside.

Once inside, you leaned against the living room wall, feeling awkward as hell as you watched him take his suit jacket off and fetch himself a drink. He poured it from a strange, long bottle, kept at the coffee table. You assumed it to be from Asgard.

“Why are you back here then?” you asked, curiosity getting the better of you. “The event isn’t over, I think.”

“No, it isn’t. I came back because I wanted to.” He shrugged, sipping his drink as he sat down on the living room sofa. “I don’t need a reason to do so.”

“Of course,” you muttered, more to yourself than to him.

“So,” he said, trailing his eyes all over you, shamelessly focusing on your braless breasts under the tank top, “Where were you headed off to when I came along?”

“Nowhere…” You gulped, prying your eyes from his questioning gaze.

He laughed suddenly, startling you. “Oh, I see it now. You were looking for me, weren’t you?”

You struggled with yourself in answering him, but then simply gave up and nodded silently.

“Come here.” He gestured to you with his fingers, spreading his legs to cover more of the sofa.

You walked towards him with slow, unsure steps, feeling both dread and anticipation. It was akin to entering a lion’s den—or perhaps—a spider’s web. It was the first time you had voluntarily sought him out, and it was pretty clear that Loki didn’t miss that fact either.

When you came within his arm’s reach, he grasped your hip and brought you closer, till you were standing between his open legs.

He sipped from his glass as he looked up at you, his eyes bright and filled with lust. “You’ve come seeking pleasure.”

You felt like saying ‘duh!’

“You took yours from me.”

“Ah, I believe I’m in debt then.”

You remained silent, not sure where he was going with this odd conversation.

“Well, here I am,” he said, swirling the golden liquid in the glass with the subtle movement of his wrist. “Take whatever you want from me.”

The hand on your hip moved in a soft caress over your flesh, seeking the exposed skin between your top and shorts. That one subtle touch made you shiver.

“You know what I want,” you muttered mutedly, feeling heat creeping up your neck. It was hard to overtly state what you wanted.

“And you shall have it,” he purred seductively, leaving the glass on the sofa’s arm. “I’m all for your pleasure.”

“You weren’t bothered about my pleasure earlier.”

His other hand also came up to grasp your body, mirroring the one already holding you. Those cool fingers were inching just inside the waistband of your shorts now.

“I did say that I had planned to visit you, to pay my debts, so to say.”

He then pulled your shorts down, and looked very pleased to see that you weren’t wearing any panties.

“Pink and wet, what a sight to behold,” he said, wetting his lips with his tongue as he eyed your arousal.

His hand reached between your legs and ran a finger along your entrance, making you shiver. You were already so sensitive, all thanks to your failed attempts at pleasuring yourself. You were hot and wet down there, and his cool fingers were causing quite a stir.

“Stop teasing me,” you all but growled, frustrated beyond belief.

“Impatient, are we?” He smirked at you as he pushed two of his fingers inside you, prompting you to widen your legs. He gave you a few very deliberate strokes, and you were left gasping.

Your knees were growing weak now, and you were worried you’d collapse right where you stood. But then he removed his hand from your wet heat. He did so very slowly… causing a string of your wetness to extend from your folds and stay connected to his fingers as he pulled back.

It was obscene, but so erotic…

And then he had to make it even more obscene by putting those fingers in his mouth and sucking on them like he was sucking ambrosia. The fucker even moaned deeply and closed his eyes for the full seductive effect.

“Come sit in my lap,” he urged, opening his eyes to look up at you with dilated, hooded eyes.

You did so hesitantly, putting each knee on either side to straddle him. He took over then, pulling off your tank top quickly to lavish all his attention on your breasts.

He was sucking and biting your nipples to the point of it being almost painful, making you cry out his name in both pleasure and as a way to warn him to be gentler.

His hand promptly returned to your wet folds. This time he didn’t tease, he simply worked you into a frenzy till you were writhing and panting and gushing over his hands as you finally had some orgasmic relief.

You were still caught in the waves of your pleasure when he vanished his clothes in his usual Houdini act and lifted you over his erection.

You grabbed his shoulders to steady yourself, taking over from him and simply sinking down on his arousal.

Such a sweet, sweet sensation…

“Yes, slide down on me, darling” he groaned, leaning back against the sofa to watch you as you began moving up and down over him, taking him deeper. “Use me thoroughly, take from me the same way I have taken from you. Take your vengeance upon me.”

“God, just shut up already,” you sighed, but did exactly what he was asking of you. You simply fucked him with a desperation and intensity that bordered on anger. Anger at his behavior with you, in general, and his perceived entitlement to your body.

Well, you were taking that entitlement and twisting it around to suit yourself, get your kicks from it as you went along.

“Oh, but I can’t hush myself, not when you look so appealing.”

His hands came up to cup your breasts, thumbs rubbing your nipples as he gave you an impish smile. You moaned deeply and closed your eyes against the building pleasure.

“I love how instantly you react to my touch, so responsive…” He chuckled and rubbed your nipples harder. He was enjoying this way too much. And you had to admit, so were you.

You rode him frantically, egged on by his seductive words and his sensual touch. It didn’t take long for you to climax. You gripped his neck hard and contracted around him, letting the pleasure flow through you.

His arms pulled you close once you were done riding the waves of your orgasm. His mouth descended over yours then, tasting sweet, slightly spicy and even kind of tangy. That must have been the flavor of whatever he had been drinking, mixed with the flavor of… you.

Dazed, you kissed him back, liking the now familiar sensation of his cold tongue against yours. But the way he held you had an odd intimacy to it. It felt off and very unlike him.

You pulled back, looking away from his infuriatingly striking face. He didn’t let you get off him, though, gripping your arms tightly. You were still very much on that hard length of his.

“Yeah, I suppose you want to come as well,” you said flippantly, trying to defuse whatever weirdness had just taken over him.

Suddenly, Loki gripped your neck and pulled you close to his face. His gaze was intense, with something innately wild and untamed about it. It was kind of scary, if you were to be honest.

“You belong to me now,” he murmured, soft against your lips, though there was nothing soft about his demeanor. “I hope you understand that.”

You really didn’t. But you were too nervous and aroused to say it to his face.

Before you could question his words further, he picked up his drink again brought the glass to your lips.

“Drink,” he urged, tipping it until you drank the sweet amber liquid. You felt its effect almost immediately. Not overwhelming, but it made you feel pleasantly tipsy.

He put the empty glass away and stared at you with keen eyes. “Feeling relaxed?”

You shrugged, trying for flippancy again, but felt him twitch inside you. Flippancy went out of the window immediately.

“Let’s get more comfortable then,” he said, moving swiftly to stand up, holding you snug to his body so that he didn’t slip out. You wrapped your legs around his waist and clung to him nervously as he carried you to his bedroom.

More sex was coming… you inherently knew that. Loki was rather insatiable in that regard. You were kind of getting used to that now… getting used to him, which was a scary prospect in itself.

Once settled on the bed, he gave you a few rapid thrusts, preparing you for another orgasm. Just when you reached that sweet point where it hung on the horizon, he pulled out and turned you over on your stomach.

This time, he entered you slowly, prolonging your wait for that peak of pleasure. You moaned and pushed against him, but he held you down, restricting your movement considerably.

“Please…”

“Shhh… I’m giving you what you crave,” he reassured you, kissing your back and shoulders, “and something more.”

You closed your eyes against the sensation of his cool lips on your heated skin, adding to the bitter-sweet pleasure of him moving unhurriedly inside you.

He pulled back and then started tracing your spine with his hands. You jolted slightly, feeling ticklish as he reached the small of your back.

“I’m ticklish there,” you cautioned, and in response, he became firmer in his caress.

You nearly relaxed and began arching your back against him in pleasure again, wanting more. But then his hand slipped into the cleft of your ass and you felt his finger against your rear opening.

You froze.

“L-Loki?” you stammered nervously, trying to lean away from his finger.

“Shh… relax,” he ordered, holding you down with his other hand as his finger pressed inside you. It was slick and it slipped inside you quite easily.

But you didn’t want it inside you, damn it!

“Stop!” you cried out as the finger went deeper. “What the fuck, Loki?!”

“Am I hurting you?” he asked, moving the finger in and out slowly, in sync with his erection.

It sent a weird sensation down your spine. It wasn’t pain, certainly. In fact, it was strangely pleasant.

“No, but I’ve never…” You still tried to move away.

“Then I’m glad to be the first,” he said casually, picking his pace a bit, both with the finger and his aroused flesh lodged inside you.

You moaned and shook your head. “This is not okay.”

“Neither are the other things we’ve done, darling, you should know that by now.”

You were panting now, and still struggling. But he had no problems keeping you subdued. “You did those things to me, I tried to stop you!”

“Oh, but you wanted me to do those things,” he uttered roughly, “you wanted me to force the pleasure on you. I know you like it immensely when I make you submit to my demands.”

He wasn’t wrong, but… you hadn’t expected this.

He pulled his finger out then, and you relaxed a bit. But then two of his fingers found their way inside your rear passage, and you jolted in response.

“Just… what exactly are you trying to do here?” you asked frantically, feeling yourself stretch to accommodate those long fingers.

“Trying to show you other pathways to pleasure,” he replied, fucking you faster now, fingers moving in tandem. “Just try to relax and let your body enjoy these new sensations, darling. This is all I will give you tonight, nothing more.”

‘I’m not enjoying it!”

“Really? Are you not?” he asked, halting his thrusts. He then moved his fingers in and out of you very slowly, rubbing very deliberately against your sensitive sphincter muscle. “Then why are you clenching around my cock so deliciously?”

Damn, it felt good.

You were trembling from the sensation now. “Ugh… I don’t know.”

“You do, you’re just denying it.”

He didn’t stop the teasing back and forth movements of his fingers, and the longer it carried on, the lesser your resistance grew.

You were sure that your face was glowing red now, with the effort it was taking to remain still and not press back against his fingers. Your hands gripped the bedsheets tightly, almost threatening to rip holes into them.

“Give in, darling, I know you’re enjoying it. And you know how much I like it when you surrender to me.”

Closing your eyes, you exhaled heavily, hiding your face in the bedsheets. And then, with a silent gasp, you began pushing against his persistent fingers, seeking more of their wicked touch.

“Yes…” Loki reveled, picking up his thrusting again, “fuck my fingers and my cock. And tell me, who do you belong to?”

You moaned, still face down into the sheets, as he gave you deeper, longer strokes.

“I asked you something, you slut,” he rumbled, grasping your neck and pulling you up from your hiding place. “Who do you belong to?”

“You, Loki!” you whimpered, in total surrender mode now, “You…”

“Yes, and I’ll never let you forget it.” He let your neck go then, and you settled down on to the sheets as your orgasm approached. “Come, darling, I can feel you contracting around my cock and fingers. Let your sweet body take the pleasure.”

When the orgasm hit you fully, it was so intense and overwhelming that you nearly blacked out.

Coming around, you felt him throb inside you as he experienced his own climax. He coated your insides with his release soon after, but he didn’t stop.

Oh damn, he didn’t stop…

The night went on and Loki kept fucking you into the mattress while his fingers made sure that you felt their sinful touch intimately in your ass all throughout it. By the time he was done with you, it was way past midnight and you were worn out to the max.

You went out like a light, pressed close to his cool body as he held you. His embrace was possessive, yet gentle, a confusing mix indeed. But you were far too gone into the land of dreams to care, at least for now.

Chapter Text

You woke up in the morning, all bleary-eyed and slow as a sloth. It took you a moment to realize that the thing that woke you up was your phone alarm.

And that in turn made you realize that you were back in your bedroom, in your apartment, instead of Loki’s.

Loki… who had pretty much spent half the night fucking you and—you blushed as you recalled—poking and wiggling his fingers inside your ass. The worst part of it was that it was weirdly pleasurable.

Or was it the best part? You weren’t sure…

You had never in your life considered anal play as a possibility. Loki made your body not only accept it but crave it as well. You briefly wondered if he was turning you into some kind of sexual deviant…

When you moved the covers off yourself, you discovered a note on your bed, right next to you, with a box beside it. At first, your still sleepy and confused brain couldn’t fathom where it had come from.

Then it clicked. Of course, it was from Loki. Who else?

You decided to read the note first. It was written in an elegant, almost calligraphic handwriting. Yes, definitely Loki. Who else could be so over the top with their handwriting?

‘Wish you a lovely morning, darling. I had to deposit you back to your living quarters as I needed to head out early. Nevertheless, we’ll see each other soon, in the laboratory. A gift awaits you in the box. Wear it.’

You cringed at his commanding tone, but at the same time, your thighs rubbed together as a shot of arousal passed through you. Damn this man…

You ignored your body’s reactions and instead focused on the box.

The box was wrapped in a green ribbon, another way for Loki to assert himself.

You opened up the box to see what he had meant by the note, and were greeted with something that quite honestly left you flabbergasted. And very very nervous…

Inside the box lay a butt plug—metallic, with a golden body and a green jewel embedded at the  flat end. Loki’s royal colors, as you remembered.

“God, you fucker,” you groaned, pushing the box away and pulling the covers over yourself again.

Multitasking was fun…

No, not really, especially when you were feeling sleep deprived and kind of groggy. All thanks to a certain Norse God—slash—alien who had made it a point to fuck you into the next flat surface every chance he got.

Well, the last time you had initiated it, and hence, you felt partly guilty for your present condition.

You were busy hacking into SHIELD again, while eating breakfast. You were so not feeling up to heading out for work, and a small mercy had come in the form of Tony Stark calling you in the morning to inform you that the lab experiments with Loki would commence later in the day.

He hadn’t given you any reasons behind the delay, and you hadn’t asked. It was the kind of thing that happened in the Avengers’ Tower. You didn’t ask questions about the things that were not readily shared with you.

But the good thing was that Stark’s mysterious delay had given you ample opportunity to have a late, lazy breakfast. You had chosen hacking in into SHIELD as a pretext for staying in your apartment.

Unexpected perks sometimes came along with dangerous jobs…

While your hacking and probing software downloaded information from SHIELD’s dark recesses, you took the opportunity to take a shower. There, you discovered that your body had been marked with hickeys and a few bruises.

Last night’s activities, which you had been blocking from your mind, came rushing back.

Needless to say… you had a long shower and the showerhead didn’t quite meet its mark of pleasing you. You had give up and head out finally, because a showerhead could not compete with a god.

Ignoring your newfound uber horniness, you dressed for the day and went back to check out SHIELD’s murky secrets.

You had expected to find nothing unusual there, but the downloaded files revealed something very unusual indeed.

Somehow, the treasure trove of Chitauri weapons and other equipment—gathered after the New York attack—was being transferred somewhere else. And it wasn’t being done for the first time. The suspicious part wasn’t that the Chitauri tech was being shifted, it was the part where the location of the said transfer just kept changing, along with the fact that the numbers weren’t tallying.

The Chitauri assault weapons cache was being depleted slowly, with lesser numbers being stocked and reported at the new location after every transfer.

There was also the case of a missing Chitauri worm carcass—the weird flying leviathans that had rained terror on New York not long ago. Somehow, one of them was now completely gone from SHIELD’s database.

You frowned at the data, wondering what could be going on inside SHIELD. Your gut told you that something fishy was definitely up. Smuggling of these precious and dangerous goods was a distinct possibility, especially if the SHIELD officials handling the transfer had some sort of illegal vested interest in it.

Corruption was everywhere… even within SHIELD, it seemed.

This new development worried you. Hence, you closed and locked the spying system and headed straight for Stark’s office.

You sat ramrod straight and tried to act normal as you sat in Stark’s office, facing none other the Black Widow.

You had interacted with Natasha Romanoff only once in your life, and that too, briefly at a party. It had been a stress-free environment then, and still, you had felt intimidated.

Right now, the environment was very not stress free, and you could feel the sweat dripping down your back as she fixed you with a penetrating gaze.

“She spied on SHIELD and got this data out?” she asked Stark, referring to you as if you weren’t even in the room. Her tone had a slightly condescending air to it, something you didn’t appreciate but were too chicken to out rightly say it to her.

“Yes, and she’d good.”

“I can see that. Why didn’t you tell me about this earlier?” She finally turned her chair in Stark’s direction, giving you a breather.

“You’d have told Fury,” he replied, munching on a pack of blueberries—a nervous habit. Well, at least it wasn’t drugs or anything equally damaging.

“I could still go and tell him.”

“Yes, but you can’t deny that something weird is going on with the Chitauri equipment.”

She nodded, looking firm and a bit too calm for your comfort. “I’ll be on it.”

“Keep Fury out of my hair, though.”

She gave him a razor-sharp smile. “I guess I’ll have to honor your wish this time, because if weren’t for your snooping, these shenanigans with the Chitauri equipment wouldn’t have been revealed.”

“Exactly.” Stark’s returning smile was pure sarcasm.

Natasha’s focused then turned back on you.

“You are more than you appear to be. I’m pleasantly surprised.” She pulled her chair closer to you and for once, gave you a genuine, friendly smile. “Know any combat moves?”

You shook your head, replying in the negative.

Her smile brightened. “Wanna learn?”

You were double checking your equipment in the lab as you waited for Stark and Loki to arrive. You hadn’t seen Loki since last night, and that was perhaps a good thing.

Now, however, you had no choice but to face him again, as you were essentially working with him. And a part of you was thrilled at the prospect. You were judging that part really hard.

Just then, as you stood preoccupied with the thoughts of him, Loki sauntered into the lab as if he owned the place. In his mind he probably thought so.

He saw you at your table and smirked knowingly as he reached you.

“I feel blessed to be in your company again, my lady fair,” he said, pulling you flush against him.

You gasped, pressing your hands against his chest. Before you could speak, he took your lips in a heated, possessive kiss.

His hands took a hearty fill of your body, groping all over. They ultimately settled on your ass, squeezing it in a not so gentle manner. A finger traced down the cleft between your ass cheeks, making you jerk in reaction and break the kiss.

“Loki!” you cried out, trying to pull yourself away from him. He didn’t let you. He kept you in a tight grip as his finger traced your rear opening through your panties.

“Why are you not wearing the gift I gave you?” he asked, his eyes narrowing.

“Because it’s ridiculous and I can’t?”

“It’s not even that big.” He rolled his eyes, making a show of being exasperated. “I thought I taught you last night that it can be very enjoyable to have things in your rear.”

You blushed at his lewd words. “Stop it. I’m working.”

“You can work all you want while wearing it.”

“I’m not wearing it!” You tried to free yourself from his grip, but as usual, it didn’t work.

“Where is it?” he asked, tightening his hold on you.

“What?”

“My gift.”

You hesitated for a few seconds… but then relented, knowing that he’d not leave you be if you didn’t reply. “It’s in my apartment… my bedroom.”

“Ah, I see.”

Releasing you, he closed his eyes and concentrated for a while. A mischievous smile graced his face when he opened them and looked back at you.

In the next second, the butt plug appeared in his hand.

You immediately backed away, apprehensive. “You’re not inserting that into me here in the lab.”

He chuckled, shaking his head. “We’ve done much worse in the lab.”

“Loki, please!”

“Let’s reach a point of agreement here. If you insist, then fine, not in the lab.”

He grabbed your hand and then pulled you into the washroom in the back of the lab. Once inside, he locked the door and grabbed you once again. You struggled and pushed at him, but at the same time, you could feel your body reacting in the form of arousal.

Soon, you found yourself bent over the washroom sink, with Loki pulling your panties down with ease.

“Loki, please…” you whispered, afraid that Stark might step into the lab any moment and hear you.

“Shh…” He gestured with his hand for you to remain mum, meeting your eyes in the mirror. “It won’t take much time or effort.”

And then his fingers were tracing your rear opening, making you shiver in response. You barely noticed him whispering in another tongue as you tried to control your body’s urge to eagerly push against his fingers.

You were jolted into sharp awareness when the cold metal of the plug touched your sensitive flesh.

Through the mirror, you looked at Loki with widening eyes as he pressed the plug in. It was aided by some kind of lubrication, you noted—a little too late—as it went into your ass without much effort.

Loki licked his lips and smiled at you, watching your reaction as he pulled on the plug, almost tugging it out. The action targeted the super sensitive nerve endings in your rectum, and you let out a helpless moan of pleasure.

“Good girl,” he said, pushing the plug back into its place.

He repeated the tugging and inserting action quite a few times. By the time he decided to let the plug rest inside your ass for good, you were breathing heavily, completely overcome with arousal.

So when he opened his pants and freed his erection, you were more than willing to ride him into the next week.

As he entered you in an unhurried thrust, your body felt the sensation of being stuffed on both ends for the second time. It was almost unbearable, with the plug opening you up more than his fingers had done, and you wondered how your body was even accepting this double intrusion.

“Oh fuck,” you moaned, closing your eyes as he began thrusting in and out of you.

Silently, you prayed that Stark wouldn’t arrive at this very inopportune moment, as you were sure to have trouble keeping quiet.

You gripped the sink countertop and moved your legs further apart to grant more access to Loki, and he responded by fucking you harder.

“Move your leg up and rest it over the counter,” he grunted, and then held your leg up so that you could do as he ordered.

The action opened you up even more, enabling him to give you much deeper thrusts than before. You couldn’t help but moan loudly in response. His hand closed over your mouth then, muffling all the sounds of pleasure that you were making.

You opened your eyes and met his gaze through the mirror. His eyes held the intensity of a predator. You had no doubt that you were the prey here…

He aligned his body over yours and lowered his head to kiss and suck on your neck. You were highly sensitive there, and he sure knew how to work you up, nibbling on your skin as if he were tasting a delicacy.

“I’d ask you to tell me how it feels, but you’d probably be too loud in your expression,” he whispered in your ear, slowing down in his thrusts. “Well, I’m certainly savoring the sensation of your snug pussy… made even tighter by the plug.”

His hand firmly remained on your mouth, and hence, you could do little else than shudder in pleasure.

Loki grinned at you through the mirror, though it was through gritted teeth. Lust had taken as much of a hold of him as it had of you, that much was obvious.

Slow and steady, you were climbing the peak of pleasure, buoyed by his sensual lips on your neck and his movements inside you.

Oh, but he wasn’t done tormenting you yet. His other hand took ahold of the plug again and began moving it in and out of you, reminiscent of the way his fingers had done so last night.

You groaned deeply into his hand as the whole experience overwhelmed you, causing you to writhe in pure ecstasy as you climaxed.

Loki fucked you throughout your orgasm, drawing it out as he found his own release inside you. He panted against your ear as the last spurt of his essence emptied inside you.

“If Stark’s outside… we can’t go out together,” you murmured once you had both calmed down and he had removed his hand from your mouth.

Loki pulled out of you slowly, groaning as he did so. You simply shivered in the remnants of your orgasm.

“Stark’s certainly not here,” he said, using his magic to clean both of you.

“What do you mean?” you asked, pushing off the sink counter slowly, noting how unsteady your legs felt.

He pulled you into his arms once again, and brought your face close to his. “Because he’s busy doing the same thing as we are.”

It took you a second to realize what that meant. “Oh…”

Loki covered your open lips with his, leaning against the counter as he devoured your mouth. His hand snaked around your waist and once again reached for the butt plug.

You immediately broke the kiss. “Enough… please.”

“Just ensuring that it’s resting properly in its place.”

He gave you a wink, tapping on the jeweled base of the plug. Then, he thankfully removed his hand and pulled your panties up over your bottom.

“Now, let’s go outside and wait for Stark… like two very well-behaved work companions.”

And that’s exactly how Stark found you both—you working on your computer, quiet as a mouse, and Loki reading a book, looking bored. As if he hadn’t fucked you senseless just minutes ago.

You didn’t know what to do about the butt plug that was resting inside you, or what Loki even planned to achieve with it. Honestly, you were too afraid to ask…

Chapter Text

It was evening and you were headed back to your apartment after a rather busy day at work. One part of your day had consisted of the mundane task of developing a better firewall for Stark’s pet project on planetary safety, while the other consisted of trying your hand at bettering your self-defense skills. Natasha Romanoff was your self-appointed mentor, and she was quite invested in making you learn some complex hand-to-hand combat moves.

You discovered that you weren’t a total loser in terms of moving your body fluidly to avoid the obvious attacks, but you were not so good with skilled, deceptive attacks. But then again, as Natasha had stated with an indulgent smile, you were essentially a Padawan and there was a long way to go towards becoming a Jedi.

It was a crazy thing to learn that the menacing Black Widow was a nerd who liked to make Star Wars references. Not that it made her any less dangerous or effective in her line of work, just that it made her more friendly and approachable in your perspective.

The more you interacted with her, the more you ended up liking her. Maybe there was a friendship on the horizon…

The moment you stepped into your apartment, you were bombarded with the smell of Italian herbs… and assaulted with the view of a shirtless Loki eating pizza in your living room.

“You’re back,” you stated lamely, mentally admonishing yourself as captain obvious in the same breath. Of course, he was back… you could see him sprawled on your couch, manspreading as much as he could.

“As you can see,” he responded, then bit off a huge chunk of the pizza slice in his hand. Somehow, he made it look elegant. “The mission was completed earlier than estimated, owing to my skills as a mage.”

Oh arrogance, thy name is Loki.

“Where’s your shirt?”

He smirked at your question. “Destroyed amidst the chaos of the mission. Midgardian fabrics cannot seem to keep up with me.”

You vacillated over asking him why he was in your apartment instead of his own… but then you simply shrugged it off. There was no point in asking him. He did what he wanted, regardless of whatever anyone else thought of it.

Loki made a gesture with his hand for you to come over, and you found yourself heeding that command without a second thought. When you reached him, he simply pulled you on to his lap.

“Indulge yourself,” he said, retrieving another slice from the pizza box sitting beside him. He offered it to you and you took a hesitant bite.

That’s basically how your dinner time played out, with Loki feeding you and himself from the comfort of your couch. He didn’t let you budge from his lap, and eventually, you stopped squirming and got used the feel of sitting on his muscled thighs.

There was a sense of déjà vu in all of this…

“I need to take a shower,” you said as you watched him finish the last of the pizza.

“Me too,” he replied, and the suggestion was obvious in his voice and demeanor, as his hand caressed your neck and his eyes all but undressed you with their intense perusal.

An involuntary shiver ran down your spine, accompanied by a flush of arousal. Well, it had been a few days since you saw him, and quite honestly, your lady parts were missing him sorely.

You made to get up from his lap, and this time, he didn’t stop you. You could feel his eyes on you as you walked to your bedroom.

Feeling a flash of boldness, you slowed your pace and began taking off your clothes. First, the top was discarded, then the skirt. You didn’t know why you wanted to tease him… you just wanted to.

As you entered the bedroom and kicked off your shoes, Loki was right behind you. Your bra and panties were gone in seconds then, as were his own clothes. Moments later, you were both standing under the spray of the shower, and his mouth was busy owning yours in a heated kiss.

You pulled away with a gasp, your lips feeling puffy and swollen. “Loki, not here, please. I’m too tired for shower aerobics.”

Even as you said that, you felt your pussy growing wetter. It seemed that your body didn’t quite agree with you there.

You fully expected Loki to simply grab you and impale you on his cock, which was presently standing at full mast and bobbing at you in greeting. When he didn’t do that, you looked up at him in confusion.

“Give me the soap.” He turned the shower off and extended his hand towards you. Dumbfounded, you handed him your body wash.

You spent the whole of the shower merely gripping the fixtures or the wall as Loki washed your body and shampooed your hair. It was extremely sensual, but not sexual in the way you had assumed it would be.

You were so thoroughly confused, and it showed, as you watched him while he washed himself. He simply smirked at you and carried on.

That cock was still very hard and still bobbing at you for attention, though.

And you wanted its attention, regardless of your tired state. What a turmoil to have…

Loki insisted on drying you, or rather… teasing you, as he brushed the towel gently against all the sensitive areas of your body. At first, you took it all silently. But then, as he carried on, your patience ran thin. Or your lust just took over.

You reached for his erection and grasped it firmly, though your eyes couldn’t quite meet his as you did so.

You expected some kind of reaction from him, but he remained silent. Infuriatingly silent. He did stop rubbing the towel against your body.

Slowly, holding him by his cock, you pulled him to the bed. A glance up at his face showed that he was amused by your actions. As you sat down on the bed, his manhood was right in your face. Literally.

So you did what you thought might provoke some kind of reaction in him… you wrapped your lips around its tip. You weren’t very well versed in this particular skill, and quite honestly, his sheer size was making you nervous. You may well have bitten off more than you could chew.

“Mmm… I thought you were too tired?” he asked, his voice huskier than before.

You didn’t respond and just kept sucking. A tug at your hair made you look up at him.

“It is rather remarkable how a few caresses can be promises of pleasure, isn’t it?” His voice was raspier now, clearly affected by what you were doing, and you counted it as a small victory over his cockiness. “Or shall I say that I’ve made a wanton woman out of you?”

You cupped his balls then, and he uttered a low hiss. You would’ve chuckled if you could…

Suddenly, you were pulled away from his cock and tossed on your back. His head was between your legs before you could close them, and his tongue was working your pussy into a frenzy before you could even fathom what was going on.

A squeal of surprise from you, a growl of dominance from him… and just like that you were back in your usual dynamic, getting off on his dominance.

Loki kept your legs spread wide open as he gave you orgasm after orgasm. The pleasure was so intense that your legs were shaking by the time he was done making you squirm on his tongue.

“Feeling better now?” he asked as he crawled up over you and entered you in a slow thrust. Your legs immediately locked around his hips, as did your arms around his shoulders.

“Better?” you asked, and it was kind of distorted in your moaning. “W-What?”

“You said you were tired,” he grunted, thrusting very leisurely, drawing your pleasure out.

“I… yes, but—” he stopped you from saying more by sealing his lips over yours, kissing you so thoroughly that you forgot what you were about to say to him.

The kisses never really stopped, barring a few instances where he was keen on giving your chin and neck a couple of love bites. Your lips knew only one word—his name—as he fucked you into a state of near constant pleasure.

Somewhere amidst your gasps and cries, you felt him throb inside you and release, accompanied by his deep groans of sexual culmination. God, those were such sexy sounds…

Your eyes were beginning to droop by the time he calmed, but he didn’t pull out. He turned slightly, keeping you joined with him, and kept grinding into you.

“I’m sleepy,” you mumbled against his lips. It was a kind of half-assed complaint, though, since you were actually liking what he was doing to you.

It was fucking, but mixed with cuddles, as he held you close while his cock kept sliding in and out of you.

“Hmm, I noticed.” One of his hands cradled your ass, holding you firmly against him. “But I think you’re still capable of another climax.”

“No…,” you muttered, closing your eyes.

“Yes,” he countered, changing the angle of his thrusts to hit that sweet spot inside you… the one that immediately drove you crazy with pleasure. “Be a good girl and come on my cock one last time.”

“Ah Loki!” You arched your back and contracted around him, just as he commanded. It was kind of humiliating that your body followed his orders like a well-trained pet, but damn, it felt so good!

Sleep claimed you soon after, but not before you felt him climax one more time, taking all the pleasure from your body as he could, given that you were basically a sleepy ragdoll in his arms.

You were in the lab, feeling surprisingly fresh despite whatever sexual shenanigans had gone down last night. Loki was most probably responsible for that, and you felt begrudgingly grateful to him.

You weren’t feeling all too grateful about him bickering with Stark, though.

“My magic is a combination of several complex mechanisms Stark, some of which your science cannot even fathom, let alone name.”

“Oh yeah, how about you enlighten us peasants, then, Jafar.”

Loki frowned at the new nickname, while you barely kept yourself from snickering. Stark seemed smug about it, but thankfully didn’t go on in the same vein.

“No really, explain at least some of it in the terms we can understand. After all, your pardoning is dependent on you helping us puny humans out, no?”

Oh, now Stark had stepped into a very bad territory with Loki. You could almost feel it happening; like a change in the air pressure inside the room.

Loki’s body stiffened and he gave Stark a glare that couldn’t be compared in human terms. It was dark and menacing, and a good reminder of the fact that Loki was not human at all. It made you want to leave the lab and run, even though you weren’t its recipient.

“Whoa!” Stark took a step back, clearly feeling the heat of Loki’s glare. “Calm down, Loki, we’re all trying to help each other here.”

It was perhaps one of those rare occasions where Stark was feeling off-balanced enough to not call Loki by any of his given nicknames.

“I didn’t threaten you, did I?” Loki asked, his voice deep and raspy, making you think of a snake coiling itself.

His demeanor was still very rigid and combative, something you hoped Stark took note of. You didn’t want the lab to be destroyed as yet.

“I think it is pretty much clear that his form of teleportation takes into consideration the stability of the atomic particles at the point from which he disappears and at the point of his appearance,” you stated, making your observation at possibly the most inopportune time.

You did hope that it distracted both of them enough to make them forget about their one-upmanship.

“Are you into astrophysics, Matrix?” Stark turned to you with surprise evident in his eyes. Loki’s gaze also flickered to you, and he immediately toned down his glare.

“I’m into logic and deduction,” you replied with a shrug. “When Loki teleports from one point to another, he doesn’t even create a draught. So, I think it’s safe to assume that he’s somehow maintaining the stability of the packet of space he’s utilizing.”

“It’s a necessity,” Loki said, staring at you in a weirdly assessing way, quite unlike his usually sexually charged gaze. Then he turned to Stark once again, giving you a breather from squirming under his intense regard. “Stealth is one of the benefits of this method of travel. Why would I compromise that by destabilizing the particles of space?”

“I don’t know… dramatic supervillain entry?” Stark quipped, and you felt like hitting your forehead with your palms.

Loki seemed poised to give him a scathing remark, but he was stopped by the chiming of Stark’s phone. Stark picked up the call and went sauntering out of the lab, much to Loki’s irritation.

The moment Stark was out of the lab, though, Loki’s ire eased somewhat. He turned to look at you, but you kept your eyes down at the computer screen.

You heard the taps of his boots as he came closer and stood beside you.

“Your observations were impressive.”

“Thanks.”

Awkward didn’t even begin to cover how you felt at the moment. Loki praising you for your brains and not anything sexual? WHAT?

“You never told me what had you so tired yesterday?”

“Just… work stuff.” You typed in a few commands as you spoke, still not looking at him.

Briefly, you did wonder why you were keeping this small detail from him. You just felt like it. After all, it wasn’t like he was your boyfriend or anything…

The lab door whooshed opened then, and instead of Tony Stark, Natasha Romanoff came rushing in. Not the timing you were expecting. Clearly not a good timing.

“Hey golubushka,” she said, winking at you as she handed you a flash drive. “Something to help your endeavor.”

Beside you, Loki stiffened, though he didn’t make any comment. Natasha didn’t even acknowledge him. She simply hooked an arm over your shoulder and kept talking.

“So, how are you liking the training sessions?”

“They’re good. I’m learning a lot. Thanks,” you responded, feeling rather weird with the way she was being so touchy-feely with you.

She was still intimidating as hell, and you weren’t sure what to make of this over-friendly attitude of hers.

“I’m glad. I see potential in you. Not as an agent, but as someone who can be trained well.”

“Okay, that’s good to hear.”

You weren’t sure how, but you could feel animosity rolling off Loki in that moment.

“So, you’re coming down to the gym in the evening?” she asked, quirking an eyebrow as she spared a glance at Loki. You weren’t aware of what he was doing, as your attention was on Natasha. You just hoped that he wasn’t doing something untoward.

“Sure, see you there.” You smiled, and she responded with a one arm hug… with the same arm that was hanging over your shoulder.

“Can we go on with the experiments or am I to endure endless chatter as I waste my time here?” Loki asked, his voice cold and sharp as knives.

Romanoff rolled her eyes but didn’t reply to him.

“Your hair smells nice,” she said to you, and then breezed out of the lab as swiftly as she had entered. Was that a parting compliment? You considered it one. There was no other explanation for it.

“You didn’t tell me that Romanoff was teaching you combat skills.”

Uh oh…

You turned to face Loki, who was glaring at the lab doors like they had personally offended him.

“I wasn’t aware I needed to,” you said, kind of feeling defiant, given that he considered it an obvious step to tell him about all your plans and activities beforehand.

His attention came back to you then, and his eyes narrowed. “Let me make you aware, then…”

Loki grabbed your arm and pulled you close. It wasn’t a harsh grip, just very firm. You weren’t sure what he was about to do, and that made you nervous as hell.

Just then, the lab doors whooshed again, and Loki let go of you in haste. Stark walked in, eyes still on his phone, completely oblivious to the tension in the room.

“What’s up, kids, hope you didn’t break any of my toys here,” he commented casually as logged back on his computer interface. “Rock of ages, you calm now? Shall we begin again?”

Loki took his position inside the enclosure for the experiments, his face now impassive instead of angry. “Go on, Stark,” he replied with obvious annoyance, “just have to endure this.”

“Ouch… you hurt my delicate heart.” Stark held a hand to his heart, which glowed an eerie blue because of the arc reactor.

Loki rolled his eyes but didn’t say anything more, he simply stared ahead, ignoring Stark… and you. That bothered you, in more ways than one.

Chapter Text

You entered your apartment in a hurry, wanting to change quickly and leave as soon as possible. You were supposed to meet Natasha in about half an hour, to train with her as per schedule.

As you got out of your formal clothes, though, you were grabbed by the shoulders and pushed on to the bed. Instantly, you knew who it was. Your body was intimately aware of his touch.

“Loki!” you cried out, trying to turn around to face him.

He didn’t let you, though. Instead of letting up, he pushed you further into the mattress. You stopped fighting to turn around and lay still, wondering if he wanted a quickie or if he’d torment you like he loved to.

When your panties were pulled down, you became a bit more certain that it was going to be a quickie.

“Good evening, darling, had a busy day at work?” he asked, a sharp edge to his voice.

The same edge had been present when he had tried to confront you about training with Natasha, earlier in the day.

Oh, you had thought that he had let it go… apparently, Loki didn’t let go so easily.

“Had some annoying coworkers who made it a bit unpleasant,” you muttered in irritation as he kept you pinned.

“Oh? So now you’re seeking a more pleasant one,” he said, caressing your bottom, sending jolts of pleasure through your body.  “Is that so?”

“I’m just trying to train, Loki.” You tried to sound even and unaffected, but he just wouldn’t let you be so, what with the way he was touching you everywhere but where you actually wanted him to.

“Your choice of a mentor could have been better.” He then inserted a finger into your ass, making you gasp. “Given how you have much better combatants around you, far superior than that little assassin wench.”

As usual, the finger was lubricated and went in without a hassle. You squirmed, still pinned to the bed, wondering just what was he going to do to you.

“You’ve not been training on this,” he said, adding another finger and wiggling them inside you, making you grab the bedsheet in reflex. “My gift to you lies forgotten somewhere. This wounds my poor cold heart.”

“I just… forgot.”

Why were you even explaining yourself to him?

You gritted your teeth and tried to keep your mouth shut.

“I can forgive that. I’m not unreasonably mean.” He chuckled, adding another finger to your rear.

That had you breathing heavily, as your body was stretched further, more so than his gifted butt plug had.

“Loki…” you tried to object, but that just died on your lips as he moved his fingers in and out, massaging and stimulating the overly sensitive nerve endings in your ass.

He chuckled again, louder this time, with an added touch of harshness to it. That just served to send ripples of pleasure down your spine, settling between your legs, where you grew slicker by the minute.

Slowly, your legs opened wide to give him better access to your body and your bottom moved of its own volition to match his fingers’ rhythm inside you. He had you right where he wanted. You knew that, and he knew that you knew that.

You kind of hated him for it… and kind of didn’t. Because this is exactly what you craved—loss of control to him. Your body just reveled in it.

“Are you going to be a good girl now?” he asked, suddenly pulling his fingers out.

You raised your bottom higher, wanting those fingers back. Your ears burned in humiliation as you realized it a bit too late.

“Eager, are we?” he asked, glee apparent in his voice. “Tell me, darling, are you going to be a good girl?”

“What does that mean?”

“It means that you admit that you belong to me… and me alone.”

“Well, I’m certainly not making a mess of myself under anyone else but you,” you muttered, a bit annoyed at his demands.

“I’m honoured,” he responded, letting go of the back of your neck, freeing the hold pinning you to the bed.

You, however, didn’t move. Some way or the other, you knew that he wanted you to stay that way. And you simply complied.

The caress to your bottom returned, and something cold pressed against your rear opening now. Another plug… definitely bigger than the previous one.

“Easy, love,” he reassured as you stiffened, inserting the plug with a firm hand. “Just another little trinket from me to adorn yourself in.”

“It’s bigger,” you cried nervously as you felt it sliding in, opening your bottom up more than anything else before it.

“Of course, that’s how it is done.”

You wondered if you wanted to know what actually was being ‘done’ here…

Slowly, the plug went in and lodged itself into place. Loki tapped on its base a few times, for no reason at all but to see you jolt.

“You’re going to wear it on a daily basis. And trust me, I’d know if you didn’t. If you do as I say, you’ll be rewarded. If not, a punishment awaits you when I return.”

“Return? Where are you going?” you asked, then regretted it a bit as it made you sound a wee bit desperate.

“I’m going on another mission, with Stark and the soldier—ah, I mean, Steve Rogers.”

“Oh…”

“Worry not… since you’ve been good thus far, I’m going to reward you.”

And then he flipped you around on your back, spreading your legs wide to give you a tantalizing feel of his silvertongue. It took you hardly a minute to reach orgasmic bliss.

You were going to be late for the training… but you really didn’t want to think about it for now.

“Hold it a bit higher, or it might impact your shoulder a bit too much,” Natasha instructed you as you held a gun and aimed it at a target. “You don’t want that to happen. Might even cause dislocation.”

Sweat beaded on your forehead as you tried to heed her advice, keeping the gun at the desired level. You weren’t really feeling this training anymore, but somehow, Natasha was, and you didn’t have the heart to tell her to cease.

She aligned her body behind yours and helped you in making a few adjustments in your stance. A nudge here, a push there… a little kick at your ankle that had you jumping a bit.

“Open your legs,” she instructed, her hands coming to rest at your waist.

You did as she said, your arms trembling a bit with the strain of holding that huge-ass gun. “Ugh… Natasha, my arms are nearly dead.”

“Okay, just a few more minutes,” she said, bringing her hands under your trembling arms to support them. “You need to do weight training as well, I see.”

“God… you’re killing me,” you muttered, almost in a whine.

“Am I?”

You weren’t really sure, but her tone seemed to be teasing. You decided to take it as such.

“Seriously, I’d rather do anything else than hold this gun.”

“Really?”

“Yep.”

“Okay, put it down, but come back in your stance.”

Once again, you followed through with the instructions.

“Open your legs wider for me,” she said, shifting her hands back to your waist. This time, however, they lingered against the side of your breasts before going downwards.

Suddenly, the whole air in the room seemed to shift as you realized the intent behind that caress.

Your mouth dropped open in surprise. Natasha Romanoff was hitting on you. You couldn’t really compute that, so you remained frozen in your stance.

She shifted closer still, her front now completely against your back. You gulped… wondering just how you kept finding yourself in these situations with all these hot and dangerous people.

Though, by now you’d have been a slick mess between the legs for a certain specific hot and dangerous person, if he was doing what Natasha was doing to you.

You did like Natasha, though, just not in a sexual or romantic way. Now… you wondered just how to let her know that.

“Umm… Natasha?”

“Yes.” She spoke right in your ear, husky and seductive.

Okay… maybe you were getting just a bit affected now. A little inventory check of yourself returned with the information that indeed, you were getting a bit excited with the attention she was bestowing on you.

“Are you trying to flirt with me?” You cringed at the callousness of the question, but really, you had to know.

“Is it working?” Her lips grazed your ear as she spoke, and you couldn’t help but shiver in response.

How would one even respond to an assassin flirting with them? More so, how to turn them down…?

You sighed, leaving the stance to turn around and look at her. She was smirking.

“I do like you, a lot… but…”

You struggled to put into words how you couldn’t flirt back with her. How, even though you were curious about the thought of dating her, your mind just couldn’t go through with it.

There was just one reason for all of it… Loki.

As you hesitated, she grasped your neck and pulled you towards her, pressing her lush lips to yours. Your eyes widened in surprise and you gasped. That gave her the room to slip her tongue in.

She was a really exceptional kisser, that you had to give to her. For a moment you did get lost in the feel of her pillowy lips and silken tongue. But… you knew that you really couldn’t let her continue. Your mind and body, both protested, and Loki’s face flashed in your mind—you weren’t really sure if he’d be more pissed off or entertained by this development.

Very gently, you pulled away from her and shook your head. “Natasha, I can’t… I’m sorry.”

Her face still held the smirk from before, not fazed in the slightest. “I know… I can see it in your eyes. You hunger for someone else.”

You gaped at her. “Then why did you kiss me?”

“Just to give you a taste of what you’re going to miss.”

“Oh…”

“It’s okay, golubushka, we all like what we like… you happen to like cock more. At least for now.” She patted your cheek in an affectionate gesture.

“I-uhh… umm…” Meanwhile, you still struggled for words to express your feelings.

She arched her eyebrow. “A very specific cock, then. Hmm… wonder who is it, then. My next target.”

“What?!” That last sentence from her had you reeling.

“Just kidding, silly girl.” She patted your cheek again and then moved away, giving you the classic troll-face smile. “As long as it’s not a bad guy, your cock wielder is safe.”

“So… we’re still cool?” you asked, rushing to catch up with her as she made her way out of the shooting range.

“Oh come on, we kissed… that’s all.” She rolled her eyes in an exaggerated manner. “Doesn’t mean we can’t be friends anymore.”

“Good to know.”

As you both exited the shooting range and got into the elevator, she turned her phone on and started playing ‘I kissed a girl’ by Katy Perry on it. She kept a straight face as she did so, and it wasn’t long before you were in stitches.

It was a Sunday and you were trying to have an easy day. A lazy shower in the morning, with a lot of pampering and care, followed by a nice warm breakfast of French toast and tea… the good stuff that made holidays awesome.

Then, you focused on the not-so-awesome stuff, namely, that secret snooping mission you were running for Stark.

You spent a good part of your late morning trying to trace some of the missing Chitauri weapons; the details of which Natasha had given to you in a flashdrive.

Unlike your earlier expectations, it didn’t turn out to be a wild goose chase. Quite the opposite. Certain weapons had been surreptitiously transferred under false identification, mostly as drilling and agricultural tools, to an obscure location in South Asia.

You tried your best to reach Stark to give him the news, but it seemed like he was far too deep in a mission to talk to you for the moment.  Hence, you decided to brief him on the results later and instead, got settled with a book to pass your time.

You were only through with the prologue when the doorbell rang. Funny, for you weren’t expecting anyone today.

When you opened the door, though, you almost closed it right back in fright. You couldn’t, for it was now blocked by the boot of an eyepatch wearing bald man. A very intimidating eyepatch wearing bald man.

You had never really met Nick Fury in person, and having looked at him from afar didn’t really count as ‘having met.’

You were pretty sure that meeting Nick Fury didn’t auger well for you, especially given the circumstances of your secret mission against his organization.

“Who… what…” you mumbled unthinkingly, too taken aback by his appearance at your doorstep.

“I’m damn well sure you recognize me, given how much you’ve been snooping around,” he said without preamble, jangling your nerves to the max immediately.

You backed away slowly as he stepped forth into your apartment. Your hands grew sweaty as he gave you a glare that was probably strong enough to melt vibranium.

“As a professional in the business of computer programming, you should be aware that an organization like SHIELD isn’t incapable of detecting such activities within its networks.”

“I… I…” You gulped in trepidation as he came closer, knowing full well that nothing you’d say would be enough to save your ass.

Chapter Text

Fury was getting close… and you were getting into panic. Still, no words of defence came forth in your mind.

You were in so much trouble…

“I would suggest that you take this matter up with Tony Stark instead of her.”

Your head jerked to look behind you, not quite believing what you were seeing or hearing. Loki stood there—right in your living room—in all his armoured glory, looking fierce enough to cut through an army.

In fact, you noticed that parts of his armour were darkened, and his hands still had huge daggers in them, betraying the fact that he had been engaged in some sort of combat. You weren’t sure, but guessed that it was the same mission that had Stark occupied.

“Since when do you get involved in these issues, Loki?” Fury asked, bringing your attention back to the matter at hand, and also, the fact that you were very close being apprehended by SHIELD.

Instinctively, you stepped closer to Loki, seeking some sort of refuge from the looming threat of Fury.

“I suppose it is but natural,” Loki replied, his form glowing as he used magic to change into a lighter version of his armour. The daggers vanished along with the heavy-duty plating. “You have an infestation in your ranks, and yet, instead of addressing that problem, you come here to harangue and threaten someone who might be on the brink of exposing it. Oh, Nick, I’m very interested to see what transpires here.”

Fury’s eye twitched as he turned his high intensity glare with full force on Loki. “What makes you think that I’m not dealing with that infestation?”

“The battle I’ve just returned from is evidence enough. Renegade troops trying to terrorize a city with weapons far too advanced for someone of their ilk.” Loki tilted his head and gave Fury a look of disdain. “I think there’s a story to that. A very long story, I presume, considering just how familiar their weapons seemed to me.”

“You would certainly know all about terrorizing a city,” Fury said, ignoring what Loki just told him, instead, focusing on reproaching him for his past actions.

That seemed a little too arrogant on his part, but you kept quiet, seeing how precarious your situation was.

Loki, though, remained unfazed by Fury’s scathing remark. He smiled and nodded, looking contemplative.

“I wonder how reminding me about my own actions would cover up yours, but I can’t really fault you for trying and grasping at straws.”

“I wonder how you intervening in this conversation helps us in any way.”

Loki grinned maliciously. “Oh, it’s nothing personal. I’m here on Stark’s behalf, for he vouched for his employee’s protection before she undertook this mission.”

Fury’s eye narrowed, clearly not believing Loki. “Where the hell is Stark? And why the hell would he send you, of all the people?”

Quite honestly, you were curious about that too.

Loki rolled his eyes and shrugged. “He’s fighting the demons you’ve made. We were engaged in a combat that nearly ruined a part of this city—what’s its name—ah, Novi Grad. So, he has been busy, you see, trying to fight the rogues who have grown in power because you couldn’t keep the infestation at SHIELD in check. I just happen to be the fastest person who could reach her before you could apprehend her.”

Fury’s stance shifted, and he gave you an assessing look before turning his gaze back to Loki. “I do, in fact, need to take her for debriefing. This has nothing to do with what’s happening in Sokovia right now.”

You took a step back, anxiety making you tremble all over. It was clear that Fury was determined to take you, no matter what Loki just said to him.

“No, you don’t.” Loki stepped in front of you with the ease and grace of a feline, appearing very casual in his mannerisms despite his authoritative tone. “You will talk to Stark if you are so inclined to ensure that this information is not circulated beyond our happy little posse. I’m certain that Stark figures quite high in your list of allies, considering the technology he offers to your organisation on a regular basis. You wouldn’t want to cross him by taking his valued employee, now, would you?”

Fury didn’t budge an inch, though, which was impressive. “Are you threatening a government official and hindering him from performing his duty?”

“Well, as I see it, had you been bothered about performing your duty so…,” Loki paused, as if looking for the right word, “…diligently, then we wouldn’t even be having this impasse.”

A few tense seconds passed as both of them stared at each other without blinking.

Loki, it seemed, was determined to not let you be nabbed by SHIELD. And that one realization made your stomach flutter with butterflies.

“This isn’t over,” Fury said finally, after a tense moment of deliberation. “I will talk to Stark.”

Loki simply waved his hand in a dismissive manner, marking the end of the conversation. Fury, it appeared, had nothing else to say. He gave a parting glare to you before turning around in his swishy trench coat and making a hasty exit.

You let out a long exhale, relieved that at least for now, you weren’t going to get dragged down to a SHIELD base.

And you had Loki to thank for it… or Stark. Though, Stark was the one who got you into this mess…

“What, not even a perfunctory ‘thank you’ for my valiant efforts?” Loki turned around and gave you a mock bow.

“Th-Thank you… but really, Stark sent you?” you asked, moving closer to him in your newfound relief.

Honestly, you wanted to give him a hug, but felt too awkward to carry it through. Things between you and him had never been simple enough for modest gestures of warmth.

“No, I sent myself.” He gave you a look from head to toe, as if making some sort of a calculation.

“But… how did you know Fury was here?”

“I have my ways.”

You didn’t really trust him on that, but let it drop for the moment as you walked up to him, wondering just how to express your relief upon seeing him come to rescue you.

He was watching you curiously, hands clasped behind his back in a manner befitting the royalty that he was.

You moved quickly, rising on your tiptoes to brush your lips against his. It was meant to be a chaste kiss—a kind of acknowledgement from you, for saving you from Fury’s wrath. Loki, however, was having none of the chasteness, as he caged you in his arms and deepened the kiss.

He only let go of your lips once you were reduced to a breathless mess.

“Firstly, you will tell me how you fare. That couldn’t have been a pleasant experience.”

That threw you off. This level of concern, from Loki, of all the people, was kind of unexpected.

“I’m fine,” you mumbled against his leather clad chest, “just a bit shaken, I guess.”

“I’d honestly be surprised if you were calm and collected,” he said, rubbing his hands up and down your back, slowly progressing lower and lower, until he was caressing the curve of your ass.

You looked up at him inquisitively, trying to ignore the sly ass rubbing he was giving you. “Really, though, how did you know that I was in trouble?”

“Such a curious kitten you are.” He smiled like the cat that had just devoured the canary. “Well, I’m in the habit of enchanting my offering of trinkets. Just to make sure that no one harms what belongs to me.”

“You’ve never given me any trinket—” you stopped short, remembering the butt plug that he had given you… that you had been wearing through the week as per his instruction—were still wearing. You shook your head, half in disbelief and half in utter mortification. “You… you put a homing device in that thing?”

His smile grew into a grin. A grin that told you that he was up to no good. “Ah, you’ve finally caught on. Now, how about you let me inspect that work of art?”

Before you could respond, you were grabbed and taken to your bedroom. It was quite reminiscent of your first night with him, as he held you possessively while divesting you of your clothes.

“Isn’t there a battle going on that you should go back to?” you asked with a shaky voice as he pushed you on to the bed. You landed on your back, staring up at him as he settled over you.

“Stark and his cohorts can take care of it.” He spoke of Stark like he was talking about a demon, with a lot of venom in his voice. That was a bit jarring to you.

“Oh, but what if—Ow!” You pushed against Loki’s chest, trying to push him off because the metal plates on his chest were digging into your skin. “Y-Your armour!”

He did ease up off you, but not entirely. “I see you trying to stall me in this endeavour.”

“When has that ever worked?” you asked, a bit cheekily.

Loki chuckled, grabbing your wrists to push them down on the mattress. The action made the armour plates on his chest to rub against your nipples, causing you to whimper.

He noticed that, of course, and then deliberately rubbed those plates against your now pebbled nipples. The movement caused the sensitive flesh to catch on the little gaps between the plates, the treatment both rough and gentle.

“Loki… what are you doing?” you whined, as he kept teasing you, using his armour for a very unintended purpose.

“Playing with you.” He almost sounded like he was about to say ‘duh’ afterwards.

“Stop teasing me!”

“Fine,” he said smoothly, and you saw the glow of his magic taking away his clothes.

You were distracted by the burst of light, and not really prepared for him to push into you. You yelped as he did, even though you were wet like a bubbling spring. It was mostly because of his toy in your ass, which was bigger than any others he had thus far made you wear.

That was a bit of a snug fit… so to say.

Loki purred in your ear, sliding your hands above your head, still captive in his. “Mmmhh… my trinket feels nice like this. It makes you more tight, though, not that I’m complaining.”

“I couldn’t have guessed,” you panted, wrapping your legs around his waist as he settled deep inside you.

“I love it when you become feisty, pet.” He grinned, though it was more feral than a warm one as he ground into you.

The movement had the odd impact of stirring sensations in your rear, as it moved the butt plug along as well. It wasn’t painful, just a bit too much to take, in your own perspective. It certainly wasn’t too much in Loki’s, as he began taking you in long, deep thrusts, causing the plug to stir even more.

And just like that, with a cry that was both pleading and passionate, you came, contracting around him and the toy.

“That was quick of you,” Loki said, pulling out of you to turn you on all fours. “Who knew you liked having my gift inside your lovely rear so much.”

He pulled your legs wider and pushed your head down, making your ass stick up. Your face burned as he manoeuvred you according to his will, even though it wasn’t the first time. You didn’t know when you’d get used to it, or if ever.

You felt a tug on the plug, pulling a moan from you in response, your body still in orgasm mode. Slowly, Loki coaxed it out of your body, making your nerve endings reel in pleasure. However, instead of removing it, he pushed it back again.

It felt slicker as it went it, enough of a tell that he had used some kind of magical lube on it. You moaned again, your breaths coming up short now, as he went on to repeat the pull and push action on the toy.

And that wasn’t all… you felt the plug growing in size too, very incrementally, letting your body adjust to it slowly.

“Loki, what the hell is going on?” You writhed and pushed your face into the sheets as his burgeoning toy kept stretching you further and further.

He chuckled darkly. “I’m helping you prepare for something bigger than the toy.”

You closed your eyes and gave in as he played with you, moving the toy in and out with an expert touch. So far, much to your surprise, there wasn’t any pain as such, just this strange, full feeling in your ass. It made you shudder in pleasure, even as your mind tried to cope with what he was preparing you for.

“Loki… I’m not really sure…” you murmured weakly, breathing heavily. “Not sure I can take you there.”

His only response was to insert two fingers in your pussy, which was now leaking on to the sheets. The fingers made a distinct wet sound as they fucked you in tandem with the toy. It made your cheeks burn hotter than before, as you pushed against them.

“Fuck, Loki… you’re torturing me.”

“Hush… and just try to immerse yourself in the sensation, darling. You’re going to receive me without any hassles.”

And so you tried… knowing full well this was just a prelude to what he really wanted to do to you.

Chapter Text

“Loki… I’m not really sure…” you murmured weakly, breathing heavily. “Not sure I can take you there.”

His only response was to insert two fingers in your pussy, which was now leaking on to the sheets. The fingers made a distinct wet sound as they fucked you in tandem with the toy. It made your cheeks burn hotter than before, as you pushed against them.

“Fuck, Loki… you’re torturing me.”

“Hush… and just try to immerse yourself in the sensation, darling. You’re going to receive me without any hassles.”

And so you tried… knowing full well this was just a prelude to what he really wanted to do to you.

“Will you be a good girl for me?” Loki asked, planting a string of kisses on your back, adding another layer of sensation to your already overwhelmed body. “Open up your lovely body for my cock?”

“Yes,” you answered without a second thought, now trembling in anticipation. “Yes, Loki, please…”

“Mmmm… I quite like the sound of you in this state,” he said, pulling both his fingers out of your pussy, though keeping the toy in your ass.

He lifted you up in his arms then, as if you were but a feather. Turning you back around to face him, he settled you over his lap, making you straddle him as he sat down on folded knees.

You looked at him curiously, wondering just what he was doing. He simply smirked at you, pulling you snug against his chest as his hand reached behind you to pull the plug out. You let out a little squeak as the toy’s widest part left your ass.

Thankfully, Loki didn’t comment on that. Perhaps because he was more focused on getting you into the right position, over his rock-hard cock.

“I want you to face me as I take you… now let’s take the help of gravity in our endeavour, shall we?” He smirked wider, but somehow, his eyes seemed to grow softer in that moment. “Don’t fret, darling, you’ll be steeped in pleasure and pleasure alone.”

You wanted to roll your eyes at his comment, but you were too focused on smooth flesh that was now resting against your rear opening, ever so slightly pushing in.

“Loki…” You gasped, suddenly anxious over the fact that he was way more endowed than any man you had ever known, and he was the first to take you in this way. “Go slow.”

“I will.”

Inch after inch… you felt your body opening up to take him in. You closed your eyes, as the burn of accommodating his girth grew. Your hands squeezed his shoulders hard in an attempt distract yourself from the overwhelming sensation of pain mixing with pleasure.

“Push outwards,” he commanded, his voice taut.

You tried to follow… and felt your rectum stretch to welcome more of him in. It was the strangest sensation, both erotic and extremely shocking.

A few incoherent words spilled from your lips as you tried to somehow adjust to him being inside you in this novel way.

“Oh sweet Valhalla,” you heard him groan, and your eyes snapped open. He was looking at you with hooded eyes. His lips parted, and you saw his tongue caressing them slowly. You felt like taking it into your mouth and sucking on it.

So that’s what you did.

You leaned into him and simply dived into his mouth, sucking and pulling that wicked tongue inside your own.

His groaning grew into growling, and you felt him freeze all his movements.

Pulling his tongue from your mouth, he spoke against your lips. “If you do go on like this, then I might forget to go slow.”

“I need something to distract myself… it’s beginning to burn.” Your voice was barely above a whisper, because truly, talking to a man while his cock was wedged inside your ass was not the norm for you.

He chuckled, and you had to look away. Your face grew extra hot then, as another inch of his hard length slipped inside you.

“We can’t have that now, can we?”

Suddenly a cool and soothing sensation spread all over your body, settling right where it was beginning to hurt.

Oh, that magic of his was a heaven-sent gift right now…

You closed your eyes again, this time in relief. “I’d still like that tongue in my mouth.”

“My little mortal has grown quite demanding.”

He gave a little upward thrust, causing you to gasp loudly as he went in almost all the way. Your open mouth was soon taken by his in a heated, raw kiss, where he gave you all the tongue you were demanding.

You weren’t sure how much time passed, but eventually, your body relaxed and got used to the sensation of being filled this way.

Loki must have sensed it too, as he began to thrust and pull. The movements were small and very deliberate. He was being careful, and that helped you in accepting it.

Now that the pain had almost completely disappeared, the nerve endings lining your rear opening were firing up, giving you pleasure… a most sinful kind of pleasure, that is.

“How does it feel?” he asked, nibbling on your lower lip.

“G-Good—weird good,” you answered in a shaky voice, unable to articulate your feelings any further.

“Did I not tell you that it would?”

He was thrusting a bit faster now, eliciting a few broken moans from you. Your nails were digging into his skin, though you were beyond caring about damaging anything. Your nails had never penetrated his skin before, so they obviously weren’t going to start now.

Suddenly, you felt yourself tilting backwards and realized that he was laying you on your back. You looked up at him in confusion, wondering what he might be wanting to do now.

“Relax,” he said, bringing your legs up to rest on his shoulders.

When he began to move inside your ass again, his hand reached down to rub your clit.

Your back arched and you cried out as intense pleasure hit you right then. “Loki!”

“Yes, darling, give into it. You’re doing so well now.” Long fingers slid inside your pussy, massaging that sweet spot that made you burn with need. “Such a good girl.”

It was all just way too much for you to handle, culminating in an orgasm so intense that you blanked out for a few seconds.

Loki hadn’t stopped moving in and out of your rear as you had ridden the waves of pleasure, nor had his fingers left your wet and swollen pussy.

“More… give me more of your pleasure, darling,” he growled, staring at you in a way that was barely short of looking possessed.

His other hand caressed your foot, angling it towards his face. He bit your ankle, just sharp enough to make you yelp. Somehow, even that got you worked up enough for another orgasm.

“Loki, I… I… it’s ugh, coming again,” you sobbed, feeling the build-up already. Just how many climaxes had you gone through today? You had lost count.

He hummed and closed his eyes, giving you longer thrusts now. You knew that look on his face… he was close too.

Your orgasm hit you again the moment he began pulsing inside you. Once more, you were struck with the strangeness of the sensation as your toes curled and your moans almost grew to screams.

The deep baritone of his voice vibrated all around you as he released, filling you with his essence.

Both of you remained entangled for a bit, with Loki lapping at the sensitive skin of your neck, a sound coming from his throat that was almost comparable to a purr.

He began to pull out of you very slowly, making you squirm as your ass kept trying to squeeze around him. Every nerve ending there was feeling raw and ultra-sensitive… sending shockwaves down your spine even with the tiniest movement.

After he drew out of you completely, he picked you up in his arms, much to your surprise.

“What now?” You groaned. You were feeling so damn exhausted and sleepy, you didn’t want to move. At all.

“Shower,” he replied succinctly, and carried you to the bathroom despite your whining.

You woke up hours later, hearing voices in your living room. Loki was the first one you recognized, followed by Tony Stark.

That made you jerk up and leave the bed faster than any alarm had ever done. Your body protested, though, still feeling the exhaustion and overstimulation from the thorough ass-fucking you had received from Loki. You shook your head, trying to forget about that for now.

As you neared your bedroom door, you could hear their conversation.

“How the hell do you even know about her mission?”

“I know most of the things that go on in your little tower…”

“It’s not little.”

“…And I know most of what is happening at SHIELD as well.”

“Why didn’t you tell me then?”

“My counsel is often disregarded, and as an outsider, it’s unwelcome as well. I was hoping that you’d do something about it once you came to know of it from a credible source. I just hadn’t expected it to be her.”

“I was going for the unobvious spy thing.”

“You endangered her life.” Those four words seemed far too intense for the casual tone Loki was using. There was an undercurrent of something there, though you couldn’t spot it clearly.

Stark remained quiet.

“Oh fuck…” spoke a second voice—the one you immediately recognized as Natasha’s. A string of words followed then, which you couldn’t understand at all and hence, guessed to be Russian. “You’re that fucking cock!”

Your face reddened as you realized that Natasha had put two and two together… that Loki was your lover… fuck buddy… whatever the fuck…

“I beg your pardon?” Loki sounded pissed now, and you knew you had to intervene before things spiraled out of control.

You opened the bedroom door and entered the living room, where the three of them were standing around the coffee table in various levels of power stances. Loki’s was the most pronounced, obviously.

“Uh… hey everyone!” You smiled wide as you approached them, looking in the general direction of Stark. “Thanks for stopping by after I almost got dragged into a SHIELD dungeon from hell.”

Stark’s lips twitched, and he looked away, looking thoroughly guilty.

Natasha simply frowned at you, though not in any sort of guilt. She apparently was still stuck with the fact that Loki and you were fucking on the regular.

Stark opened his mouth, as if to say something to defend himself, but then he closed it. His shoulders slumped, and he sat down on the couch, a picture of defeat.

“I tried… I didn’t think that Fury would go straight for you.”

“You assumed, quite narcissistically, I might add, that he’d try to confront you first.” Loki crossed his arms and stepped sideways, almost right in front of you, fixing an extra heated glare on Stark. “You didn’t cover all your tracks and left her as a bait.”

“I wasn’t using her as a bait!”

“You didn’t care enough to consider what might happen to her in the off chance that her name is revealed to SHIELD. That’s about as good as leaving her amidst a pack of ravenous bilgesnipes.”

“A pack of what?”

Loki rolled his eyes, ignoring the question. “I wonder why you didn’t care… because, in your mind, she’s easily expendable, perhaps?”

He was trying to hit Stark where it hurt, and for a bit you did feel bad for him. But Loki wasn’t wrong… he was asking some very relevant questions here—something that you didn’t quite have the leverage to do with your boss.

“No, of course not! I do care for her! She’s a bright girl that I’ve wanted to mentor for a long time.”

“Then are we enduring the fruits of your dull-wittedness?”

Natasha wasn’t really paying attention to their argument, you noticed. Her eyes were moving between you and Loki, a shrewd look on her face.

There was clearly no point in pretending even slightly that you hadn’t been fucking Loki all this while… as you were planning to do initially.

Loki was kind of giving her every reason to assume whatever she wanted, with the way he was acting… like Stark had personally insulted him.

You didn’t know if it was some kind of a show he was putting on, or whether his ire was genuine…

“In all of this I can’t really understand one thing,” Natasha interjected with a sigh as she sat down beside Stark, putting her feet up on the coffee table as she pointedly looked at Loki. “Why are you so concerned for her?”

You squirmed behind Loki, unable to control the growing trembling of your hands as Natasha threw the gauntlet at him, her eyes sharp and narrowed like a cat.

Loki grinned… all smugness and gloating, and your heart sank as you saw, for the first time, that now Stark was also taking note of how familiar Loki was acting around you.

“Might I interest you in the concept of courtsh—”

Loki’s reply was cut short as your living room window exploded, shards of glass flying everywhere.

You were pushed down immediately, Loki’s hard body covering yours in a millisecond. You couldn’t really make sense of what was happening, except that everyone was yelling.

Suddenly a sharp thud was heard, and Natasha cry out. “It’s a bazooka!”

“Don’t move!” Loki cried above you, and you felt him flexing his arms.

A boom resounded inside the room, though you heard it in a muted manner, as if you were wearing protective earmuffs. A series of expletives followed, mostly from Stark and Natasha, as the room suddenly went dark.

“Keep quiet!” Loki muttered, not moving from above you. “And keep still, for Norns’ sake.”

He didn’t move an inch, and you followed suit.

“What happened?” you finally murmured after a few minutes of pin-drop silence.

“Shh…” He finally moved then, though not fully off you, but pulling some of his weight away. “I’m going to take everyone at another location. We can discuss it there.”

A beat passed and then you heard him sigh, as if frustrated.

“Stark… Romanoff… I need you both to grab on to me.”

“Oh…” Both of them said in unison.

Within a few seconds, you felt the air leave your lungs as a disorienting sensation took over your body.

Suddenly, you were in another apartment.

Loki moved off you finally, looking down at you with a pained expression. “Are you well?”

You nodded, though you could distinctly feel the pain from a few shards of glass that were embedded in your skin. “And you?”

He gritted his teeth and looked around him. “I will be.”

“Fuck, Loki, your back!” cried Stark, his eyes widening as he reached for Loki’s back.

Confused and disoriented, you stepped around him to see what had Stark so agitated. That’s when you saw Loki’s back… covered in blood and deep gashes, his shirt all but shredded away to tatters.

“Loki, oh my god… someone call a doctor!” Your hands hovered about him frantically, unable to decide where to touch… where to hold him.

He twitched slightly, and you saw more blood seep from his wounds.

“I’ll be fine,” he muttered, stepping towards the nearby sofa on shaky legs. You followed him, watching him in shock and still hovering, just in case he fell.

Once he reached the sofa, he lay down on his stomach and then promptly passed out.

Chapter Text

Stark’s medical team was looking after everyone who was injured in the unexpected bazooka attack in your apartment. Everyone but Loki, that is…

He was quite beyond the capabilities of these doctors, who understandably only knew human biology. You were informed by one of them that he was under Thor’s care, who had flown in with his hammer within minutes of being told that his brother was injured and unconscious.

From what you knew about these two, they were really hard to knock out. So, it was quite natural to presume that Thor would be alarmed to learn the extent of Loki’s injuries.

Thinking about these things made your stomach twist in worry. You wondered if Loki had been too severely injured, and if so, what would be the repercussions of it. Several questions buzzed in your mind…

Could Thor even help him? Would he take him to Asgard? Would he fully recover?

“You seem lost.”

You looked up at the medic who was cleaning and patching up your wounds. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Yup.” He rolled his eyes patronizingly, which you found highly annoying. “I just told you that this would hurt a bit… so, prepare yourself.”

That only earned him a shrug from you. You could deal with a little pain.

Piece by piece, he pulled out the shards of glass and metal embedded in your skin.

It hurt more than you had anticipated, but you focused instead on how much worse it was for Loki. The thought was almost effective in acting as a numbing medication.

The ceramic bowl tinkled every time a shard was dropped into it, adding to your pain and annoyance.

“There is a wager going on on how fast he’d recover,” the medic said conversationally, perhaps to break the monotony of the tinkling bowl.

You squinted at him, not quite fathoming his words.

He shrugged, pulling another shard from your arm. You winced in response.

“Loki… we’re positive that he’d recover real quick. I mean, he was up and walking around within a few minutes of getting hulk smashed. So, everyone is putting a wager on how quickly he’d recover this time.”

You gave him a scathing look. “I don’t understand how it is appropriate to do so.”

The medic didn’t say much after that, nor did he stay long. He took out the last of the shards, patched you up, and flounced out of the room.

Instead of resting, as was advised, you went straight to seek out anyone who could tell you about Loki’s condition.

Questioning Loki’s whereabouts got you a few snickers and eye-rolls, but still, you persevered.

Finally, someone in the medical wing told you that Loki was in the same apartment from where you had been taken… the same apartment, you deduced, that he had teleported you and others to.

You didn’t really think why or how he was there, you just went back to that apartment.

Thankfully, Stark met you in the elevator and came along too, citing the need to discuss the situation with both Thor and Loki.

Loki was lying on his stomach on the bed, looking more affronted by his injuries than pained. You stood at the door for a bit, watching him quietly. Behind you, you could hear Stark and Thor bickering about something, but you didn’t care enough to eavesdrop on that.

Your weird-ass mind was focused only on Loki.

He cleared his throat and sighed, and just like that, you realized that he knew you were there.

“Thor told me that the balm is really effective,” you said as you approached him, observing how his wounds actually looked significantly better than the last time you saw them.

At least, they weren’t bleeding, all thanks to Thor retrieving the healing balm from Asgard just in time. It was weird to see the wounds like this, but apparently, they had to be left unbandaged to let them heal faster.

Loki remained silent, and it made things awkward between you and him.

“How much pain are you in?”

He snorted. “Why does it matter?”

Well, at least he spoke up.

“It does. Tell me.”

He rolled his eyes, looking as though this was the last thing he wanted to talk about. “The balm has a numbing effect as well.”

“That’s really awesome.”

Loki raised his eyebrows, as if offended by your remark. Perhaps, ‘awesome’ wasn’t the right word for it.

You sat down next to him on the bed, fidgeting with your hands a bit. That caught his attention and he looked up at you with curiosity in his eyes.

“You have bandages on your arms.”

You shrugged, picking on one of the said bandages. “Yeah, got some shards of glass and metal in them. I’ll be fine.” Thanks to you…

“Why are you even here?” It almost sounded like he was scolding you there. “Did you come here on your own? Alone?”

“I really don’t need a reason. And why can’t I come on my own?” you asked in turn, evading the question.

Loki made a sound in his throat that sounded very much like a frustrated growl.

Maybe it was time to change the topic…

Your gaze then fell over the curve of his ass, presently covered by the sheets. Trying to ignore how nice it looked, you instead focused on his distress. “It doesn’t look comfortable, the position you’re resting in.”

He narrowed his eyes at you. “I see that you’re ignoring my questions.”

“I came with Tony Stark, not alone,” you answered, not wanting to raise any conflict with him at present.

If anything, it looked like taking Stark’s name made his mood plummet even further. Yet another change of topic seemed apt.

“Are you able to rest properly?”

“It’s not called resting if you have lost consciousness.”

“You’re conscious now.”

“Yes, and yet my wounds won’t cooperate if I try to sleep on my back.”

“How about turning on your side? Will that hurt?” you asked, feeling as though making him more comfortable was somehow essential to you.

After all, the guy had taken a bazooka for you.

“I’m not really interested in trying,” he muttered with a grimace, shifting on the bed to turn his face away from you. “If you want to be useful in some way, you may apply the healing balm on my wounds later. Otherwise, you don’t need to hover here and act concerned.”

You sighed in frustration at his acerbic attitude. “You know, I now realize why you were so keen to use that butt plug on me. You always have a stick up your ass.”

You wanted to say more, but were interrupted.

“A… what?” Thor’s voice boomed from the entryway, making you jump. The guy really needed to tone it down.

“I… uhh…” You removed yourself from the bed and stared at Thor helplessly. He in turn looked quite speechless himself.

“Apparently, I have a stick up my ass,” Loki replied wryly, before you could conjure up a better sounding answer.

It took him a few moments, but then Thor nodded solemnly, as if this was just mundane talk between the brothers. “You would heal soon, but we need to find out who attacked you.”

“It wasn’t an attack on me, brother.”

Thor looked at him with a perplexed expression.

Meanwhile, your hands began to tremble, as you understood who exactly was under attack…

It was you.

“It happened in her apartment, you oaf, your assessing speed is slow,” Loki muttered, his head slumping down on the pillows. “She’s the target.”

Thor gave you a calculating look, seeking more information.

“I was…” You gulped, looking down at your fidgeting hands. “I was kind of spying for Mr. Stark. Into SHIELD. I think it may be related to that.”

Right at that moment, Tony Stark walked into the room.

“It’s not her fault, it’s mine,” he said immediately, having caught the tail end of the conversation. “I take full responsibility for it.”

Swift as a Black Mamba, Loki pushed off the bed and went straight for Stark’s throat, ignoring his wounds… and his nakedness.

You gasped as he lifted Stark off the floor. “Loki, no!”

Loki ignored your shocked call, and instead shook your boss like he weighed but a pound.

You tried really hard to keep your focus on him and not his nudity… but couldn’t help noticing how his muscles—and other parts—moved.

“Loki, please… let him go,” you said feebly, attempting to calm down the tension in the room. It wasn’t a very good attempt, thanks to your eyes gravitating to his crotch.

You closed your eyes and shook your head… dear lord, what was wrong with you?

“This! This is what I had been warning you against! They came for her, and they’re not armed lightly!” he spat, his voice becoming raspier as his temper hit the roof.

Thor quickly moved in and literally forced Loki to relinquish his grip on Stark. But Thor himself didn’t go easy on him. He pushed Stark against the nearest wall and pinned him there.

“What is the meaning of this all?”

“I’ll tell you what,” Stark replied, breathing heavily as Thor glared at him. “This is exactly what I wanted to prevent. SHIELD has been infiltrated by these people and they’ve got their hands on the Chitauri tech.”

You saw Loki’s fists clench at the mention of the Chitauri, and for good reason. His history with them was full of coercion and manipulation… or so you had heard.

He then turned and looked at you, and the fury in his eyes made you step back in apprehension.

“You!” He pointed a finger at you, making you jump. “You’re not going anywhere till this is over. I’m surprised that you survived your foolish journey here.”

“What?”

He closed his eyes in exasperation and sighed. “You heard me.”

“You know what,” Stark rasped, still held by Thor, “if it weren’t for your dramatic attempt to conquer Earth, we wouldn’t be having this problem now.”

“Stark, don’t…” Thor grunted, pushing Stark back into the wall with enough force that only a muffled ‘oof’ was his response.

You turned to see if Loki was about to go into another fit of rage, but all you saw on his face in that moment was guilt and defeat.

Quietly, he went to bed and lay down in the same position as before. Though, this time he didn’t bother to cover himself up with the sheet.

“I’ll stay…” you acquiesced softly, sitting on the edge of his bed again as Thor whispered something to Stark in the back.

“Very well,” was all that he replied with, not even glancing at you.

Night had fallen, all was quiet…

All, except, your mind…

You were trying to read a book on your phone, quiet as a mouse, given that Loki was finally asleep. Before doing so, though, he had expressly told you to stay put in the room. Hence, you had parked yourself on the sofa.

Pissing him off was not an option…

You wished you could sleep too, but thoughts of bazookas smashing into the apartment kept you up.

You also wondered how you’d go to work from here, as you were staying put due to Loki’s insistence. But really, going to work wasn’t such a big problem when your life was on the line.

Thor was staying here as well, for extra reinforcement and protection, just in case another attack happened. He was in the next room, snoring the night away.

So far, he hadn’t questioned your presence in Loki’s life, or the nature of your relationship. It was a mercy, since you yourself had no idea what the hell you and Loki were.

Where Thor was deliberately ignoring the issue, Natasha was downright nosy about it.

She had called you up a few hours ago, after the hullabaloo with Stark had ended on a weird note—with him promising Loki that he’d find the culprits soon. (It was his way of apologizing.)

Natasha had been quite keen to know how you and Loki had gotten together. You hadn’t given her any clear answers. You didn’t want to. There was, after all, a thing called privacy.

Well, who were you kidding… you clearly didn’t want her to know about your weird-ass kinks.

“Are you so taken with your damned phone that you have forgotten to sleep?”

You jerked upon hearing Loki’s voice and dropped your phone. “You scared me!”

“I thought you liked it.”

You couldn’t be sure in the dark, but it looked like he was smirking at you.

“Do you… like… need anything?” you asked awkwardly, picking up and throwing your phone away on the coffee table.

“If I need anything, I’ll get it myself. I’m not incapable of moving.”

Well, someone was touchy about being injured and vulnerable…

“Yeah, you demonstrated it quite well in front of Stark… buck naked.”

He didn’t respond to that, but you could bet on it that he was rolling his eyes.

A few beats passed and then he spoke up again. “Why are you on the sofa?”

“I didn’t want to accidentally smack you in my sleep.”

“You don’t move much when you sleep. I don’t buy your argument.”

“What do you want, Loki?”

“Come here and lie with me.”

Just from his tone, you knew that he’d insist on it, so you did as asked… sliding in next to him on the bed. There was an odd kind of familiarity here, as you settled next to him. You tried not to dwell on it.

“Thor told me that you can heal yourself with magic. Why haven’t you?”

“I need it for other things.”

“Like what?”

“Keeping my wards and magical defences intact in this abode, now that you’re here. Hmmm… and putting up shields in case of another attack.”

You stared at him wide-eyed… he was keeping himself in pain, essentially, to keep you safe.

“You shouldn’t…”

“And why not?”

“I’m just… why are you doing this?”

“I protect what’s mine.”

You couldn’t say anything to that response. You were speechless.

“You’re surprised.”

“Well, yes…”

It grew quiet again for a bit, where you could only hear his breathing, nothing else.

Then, you felt his fingers caressing your hand.

“Come closer,” he murmured, when you gave him a questioning look.

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

He chuckled, grasping your hand in a firm grip. “You cannot hurt me even if you try.”

You huffed and did as he asked, shifting closer to him till there was hardly any space between you two.

“Lie on your back.”

“Fi-ine.” You turned on your back, wondering just what he was up to. “Happy?”

He groaned under his breath as he shifted himself, curling his leg over yours. “This will suffice.”

“Your leg is heavy,” you remarked offhandedly, making him chuckle again.

“Is it so?”

Suddenly, your clothes began to shimmer and disappear, and you tried to move away from him in surprise. “Loki, what the hell are you doing?”

You couldn’t believe that he’d use his precious magic to undress you rather than use any of it on healing himself.

“Making you more comfortable.”

His lips, soft and moist, touched your shoulder, sucking on the skin with enough pull to leave a mark there.

“Loki…” you gasped, pulling your hand from his. “You’re not supposed to do this.”

“Why not?” he asked, his voice vibrating against your skin.

“Because… because you’re injured and I’m not sure if you can even get it up.”

At that comment, he got hold of your hand again and led it to his manhood… which was indeed up.

Why did you even think to challenge that?

“You’re impossible,” you muttered, unable to keep yourself from grasping his girth.

In your defence, it needed to be held. It had been through some very stressful times.

“Mmm… of course, I am…” He groaned against your shoulder, biting it gently as you moved your hand up and down slowly, feeling him grow further. “Now be a good girl and stroke it harder.”

Soon, you grew bolder in your touches as his groans grew louder. You were amazed that he could find pleasure even in such a grim situation. But really, if that’s what he wanted right now, you were willing to give it to him.

“Are you sure you don’t want to feel my lips on it?” you whispered to him, running your thumb across the tip.

He throbbed in your hand then, and you counted it as a small victory. It meant that you could sometimes have the upper hand in this strange, kinky relationship.

“I’m not going to forget this offer, darling. I’ll have you on your knees.” He could barely utter those words between his moans of pleasure as you grew a bit more aggressive in your hand movements.

“Maybe I’ll resist… just a bit.”

“Maybe you should.”

It didn’t take long for him to climax, and honestly, just watching and hearing him reach that state put you on a sexual high.

“Let me get some tissues.” You let go of his cock and tried to move.

He didn’t let you.

“Loki, seriously…”

“Are you resisting me?” he asked, his breathing still heavy.

His hand then reached between your legs, fingers going straight to your clit.

You squeaked and whimpered, pushing at his hand. “No… I mean… yes… I mean, fuck Loki!”

He kept you up for at least an hour, slowly stroking your bundle of nerves, building up your impending orgasm… till you gave in and begged him to let you come.

Mercifully, he didn’t leave you hanging…

Chapter Text

You slowly progressed towards wakefulness, wrapped up in very pleasant sensations…

A string of kisses on your neck, lips pulling on your nipples, hands caressing your inner thighs…

When those hands suddenly pushed your thighs apart, your eyes fluttered open.

“Loki?” you groaned, as your clit was played with. It was already so sensitive from the slow assault it had received during the night. It was near unbearable. “Lo-oki…”

A finger teased your pussy, making you squirm.

“Fuckin’ hell, Loki…” you whined, batting at his naughty hands. “Lemme sleep…”

“I’m not asking you to be awake,” came his quick reply, right in your ear. The roughness in his voice made you quiver.

There was no more sleep to be had…

“It’s not possible to sleep when you’re doing all this.”

Despite your complaints, you lay passive on your back as he shifted over you, forcing your thighs to open further to accommodate his heavy form.

There was a soft nudge at your entrance, and you knew what was coming next…

“You need to heal, Loki…” You moaned and squirmed as he slowly entered you, settling atop you more firmly. “Fuck… damn…”

“Shh…” He bit your earlobe as he started rocking into you, keeping the thrusts minimal. “Thor is awake in the next room and he’d definitely hear your wanton moans from here.”

“Oh hell…” you muttered, closing your eyes against the growing pleasure, knowing well that you were not good at keeping your voice down when Loki was inside you. “Why the fuck is he awake at this hour?”

It was still dark outside, who in their right mind woke up this early?

“Early riser.”

“Mmm… annoying.”

Loki chuckled and ground into you with more force than before, causing you to squeak. Your ears suddenly grew hot as you feared that Thor might have heard that. Unable to help yourself, you immediately opened your eyes and glanced at the door.

Loki hissed and lifted his head up to look into your eyes. “Quiet!”

You shook your head in desperation, biting your lip. He was still moving inside you deliciously and it was becoming harder and harder to keep it down.

“No… more… noises…” He punctuated each word with a hard thrust, causing you to nearly lose your mind.

“Please…” you sobbed, grasping his arms as you neared your climax.

That’s when he stopped thrusting.

You frowned at him, annoyed at being kept at the precipice, but he simply grinned at you.

“Open up,” he ordered, bringing his fingers to your mouth.

There was no point in resisting, so you parted your lips. He pushed three of his fingers in, licking his lips as he watched you avidly. “Suck.”

You did as he asked, sucking at his fingers like your life depended on. Your eyes remained trained on his face through it all, wanting to seek his approval.

“Use your tongue as well.”

He stroked your tongue with his fingers, coaxing you into action. Slowly, you somehow coordinated the licking and sucking actions to give him what he wanted from you.

“That’s more like it.” He groaned, his face taking on a darker expression of lust, one you knew to be caused by his growing pleasure.

That look made you suck harder, just as he resumed his rhythm inside you.

“Good girl,” he said in approval, his voice caught between a growl and a low moan.

Those two words of praise… they had you clenching around him in no time.

As Loki’s fingers drowned out all of your noises of pleasure, he quickened his movements and found his own release along with you. The marks his lips and teeth left on your neck were proof enough that it wasn’t just you who had issues controlling their volume.

Both of you didn’t move for quite a while. He stayed inside you and you stayed on your back.

You noticed that he was still taking laboured breaths. “Loki? You okay?”

He grunted into the swell of your breast but said nothing.

Tentatively, you brought your hand to his hair and began combing your fingers through it.

“Are you hurting?” you asked, wondering if you had somehow inadvertently touched one of his injuries during your passionate session of… eh… desperate morning fuck.

Loki remained silent, and for a bit you thought that he may have fallen asleep, as his breathing was now easing into a calm rhythm.

But then his head moved, nodding almost imperceptibly.

You immediately stopped stroking his hair. “Your injuries?”

Another small nod…

You wanted to scold him for seeking sex in this condition, but then again, you knew that that wouldn’t solve the problem. It might just serve to make him irritable, which was the last thing you wanted right now.

There was only one thing to do now, and that was to take action to lessen his pain.

“Okay, just… let me ease out from under you. I’ll go get your healing balm.” You wiggled under him, attempting to slowly dislodge your body from his.

He groaned and held you tighter. “No.”

No? Was he serious?

“Ugh, Loki, you’re in pain, let me help you.”

“I’ve been through worse,” he muttered, still holding you in his vice-like grip.

“Yes, well, you’re a warrior and avenger, getting battle wounds is an honour. I know, I know, I’ve heard enough of that. Getting wounded is -a-okay, but you gotta do something to help your body heal faster.”

He raised his head then, and looked at you with narrowed eyes. “You called me a warrior.”

You sighed and rolled your eyes. “And an avenger.”

He kept staring at you, as if trying to solve a puzzle.

“What?”

“No one has called me that before… at least, not as the first note of reference.”

You couldn’t understand what he meant, so you just blinked at him with a blank expression. “Called you what?”

“A warrior.”

“Oh? But you’re from Asgard. That’s like… warrior culture on steroids, right?” You tried to wiggle out from under him again, hoping that the conversation would be enough of a distraction for him to let you go.

“It is.” Blessedly, he let you go. He even helped you by lifting his heavy form up on his forearms.

You both groaned as he pulled out of you… it was such a strange and intimate sensation. You found yourself missing it already.

Quickly moving off the bed, you first sought out some tissues to clean the mess between your legs, then hurried off to the bathroom to wash up and pick up the balm.

“How do you… umm… apply this thing?” you asked as you came back to the bed and sat down on your knees. “Should I get a cotton ball or swab?”

Loki was lying on his stomach, pretty much in the same position as you had left him. He turned his head to face you, a smile gracing his striking face. “Just use your hands. They’re soft as it is, so it won’t hurt when you apply the balm.”

You nodded and got to work, applying the balm with utmost care, cringing whenever you felt him twitch under your touch. The wounds had thus far healed at an incredible rate, but still, there was a long way to go before one could say that they were manageable.

How he still had a libido was a mystery to you. If you were hurting, there was no way you’d feel like fucking.

“I still don’t understand the part about no one referring to you as a warrior,” you said conversationally as you ran your fingers cautiously over his wounds. “That’s a given, since you’re the prince of the warrior culture you belong to.”

“I think you forgot the part where I was adopted.”

There was a lot to unpack in that statement… you could gauge that just by his tone, even though he didn’t sound especially pissed off.

“Does that make you any less of a warrior?”

“No, but I’m more famous—or shall I say, notorious—for my other exploits.”

You let the topic drop for now, as you felt like he wasn’t saying what he actually thought about the Asgardian culture and his recognition as a warrior. You weren’t going to press for it unnecessarily.

“You can apply a bit more pressure, darling,” he said, smirking at you as you reached his lower back. “I’m more resilient than you think.”

“I have no doubt about it.” You ignored his remarks and tried to concentrate on his wounds. You didn’t want to leave any of them unattended.

As you leaned forward to do your job, you felt his hand grab your ass cheek. You just about kept your cool, avoiding pressing your fingers right into his wounds. You didn’t know why, but it felt like he wanted you to do just that.

“Loki, please…” You sighed, shivering as he squeezed your bottom. “Remove your hand.”

“I’ve heard that squeezing something soft helps in dealing with pain.”

Cheeky bastard…

“Yeah, but no one suggested that you use my ass as your stress-ball.”

“I cannot help it, especially when you sit so close to me and present it so nicely by leaning forth.”

You growled under your breath but didn’t move to remove his hand. One task at a time, and your present priority was to rub the balm on his wounds.

“Has anyone told you how annoying you can be?”

“Many times over.”

With the balm applied, you quickly moved away from Loki and his groping hand, climbing off the bed.

“I need my clothes back,” you muttered, feeling way too exposed for comfort now, as the morning rays were sifting through the curtains.

Loki chuckled and turned his head away from you. “I can’t expend my magic unnecessarily.”

“Loki!” You wanted to hit him really hard in that moment. “Stop messing around and give them back.”

Just as you said that, you heard a loud knock on the bedroom door. That made you jump and grab the rumpled sheet from the bed.

You wrapped it around yourself twice over, looking, in your opinion, not unlike a burrito.

“Loki! I know you’re awake.” Thor’s voice was loud enough to be heard clearly from the other side of the door. “Tony Stark called. This is urgent.”

Loki didn’t make any attempt to move. “For what?”

“I’m coming in,” Thor warned, and that caused you to almost stumble in panic.

When Thor entered the room, he gave no mind to either yours or Loki’s post-fuck dishevelled appearance. Though, he did appear to be truly disturbed… by something else.

“Loki, this is very serious,” he muttered, giving you a brief nod of greeting before going around the bed to face his brother.

“Yes, what is it now?”

“Nicholas Fury is dead.”

“What?!” you squeaked, “How?”

“Someone killed him with a firearm in Steve Rogers’ home.”

Loki groaned and slowly sat up, his face looking suddenly very tired and drawn. “Let me guess, a firearm similar to what was used on us?”

Thor nodded, his fists clenching. “Can you move about? We might not have enough time to have you fully heal.”

Loki gave him a sharp look. “I think you know the answer to that.”

Thor gave you a short glance before fixing his gaze back on his brother… who was sitting stark naked on the bed and couldn’t give a single fuck about it.

Setting the trauma of the news aside, you briefly wondered if the Asgardians in general were always so blasé about nudity or was it just these two.

“We might need to act soon. Natasha Romanoff has come back with grim tidings from her search about the attacker.” Thor glanced at you again. “She and Steve are arranging an urgent meeting with someone who handles the security council of this realm. They are very certain that he’d help us in unveiling the culprits.”

“Is this ‘someone’ Alexander Pierce?” Loki asked, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Thor looked both surprised and impressed. “Yes. How did you know?”

Loki barked a laugh, rising from the bed to examine his injuries in the full-length mirror on the wall—still stark naked. “It would be unwise to not know all the important information about the realm you reside in. What is Stark’s strategy? Or even Rogers’, for that matter? And who has been invited to this meeting you speak of?”

“The person who had unveiled the information about the unlawful moving of the Chitauri weapons.”

You gasped. That would be you.

Thor gave you a sympathetic look. “This is for the best. Steve has a lot of faith in this man. Moreover, you won’t be alone there. Steve, Tony and Natasha will accompany you.”

“Are you forgetting about my presence, brother?” Loki turned away from the mirror and glared at Thor. “You think that I’ll let her go by herself like that?”

Thor looked decidedly uncomfortable now, as his gaze shifted from Loki to you, back and forth. “I’ve thus far refrained from questioning the nature of your association with her, even though I know the base dynamics of it. It would be wise to keep it under wraps, Loki. You don’t want this to complicate the progressive easing of your punishment here.”

Those were some very cryptic words, and they made you very nervous. “I’ll go to the meeting. When is it scheduled?”

“Not without me,” Loki growled, his fingers glowing green for a second. “The ones promising to keep you safe were entirely of no use when the last attack happened. Are you forgetting that?”

“I don’t think you’ll be welcome there, brother.” Thor sighed and sat down on the bed, grabbing a sheet and throwing it at Loki, who promptly caught it and wrapped it around his hips. “This is why I ask… how much longer till you can use your seidr?”

“What import does my seidr have here? If I’m not welcome, then I’m not even there to protect her with my seidr!”

“Will you please stop talking as if I’m not even here?” You sat down on the other end of the bed and hung your head in your hands. “I want to go to this meeting, but I don’t want to put everyone else at risk because of the red target on my head.”

“Well, Loki might not be welcome there, but I certainly am.”

You just shook your head in dismay. Thor might be mighty, but others weren’t.

“Your only defence is offence, Thor. I’m not sure how your lightning bolts can protect her or anyone else from harm.”

Thor chuckled at that remark, which made you look up at him in surprise. Maybe he didn’t do well under stress.

“Well, I can be there in form,” he said, pointing to himself. “But then, when an attack comes, I can suddenly wield seidr and protect her, much to everyone’s surprise!”

Loki narrowed his eyes at that suggestion at first, but then as the seconds ticked, a slow smirk came upon his face, confusing you thoroughly.

“I see, brother. I see what you meant by that. For once, you’ve learnt to take a leaf out of my book.”

“I don’t understand,” you muttered, looking at him with annoyance.

Loki gave you a sly grin. “Worry not, darling. Thor is going to accompany you as well, along with the other so-called mightiest warriors of this realm.”

Thor cleared his throat then, silently letting him know that he didn’t like that comment about the avengers. Loki paid him no mind as he continued.

“But Thor will be Thor just in form.”

Oh… Oh…

Now you got it… that Loki was going to take the form of Thor to secretly accompany you to this meeting.

You smiled at the brothers’ strategy at first, but then, you gave Loki a worried glance. “But you haven’t healed.”

Loki nodded and rolled his eyes. “I might as well use some of my seidr to finish it. I just need a day.”

“That can be arranged.” Thor stood up and walked to the door with a bounce in his step. “I’ll let Tony and Steve know about the fact that I’d be accompanying her to the meeting. I’ll try to think of some delaying tactic in order to buy you the time to heal. In the meantime, please, both of you, for the Norns’ sake, get dressed in something other than sheets.”

Chapter Text

It was a day after Nick Fury’s rather shocking death. You were finally going to see Alexander Pierce at the SHIELD Headquarters in Washington D.C., and reveal whatever fucked up mess was going on with SHIELD and the Chitauri weapons.

No pressure…

On the up side of things, you had gotten the chance of seeing Tony Stark’s super snazzy private jet—more like, a fully functioning luxury villa in the skies. He had insisted that everyone involved travel in it, given how he had at least half a dozen Iron Man suits tucked away in it (rough estimate).

On the down side of things, you were suffering from low-key anxiety. You tried to hide it for everyone’s sake. Now was not the time to chicken out and throw a fit.

Once out of the jet, you felt as though you had entered a world that was a mix of the Twilight Zone and some kind of spy movie.

Why?

Because you were now getting crammed in a taxicab with Captain America, Black Widow, Tony Stark and Thor. On the face of it, it was all really mundane.

Except that the taxicab was a not really an actual taxicab and Thor was not really Thor.

Subterfuge at its finest? Maybe… maybe not.

The driver was a SHIELD agent who belonged in the inner circle of the late Nick Fury. As per Rogers’ and Natasha’s claim, she was to be trusted. Stark wasn’t very happy at letting her be on the wheel, though; but then again, he wasn’t happy with anyone but himself at the wheel, really.

It was an open secret among the residents of Stark Tower that Tony Stark didn’t let anyone drive his vehicles, given how his parents had died in a gruesome car accident.

Anyhow, there was a general tension in the car between all of the occupants, not just Stark and the SHIELD agent driving it. It was the tension of trust issues and safety.

Well, so far, the only one you actually trusted with your safety was Loki, given how he had protected you by literally putting himself in the line of fire. He was the only one capable enough to deal with it.

However, as Thor had rightly predicted, despite his recent heroics in saving you and others, not to mention his active involvement in other missions, SHIELD still didn’t trust Loki. They weren’t willing to allow him into their sanctum sanctorum of the Triskelion.

Hence, Loki was now Thor, and no one else knew about it except you and the two Asgardian brothers.

“Do we really need her to be in your lap, Thor?” Natasha asked, giving a hard side-eye to you as everyone settled in the faux taxicab and you ended up on Loki’s—well, Thor’s lap.

“If at any moment an explosive goes off here, I’m the only one who can shield her with my body,” he replied smugly, holding you a bit tighter. “I promised my brother this much, hence, I’m not going to treat this job cavalierly.”

He just had to casually mention the connection between you and him here, as if he knew that Natasha had a more-than-platonic interest in you. Nonetheless, all the superheroes knew about you and Loki by now, and all of them were stiffly silent about it.

Natasha narrowed her eyes at his response but didn’t react in any other way, choosing to look out the car window instead.

“What would happen if someone tails us?” Rogers asked, trying to have a look out from the rear window of the car. Poor guy was stuffed between Natasha and Loki—erm—Thor, and there was hardly any space to move that much.

“Why would someone tail a mere taxicab?” Stark asked from the front, poking around in his phone.

“They may have gotten the information somehow.”

“Doubtful.”

That conversation was making you nervous, but you tried to tamp it down. This was no time to have an anxiety attack.

Deep breaths… you told yourself to take deep breaths. It would all be over in no time at all.

“Nothing bad will happen,” Loki murmured in your ear, rubbing your back soothingly. “Look outside through the window. It will distract you from the bad thoughts running amok in your head.”

You nodded and tried to follow his suggestion. At the same time, you felt him shift your legs a bit, both of which were hanging off from his thigh, facing the car door. You didn’t really pay it much mind, thinking that he was trying to get comfortable in a cramped space.

However, when his hand slipped between your legs under your formal skirt, you stiffened and gave him reproachful look.

He couldn’t just get frisky like that in a car full of people!

Also, him being Thor right now was deeply disturbing you on so many levels!

“Look at those children trying to get free from their guardian’s hold,” he said nonchalantly, acting as though his hand wasn’t between your legs, inching closer to your panties.

You glared at him and tried to close your thighs, grabbing that audacious hand hastily. Of course, he used his superior strength and moved that hand forward without even a small tussle.

Despite the cramped space and your efforts to stop him, he moved your panties aside with ease.

Your face grew hot as his fingers began playing with your clit, while his own visage remained unaffected. Well, Thor’s visage… which you certainly didn’t wish to be there on him right now.

You tried to look out the window and focus your attention at anything even moderately interesting, but those damned fingers were making it really hard to do so. Your mind was just… blanking out… as arousal took hold of you.

“I can’t believe that we’re in a decoy and that it’s a simple taxicab,” Rogers muttered beside you, bringing your thoughts back to the here and now.

“Well, I am a genius,” Stark stated smugly.

Loki pressed a finger inside you, and your legs just couldn’t keep themselves together. Slowly, they opened up without any effort on his part, allowing him to touch you deeper. He took that opportunity to add another finger inside you.

“How exactly is this a genius idea, Stark?”

“So many taxicabs running around in the city. Even if they somehow got the info on us, it will take them hell of a lot of time to find us.”

“What if they know the number plate?”

“I can change it on the go. No worries.”

Loki hit a sensitive pleasure spot inside you then, and you let out a whimper.

The car grew quiet.

“She’s having anxiety,” Loki said, emphasizing the point by rubbing your back again.

“You okay there, Matrix?” Stark asked, sounding concerned. You couldn’t turn to see… there was no in hell you were turning your tomato red face to look into Stark’s eyes while Loki—as Thor—had his fucking fingers working inside you.

“M’kay,” you mumbled, sighing into Loki’s ultra-muscled, Thorified chest. It felt all kinds of weird and wrong, but you were almost past caring now.

“There’s nothing to worry about, dear, I’m here to protect you,” he said, giving a generous brush to your clit.

You grasped his shirt tightly, attempting to keep yourself quiet. It was a battle to do so.

“I didn’t take you to be the comforting type, Thor,” Natasha interjected, sounding annoyed. “Taking sensitivity classes or something?”

“Perhaps you don’t know me that well, Natasha Romanoff,” Loki replied with a smirk, patting your back with his left hand while the right one brought you closer to your climax.

You started shaking your head, hands leaving his shirt to grasp at his forearm, trying to get him to stop… but not really. Oh, you were weak with arousal, and he knew your body responded positively to anything and everything he did, no matter how scandalous it was.

It didn’t matter to your dumb body that you were in a packed car with freaking superheroes all around you. It only wanted to orgasm, stroked wonderfully by Loki’s skilled fingers.

“Is it getting worse?” you heard Rogers ask. “She’s shaking her head and rocking. That’s a sign of distress.”

Yes, it was the distress of your pussy, craving climax like the thirsty slut it was.

“I’m right here, Cap,” you spoke up then, and it came out sounding a little too passionate and bitchy. For some reason, it made Stark snort aloud.

Rogers all but stumbled with his words then. “Yes, I’m sorry, I just thought that… uh… you were perhaps, well, losing yourself to the anxiety.”

“Maybe I am!” You gasped, your thighs tightening around Loki’s hand as your orgasm struck.

The next few moments passed in a blur as you clenched your jaw and kept your sounds of sexual gratification to the bare minimum. While your body rode the wave of pleasure, your mind was caught up in the fear that the others might just realize what was actually going on.

Maybe they noticed, maybe they didn’t. It was essentially a Schrödinger’s orgasm.

“Thor, can you calm her down better? That back patting isn’t really working, I think.” Rogers actually sounded a bit panicked himself there.

If you weren’t so sexually compromised right now, you might have giggled.

The driver—her name was Sharon, if you remembered right—spoke up for the first time then. “Guys, we’re reaching the main complex now, you might want to do something about that anxiety attack. We’re arriving a bit early, so there’s time to handle it.”

“You all go ahead,” Loki advised then, discreetly pulling his hand from between your legs while you recovered. “I have a potion with me that can calm her down. We’ll remain in the car while it takes effect, and afterwards, we shall rejoin you shortly in the waiting area.”

“Wasn’t Jafar the expert in potion making?” Stark asked in a curious tone.

“Jafar?” Rogers butted in, sounding baffled.

“He likes to give everyone weird sobriquets,” Natasha replied in a monotone, clearly completely done with everyone’s bullshit here. “Jafar is Loki, and the reference is the story of Aladdin and the Magic Lamp.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, so why do you have the potion, Point Break, if your brother is the shady sorcerer who makes them?”

Loki sighed. “Because he’s my brother and he gave it to me.”

“Oh well. For a second, I thought you were into it too. Anyway, if we leave you two here, how are you going to know the way around the building? Triskelion isn’t exactly small, buddy.”

Loki laughed that big, booming trademark laugh of his brother then, thumping a big slap on Rogers’ back. “You underestimate my questing skills, dear friend.”

“Dude, you sometimes talk like a D&D character, I swear.”

“What’s D&D now?”

“We’ll explain on the way, Cap, come on.”

“Where’s the potion?” you asked Loki after everyone left you two alone in the car.

He grinned and waved his hand in the air. The subdued glow of his magic surrounded the insides of the car, looking like a big golden bubble.

“What’s going on?”

He then transformed back into himself and gave you a decidedly wicked smirk. “There are eyes and ears in this car, darling, and you don’t want them to witness what happens next.”

Uh oh…

As his plans became clear to you, you started to struggle in his lap. “Loki, stop it. Not in a car! Not in this car, of all the fucking cars!”

“But then how will I give you my magic potion?” he asked, holding you firmly in his arms as he gave you a wide-eyed, oh-so-innocent look. Puss in boots had nothing on him. Seriously.

“If I had known that the magic potion was your cock, I’d have refused to stay here with you. This isn’t the time for fucking! I’m wearing formal clothes!”

He tried to grope you and you slapped at his hands, turning around to reach for the door. It didn’t open.

“I can make time for fucking anywhere, darling. And don’t you worry about the clothes.”

Once again, his magic worked around you, this time, taking all of your clothes away.

“Loki, no!” you protested weakly as he pulled you back towards him, maneuvering your body with ease so that you ended up flat against the backseat. That's when you noticed that his clothes were gone as well.

His strong thighs pushed your legs apart then, and he slid into you with ease, aided by your slickness.

“Are you sure it’s a no?” he rasped, giving you a few leisurely thrusts.

You moaned and closed your eyes, no longer resisting. “What if your magic slips and everyone hears us?”

He laughed and spread your legs wider with his hands. “I’m sure it’ll be entertaining. Open your eyes.”

Your eyes snapped open, following his command immediately, much to your chagrin. “You’re absolutely horrendous.”

“Never denied it, darling. Now look down, look how beautifully your pussy takes my cock, those pink lips spreading and clutching my flesh.”

And look you did, unable to help yourself. The sight was so lewd… so breathtaking erotic. Your ears heated up anew as you watched him fuck you into the backseat.

“Like what you see?” he asked, leaning down to kiss you deeply.

You could only answer in a moan, just as your orgasm crashed over you. Loki kept fucking you through it, his movements becoming more and more erratic as his own pleasure peaked.

He held you close as both of you caught your breath, enjoying the afterglow.

That enjoyment, however, was short-lived, as someone knocked on the car window from outside.

It was Natasha, and she had her spy poker face on.

You panicked, while Loki’s eyes merely narrowed.

“Can she look in?”

He tried to scoff it off, but looked a bit tense. “Of course, not. My spell makes it look as though Thor is talking to you.”

Quickly, he untangled himself from you and righted your appearance with magic, clothes returning as well. He did the same for himself, Thor persona and all, while the knocking was repeated, louder this time.

“How long have we been in here?”

“Ten minutes, give or take.”

“Fuck.”

He positioned you and himself in a certain way, and then he dropped the magical bubble thing. Reaching for the door, he opened it smoothly, climbing out while Natasha stepped aside.

“Took you long enough,” she said, still keeping with the poker face.

He shrugged, playing nonchalant. “The potion takes a while to take effect.”

She stared at you from head to toe as you came out of the car too.

“Stop trying to bullshit me, Loki.”

You gaped at her, while Loki still tried to play it cool.

“Whatever do you mean?”

Natasha’s penetrating gaze returned to him then, and she smirked knowingly. “I made a call to your apartment landline from an anonymous number.”

Loki’s fists clenched in response to her disclosure, but otherwise, his face remained impassive. Meanwhile, you barely kept it together as your whole body trembled.

“How did you even get the number?”

“I have my ways.”

“So, what now? What is the meaning of this?”

Natasha rolled her eyes then. “Next time, give him the instruction to not pick up random calls. Now come along, both of you.”

“What?” you blurted, leaning against the car for support.

She turned her attention back to you and smiled. “Golubushka, you’re not good at hiding your feelings. The good thing is, others are not as perceptive as I am, and I’m not about to rat you two out for this.”

“Good,” Loki said, staring at her calculatingly. “Because it’s imperative that I remain close to her.”

“To give her more potions? Is that what it’s called back on Asgard?”

Loki licked his lips and chuckled, though his posture remained stiff. “You cannot deny its relaxing properties, little spy.”

That honestly sounded so damn wrong coming out of Thor’s mouth.

Natasha clicked her tongue at his words, taking hold of your arm to pull you along as she started walking towards the Triskelion. “I can see the effect on her face.”

Loki followed suit, keeping himself right behind you two as you entered the building. He didn’t say anything after that, but you could feel his burning gaze on your arm, right where Natasha was holding you.

Chapter Text

“So, you were prying into SHIELD’s very confidential data,” Alexander Pierce stated, leaning against his extra padded office chair. His expression was kind and open, and that was the only thing that kept you from trembling all over.

Stark spoke up before you could. “On my behest. She is my employee, so the vicarious liability is mine.”

“I didn’t say anything about vicarious liability, Stark, you can relax.” He chuckled and then turned his attention back on you again. “From what information I could gather about you, you’re a gifted programmer… and now a notorious hacker too. At a young age, it is quite impressive.”

“Thank you, sir,” you replied monotonously, not sure what else to say. The intense focus on you right now was really making want to run off and hide.

“Fury was trying to stop you, wasn’t he?”

“He did come to over to apprehend me.”

“I’m sure he had his reasons. He was quite protective of SHIELD and it’s various projects. Sometimes, Nick was protective of things not authorized, but he was passionate about it.”

“What do you mean?” This was the first time Steve Rogers raised a voice in question, while you looked on expectantly.

Pierce nodded, leaning forth in his chair now. “I suppose you have let the Tesseract derived weapons slide from your memory.”

“I haven’t. But I assumed that he was authorized to make them, just as a nuclear weapon was hastily authorized to be dropped over New York.”

“That was the council.” Pierce sighed and rubbed his forehead, taking his spectacles off. “The council authorized the weapons too, I didn’t. However, there are things that Nick did which no one really authorized him to do. Keeping secrets was part of who he was.”

“Care to explain?”

You quietly watched the exchange, thankful that the focus was not on you anymore. Beside you, you saw Loki--as Thor--lean in as well, curious about what was being divulged.

“When I was at State Department in Bogota, ELN rebels took the embassy. The security got me out, but the rebels took hostages. Nick was deputy chief for the SHIELD station there. And he came to me with a plan, wanting to storm the building through the sewers.” Pierce stood up and began to pace leisurely behind his table as he narrated. “I said, ‘No, we'll negotiate’. Turned out the ELN didn't negotiate, so they put out a kill order. They stormed the basement, and what did they find? They find it empty. Nick had ignored my direct order and carried out an unauthorized military operation on foreign soil. He saved the lives of a dozen political officers, including my daughter.”

Well, that was anticlimactic. You were expecting something nefarious to be revealed.

“I’m sure you’re wondering what I’m trying to say here.” He turned towards you and the rest, gesturing with his hands as if he was giving a lecture on the life and times of Nick Fury. “My point here is that Nick Fury didn’t play it straight. He often used unauthorized means to achieve the greater good. Sometimes, that approach can get you swamped in bad things, and sometimes, you can’t come out.”

“Yes, he used unconventional means, but--” Rogers was about to say more, but Pierce raised a hand to stop him.

“What did he say to you, Captain, when he was at your apartment.”

Rogers grew quiet for a bit before answering. “Nothing much. We couldn’t have any proper conversation before the attack happened.”

Pierce nodded, a small smirk forming on his face. “From what I’ve been informed about the missing Chitauri weapons, thanks to Stark and his dear employee here, there seems to be a massive infiltration within SHIELD. Nick went after her instead of taking care of that infiltration. I wonder why.”

“Regardless of what you’re saying...” Loki interjected then, suddenly jumping into the conversation. “Nickolas Fury is gone now. I think it would be much better to honour his memory and actually do something about those missing Chitauri weapons rather than discuss the details of his presumably less than honest dealings.”

“Thor.” Pierce smiled at him, which he didn’t return. “I think I appreciate your candidness here. You’re right, we should focus on the problems at hand. And I aim to do just that. I need to find out about who may have killed Fury. And I need to find out about those weapons. It has all happened much too quickly, you see, but I’m trying my best here.”

“I have an inkling,” Loki replied, just as Pierce took his seat again. “That the people who attacked her and Fury are the same. If these are also the same people who are slipping Chitauri weapons from under SHIELD’s nose, pardon my impatience, but I think we need to act fast. Talking and drawing conjecture is good, but it’s not getting anything done.”

Sarcasm and threat dripped from every word that came out of Loki’s mouth, and that worried you, because it might just blow his cover as Thor.

“I have spread my best agents all over, since I’m handling the operations at SHIELD for the time being,” Pierce replied, looking a bit shaken and defensive now. “I’ve even arranged for a security detail for her, so that she won’t be attacked again, since she needs to dig deeper into this mess now. I’m hoping that Stark won’t mind it.”

“I may mind it.,” came the swift reply from Stark. “Her life is at risk.”

“All of our lives are, Stark. We’ll keep her safe, but we need more people like her to work for us,” Pierce said coolly, looking at you in a very proprietary manner.

“She’s my employee,” Stark rejoined. “She’s my responsibility. I can’t ask her to carry on her investigation.”

You knew, for sure, that he hadn’t asked you to not carry on. But you weren’t going to say anything here.

Because even though Alexander Pierce appeared to be friendly and protective from the outside, you sensed something shady happening behind the closed doors with him.

“We’ll see about that, Stark. Don’t worry. I won’t put her in the way of any further harm. Plus, I’m sure that she wants to help too. This is something that concerns the whole world.”

Pierce looked at you pointedly then, awaiting your response. You shifted in your seat, drowning in nerves.

You wanted to help, but not at such severe personal cost. You were scared .

“I’m certainly glad for the added security,” Loki said sarcastically, butting in again, much to your relief, “but do expedite the investigation at your end. There’s only so much she can do to help, and she has helped a lot thus far, I believe.”

Pierce gave him an almost paternal, almost patronizing smile in return. “I know, Thor, I know. As I said, I’m trying my best.”

“I’m not even sure what the purpose of this meeting was,” you mumbled to Loki as you exited Pierce's chambers, others flanking you both on either side. “He made me so nervous.”

“It’s over now,” he said, wrapping an arm around you. "I'll do my own investigation into SHIELD and Pierce once we're home. I do know that something is rotten in the state of Denmark."

"You've been reading Shakespeare?"

"I had met him when he was writing Hamlet. Anyway, I know how to investigate things. I was often Asgard's spy of choice."

That information was so damn daunting, you were left speechless. You simply nodded in response.

On the way out of the Triskelion, some SHIELD agents join you as well.

“Where’s Sharon?” Rogers asked them, looking around for her.

“Sharon has been deployed for another task,” one of them answered, nodding to Rogers in a way that implied that they knew each other. “We’ll be the security detail for Mr. Stark’s employee here.”

He pointed to you, making everyone else in his team stare at you curiously.

You shrank from the attention, grasping Loki’s shirt in reflex.

Rogers nodded, then waved for them to head out towards the parking lot. “We’re leaving now. Need to head to the airport.”

They followed you all to your fake taxicab, chuckling at the decoy. Once you got in, they got into their own silver coloured car to tail you as you started for the airport.

“Finally, I get to drive,” Stark exclaimed, slipping into the driver’s seat as everyone else settled down. You had the good opportunity to sit between Loki and Rogers this time, instead of occupying Loki's lap.

You were on a fairly busy road, going at a good pace to reach the airport on time, when things started getting weird.

“What the fuck,” Stark muttered, looking into the rearview mirror. You turned around to see what was bothering him, as did Loki and Steve Rogers.

There was a black hummer tailing you now, instead of the car with your supposed security detail.

Where the hell was your security detail?

“Stark, prepare your armour,” Loki muttered beside you.

As he said that, a loud thump came from the roof of the car. Before you could even react to it, Loki pushed you forward and shifted in your place. You gasped and tried to right yourself between the driver and the front passenger seat.

Just as you twisted around, a metallic hand broke through the rear window and made a grab for what would’ve been your head, had Loki not moved you preemptively. What it did grab was Loki’s arm. And when it pulled on that arm, Loki pulled back with more force.

A crash resounded against the back of the car, with a masked figure bumping against it and then falling off.

Loki let go of his illusion then, making Steve Rogers curse colourfully.

“I can’t do this with Thor’s bulk,” he muttered, peering out of the now broken rear window. “Stark, we need to get out of here. Fast.”

“Where the hell is Thor and how are you here?” Stark asked, even as he pressed on the gas to speed up the car.

You were now getting on an overpass, which meant there could be more traffic congestion ahead. That didn’t bode well for this whole situation.

“Later, Tony,” Natasha interjected, with her Glocks already out. “Loki, can you teleport us again?”

“I’ve just barely healed myself, Natasha, what do you think?” he snapped, bent over the backseat stiffly. “I’m trying to track them and dismantle their vehicle. Takes much less magic.”

“Good.”

“Guys, I think we’re being corralled. You see those black hummers in the front?” Stark sounded a bit panicked now. Bad news.

You struggled to move at all, stuck as you were in the middle of the car, so seeing the said hummers was a difficult task. “What are they doing?”

“Brace yourselves!” Rogers called out, and just after that, the car was hit from the back. Hard.

You knew that you would’ve gone flying out the front window, shattering glass and all, had Loki not grabbed you and held on. Well, you held on to him too, knowing that some extreme shit was about to go down.

Seriously, if this were a nightmare, you really wanted to wake up now.

As the car swerved to the right due to the impact, it was hit again, now from the front. Apparently, those hummers in the front had now joined in on the action.

“We need to get out!” Natasha cried, shooting at the hummers.

Loki heaved you up against his chest, then raised his arm, aiming at one of the hummers which were closing in. You saw the tell-tale glow of his magic as it shot out, destroying the wheels of that car immediately.

It went askew, then barrelled into the barricade.

He repeated the same form of attack with the other hummers too, taking them out one by one as Stark drove around them.

“Good job,” Rogers said, tightening his grip around his shield as he looked around furtively.

Where had he kept it hidden till now, you didn’t know. You didn’t bother to ask, either.

Loki simply grunted in response to Rogers’ praise, his sharp gaze surveying the cars he had just destroyed.

“Who the fuck is that guy? And how the fuck did he get ahead of us?” Stark muttered, and you looked around him to see that the masked man was back, now standing in the middle of the road, looking menacing as hell.

You shivered in fear as he grew closer and closer. In the front, Natasha cursed gruffly in Russian.

“Stark, no more vehicles following for now. Keep her safe.” That’s all Loki said before shoving you into Rogers’ arms and then sliding out of the rear window in a single, smooth move.

‘What the hell is he doing?” Stark asked, just as his suit suitcase started unpacking itself.

You heard Loki’s footfalls as he climbed on top of the car. In the meantime, much to your horror, the masked man also jumped on to the car with inhuman grace.

“I’m joining him,” Rogers said, then glanced at you. “I should.”

Suddenly, the roof of the car bent downwards, the combined weight of Loki and that other man being a bit too much for it.

“I don’t think so, Steve. Keep her safe, instead,” Natasha advised.

You could hear all sorts of noises from above, telling you that a fight was on.

That scared you so much, you started squeezing the life out of Rogers’ arm.

Punches were being thrown... nasty metallic scratching was making your ears hurt… and then someone was crying out…

All of a sudden, it was quiet.

Then that metallic arm shot into the front window again, on the driver’s side. Stark tried to make a grab for it, but it was too fast. And it wasn’t aiming for Stark.

It grasped the steering wheel and detached it like it was a toy, throwing it away.

“Fucking hell!” Stark shouted, almost flailing in his seat as the car started going out of control.

More fighting ensued on top of the car then, with loud thumping and grunting.

Stark got out of the front window, then, and called for his suit, which assembled around him smoothly. Natasha hit the hand break just in time as Stark got down and aided in keeping the car next to the barricade, away from the rest of the traffic.

However, the moment the car stopped, it was hit from the back again.

Yet another black hummer.

What the hell was happening?

This time the impact was so strong that Loki and the masked dude slid off the roof and fell from the overpass.

“Loki!” you cried out in distress, almost jumping out of Rogers’ arms. He didn’t let you go.

“He’ll be fine, he’s Asgardian.”

Natasha slid out of the car and started shooting again, just as Stark fired his repulsors at the newly arrived hummer.

Just how many black hummers were there, damn it?

Thankfully, Stark fried it good. He then pulled the passenger door of your car open and made a grab for you.

“Hand her over, I’m flying her out of here ASAP. Tell Loki and take care of the situation.”

Rogers nodded, practically bouncing you into Stark’s metallic arms as he shot out of the car and jumped down the overpass.

“What’s happening?!” you asked Stark, while he cradled you in his arms and took off into the sky, much to your absolute terror.

“Don’t worry, Matrix, I’ll keep you safe. You’re my charge.”

You were at a place you had not known to exist. Till now.

It was a safe house.

Clint Barton’s safe house.

But his family was also there...? Barton had a family? Wife and kids? When?

These questions simmered in the background of your thoughts, while on the forefront, you tried to keep yourself together.

Loki was in trouble. His face was plastered all over the news again, fighting that masked man and his cohorts, using both his magic and his combat skills. Public property was damaged, more vehicles thrown around than you could keep track of. It was awful.

And people in the media and social media, both, were not being kind to Loki, calling him a bad guy again for causing chaos in Washington D.C.

Even though he hadn’t been the one to cause the destruction and chaos. At all.

Life wasn’t fair.

You quietly observed Barton’s family as they went about their day, preferring to stay as unobtrusive as possible as you moved about the house. Once in a while, he checked on you, but then he went back to his family.

It was obvious that he didn’t get to spend a lot of time with them.

You waited… waited to hear from Loki, from Stark, anyone at all. Being alone here was driving you nuts.

It was some time after dinner, when you were trying to cull your boredom and anxiety with a book, that you heard a lot of commotion at the front door.

Immediately, you left your designated room to see what was up.

You had only about made it halfway downstairs when you were engulfed in a tight hug. A tight Loki hug.

“Loki, god… I was so scared,” you mumbled into his neck as he all but lifted you off the floor. “What’s going on?”

He remained quiet, but started climbing up the stairs, with you still in his arms.

“Dude, what the hell?” you heard Barton asking from somewhere downstairs, and knew that it was directed at Loki and you.

“Just let it be,” answered Stark, sounding tired.

Loki took you straight to your room, kicking the door close behind him once inside.

“Loki, you ok?” you asked as you tried to disentangle yourself from him. He wasn’t letting you go.

He didn’t say a word in response, he just kissed you. And ripped at your clothes like a man possessed.

Chapter Text

Loki took you straight to your room, kicking the door close behind him once inside.

“Loki, you ok?” you asked as you tried to disentangle yourself from him. He wasn’t letting you go.

He didn’t say a word in response, he just kissed you. And ripped at your clothes like a man possessed.

“Loki,” you cried out in protest as he left your clothes in tatters. “We can’t… not here .”

His only response was a gruff intonation, which spread his magic’s glow around the room like a bubble of wildfire.

While you tried to gauge what that spell was about--most likely a cloaking spell--Loki freed his cock from the confines of his armour and nudged himself between your legs, lifting you up in his strong arms.

Fuck, who cared about the spell…?

It didn’t take long for him to align with your pussy. His roughness and impatience scared you, but your body was already beginning to react to his proximity, becoming more pliant in response.

“Careful,” you whispered pleadingly as he started sliding inside you, his girth catching on your sensitive flesh, which wasn’t yet fully prepared.

He didn’t stop, but he grew gentler, much to your relief. Slowly, with shallow thrusts, he managed to seat himself fully inside you.

His face was buried in your neck, and he was breathing heavily. Your breathing was laboured too, much more than his, as you tried to adjust yourself to his intrusion.

Pushing you against a wall, he started rocking into you, keeping himself deep inside your channel. That focused movement was maddening. It was making you wetter and wetter, helping him in fucking you better.

“Loki…” you moaned in a broken way, eyes fluttering in pleasure as you grew closer to your orgasm. It was crazy how he could make you come so easily, almost without any effort.

Damn, it was embarrassing that within moments of his arrival, you had your legs wrapped around his hips, with his cock buried deep inside your aroused flesh.

Still, concern for him coloured your thoughts even in your pleasure. You couldn’t help but feel that something heavy was weighing on him… and that fucking your brains out was his way of coping with it. It wasn’t entirely healthy, but oh, you couldn’t resist it either.

You muffled your cries of pleasure into his shoulder and held onto him tightly as your orgasm crashed over you. He didn’t give you any respite as you writhed in his arms, fucking you continuously as you rode the waves of your peak.

It continued like that till your first orgasm ebbed and then merged into a second one. This time, he came with you, his cock throbbing and releasing inside you as your pussy clenched around him.

“Are you ok?” you asked again, once you had your breathing in some sort of control.

More silence followed from him…

He pulled his head back a bit and let out a deep, heavy sigh, his eyes completely shut. You couldn't help but admire how beautiful he looked, especially when he swallowed and his adam’s apple bobbed with it.

You had half a mind to lean forward and suck on it, when he opened his eyes and stared at you intensely. Before you could say anything, he drew both you of away from the wall, promptly depositing you on the bed. All through this, his cock remained wedged inside you.

You gasped as he started fucking you again, this time, with long, deep thrusts.

“Loki? God, Loki!” Your hands flailed uselessly as he drove into you insistently, gritting his teeth and glaring at you.

Just as you were about to reach yet another orgasm, he pulled out, leaving you panting and very, very frustrated.

You tried to voice that frustration, but he paid you no mind. Instead, he grabbed you by the waist and flipped you over on your stomach.

And then he thrust inside you again, making you squeal in response. That’s when he started speaking.

“You are trouble,” he growled, slapping your ass as he fucked you mercilessly, making the bed hit the wall repeatedly in time with his thrusts.

You whimpered, but said nothing, your slick channel gripping him tightly as your pleasure started climbing again.

Meanwhile, your brain found it hard to keep up with him.

“So much trouble, I don’t know why I indulge myself in you.”

Your lips trembled as you tried to speak coherently. “I don’t know… either.”

He slapped your ass again, and you yelped.

“I can get this anywhere, and yet, despite that option, I just want to bury myself inside you for days on end.”

You sobbed as your climax hit you suddenly, making you lose all control of yourself. You just… gave yourself to him completely then.

He stopped thrusting as you rode the waves of your orgasm, but kept himself deep inside you still. When you were done convulsing, he started spanking you again.

It wasn’t rough, per se, and he didn’t slap you twice in the same place, but it set your flesh on fire and caused you to clench around him helplessly.

“You make me mad… in so many ways. You cannot keep yourself safe,” he muttered, lowering himself over you, pushing you further into the mattress. “And here I am, willing to put my own course to freedom on a sword’s edge. You understand what that means?”

You couldn’t reply, too lost in the rollercoaster of sensations to form words on your lips.

He snaked an arm under you and lifted you up against him, bringing your burning bottom against his cool flesh. That made you sigh in relief.

But then he reached down to your clit and started delivering little slaps against it, making you shriek and thrash under him.

“I asked you something!” The wet smack of skin against skin filled your ears as he kept slapping your clit, the strange mix of pleasure and pain driving you to yet another orgasm. “Answer me, pet! Do you understand what this means?”

“N-No!” You sobbed, tears running down your face as you came again.

You didn’t know how much time it took for you to calm down finally, but when you did, you came back to Loki thrusting inside you again. He was going at it painfully slowly now, making your super sensitive flesh feel every vein in his aroused length.

“Loki please…” you begged, feeling as though your body was reaching its limit to take any more orgasms now.

“I want to drive you as mad as you’ve driven me, woman. I want your flesh to adhere to mine till we’re so intimately joined that a single move from me makes you come apart. I know you want it too, your pussy doesn’t want to let go of me.” His movements, leisurely as they were, didn’t cease, making you shiver with each thrust and draw. His lewd words only added to the eroticism of the situation.

And your body reacted to it all in the affirmative, giving legitimacy to his claims. You could literally feel your pussy lips clinging on to his cock, not willing to let go.

“What are you going on about?” you asked in a shaking voice, gripping the sheets tightly in your fists.

“You don’t understand?”

You moaned, half in protest, half in pleasure, as you knew that you were going to come again. Loki simply kept talking, as if possessed by the crazy need to be vocal, his breath brushing against your neck as he spoke.

“It doesn’t stop at sex! I want a share in your everything , I want to give you my everything . It’s not simply fucking anymore… is it? It’s not even courtship . My body and mind are latched on to yours.”

“What…” You gasped, your mind drawing a complete blank. “What do you mean?”

His fingers pressed against your distended clit again then, just as he gently brushed his cock against your pleasure spot deep inside, making you see stars.

The orgasm that followed nearly made you pass out with its intensity…

When you came down from it, Loki was throbbing and pulsing inside you, growling in your ear in that primal manner that always made you tremble.

Just as the afterglow set in, he gathered you in his arms again and lay on his back, your bodies still joined intimately.

“You still don’t understand what I mean?” he asked, kissing your neck tenderly.

You shook your head, earning a heavy sigh from him.

“It means that I’ve fallen in love with you, you oblivious woman.”

Knock knock knock...

You stirred from your deep sleep, a bit disoriented as you stared at the unfamiliar walls and decor of the room you were in. Beside you, you heard the familiar groan of your otherworldly lover.

Lover… love…

The sleep induced fog in your brain suddenly cleared.

Loki loved you… Loki loved you ...

He had confessed that to you…

The shock of it ran all over your body once again as you lay in bed beside him.

Knock knock knock...

Someone was at the door, knocking incessantly.

How long had you been asleep? You looked out of the window and saw that it was already morning.

Well damn…

You had been exhausted by the sexathon that Loki had bestowed upon you. Even though he had healed you and cleaned you up afterwards, you still felt out of your depth.

Knock knock knock…

Sitting up, you glanced at Loki. He had pulled a sheet up over his face in order to avoid morning altogether. The sight of it made you smile.

“Coming,” you called, hurriedly getting out of the bed and wrapping a sheet around you.

When you opened the door, you found Natasha standing there, a tray full of pancakes balanced on her hand.

“Took you long enough, lovergirl,” she said, marching straight into the room.

She put the tray down on the coffee table and then headed straight towards the window, opening it wide to let the sunshine and fresh air in.

“Gotta get rid of the sexed-up air somehow,” she remarked as she walked back to the coffee table, a smirk on her face.

That made you blush crimson. Your eyes shifted to Loki, who was still sprawled on the bed, with the bed sheet covering his face and all the essential parts. Thank god for that...

Natasha must’ve followed your gaze, because in the next moment, she went straight to the bed and ripped the sheet off his face.

You squeaked, expecting him to lash out somehow. He didn’t. He just opened his eyes and stared at her petulantly.

“Rise and shine, loverboy.” She grinned at him, pulling at the sheet threateningly, which was already past his hips.

Loki didn’t react, he just kept staring at her with a sour, ‘I’m not a morning person’ expression on his face.

She raised her eyebrows and walked away from the bed then, taking the sheet with her. You gasped while Loki groaned in annoyance at his sudden nakedness. Natasha just smiled impishly, throwing the sheet in the laundry basket in the corner of the room.

“Get up, I’ve brought breakfast. Your favourite stuff. Pancakes and syrup, with fruits.”

She kept her gaze away from him as she came back to the coffee table and sat down on the sofa.

Loki stood up and dressed himself with his magic; an Asgard Lite version of an embroidered tunic and dark pants. As he joined you at the coffee table, he waved at your body to change you into more proper clothing too, taking the bedsheet away.

You were now dressed in a t-shirt and shorts, something you had always found to be comfortable. It seemed that he had noticed it somehow. Your cheeks grew warm with the rush of emotions as you realized that this was what love felt like...

“You lack civility,” he groused at Natasha as he sat down and took a plate, piling it with pancakes and fruits, and then handing it to you. 

He then went on to serve himself a mountain of pancakes. Thankfully, Natasha had brought enough to sate him and you, both.

Natasha shrugged. “I don’t claim to be civil, either. You aren’t any better, you know, with the way you had carried her off like a caveman last night.”

“I know that you’d rather it be you than me.”

She chuckled at that pointed remark. “I’m not opposed to your presence, loverboy. As someone who is as much a connoisseur of dicks as she is of pussies, I understand the need for a good, hard--”

“Natasha!” you interjected, your face burning with embarrassment now. “Can you not?”

Loki kept his expression even as he went on to gobble the pancakes, while Natasha grinned at you.

“Just teasing.”

Thankfully, Loki didn’t respond to her teasing at all.

You shook your head and ate in awkward silence, while Natasha sat back against the sofa in a relaxed posture, occasionally grabbing a random fruit to eat.

“You’re awfully comfortable here, little spy,” Loki commented as he took a second helping of pancakes. “And in a pleasant mood. I don’t remember you being the same the day before.”

Natasha smiled at him in a sugary sweet way. “I’ve been in much worse situations. We’re safe now, and this place is like a second home to me.”

“How’s the good Captain faring?” he asked, pouring an almost unhealthy amount of syrup over his pancakes. “He was quite devastated, even though essentially everyone, from SHIELD to the media, was after my life.”

Natasha grew solemn then, no teasing smiles whatsoever. “You know that he knows him .”

Loki looked up from his breakfast to narrow his eyes at her. “And so do you .”

You weren’t absolutely sure, but it seemed like they were talking about the masked man who had attacked you. Well, this was interesting information...

Natasha’s expression became guarded all of a sudden. “I don’t know him in the same manner. Steve has good memories of him, I don’t.”

“How come?”

She shook her head and grabbed a bunch of blueberries. “You really think that I’m here to pour my heart out to you, Loki?”

“You can afford me that much courtesy, since I’ve taken all the blame upon myself for what happened the day before. Not to mention, you’re sitting here, in one piece, because I shielded you from harm, and not for the first time either.” He gave her a smug look and leaned back against the sofa, stuffing his mouth with a forkful of pancake.

That seemed to soften her stance, as she sighed and started divulging. “He was Steve’s best friend, thought to be long dead. I’m not sure how he ended up being an assassin ; he was part of Steve’s band of soldiers in the Second World War .”

“So, a war hero?” you asked, rather surprised at the revelation.

She nodded.

“And what was he to you?” Loki asked, pressing on with the questions.

“Nothing. I’ve faced him in the past, when he was trying to kill someone I was trying to keep safe. A pattern that repeated itself recently, mind you.”

“Why couldn’t he remember Steve, then, if he was his friend? He seemed to have no memory of him. At all.”

“We’re not sure yet. Perhaps you can help, what with your magic and all.” She waved at him casually, though her posture grew stiff. “Just… don’t kill him.”

“I can’t make any promises, for he tried his best to kill her .” He tilted his chin at you, and you squirmed in your seat, caught up in a strange mix of emotions. You still hadn’t come to terms with his confession of love to you.

“He’s most likely a puppet, for he can’t recall his own past and identity. I know that you know how that feels.”

Loki’s focus shifted back to her sharply. “I wouldn’t make such assumptions, Natasha.”

Ah, Loki and his sensitivity towards discussing his past… it was always a sore spot with him.

She shrugged, crossing her arms and returning his sharp gaze. “At least, I know how that feels. How about that?”

He nodded, putting his plate away, now that he was done with his breakfast. That made you realize that you had forgotten yours. You scarfed it down quickly.

“I do wish to help, but I don’t like the confines of rules.”

Natasha snorted aloud then, and the tension in her posture seemed to ease a bit. “I’m pretty sure that we’re past caring about rules now. We have to be efficient, not lawful or orderly.”

“I want to help too,” you chimed in, putting your plate down. “I mean, in my own way, with my own skill-set.”

“You’re staying out of this,” Loki snapped, turning the power of his otherworldly glare on you then. It almost made you shrink back.

“The last time I checked, none of you can navigate code like I can. And magic doesn’t help there.”

Natasha leaned over to pat your knee. “It’s not safe, especially now that you have a target on your forehead, honey.”

“I feel like this shit runs deeper than we have been able to dig. I want to find out more. It might just help us in getting to the root of the problem.”

“You’re not doing it.” Loki shook his head and stood up, and for a moment he almost reached for you. That gave you the previous night’s flashbacks, which in turn made you squeeze your thighs together.

This wasn’t the time to think about that ...

“I think Mr. Stark wants me to do it.”

“He’s not commanding you on anything anymore.”

“But I want to help!”

“Guys, calm down.” Natasha rose from her seat as well, picking up the empty tray. She patted on Loki’s chest while heading out. “We can all do our bit here. Loki, try to give her some breathing space, loverboy.”

“We’ll see about that,” he muttered, giving you a dark look as Natasha walked past him.

“And please,” she said, well beyond the threshold now, “no more horizontal mambo. Steve is expecting you downstairs, Loki. I think he wants to break the rules too. And who better to seek help from than the god of breaking rules , hmm?”

Chapter Text

“Please tell me that you’re not going to get into that hacking business again.” Loki took your hand and started for the stairs, giving Rogers and Stark a nod as he did so.

Their meeting of sorts was over, it seemed. Well, it had lasted for about two whole hours, and you were sure that Loki’s brain was buzzing with annoyance now. He was always annoyed after team meetings.

“I’m still not sure about it, but I want to help,” you said, climbing the stairs quickly to keep pace with him.

He took you to your bedroom and then closed the door, looking more and more displeased by your response.

“Your help has landed you in trouble, woman,” he snapped, letting go of your hand to cross his arms and stare you down.

“The trouble was already brewing. Sooner or later, they’d have done something horrible with those weapons,” you tried to argue, for once, not letting his intimidation tactics affect you.

“But now they’re specifically targeting you.”

“Does the fact that many people hate you ever deter you from doing what you want?”

“That’s different.”

“Helping Steve Rogers is going to be a dangerous thing,” you went on, gesticulating with your hands, as was your nervous habit. “You know it, I know it, he knows it too. But still, I can see that you’re going to help him get his friend back. Why?”

Loki seemed unaffected by the points you were raising. “I can handle the danger, I’m not a mortal.”

You made a noise of frustration and turned around to walk to the window. This argument was going nowhere.

“Tony Stark is a mortal, and he’s a badass. He doesn’t need brawn for it, his brain is his greatest asset. That’s how he’s Iron Man.”

You fidgeted by the window as he approached you and wrapped his arms around you from behind. Suddenly, you could feel that his displeasure had turned into something else.

“Tony Stark is too smart for his own good… and so are you ,” he said, placing a kiss on your neck.

“But you don’t want me to use my smarts for the good. What good is a sharp brain if I don’t use it?” you asked, sensing that he was trying to distract you. “I know that I’m physically weak, but I was the only one, besides Stark, who could hack into SHIELD.”

“I know what you’re capable of, darling, I just don’t want you to end up dead.” His tone had become earnest and almost pleading by the end of that sentence, and for once, you could sort of understand his concern. It was the harsh truth--that your life was at stake here.

And there was intense emotion behind his words… making you realize that, maybe, he felt out of his depth here.

You nodded, unable to find a response. Truth be told, his concern for you was melting your insides.

Turning around, you rose on your toes to kiss him. He seemed surprised by it, but it didn’t take long for him to take control of it.

His mouth opened and his tongue parted your lips, deepening the kiss. You moaned softly into his mouth, grasping his shirt tightly as he brushed his tongue across yours in inviting strokes.

He picked you up by cradling your ass in his hands, and you promptly wrapped your legs around his hips. The slow, sensual exploration continued, with locked mouths and mingled breaths, as he carried you to the bed. Once there, he lay down on his back, keeping you on top as you straddled him.

“I have to leave in about an hour,” he said once he broke the kiss, looking deep into your eyes. “Promise me that you won’t get yourself into trouble while I’m gone.”

You snorted and shook your head. “I’m in the middle of nowhere. What trouble can I get myself into?”

He pursed his lips, looking thoroughly annoyed now. “No hacking of any sort.”

You rolled your eyes dramatically, and that earned you a smack on your ass.

“Ow! Loki!”

“Give your word to me.”

“Fiine! I promise.”

He kissed you again then, and slowly proceeded to pull your shorts down your legs. You helped him along by kicking them away.

“Do we have time for this?” you asked breathlessly between the kisses as you tried to open his pants and pull his cock out.

“There’s always time for this,” he replied, pulled away to impatiently remove the rest of the clothes between you two with magic.

“I’m sure you’ll make time to fuck me even in the middle of a battleground.” You giggled as he rolled you over and pressed you into the bed with his lean, muscular body.

“Don’t challenge me, you little minx.”

There was genuine humour in his voice now, and somehow, it made you feel giddy. You grabbed his head and locked lips with him again, feeling his chuckles right on your mouth.

Lazily, he nudged your pussy with his cock as you opened your legs to invite him in. Every time it pressed against your clit, a thrill went down your spine. It was delicious.

Loki moaned into your mouth, gently teasing your nipples with his thumbs as he rocked into you, just sliding his cock along your pussy in a silken caress.

This was… new. This slow, soft intimacy…

Usually, your relationship with Loki was full of tumult, disagreements and rough sex. You were used to that. Not this .

Still, this felt good. No… this felt great .

When he breached you and slid inside, you pulled your swollen lips away from his and stared up at him in affection.

“Have you decided to finally stop forcing me into pleasure?” you asked breathlessly, wrapping your legs around him to take him deeper.

He gave you a mischievous look as he settled deep inside you and stilled. “Was I ever truly forcing you?”

You felt your face heat up as he waited for an answer. “Not really… but… I kinda liked it.”

It was still hard to admit your kinks.

He chuckled, pulling out and giving you a slow thrust. “Oh, my naughty naughty girl. You don’t like this ?”

“I-I like this too,” you murmured earnestly, your eyes fluttering in pleasure.

“I’ll make sure to give you equal doses of both, then.” He began to move in and out of you, immediately hitting that spot inside you which drove you mad with pleasure. “To have you thoroughly addicted to me.”

“I’m already addicted to you,” you moaned, feeling the first tingles of an approaching orgasm.

“Good,” he growled, lowering his head to suck on your pulse point as his thrusts became quicker.

You came together, writhing against each other while still moving in a sensual rhythm.

Your hands clutched his biceps tightly, loving the feeling of the flexing muscles as you kept clenching around him. Being with him was indeed addictive, and you were sure that you’d be ruined if Loki was ever taken from you.

You knew that he would have to return to Asgard eventually… but you tried to block that thought from your mind. You wanted to enjoy your time with him, and that particular thought was intruding upon that enjoyment.

“I love you,” you whispered in his ear as you both lay panting, still joined and still throbbing from your orgasms.

He lifted his head from your chest to look at you with bright, joy-filled eyes. “Do you, now?”

You tsked and smacked his arm. “Don’t make me self-conscious now. I’m already so awkward…”

“You’re my favourite awkward person,” he said, nudging your nose with his, making you feel as though you might fly out of your skin.

“Really?”

“Mmhmm.” He pulled out of you and lay back against the mattress, sighing contentedly. You turned and snuggled against his chest, enjoying the feeling of afterglow, even feeling a bit drowsy now.

“When will you be back?”

“I’m not sure.” He grasped your hand and brushed your knuckles against his lips, as though he was trying to soothe himself with the gesture. “We’re going to infiltrate SHIELD and whatever abomination it holds within itself. And we’re going to do it covertly.”

“No one from SHIELD knows?” you asked, wondering how they’d do it.

“No. And we have to keep it that way. I don’t want Alexander Pierce on our trail.”

“He gives me a bad feeling,” you admitted, remembering how the man had given you the hibbie jibbies. “Even though he is supposed to be a good guy. I mean, he was recently awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.”

“Your instincts are correct. I sensed a lot of lies in him while we were visiting him.”

You raised your head and gave him a pleading look, resting your chin against his chest. “Just… be safe, ok? I know that the media and social media is already clamouring against you. I don’t want this to escalate.”

He smiled sadly, as though he was expecting this reaction from the people. “Neither do I. But I have to take care of this mess, otherwise you’ll remain under threat.”

“I thought you were helping Rogers because you felt that it was the right thing to do.”

“No, my motivations are nearly always selfish.”

You wanted to point out that he wasn’t doing this to please himself, but to protect you, and that in itself made the act so very not selfish. But before you could speak up, someone knocked at the door, making both of you groan.

“Loki? Are you.. uh... in there?”

It was none other than Steve Rogers. He sounded decidedly uncomfortable and awkward, as if he knew exactly what was going on beyond the bedroom door.

Well, he would have to kind of know . Your and Loki’s relationship was no longer a secret.

“Yes, Steve, I’ll be joining you shortly,” Loki called out, making no move to get up from the bed yet. “I need to prepare myself first. Is Thor close yet?”

“Yeah, he called and said he’s about to reach. That’s why I’m here--to tell you.”

“Good. Then we can leave soon.”

“Alright, I’ll be downstairs.”

You heard his retreating footsteps on the wooden flooring, while your mind was still caught up in their secret mission.

“So, Thor is joining you guys?”

“Yes, he wanted to help Steve.” Loki shrugged, as if he had no understanding of why Thor did the things he did.

“Ah, ok. I guess you better get ready now.”

“Hmm. Care for a shower?” he asked, tapping your nose with his index finger.

You shook your head. “Loki, we don’t have time for that now.”

“Just a shower, I promise I’ll behave myself,” he said with a roguish grin that told you that he most certainly wasn’t going to behave himself.

You just sighed and nodded, knowing full well how this shower was going to proceed.

You were in bed after a whole day of combat training. Both Clint and Natasha had tried their best to make you understand the basics of self defence.

However, you knew how laughable this attempt at training you was. If an assassin, a professional assassin at that, was sent to take you out, there was hardly anything you could do to defend yourself against that.

You were a civilian caught in the world of superheroes and gods, and your skill-set wasn’t about brawn or magical powers. It was all about your brain, though it was a humble thing, compared to what others were capable of through their skill-sets.

What concerned you was that you were not being allowed to use that skill-set now, which could help with the current situation of chaos within SHIELD. Instead of that, you were being handed a gun or a knife and being told to fight with that; something you had little aptitude in.

The lessons were fun when you were doing them with Natasha on the side as a sort of exercise, but not anymore.

You stared at Natasha as she sat on the other side of the bed, reading a book and drinking wine. She was your designated bodyguard for the night, and hence, she was going to have a sleepover with you while Loki was out.

“How did you learn so much about combat?” you asked her, curious to know more about her. She had never really shared much. You just knew the basics--that she had been trained as a spy by some sort of underground Russian organisation.

She put the book down and gave you a tight smile. “I didn’t have any interest in fighting or guns, you know.”

“Then what?”

“As a kid, I was more interested in dancing… oh, and reading storybooks about fantastical creatures.” She stared off into the distance as she recalled her childhood. “But all that changed once I was taken for my training. They did teach me ballet, but they also made me a killing machine.”

You sat up and reached for her hand in sympathy. “I’m sorry, Natasha.”

She squeezed your hand, then let go. “No need to be. I’m in a good place now, that’s all that matters. Past cannot be changed, I’ve made my peace with that.”

“Do you still wanna read story books?”

“I gorge on story books, honey. All kinds of them. Novels, short stories, fiction, non fiction… also, erotica.”

“Fun.” You giggled. You had never imagined her to be the type that read erotica. But then again, it kind of made sense...

“It is fun. I’m doing the things that were kept from me during my childhood and teens. I love it.”

“I’m glad that you can do that now, though. So… erotica, huh?” You wiggled your eyebrows at her, wondering just exactly what flavour of erotica she preferred.

“Quit being a smartass. You like erotica?” she asked, taking a swig of her wine.

“Depends on how it’s written.”

She gave you a sly grin, then. “Ah, from what goes on with you and Loki, I assume you prefer to make erotica.”

“God, you had to bring that up.” You blushed so hard at that comment, it felt like your face was blooming into a flame.

She cackled at that. “Almost everyone knows that he’s banging your brains out. You shouldn’t be ashamed of it if you’re having fun.”

“You’re not jealous, are you?” you wondered aloud, and then cringed at your lack of filter. “I mean… I know that you wanted to date me. And I turned you down...”

She rolled her eyes and raised her hand to stop you from embarrassing yourself further. “I care for you and your wellbeing. If you’re getting it from Loki, that’s well and good. I’m not about to get my panties in a twist over that. It’s your choice, after all, not mine, and you’ve chosen well. He’s smitten with you, something that I hadn’t thought him capable of.”

“Erm… ok,” you murmured awkwardly, prying your eyes from her.

You hadn’t thought him capable of such deep affection too. It had come as a surprise. A pleasant surprise.

And now, you were equally smitten. This was the reason why you were finding it hard to sleep now. Loki was out there, with Steve Rogers, Thor and Tony Stark, doing god knows what to break into SHIELD. And he was doing it all for you.

Your guilt over that fact was yet another reason that you wanted to chime in and help in resolving this whole mess. After all, it had started with your actions against SHIELD.

“Natasha?” You sat up and looked at her curiously.

“Hmm?” She finished her wine and then paid you full attention.

“Do you think that I could still help in some way? Like, without it coming back to harm me?”

She gave you a shrewd look, reminding you how she had creeped you out the first time you had met her. “You can. And I think Tony can help you with it. But I’m sure Loki won’t appreciate it.”

You grimaced. Yes, she was right.

“But…” she continued. “Loki doesn’t have to know about it.”

You gulped at thought of lying to Loki, but Natasha smiled knowingly.

Chapter Text

They were sitting in a car acquired by Stark for the special purpose of anonymity on this little mission of theirs. It was small, and certainly not built for carrying one Asgardian, let alone two of them. It made Loki uncomfortable, and he assumed that Stark was enjoying it.

He glared at Stark from the rearview mirror while they had a final discussion about their plan. Stark pretended to ignore it.

“Ok, so we’re infiltrating the big base here in DC now. And if Pierce gets to know about it, we’re pretty much toast,” Stark stated, as if what he was mentioning was not obvious to everyone in the car. “We gotta play our cards right and then get the hell out of here. Also, in case our cover gets blown, we’re all going all out against SHIELD. After that, I don’t know, maybe we can get beamed up by the Asgardian Scotty?”

Thor laughed. “Worry not, we’re not getting caught. If nothing else, Loki here is an expert in escaping difficult situations with his magic.”

Loki was a bit surprised to hear that from Thor, who, in the past, had always taken such opportunities to belittle his magic rather than praise it. 

“I’m already on SHIELD’s search circuit, it doesn’t bother me in the least,” he said stiffly. Ever since the spectacle on the open road took place, everyone had been clamouring for Loki’s capture. SHIELD was only too happy to move ahead with it. Too bad that they didn’t have the wherewithal to seize him.

“Oh, we know that it doesn’t bother you, Mr. Smooth Operator.”

“Just do your bit, Stark. We’re here to collect information, and possibly get an insight into who Rogers’ friend might be working for. SHIELD seems to have knowledge about these things, and they keep it hidden from the public eye.”

“We’re not common public, and they should’ve shared this info with us,” Stark replied, pulling a pair of binoculars out to watch the activities on the base’s gates. “The fact that they aren’t even talking about this masked assassin is very troubling. Also, did you guys not notice how our security detail just vanished into thin air the moment the attack happened on that overpass?”

“I did, that’s exactly why I had asked you to put your armour on.” Loki crossed his arms and sighed as Stark continued to peer at the base. “Now stop fiddling with that binocular and get out of the car. I need to cover you all with glamours. We need to be thorough in this if are to find Rogers’ friend.”

“He’s not my friend,” Rogers said forlornly, his gaze downcast.

Loki rolled his eyes at Rogers. “You said that he was, good captain. What changed?”

Rogers looked on gloomily, as if his shoes had betrayed him. “He looked at me and he didn’t even know me. He’s not that guy anymore, the one who used to be my friend. His eyes were… blank. He didn’t even recognize his own name.”

“Are you sure he’s the same person, though, physically?”

“Yes. I know Bucky; I’ve known him since we were kids.”

Well, if he was that confident in the assassin being his friend, then who was Loki to question it?

Except that he did question it, internally. But he kept his mind focussed on finding this Bucky Barnes and throwing him into Rogers’ arms for good. Then, perhaps, he could remove all elements of danger surrounding his woman and think about a good scheme to bring her to Asgard.

“It seems rather odd that a human has lived such a long life without any otherworldly enhancements, such as the aureate apples of Asgard.”

“I’m one too,” Rogers replied solemnly. “But my enhancement didn’t come from outside. The man who developed the formula was murdered by the Nazis. The formula died with him. I’m not sure how they made Bucky this way, but I’m determined to find out.”

“And we’re here to help with that, Steve,” Thor assured him, patting his shoulder from the rear seat.

“There’s obviously something wrong in his head,” Loki observed, recalling how the man had a manically focussed, but otherwise emotionless gaze while he was trying to harm them all. “He seems to have been… mentally transformed to be a weapon.”

It was something Loki was familiar with, though he didn’t want to discuss the matter with anyone anymore. His main aim to rescue Rogers’ friend and ensure the protection of his lover, not to have everyone commiserate with him.

“Get out of the car now. I’m going to use my magic to cover up and change our identities. We have to act like we’re a part of this organisation, not strangers.”

“Copy that. But does Thor understand what subterfuge is?” Stark asked, handing everyone their communication devices. They were tiny earpieces.

“I may not be a brilliant spy as Loki is, but I’m not an imbecile, Tony,” Thor responded, sounding both amused and annoyed as he exited the car.

“A brilliant spy?” Stark turned around slightly to give Loki a look of disbelief. Loki uttered an exasperated sigh and motioned for him to get out of the car.

“Yes, he used to go on all kinds of secret missions on behalf of Asgard in the past.”

“Shut up, Thor, and try to concentrate. We have to act like these Midgardians and glean information.”

Once everyone was out, Loki changed their appearance through an illusory spell, making sure that they matched the identities of the SHIELD personnel he had studied. They all looked uncomfortable, and Loki had the first misgivings then, that this mission was not going to be fruitful.

“Alright, now, I’m going to be teleporting us to the inside of the base. I’ll go first and see a place that’s clear of the cameras, then, I’m going to bring you all with me. Stay where you are. No movement.”

They all nodded silently, much to his relief.

You were woken up in the middle of the night by someone who thought that josling you violently was a good way to go about it.

It was Clint Barton.

“Wake up, sunshine, you have a mission on your hands,” he said, giving you a tight smile.

“What?” you asked sleepily, rubbing your eyes and looking for Natasha. She had gone to sleep with you on the same bed. Now, she wasn’t even in the room.

“Nat talked to Tony over text, and he has an urgent mission for you. Are you up for it?”

Oh god… Natasha hadn’t even waited for the dawn to break to get going with a secret spying mission for you.

Loki was so going to kill you for this…

“What’s it about?” you asked, hurrying off the bed. Your head still felt woozy because of the lack of sleep. Fretting over Lok’s safety had been the culprit for that.

Clint tried his best to explain the basics to you while you washed your face and brushed your teeth. 

“We’re taking you to Tony’s place and setting you up with a secret connection. Tony is going to stream some files to you in about an hour, and you have to connect them with the data you already have. Nat is waiting outside with your ride. We leave in ten minutes.”

“A little warning would’ve been nice,” you grumbled after rinsing your mouth. “Okay, let me change first.”

You shunted him out of the room and dressed yourself hastily. Time was of the essence here, and hence, you didn’t even bother with combing your hair.

You simply dashed out and jumped into the car. 

Natasha drove like a speedy maniac, but she looked like she knew what she was doing. Hence, you kept your screams of horror suppressed.

It wasn’t an easy feat.

You were at the Stark Tower in record time, with only minutes to spare for Stark’s streaming to begin.

Natasha looked at her phone for any new messages as Barton and Pepper Potts set you up at Stark’s computer lab. Suddenly, she rolled her eyes and sighed.

“They’re a bit delayed,” she said, shaking the phone in her hand. “Steve’s being all mopey. Kind of understandable, though.”

You nodded and got everything running, making sure that you were ready, even if Stark was delayed.

The infiltration had been successful, but thus far, they hadn’t found anything of import. 

Everyone in the team were doing their respective jobs. Stark was attaching spying softwares to the SHIELD computers that weren’t connected to the internet, hoping for a lead on things. Loki knew who exactly had developed these programs and he felt proud of that achievement.

Thor and Rogers were given the simple task of observing people’s actions and remaining close to exits, in case there was a need for rescuing anyone. Rogers had wanted to play a bigger role in this mission, but as Loki had noted, he wasn’t in the right frame of mind for it.

If he were given a choice, he’d have chosen to leave Rogers back at the safehouse, where he presently belonged.

Loki functioned independently from the team, though Stark had wanted his role to be very specific and limited. Alas, Stark had no hold over him.

He chose to move swiftly through the different levels of the base, changing his form to suit the place and the security clearances. He chatted with to those who recognized his persona as a SHIELD personnel, for any one of them could be his lead towards the murkier parts of the organization. Taking the form Alexander Pierce was what he actually wanted to do, but he knew that it would be going too far, too soon in the game.

Finally, something odd happened that caught his notice immediately. One of these personnel said something strange to him in parting… something that didn’t make much sense.

“Hail Hydra,” the man whispered in his ear, then went off on his merry way.

Loki’s gaze trailed after him, retracing, in his mind, the department from where he had emerged. He was from the research wing, and he had the deepest clearances in terms of security.

“Did you hear that?” he asked everyone through the earpiece. “He whispered ‘ hail hydra ’ in my ear.”

“Hydra?” Rogers asked in a muted, but shocked tone. “I… I didn’t connect right away. I was a bit lost to my thoughts. Hydra? That’s impossible. Did he actually say hydra?”

“Yes. Pay attention and be alert, soldier,” Loki snapped impatiently. “What is hydra?”

“I thought hydra was dead. They were basically a terrorist organization, a special branch of the Nazis during the second world war. I had personally put an end to their plans for world domination during the war. How are they still around?”

“Also, how are they inside SHIELD?” Loki smiled and nodded in response to a waving person, coming from the other side of the corridor he was in. “Wait, are they the ones who are pilfering the Chitauri weapons?”

“It would make sense,” Stark remarked. “Jeez, this is a bigger problem than we anticipated.”

“How do we resolve it?” Thor asked. As usual, he wasn’t the one with the solutions.

“This is probably why they killed Fury. Because he must have been close to unravelling this infiltration… after my confrontation with him.” Loki crossed the corridor and entered yet another level of SHIELD. He had to change his persona again to match the security clearances needed. “I knew that something untoward was happening at SHIELD, but I had thought Fury capable of handling it.”

“We have to do something. Clear this mess somehow.” Rogers sounded distressed all of a sudden, and Loki couldn’t help but click his tongue in disappointment. So easy to lose patience...

“Loki, we’re somewhere in the basement now, and we found a collection of weapons,” Thor stated excitedly. “If memory serves me right, they’re Chitauri.”

“Thor, if you ruin this mission, I’m personally putting a curse on you,” Loki warned, nodding at yet another personnel. “Make sure you have a way out.”

“Of course.”

“Stark, what are you up to now?”

“Trying to find a computer with working internet.”

Loki heard him shuffling about, often making annoying metallic noises as he moved around. However, after only a few minutes, the noises suddenly stopped.

“Stark?” he called surreptitiously, wondering what in the name of Valhalla he was up to. “Are you there?”

“Jacobs? I saw you leave for home only minutes ago,” someone spoke from the other end.

“I had to come back,” Stark replied, lying through his teeth. “There was an important matter I forgot about.”

“I see,” the other person said, then there was a heavy silence for the next few minutes.

“Stark?” Thor asked, sounding concerned. “Are you fine?”

Stark muttered something so fast that the earpiece couldn’t convey it. Loki pinched the bridge of his nose, wondering if he should now go in search of Stark.

“You know what to say if you’re in trouble, Stark. Under no circumstances are you going to call your armour.”

“Agent Jacobs…” Someone was speaking to Stark again, and this time, Loki was certain from his tone that Stark was about to get himself into trouble. 

“Yes?” Stark responded.

“I’m gonna have to see your ID.”

“Why? My iris scan wasn’t enough?”

“Because I was just on the phone with Agent Jacobs .”

Quickly, Loki began sprinting back out the corridor, tracing Stark’s location with his magic.

“ Snowflake ,” Stark muttered suddenly, and then the sounds of a scuffle resounded in the earpiece.

“Uhh… Loki?” Thor asked, sounding as though he was beginning to grow nervous.

“What?!”

“I think the people we’re impersonating just entered the basement.”

Helheim to Valhalla, why did everything have to go wrong at the same damn time?

“Get out,” Loki spoke in haste as he closed in on Stark. “Get Rogers out too.”

When he arrived at the scene of Stark’s scuffle, he was a bit relieved to find that he hadn’t gone for his telltale armour. He was simply trying to evade the agents… by throwing computer equipment at them.

Loki came in and pulled those agents away from Stark, throwing them at the nearest wall. “Get out,” he cried, seeing more agents rushing down the hallway where Stark’s computer room was. “I’ll handle them.”

“The fuck am I leaving now. I need to relay this all ASAP to Matrix,” Stark stated, scrambling towards the computer screen.

“What?!” Loki’s heartbeat stuttered for a moment. “Matrix?”

Stark’s face paled then, and his eyes widened. “Fuck.”

Loki glanced at the computer screen and saw it sending a packet of information to another computer.

Just as he put two and two together, the agents rushed in. He had to think on his feet. Moving ahead of them, he grabbed Stark by the neck and turned him around to immobilize him.

“I’ve got him!” he announced to the other agents, who were quick to hand him a pair of automated cuffs.

With Stark apprehended, no one bothered about the computer that was relaying information to another place. Loki made sure that no one paid attention to it as he kept the focus on Stark.

“We need to take him to a proper place and interrogate him,” he suggested, and the others simply nodded like sheep.

However, just as they entered the elevator, Loki dismantled its camera and put a spell of somnolence on everyone but him and Stark.

Stark gave him a rueful smile. “I’m sorry. Don’t be mad at Matrix for this.”

Loki remained silent, trying to contain his rage. She had promised him that she would stay away from this mess, and now she was acting as Stark’s minion again, putting herself in peril. He would deal with her later...

Just as the elevator doors opened, he uncuffed Stark and pushed him out.

“Go,” he directed. “Exit is towards the right.”

Stark gaped at him, clearly not understanding the concept of running against time.

“Don’t make me repeat myself,” Loki growled, and finally, that had Stark sprinting away immediately. Just as he escaped, more agents poured into the room like a colony of ants.

They were going to go after Stark… that is… if Loki didn’t intervene.

He sighed heavily and chose that moment to drop his illusion, making sure to use the enhanced glow of his magic to attract maximum attention.

Everyone in the hall uttered a collective gasp in response.

“Greetings, my good friends!” he said, arms spread wide, a smirk playing on his lips. “I heard you were looking for me.”

Chapter Text

Alexander Pierce gave Loki a shrewd look as he sat facing him in a heavily reinforced interrogation room.

Loki had been bound and brought to this secret location after his overtly dramatic reveal inside the SHIELD base. They had even covered his whole face with a dark, bag-like face mask before travelling to this place. 

So much precaution… and to think that it did nothing to lessen Loki’s resolve to destroy them. The more they bound him, the more they doomed themselves.

Now, the bag was off, but his bindings remained. He simply pretended that they were restricting him.

He smirked at Pierce as he kept staring at him. Perhaps, he was expecting him to start talking to ease the awkward silence. Well, he might have to wait a century or two for that to happen.

“Loki, I’m sure you know why you’re here,” Pierce said finally, giving in to the stifling silence himself. 

Loki simply laughed in response, which caused Pierce to clench his jaw in anger.

“You wouldn’t be laughing when we relay all of this to Asgard and take the necessary actions against you.”

That only made him laugh harder, for Asgard already knew about this dark secret of SHIELD, in the form of Thor.

“You have me, now do what you want with me.” He shrugged, raising his shackled hands. “You have wanted this to happen ever since I was defeated in my campaign to rule this realm.”

“You deliberately got yourself captured here. Don’t think I’m a fool.”

Oh, but he was a fool... to think that he could keep him contained.

“Mayhap I wanted to end the clamour going off against my name? Like you said, the Allfather isn’t going to appreciate the news of me falling into bad ways again,” he acknowledged with a nod. “My release is dependent on my cooperation, Pierce, it’s as simple as that.”

Pierce’s eyes narrowed while his craggy face twitched, attempting impassivity. “I see. And when exactly did you come to this realization? When another man was infiltrating SHIELD with you?”

“We just wanted some answers.” Loki gave him a wide-eyed, guiltless look. “Since SHIELD knows about every activity happening in this realm, I assumed it would have information about how our security detail vanished the moment an attempt on our lives was made. Or say, who that masked assassin was?”

“The security detail was attacked too,” Pierce replied in an almost dismissive way.

“Ah… and what about the latter?”

“We don’t know about him, yet. I’m trying my best here, Loki, and I need your cooperation. Try to understand my position here.”

His position… it was a position of power and influence, and Loki was damn well sure that he was using it for nefarious purposes.

“So you’re making more efforts towards catching me than catching the real culprit? That’s low, even for SHIELD.”

Pierce leaned forward in his chair, surreptitiously wiping his sweaty palms on his knees. “Let me do my work my own way.”

Loki clicked his tongue in disapproval. “It’s not helping us.”

“Who are the ‘us’ you’re referring to?”

“Myself and the Avengers…” He hesitated for a moment. “...and Stark’s employee.”

Pierce smirked at him knowingly. “You mean, your girlfriend .”

Loki remained calm despite feeling a surge of rage in him. “That has no implication whatsoever here, does it? You’re simply trying to get a rise out of me.”

Pierce’s smirk grew. “So you’re not denying it.”

Loki sat back in his chair and spread his legs, demonstrating how unaffected he was by the interrogation. “Why should I?”

“You’d do anything to protect her, won’t you?” Pierce asked, feigning a look of concern. “But what about right now?”

His words hammered in the fact that while Loki was temporarily occupied with these reprobates, his lover’s safety stood compromised. She was no longer at the safehouse, he presumed, given how she was bent on helping Stark once again.

The only place she could’ve gone was to his damned tower. And Loki knew that if he could deduce that much from the chain of events, then Pierce and his cohorts couldn’t be very far off in their own deductions about her location.

If he were to get out of this mess, he surely would have to act fast.

Well, time to change tactics...

“I’m doing all of this to protect her,” he stated plainly, his eyes widening, showing desperation.

He hoped that the demonstration of vulnerability and concern would coax Pierce into revealing his plans.

“How do you plan to protect her?” Pierce asked, a cruel glint entering his eyes.

Loki pursed his lips and gave him a look of silent pleading, moving forth in his chair and opening his palms in surrender. “I’m cooperating with SHIELD so that I can get back to Asgard as soon as possible and take her with me. Eventually . I’m willing to give you whatever you want from me.”

Pierce nodded, as if understanding his plight. “Ah, I see. Long term plans. I wish you all the luck.”

In his smugness, he didn’t notice the change in Loki’s stance, or the way his body subtly moved  forward in the chair. Loki knew that he had one shot to accomplish what he wanted. Failure wasn’t an option here.

“I don’t depend on luck for such things, Pierce. It has often failed me.”

“Then what do you depend on?”

“Myself.”

He shot out of his seat, lunged over the interrogation table, and pressed his palms to Pierce’s forehead, activating the spell that captured all his recent memories. The other agents swooped in to pull him back, but he was far too strong to be moved.

Pierce cried out... in horror, in shame, and in denial as his thoughts and memories flowed through to Loki’s consciousness.

In merely seconds, Loki had all the answers he was looking for.

“I see,” he rasped, finally letting the agents pull him back into his chair. “You lying son of a troll.”

He heaved and pushed the agents off him. Rising from the chair, he snapped his bindings and and used the thick metallic cuffs around his wrists as weapons instead, smacking the face of anyone who blocked his way to the exit.

“Get the asset!” Pierce screamed, now lying on the floor amidst the chaos. 

Loki kicked and punched his way through the newest agents entering the room. Once out of it, he ran down the first corridor that he saw, searching for an exit.

He was suddenly blocked by a metallic punch in the face.

Staggering back, Loki glared at the offending arm and its owner--the assassin. Or more aptly, Rogers’ long lost friend, James Barnes.

You sat hunched over in your chair, observing a bunch of computer screens in Stark’s lab while others presumably slept and recharged themselves.

It was close to sunrise, and yet, there was no news about Loki and others. You’d be joking if you said you weren’t worried.

You tried to keep yourself busy with de-encrypting the data that Stark had sent over. A lot of it contained junk information, but , you discovered, there was some weird stuff too.

“Are you not planning on getting any sleep?” Natasha asked as she entered the lab, bringing you some much needed snacks to eat.

You shook your head. “I need to complete this thing before Loki gets back at the safehouse.”

“Are you worried about him and the others?”

“Maybe.”

She gave a hearty chuckle at that. “Your loverboy isn’t made of play dough. He and Thor have handled stuff that’s worse than whatever SHIELD is capable of, I believe.”

“He got severely injured with that Bazooka,” you countered, stuffing your face with a granola bar.

She rolled her eyes, but you could see that it was a harsh reminder for her. “It was the most advanced tech Bazooka I have ever seen. But it was very very close range.”

“It was also powered with mixed Chitauri and Earth tech, Natasha. I checked it out. If they’re using such weapons, then Loki and Thor both are in danger.”

She sat on the edge of your workstation, mulling over these facts, a frown suddenly forming on her beautiful face. “Loki knows all of that. He isn’t the one to take unnecessary risks.”

“He took a huge risk to save our lives that day.”

“Yeah, I was pleasantly surprised.” She gave you a tight smile. “But this is a planned, well-thought out mission. They aren’t going in blind, golubushka.”

You gave her a stiff nod; your neck muscles weren’t very happy right now. “I suppose, yeah, but you know, Murphy’s law and all.”

“Let’s hope for the best. We can’t do much else from here. All we can do is take care of the things on our side.” She opened a packet of chips and started munching loudly. “So… what are you going to do once Loki goes back to Asgard?”

The sudden change of topic almost gave you a whiplash.

“You had bring that up now,” you grumbled, turning away from her to go back to your task.

“Hey, just trying my best to take your mind off the more pressing worries.”

“I don’t know. I haven’t thought about it.” To be honest, you didn’t really want to think about it.

“You do know that he’s going to be off the hook soon, and he’s going to go back home.”

“ Thanks for the info, captain obvious,” you said, sarcasm dripping from your tongue. “I just don’t know what he’d do about us … whatever’s between us.”

“You can always start dating me, then,” she suggested casually, still munching on the chips.

“Very funny.”

She laughed, but for a while, she didn’t say anything.

“Don’t worry, they’ll figure something out,” she stated finally, sounding more positive about the whole situation than how you actually felt .

“They?” You turned towards her again, unable to help yourself.

“Him and Thor,” she clarified. “Their problems regarding their girlfriends are essentially the same.”

“I never really thought about it like that…”

“Well, there are differences, obviously. When it comes to your relationship, Loki is just more… improper and dastardly in his ways, you know that,” she said, clearly enjoying the fact that her remark was making you blush. “Not sure how Asgard might take it. I hear that they’re quite stuffy and sort of archaic in their beliefs.”

“He hasn’t even mentioned taking me to Asgard,” you mumbled softly, trying to ignore the pang in your heart.

“Maybe you can play the prim princess, innocent and pure, and Loki can be your dark, salacious counterpoint? And then you can give them the impression that your inherent goodness brought about a change of heart in him, all for the better. People dig that stuff.”

You rolled your eyes at her. “That’s your erotic novels speaking.”

She waggled her eyebrows at you suggestively, and you couldn’t help but laugh at her antics.

“You know, when I first met you, I kind of misjudged you,” she stated suddenly, just as you were done chuckling. “You were this sweet, nervous thing. I thought Tony had somehow snagged you on the hacking project against your will or something.”

“Where is this going?” you asked, eyeing her curiously.

“What I mean to say is that you’re quite driven . I might even say that you can be ruthless if need be.”

“Why do you say this?”

“You’re dating a guy who is quite possibly the most dangerous individual on the planet, someone who many don’t want to touch even with a ten foot pole. But that’s not all.” Her eyes seemed to shine with amusement as she tapped a finger on your nose. “You’re ready to defy that individual as well, whenever you feel like doing the thing you want to do.”

Well, she wasn’t wrong…

“And?”

“I think you’re a badass , in your own sweet way. And you may not know it yet, but you have Loki wrapped around your little finger.” She emphasized her point by coiling a lock of her fiery red hair around her own pinky finger. “In fact, I’m betting a hundred bucks on it that he’s already planning to take you to Asgard with him.”

Her claim shocked you, but you also couldn’t help but feel a little bit smug about it. If Natasha was so certain… then maybe things weren’t so gloomy for you, after all. 

But there was one problem here…

“Thanks, but I honestly fear his reaction once he discovers that I’m helping you guys actively. I kinda promised him that I wouldn’t, and I didn’t honour it.”

“That’s an issue that you lovebirds have to resolve, somehow.”

What she didn’t know was that he’d probably spank your ass red once he discovered about your act of defiance.

You shrugged and went back to your work, trying to look more like the badass that she thought you were, rather than the absolute wuss you were feeling like.

“Umm, Nat?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you in touch with them, somehow?”

What a smooth change of topic, right?

“No, once they went in, all contact was terminated. Tony told me he’d contact me once they were in the clear.” She looked at you shrewdly. “Are you getting anxious again?”

“It doesn’t exactly give me the warm fuzzies to know that they’re in the lion’s den.”

“I understand. Ever since Director Fury’s death, I’ve been feeling like I’m on shaky ground too. But as I stated earlier, the boys know what they’re doing.”

“When is the funeral?” you asked, scouring through the data. Your eyes were beginning to feel the strain now.

“Coming weekend,” she replied softly, her voice growing solemn. “I hope that we get a breather from this mess. I don’t want the chaos to follow us there.”

You nodded. “The guy wasn’t my fave, but I understand that you had a lot of respect for him.”

“That’s understandable. He did try to intimidate you.”

You were trying to read into the data as she spoke, and something stood out to you within the jumble. “By the way, any idea what this Project Insight is?”

“Project what ?”

“Project Insight.”

Natasha came closer and hovered above you as you tried to show her the snippets you had unveiled. If her quickly changing expression was any indication, you had hit some kind of goldmine in the data.

“Motherfucker,” she cursed loudly, glaring at the screen. “This was in the encrypted files?”

“Yup.”

“I think I know why Fury was murdered.” She gave you a sharp look. “Or why the attempts were made on your life.”

“Because of this Project Insight thing?” you asked, gaping at her. “But wasn’t it because of the Chitauri weapons?”

“That’s only a part of the whole picture, I guess. I think SHIELD has been completely compromised.”

This was worrying...

“What do you mean?”

Suddenly, her phone began to beep, startling both of you.

“It’s most likely Tony,” she said, picking up the call immediately.

You listened carefully as she talked on the phone, wondering if they were all travelling back to the safehouse now. Maybe you needed to get going too. However, there was still so much data left to de-encrypt, and you didn’t want to leave it midway. 

Your thoughts about the data screeched to a halt, though, as Natasha gasped and cursed in Russian. By the agitated look on her face, it was clear that something terrible had happened.

“What’s going on?” you asked as soon as she cut the call.

“Your loverboy has taken matters into his hands, it seems,” she replied, pressing a palm to her forehead. “And I can’t blame him. The whole team was compromised, and would’ve been caught otherwise.”

“What do you mean by him taking matters into his hands?” you asked carefully, pushing your chair away from the workstation.

“He deliberately let SHIELD capture him,” she said, giving you a rueful look, “in order to ease the escape of others.”

Your heart sank. Loki was in SHIELD’s custody… a very rotten SHIELD’s custody.

Chapter Text

“I don’t want to fight you, Barnes,” Loki muttered, just as the assassin rained different kinds of combat attacks on him. 

“You’re my mission,” he replied, stepping back from Loki. “Who is Barnes ?”

" You are, you half-wit! Or do you prefer Bucky ?"

In the next moment, Barnes fired a weapon at him, something that tangled around him like a net. As Loki tried to release himself from it, Barnes kicked him in the midsection, sending him flying back. He slammed against a wall, putting cracks in it.

“You have superhuman strength, I wonder what they did to you.” Loki grimaced, picking up the footsteps of at least fifty agents as they crept towards the scene of the altercation.

He sprang to his feet, still caught up in the snare. He used magic to send Barnes hurtling down the corridor, away from him. He deliberately didn’t use the full force of his seidr, simply wanting to put distance between them, so that he’d not end up hurting him too badly.

Steve Rogers would whine forever if he did.

Just as Loki got rid of the snare, he saw something roll down the corridor towards him. It was a ball, but he knew that it wasn’t simply a ball .

While he kicked it away, it burst and released some sort of gaseous substance. Some of it surrounded him, making his eyes water. He coughed and sputtered, breaking through the wall he had been thrown against. 

He needed to escape. Or at least have enough time to himself to change his skin into one of these imbeciles. That would make escaping much easier.

Suddenly, his vision became worse and his breathing grew laborious. That damned gas… he suspected that it was derived from the Chitauri stash they had found, for it’s foul smell was familiar; it was pushing his brain into a state of delirium and seizing his muscles.

As he desperately tried to get his bearings, he was unable to see the flight of stairs he was approaching. The result was that he fell, landing in a heap at base.

Once again, Barnes was there to greet him, this time, wearing a mask. His metallic arm shot out and grabbed Loki, dragging him along the floor.

What he wouldn’t give to rip that arm off…

Barnes lifted him up then, and tied his hands with something far stronger than what he had been bound with earlier. He couldn’t snap the bindings off, at least, not in this disoriented state, with his eyes watering like spring pools and his muscles refusing to obey him.

“Barnes, stop this,” he rasped as he was lugged to yet another reinforced room.

More people gathered around him, just as Barnes put him in a strange chair and retreated. Through the cloudy tears, he saw an apparatus being installed around him.

His arms were spread wide and locked, with layers upon layers of metal encasing them. The same process was repeated over his midsection and legs. 

All too soon, he found himself nearly completely covered in these harsh metallic bindings.

“What in Helheim is all this?” he growled, trying to force his way out of this body cage. In the back of his mind, he knew exactly what it was, all thanks to his little peek into Pierce’s mind.

The metal groaned as he fought against it, but it didn’t budge. No matter how much he tried.

Slowly, as his vision and mind cleared, the true depth of the mess he was in began to sink in. That’s when Pierce walked into the room, looking battered but smug.

“Release me from these bindings right now, or you’d be all very sorry!” Loki warned him as he approached him.

“Pure Wakandan Vibranium,” Pierce spoke, eyeing his bindings as though they were a work of art. “It’s the strongest known metal here. And it has some really nice properties, to boot.”

Loki glared at him but didn’t respond. Instead, he fired up his seidr to deal with the bindings, now that he finally had his bearings again. However, as soon as he invoked his magic, he felt a sharp pain shooting through his body, as if he was struck by lightning.

The fact was that he lived with Thor--lightning incarnate… he was immune to lightning or electric currents. His seidr always protected him from it…

Technically, he shouldn’t be getting affected by this thing.

“Ah, you feel it, don’t you?” Pierce asked as Loki writhed in pain, the old man’s swollen face breaking into a grin. “Just a little gift we had been building especially for you. It’s still a prototype, but I suppose it works fabulously.”

Loki didn’t bother paying mind to his monologue. He could gauge that this damned contraption was nullifying his seidr. Pierce’s memories were settling into place as pieces of a puzzle.

“You’ll fucking pay for this,” he ground out, still glaring at Pierce despite the pain.

“First you need to figure out a way to get out of this thing. I didn’t know that Stark’s experiments with your magic could land us something worthwhile, but I guess I was wrong.”

Loki fumed and cursed Stark. Those experiments were not meant to be shared. How could he let this happen?

“I know what you’re thinking. How could Stark do this to you? Well, for starters, he didn’t trust you much. He needed to get a handle on your magic--your greatest strength--somehow, to keep you in line, in case you reverted to your world dominating ways.”

Pierce was speaking in half truths and lies. Loki tried his best to ignore his attempts at manipulation. Still, Stark’s role in all of this was bothering him.

It was time for some personal reflections, though. Perhaps, he had been too arrogant about his own capabilities, thinking them far superior to Midgard’s technologies. 

The realization burned through him more than the pain at the hands of the metallic contraption.

“Oh, don’t look so morose, you’d only feel as much pain as the magic you utilize. I’m sure you understand the mechanics of it enough to stop it from hurting you. It’s in your best interests,” Pierce added, seeing that Loki was still trying to use magic against his bonds. 

For a moment, Loki let go of the magic, heaving a sigh of relief as the pain subsided. Then, he focused on Pierce again. “I know what you want from me, you can have it and leave me in peace. I’m bloody offering it to you!”

“Earlier, it was simple.” Pierce gave him a pitiful look. “We wanted to keep you out of the way as we established the systems we wanted in the world. Plus, we wanted to experiment upon you. But unfortunately, you’re as meddlesome as your little girlfriend. Your little magic trick in the interrogation room has now sealed your fate. Hence, we’d probably have to kill you… after concluding our experiments.”

“Killing me isn’t so easy, Pierce. Trust me, I know .”

“But it isn’t impossible, I suppose,” Pierce said with a laugh, enjoying his gloating. “Also, you may be hard to get rid of, but your girlfriend sure isn’t. Especially now, when you’re not there to protect her.”

White hot anger flowed through Loki’s mind as Pierce’s words sunk in. His seidr flared again, tripling his agony as the apparatus worked to subdue it.

He let out a snarl, clenching his fists, trying to think through the pain… 

All the while Pierce laughed in his face, mocking him with his minions about successfully trapping a god.

“Well, you are welcome to hurt yourself here.” He gesticulated at Loki with his hands. “I have better things to do than to witness your struggles.”

With a wave, he left the room, leaving Loki trapped in the apparatus.

The machine was using something akin to lightning to subdue the seidr, it knew the frequency of his magical energy. 

In an attempt to understand its workings better, he sent another wave of his seidr at it, gritting his teeth in acceptance of the resulting pain. He knew pain more intimately than these fools here, and he was going to suffer through it to free himself.

He desperately needed to free himself… otherwise, he knew that he’d lose everything he had come to cherish in this so-called reformed life.

He’d lose her .

“Tony, I swear we have unearthed something really worrying here. There’s a fucking list , with like two million names on it. Even your name is on it.” Natasha was talking to Stark in a very animated way, throwing her hand in the air and even pulling at her hair frequently. 

She had never looked this agitated before.

You were winding up the stolen SHIELD data now, and what you had found in it was indeed some next level Nazi shit.

“Yes, all these people are targets for them. And the them here is Hydra , Tony, something we all had thought a forgotten relic of the second world war. Cap should know, he fought them! This is the reason they didn't want you snooping in their business. The Chitauri stuff is only an aid in their endeavour.”

You bit your lip as you listened to Natasha’s ranting, watching the list she had just mention to Stark.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to you…

With trembling fingers, you pressed [Control + F] on the keyboard and then typed your name. 

Your name came out highlighted on the list.

A small gasp escaped you then, as you stared at the screen in horror. You were on the list--a literal hit-list of Hydra --the Nazi organization that was going through its rennaisance right now.

“What are you going to do now? You can’t go and rescue Loki just like that. They’ve probably moved him to another location, Tony.”

Your heart thrummed wildly at the notion of Loki being in Nazi hands. They had the tech to injure him, and now, he was in their clutches. Were they going to torture him now? Or hurt him somehow?

How had your life suddenly become such a nightmare?

You were trying your best to deal with these awful thoughts when suddenly, Jarvis spoke up, startling you.

“Sorry for the interruption, but we’re being infiltrated. This is most likely a planned covert attack.”

“What?” you and Natasha both spoke up together.

“I have deployed the Proto-Ultron protocol,” Jarvis replied in his even, unaffected tone. “It is best to arm and guard yourself, and seek cover for now. I will keep you updated.”

Natasha pursed her lips and brought the phone back to her ear. “Tony, you heard that. Get your ass back here!”

“What’s happening?” you asked, rising from your chair as she cut the call. 

“An attack. Most likely from Hydra,” she replied, grabbing your arm and dragging you to the elevator. “Come with me. We need to prepare ourselves. Do you remember your combat training?”

You nodded nervously, not wanting to disappoint her. But the truth was that your training had nothing on whatever these Hydra dudes were packing.

She took you to a secret room of sorts a few floors below the lab, where Pepper Potts was waiting for you.

“I’m not sure what’s happening but Tony called and he sounded really distressed,” she said, approaching Natasha, looking sleep deprived and nervous. “Are we under attack?”

“Yes,” Natasha replied, pushing a few buttons on a panel. It opened up, revealing an impressive array of weapons. “We have to respond accordingly. I’m not sure who all are there, or exactly how many, so it’s a bit of a blind spot.”

“Agent Barton just informed me that there are twenty men in total,” Jarvis responded, butting in again, even though it was helpful information. “I will check it through my cameras and confirm it as soon as possible.”

Natasha muttered under her breath, smacking her palm against her forehead.

“Thanks Jarvis,” Potts replied, rushing over to another panel that was built in the wall. “Guess it’s time to suit up.”

You dragged your attention back to Natasha and her panel of weapons. Some of them you recognized already, thanks to your training with her.

“Worried for Clint?” you asked, just as she grabbed a few guns of varying sizes and strapped them onto herself along with the protective gear.

“Yeah, I have to join him.” She handed you two automatic guns then, the types you had been practicing with regularly. “You know how to use these when the moment comes. Don’t hesitate, no matter what.”

You nodded, feeling the weight of the guns in your hands. They felt heavier than they actually were, but that was mostly the weight of the circumstances .

“Now, wear the protective gear and keep yourself out of the firing line as much as you can.” She gave you a quick hug and then quickly exited the room.

“Best of luck,” you mumbled... a bit too late.

How were you going to keep yourself out of the firing line when you were possibly a target?

As the burning pain flowed through his whole body, his mind worked at breakneck speed to decipher the apparatus. It was focusing on the nature of his seidr, attacking its roots. It stemmed from Stark’s experiments with it, therefore, it was using whatever Stark had deciphered about it.

Was there anything about it that Stark didn’t know?

Was there anything about him that Stark didn’t know?

The conclusion that he reached made him shake in revulsion.

Stark didn’t know about his Jotun abilities… and by extension, neither did SHIELD. He had never displayed any of his inherent ice magic to anyone.

He hadn’t really practiced or honed these Jotun skills all that much, considering how revolting he found this part of him. But he knew about them enough to bring them to the fore.

The only question was… was he prepared to expose this side of him?

And the answer, as he searched for it in his psyche, was simple enough. 

If it would save the life of his lover, it was most definitely worth it…

Loki struggled against the apparatus, closing his eyes to concentrate on the cold that slept inside him. It came to him slowly, it’s dormant tendrils embracing him like a coiling, wintry serpent.

“Hey, what’s going on with him?” asked one of the agents, most likely the one who was meant to keep a watch on him.

Loki couldn’t help but smirk in response, knowing that his skin was changing, taking the form of the frigid nightmare that he was.

The chill spread through his bindings quickly, drawing all free moisture from the room to form icicles all over the metal. Loki grunted with the effort of drawing on his Jotun powers, unused to the sensation of spreading ice through his very pores.

He also kept attacking the apparatus with his magic, to see how it would react to the chill. If his calculations were right, it wouldn’t take well to it.

“Hey, what the fuck!” More and more agents began reacting to the change now, much to his amusement.

He stared at them all with a mad glee in his now red eyes. “I dare you to come closer. To try and touch me.”

Instead of accepting his challenge, they backed away from him. Loki snorted in response.

Cowards…

As more layers of ice formed on the apparatus, the power that blocked Loki’s magic started faltering. That was all that his magic needed to assault the contraption.

With the nullifying power of the apparatus weakened, Loki was quick to use his seidr to break his binds. They may have been made of the strongest metal available on Earth, but they still weren’t capable of holding him.

Unfortunately, Loki discovered upon freeing himself, the Jotun freezing gambit had destroyed his clothes as well, not just his bindings.

Well, time to fight naked...

Many of the panicked agents ran from the room, leaving the rest of the team behind to deal with Loki. Loki would’ve laughed at them, had he not been busy dispatching each every individual of the said team.

Within a short span of time, they were encased in ice as Loki whipped out the Casket of Ancient Winters--which he had kept safe in his interdimensional pocket--and deployed it ruthlessly. The ones who had run couldn’t escape him either.

“If I’m going to go Jotun , I might as well do it properly ,” he muttered to himself as he barreled on.

Room by room, he froze the whole base, or whatever this forsaken place was, uncaring about the number of people he turned into icicles. He also broke all the machines he found therein, and picked up the handy weapons that he could. 

Thankfully, he also found some clothes in a closet.

As he searched about for an exit, he happened upon a heavily bolstered room, not unlike the one where he had been bound.

Someone was obviously locked inside it.

He knew that he had to leave this place as soon as possible, but he couldn’t help himself. His curiosity got the better of him and he went to peer inside the room through the little circular window provided in the doors.

Inside, he saw a similar apparatus to his own bindings, and he saw the man trapped in it. It was Barnes.

“What in the nine is going on?”

Loki grimaced, caught between wanting to leave versus wanting to help him out. The latter instinct won out, if only for the sole reason that he didn’t want to see Rogers’ acting like a bereaved soul all the time. It was annoying.

He pushed the doors open, destroying their locks in the process. 

“Barnes,” he called gruffly, noting that the man’s head was in the clutches of the machine. And he was writhing in pain. 

Whoever had been operating the machine had probably tried to run from Loki’s icy rampage, leaving Barnes trapped here.

Sighing, Loki raised the Casket in his hands once again and destroyed the power source of the apparatus, freeing Barnes from his cage.

He groaned and looked up at Loki, his face blank, eyes bleary.

“Get up.” Loki watched him cautiously, wondering if he’d try to fight him once again. “Barnes, get up.”

He didn’t respond, blinking at him in what appeared to be confusion.

Loki clicked his tongue in impatience. He didn’t have time for this. He had to get out of here and he had to return to his normal --Asgardian skin. He couldn’t do that as long as he was holding onto the Casket.

Letting the Casket hang in one hand, he stepped closer to Barnes and pressed his other hand to his forehead. As his healing magic seeped into Barnes skull, he gasped at his own body’s reaction to it.

Apparently, engaging with the magic-subduing machine had left its haunting effects on Loki. Using seidr was sending ripples of pain through his muscles, making them seize.

He pulled away from Barnes quickly, taking unsteady steps to put more distance between them. The pain was ebbing, but it was still terrible. 

“Feel any better?” he asked him, apprehensive and ready to fight, in case Barnes felt like attacking him again.

“You’re blue ?” Barnes spoke up suddenly, the fog in his eyes clearing.

His query had Loki clenching his jaw in anger and disgust. He dearly needed to get back into his Asgardian skin. 

“Come with me, we need to leave,” Loki stated firmly, watching him sharply as he flexed his metallic arm.

By the Norns, he was definitely going to rip it off if he tried to use it on him again.

“What are you?” Barnes eyed him curiously, not at all budging from his seat. Thankfully, he didn’t seem to be in a combative mood, at least for now.

“You don’t know me, but I know you,” Loki supplied, gesturing for him to get up.

“The hell you know me. Even I don’t know myself,” he said flippantly, much to Loki’s surprise.

“Don’t you?”

“I’m a weapon. A soldier. That’s all I know. The memories are foggy.”

His words brought forth some very unpleasant memories for Loki. He pushed them aside to focus on Barnes.

“You’re a brainwashed warrior. Trust me, I know the feeling intimately, for I’ve been one as well.”

Barnes blinked rapidly, as if trying to remember something. “I’m here to follow my orders. That’s all I know.”

“Well, not any longer. I’m here to free you.”

Chapter Text

“Free me? You mean, relieve me from my duties?” Barnes asked, sounding somewhat relieved. “My missions?”

Loki simply nodded, so that he’d hurry up and get moving.

“Where’s the weapon?”

“What weapon?”

“You’re going to kill me.” That wasn’t a question, and that intrigued Loki. 

However, he didn’t have the time for an in-depth analysis of Barnes’ mind here. So he sighed heavily and rolled his eyes dramatically.

“I’m not here to kill you, soldier, I’m here to rescue you. Now can you get up so that we can leave this cesspit of buffoonery?”

At long last, Barnes rose from his seat, walking up to Loki. Even his gait was unsteady, reflecting his mind.

Loki clenched his fists as he came closer, reluctant but preparing himself for a fight once again.

“You have red eyes,” Barnes stated, looking absolutely fascinated. “Are you an enhanced as well? For some reason I can recall a few of them. One of them had red skin.”

Loki wasn’t sure if he was babbling due to shock or simply, insanity . Well, at least the healing magic kept him calm. “I’ll tell you about it on the way.”

“On the way to where?”

“To freedom.”

Barnes nodded, as though having a complete understanding of the situation. “This is just a frigid dream. I just have to live through it, I guess.”

“Stop your blathering and come along.”

Loki grasped him by his human arm and marched out of the room. “The exit should be close, for I destroyed every room in the back. Know where it is?”

“Maybe,” Barnes mumbled, once again appearing to be lost in his thoughts.

He didn’t know where the exit was. Loki realized it within five minutes. The place was built like a maze and Barnes had pointed to all the wrong exits.

For the sake of dearest Captain America , Loki kept his anger in check he finally sussed out the exit with his keen senses.

Once out of the complex, Loki tried to get his bearings. It was in the middle of a thickly wooded area, with no roads or buildings in sight.

However, there were indeed tracks left by a heavy vehicle. That must’ve been how Pierce left the area.

Loki led Barnes to a fallen log and made him sit there. 

“What are you doing?” he asked him once he lowered himself onto the log.

“Trying to gauge our location,” Loki replied, putting the Casket away into his interdimensional pocket. However, he didn’t let his Jotun form wane. He was suspicious that Barnes would recognize him as his target if he showed him his Asgardian face.

“Where did that blue box go?”

“I have an invisible bag. It’s part of my enhanced capabilities.” Loki pursed his lips as he observed their surroundings. The flora could tell a lot about an area, but the trees here weren’t giving him a whole lot of information. They could be anywhere over a spread of hundreds of miles.

“Are you done gauging?” Barnes asked, making his annoyance spike.

“No. It takes a while. My capabilities aren’t so straightforward.”

He called on his seidr, growing nervous, for a moment, that it wouldn’t come to him after that ordeal with the magic suppressing contraption. It did come to him, much to his relief, but it caused him an almost crippling pain when it did.

“Fuck,” Loki cried, collapsing against the log.

Barnes caught him and pulled him up, helping him sit on the log. “What just happened?”

“I… I sometimes malfunction,” Loki said with a grimace, lying easily.

“Me too.”

Loki ignored him for a few minutes as his mind raced. His seidr was somehow hurting him when he used it. It was also in a weakened state, especially after using so much of it against that abominable binding apparatus. 

He had to save it to teleport himself to the Stark Tower. And not just himself, Barnes too, because Steve fucking Rogers ...

For a moment, he closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead, feeling a curious sense of weariness settling into his bones, prompting him to imagine a comfortable bed and a thick blanket.

He banished that imagery from his mind immediately, for he knew he couldn’t afford to rest.

There was no time for it. Pierce had escaped his icy rampage through this strange, hidden base. And he knew who his target was.

“Let’s go,” he said, rising from the log and heading in the direction of the vehicle tracks. If not Pierce, they’d certainly lead to some sort of settlement. He’d be able to discern his location, then, and it’d be easier to teleport.

Barnes followed him immediately, looking more stable by the minute. 

“What’s your name?” he asked casually, and Loki nearly cringed as he answered falsely.

“Luke. That’s all I recall.”

“Ah… I cannot recall even my first name,” he confessed, matching Loki’s quick pace through the woods. “How do you blend in with others? Don’t mind me, but you look very different .”

Barnes wasn’t aware of what kind of intimately hurtful question he had just asked Loki, but Loki was. Norns, for so long he had avoided this part of his existence… and he had been happy for it!

“I don’t blend in,” he replied gruffly as he marched on, quickening his pace further. “I just pretend.”

Thankfully, Barnes didn’t ask any more questions after that.

You were trembling with nerves and fright, trying your best to not break down in tears.

Gunshots had gone off not long ago, and then there was silence.

The intruders had cut the power and put some sort of jammer in place so that contact from the outside world was completely cut off. There was absolutely no network bar in your phone and even the ‘Emergency Calls Only’ feature had failed.

There was no way to tell what was going on. You worried for Natasha and Clint, wondering how they were holding up. Potts at least had her iron suit with her.

You couldn’t talk to Jarvis either, for the sound of his responses would alert the intruders.

Clutching your gun in your hand, you waited close to a staircase in the food supplies section, listening in, keeping your exit route within arm’s reach.

Of course, that same set of stairs could be utilized by the intruders, but still, you had the element of surprise here.

If you could actually make use of the gun, that is. Like… fire it and stuff? At an actual person? Yeah...

So far, your actual plan of action was just to hide. Hide hide hide…

Till they found you.

No… 

You had to think more positively than that . 

Here you were, being hunted by some sort of Nazi revivalist gang, and all the heroes of the world were on your side. The only problem was that a majority of those heroes were at a distance.

And your job was to hold the fort till they got here. 

Simple! Easy!

They’d get here and they’d rescue you. Then they’d go and find Loki. Loki would be fine, he was strong and resilient. He was a warrior prince , for fuck’s sake!

You closed your eyes and repeated that thought like a mantra in your head.

When more gunshots were heard, you faltered, but that one string of thought kept you from spiraling into hysterics.

So far, there was no activity on the stairs. That tempted you to take them and rush down to the ground floor. But the ground floor was like fifteen stories away, and you knew you’d be a panting, exhausted mess by the end of it.

And there was a high chance that the entrance was being guarded by the intruders. That’s what any hunting party would do--chase the target out and maneuvre it towards a waiting trap.

Hence, staying put was probably your best chance for now.

They were finally in an area with some buildings. It looked like a residential settlement on the outskirts of a town or city, mostly containing houses with picket fences.

Loki grabbed Barnes and pushed him towards one of the houses. “Ring the doorbell and ask them where we are. We’re just… some lost tourists.”

“You mean something more like lost hikers ?” he asked, sounding amused. When Loki didn’t laugh, he raised his hands in the air in mock surrender. “I got it. I got it. But have you considered that it’s the middle of the night… or early morning... and people are probably sleeping?”

Loki decided that he liked him better when he was confused and quiet, rather this smartass he was slowly developing into.

“Just go and ask. I don’t care.” Loki took his jacket off and handed it to Barnes. “And wear this. You need to cover your arm.”

“Oh yeah. Thanks.”

Loki nodded. “Be quick about it.”

Barnes shrugged and did as he asked, ringing the doorbell and waiting for someone to respond. An elderly man opened the door, looking quite miffed about his disturbed sleep.

Loki hid himself in the shadows as Barnes asked the man about their location. He was quick to respond, keen as he was to go back to bed.

“So, we’re in some town named Harper’s Ferry. I have no idea what this means, but I want to go and explore,” Barnes said as he joined Loki once again, taking his jacket off and handing it back to him.

“What do you mean?” Loki asked, narrowing his eyes at him.

“I mean, this is where we go our separate ways.”

“You have to come with me,” Loki urged, feeling the wisps of anger rising inside him. He had finally found out their location and now Barnes had decided to become a problem. “You have to trust me.”

Now Barnes looked slightly angry too. “My line of work doesn’t follow that philosophy. I’ve come with you till here, so you can go your own way and I can go mine.”

“And which way is that?”

Barnes hesitated to answer, and Loki knew why--he had no idea where to go. “I’ll figure it out.”

“You’d be caught and killed.”

“I’ll take my chances.”

Loki grasped his non-metallic arm firmly, though not with malice, and looked into his eyes as earnestly as possible. “Look, soldier, your best chance at survival is with me. You ought to understand that.”

Barnes pulled his arm away. “You think I really care about survival?”

“And why not?”

“I have no memories of my life, likely no one who’d bother to be with me. I’m all alone. Life doesn’t really look that tempting.”

Loki groaned internally. This damned discussion was wasting his precious time! 

“I can empathize, soldier.”

“How?” Barnes asked, looking a bit suspicious.

“I was… a great many things happened to me.” Loki gave him a sad, wry smile. “My family lied to me and hurt me terribly. I made some horrible decisions as a result, and hurt many people. I was taken by the leader of a dark, destructive cult. My mind was twisted around and nearly destroyed. Tortured and indoctrinated, I was sent to wage a war I didn’t want any part in.”

Barnes looked honestly shocked upon hearing the gist of the most terrible phase of his life. “That’s quite a story.”

Loki spread his arms wide then. “But here I am, still alive.”

Barnes cracked a smile at that. “You got anyone who is waiting for you at home?”

Loki nodded. “I got quite a few. And so do you .”

“Why should I trust you?”

“I know about you, your past and present. I want to help you. Quite similar to how I was helped.”

Barnes seemed to falter, so Loki decided to keep talking to convince him.

“Look, you just said you don’t care either way if you survive or not, but here’s the thing. There’s the one off chance that you’d survive and get better, why not take it?”

“You’re hiding something from me. Not telling me the whole thing.”

Loki sighed in resignation. “I have someone waiting for me at home, but she’s in peril. We must leave immediately so that I can help her. And where we’re going, there’s help for you, for people like us. Now, will you give me your hand?”

Barnes seemed startled by the request. “What are you doing?”

“I’m taking us there.”

“How?”

“You’ll see.”

Loki grasped his hand and quickly activated his magical teleportation, despite the spike of pain in his body.

When they reached his apartment in the Stark Tower, all was dark and quiet. Too quiet. His keen senses knew that something was terribly wrong.

“Jarvis,” he spoke quietly, while Barnes almost collapsed against his couch due to disorientation. “What’s going on in the tower?”

“Welcome back, Mr. Chaos,” the omnipresent AI replied in a hushed tone. “We’re under attack via intrusion. The intruders are spread all over the tower. Agent Romanoff and Barton are holding a few of them in the upper floors, closer to Mr. Stark’s private chambers. One has been killed by a Legionnaire, while Ms. Potts has just finished off two of them with her repulsors. That leaves seventeen intruders still alive.”

Loki groaned and took a deep breath, while Barnes stared at him in shock.

“I thought we were going to a safe place?” he asked, aghast.

“I told you someone I care for is in trouble. She’s here. Jarvis, where is-”

Jarvis answered before he could finish the question. “On the fifteenth floor, supplies . I haven’t heard from her, but my cameras detected her near the eastern stairs. There is one more problem.”

“What?”

“The intruders are destroying my surveillance cameras and trying to override my protocol.”

Damn it!

“Thank you, Jarvis. Now try to remain quiet.”

“Duly noted, Mr. Chaos. I’d urge you to hurry, though, for I sense some of the intruders heading towards the fifteenth floor, both up and down the stairs. I’m not sure how they accessed this information, but they seem to be-”

Jarvis’s voice died midway. That galvanized Loki immediately. 

Fifteenth floor … that meant ten floors down from his apartment, which was on the twenty-fifth floor.

“You’re coming?” he asked Barnes hastily.

Barnes simply nodded, as if resigned to fighting. “You got a gun?”

Loki handed him a Glock he had once purloined from Romanoff and quickly teleported them to the fifteenth floor.

He doubled over as they landed, clutching his midsection instinctively. Two teleportations back -to-back had really done wonders for him.

The pain was damned awful.

“Are you ok?” Barnes asked in a whisper.

Really, his concern was quite endearing…

“I’m fine,” Loki  gasped, righting himself with only a bit of trouble.

His sensitive hearing caught the shuffling sound from the other end of the corridor. He knew who it was…

“Quick, we have to get to her before those men do.”

And so they rushed through the corridor, passing by a staircase that, Loki knew, connected all the floors of the tower. The intruders would definitely be coming through it. 

Hence, he sent a flash of seidr through the stairs, both up and down, making them slippery like an ice covered road.

Just as he felt the resultant pain of using his magic, he heard the voice of his lover. It sounded unsteady… unsure.

“What the fuck!” she cried out.

When he looked up at her, she was holding an automatic gun in her hands, pointing it right at him. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was hanging open, displaying her shock quite plainly .

“Hey!” Barnes called out, and Loki held fast onto his gun-toting hand.

“She’s not your target,” he whispered, and Barnes let out a nervous breath, his eyes wide and uncertain.

“Then why is she pointing a gun at us?”

“Not us. Me .”

Loki sighed heavily, turning his gaze back at her, knowing full well why she was pointing the gun at him.

He was blue . He was monstrous . And this was the first time she was witnessing it all.

Damn it all to Helheim... in all the chaos, he had forgotten to turn himself back into his Asgardian form. There just wasn’t any time for it…

And now he was going to pay for it. Dearly .

Just as he opened his mouth to speak, to perhaps persuade her enough to put the gun down and let him protect her, she went rigid in her stance and fired the weapon.

Chapter Text

Loki knew from bullet’s trajectory that the bullet wouldn’t hit him. He kept still as it whisked past his arm and hit something behind him.

He whipped around to see that it was an intruder.

She had hit him right in the chest, felling him instantly. Barnes took care of taking him out completely. 

Loki couldn't help but feel a surge of pride upon seeing her deftness with the weapon, something he had never witnessed before. He’d have to thank Romanoff when he saw her next, for training her so well. 

As he turned back to face her, she was trembling from head to toe, still holding the gun up.

“Come on!” she cried, looking him right in the eye.

“More are coming,” Barnes muttered then, trying to push Loki along as he stared at the stairs. It sounded like a stampede was going on there. “I know that your girlfriend’s very becoming holding a gun, but we don’t have time for your mooning.”

“I’m not mooning,” Loki growled as he made his way down to her. Though, as he neared her, he hesitated, feeling as though he shouldn’t touch her in his Jotun form. It felt wrong.

But just as he made to step back from her, she dropped her weapon and wrapped her arms around him, clutching him tightly. 

Loki nearly lost all his breath. Not because she holding him so tightly, but because of his shock at her actions.

Even his mother hadn’t embraced him so readily when he was Jotun. He knew because he had tested her…

And now he was being held by this petite, vulnerable human, with not a smidgen of doubt or hesitance in her limbs… it was simply incomprehensible to him.

It was freeing…

Finally, he wrapped his arms around her as well, leaning his head against hers. He would’ve been content like this, but it seemed like she had other plans.

She didn’t stop at a mere embrace. Her lips sought his in an urgent, desperate kiss, as if to make sure that he was real, by touch and by taste.

He cradled her face in his hands and kissed her back with equal fervour, pouring all his heart and affection for her in it. He had been so worried about her, afraid that he’d not be able to reach her in time… terrified that he’d lose her. Now, holding her in his arms and possessing her lips with his, he was finally feeling relief and joy.

Nothing could compare to this feeling...

“I thought you were being held by the Nazi revivalists, tortured and whatnot,” she mumbled against his lips, trembling like a leaf. 

He let out a shaky laugh. “They regretted it.” 

“Take shelter, will you?” Barnes cried, sounding panicked. “I can hear them coming!”

Loki hummed in acknowledgement, though still holding her tightly, his lips still brushing against hers repeatedly. “They’re likely falling over the stairs. The one she killed must’ve been very close to this floor when I made them slippery.”

“What?”

Finally breaking the kiss, Loki looked over at Barnes and nodded, extending his hand towards him. “They’re coming, but they’re slow. Come. I will take us back to my apartment while they struggle. Then we can strategize.”

Well, then he could strategize...

“My gun!” His still trembling lover pulled away from his grasp for just a moment to retrieve her weapon, then came back up again to snuggle against his chest. “Ok, got it!”

Barnes kept his vigilance at the stairs while he took Loki’s hand, not fully trusting his words, from the looks of it. Loki decided that he liked his cautiousness.

Together, they teleported back to his apartment.

Loki gritted his teeth and breathed slowly, trying his best to ignore the pain that was marring his use of seidr.

“Now, I’m going to rescue Romanoff, Barton and Potts. You two remain here and try not to do anything to alert the intruders.”

Just as they both nodded, Jarvis spoke up.

“I’d like to inform you that Mr. Stark and Mr. Thor are about to enter the tower, bringing Mr. Rogers along with them.”

Loki groaned to himself, knowing that the three of them would cause more chaos and damage than the intruders would. “Just how much time left till their arrival?”

“About four to five minutes.”

Loki nodded. He could do this.

“Just ask them to come through the main entrance and block anyone from escaping.”

“Duly noted, Mr. Chaos.”

“Will you stop calling me that ?”

“Probably not. Unless Mr. Stark comes up with something new.”

Loki sighed. He’d have to deal with Stark later. And not just regarding these sobriquets he kept coming up with.

“Fine. I’ll be back.” He hesitated, then rolled his shoulders. “Soon.”

With a parting kiss on his consort’s forehead, Loki teleported away, counting the seconds in his head. Seconds till the three buffoons arrived...

You were sitting on the couch in Loki’s apartment, engulfed in Loki’s arms, while everyone else around you two tried their best to calm themselves down and regroup in the aftermath of what had happened.

And the aftermath was really something...

Nearly everyone had been shocked--Tony Stark, by what had happened in the tower (while still reeling from what had happened at SHIELD ); Steve Rogers, upon seeing his lost friend; Natasha and Clint, when they got to know that Loki had offed all the intruders single-handedly… and so on.

The only one who seemed unfazed was... Thor. But then again, when was he ever fazed by anything?

Steve Rogers had been so ecstatic to see Barnes that he had nearly forgotten to thank Loki for bringing him back with him. You’d have snickered at their awkward handshake and nods, not to mention Rogers’ intense ‘thank you’ , had you not been so traumatized.

Well, at least the intruders were dead… that helped in lessening your trauma.

Now, as Loki’s lips lingered on your neck, all possessive yet tender at that same time, you felt as though the world was stable again. For the time being, nothing was trying to kill you or harm him, and all of your friends and colleagues were safe.

No one had suffered any serious injuries. Loki had made sure of that by handling the situation on his own before the others could arrive on the scene.

That alone was… quite incredible. No… that was super incredible.

“Are you okay?” you asked him suddenly, turning your face to look at him closely. 

He wasn’t blue now, and you didn’t know when he had transformed back. You still had so many questions about that, but, that would have to be dealt with later. You had your own thoughts and theories about that, as you had read his SHIELD file during your little hack-fest.

He raised a brow at your question, and his green eyes gazed back at you with mirth, pulling you from your sudden musings regarding his blueness. “You only now thought to ask about my wellbeing?”

You pursed your lips, frowning at him. “A lot many things happened, and my brain is still trying to catch up. You… you looked like you were in pain. Especially when you teleported me and Barnes.”

He looked away with a grimace, all mirth evaporating. “They… Alexander Pierce and his cohorts, they did something to me. Now, every time I use magic, it hurts me, though it’s fading progressively.”

God, you hated these SHIELD/HYDRA people with the passion of a thousand suns. “How did you get out?”

“They couldn’t keep me in.” He was way too smug about it.

He was clearly avoiding that answer. 

Just as you opened your mouth to press on, Thor’s large, muscular frame dropped onto the couch, seemingly out of nowhere. He dropped so hard that both you and Loki bounced on your asses. The couch’s seams were damned lucky not to have burst right then.

“You did good, brother,” Thor said with a warm smile, cupping Loki’s neck from behind. 

Loki simply nodded in acknowledgement, though his face turned suspiciously blank.

“Natasha is making that molten chocolate delicacy for you,” he informed him cheerfully, patting his shoulder now. “I told her you absolutely love it.”

“Hot chocolate?” you asked, perking up.

Thor nodded. “For you too, wrangler of codes! Everyone is getting their comfort drink or food. Tony just ordered cheeseburgers .”

He seemed to find it hilarious that Tony Stark took his comfort in cheeseburgers. 

“Wrangler of codes?” you asked curiously, shifting on Loki’s lap to fully face him. “What’s that all about?”

“Would you prefer ‘Lady of the Code’ ?” he asked cheerfully, then shifted his gaze to Loki, his eyes twinkling. “Or better yet, ‘The Code Seidkona’ ?”

You couldn’t see Loki’s face, for you were focused on Thor, but you were pretty sure that he was rolling his eyes.

“I’d do you a better one-- The Code Thaumaturge,” you countered, feeling the tension in your neck muscles give as Thor laughed and Loki, too, let out a deep chuckle. God, you didn’t know that you had been so tense.

“Leave the title aside, for now,” Loki finally spoke after a minute or two of levity. “Tell me about Barnes. Is he getting the care he actually needs? He wasn’t faring all too well after seeing Rogers. I had to put him under a calming spell.”

Thor’s eyebrows raised in recognition. “Ah, so that’s why he looks kind of inebriated.”

“Did you give him anything of comfort?”

Thor shrugged. “I’m not sure what to give him.”

“Steve Rogers should know.”

“He’s sleeping.” Rogers walked into the room and came to stand beside the couch, looking at Loki and you awkwardly. “I think that’s going to help him. He was already acting like himself, except the drunk part. What you did…  really seems to be bringing him back.”

Loki nodded. “With proper mind healing, mayhap he will fully recover from what was done to him.”

“We could bring him to Asgard,” Thor suggested then, sharing a look with Loki. “We have mind healing soul forges there. That’s partly how Loki’s mind was restored after--”

“Thor,” Loki growled under his breath in a sort of warning. You didn’t know what he was talking about, but it sounded serious. Loki’s mind was… healed? What was up with that?

Rogers seemed very interested in the suggestion, though. “Can you do that?”

Thor shrugged. “I’m sure I can convince father.”

Loki snorted at that, and you felt like it wasn’t something as easy as Thor was making it sound. 

“I think we have bigger problems brewing right now,” Natasha’s voice travelled to you before you could see her. She then appeared right next to Rogers, two huge mugs in her hands. Her expression was grim. “If Alexander Pierce is the kingpin of a revived Hydra, then he’s not going to stop till he gets us. By now, he’d know that Loki escaped from his secret base, and that we all know the truth. He’s probably planning to do something drastic to stop us all from revealing the truth.”

She handed the mugs to you and Loki with a sad smile.

You just closed your eyes and tried to enjoy the hot chocolate, ignoring the suddenly grim atmosphere in the room. Peak nihilism. 

“There’s also something you all got to know,” Rogers stated with a heavy sigh. 

You still didn’t bother to open your eyes or pay him that much attention. The hot chocolate was good.

“Well?” Loki asked expectantly.

“Fury is not dead.”

“What?” Natasha seemed surprised, but you really weren’t. After all the bullshit you had just gone through, nothing seemed too off or surprising.

Besides, Fury was a spy after all, maybe he had just decided that he was going to die another day.

“He’s kept a low profile. I think he knew that Pierce was coming for him.”

“Makes sense.” Natasha blinked, staring at the floor as her mind ticked. “Where is he?”

“At a secret location. We got intercepted by Agent Hill. For now, he’s recovering, as his injuries are pretty bad. Hill will keep me abreast of his recovery.”

“So… what do we do now? Hydra is operating within SHIELD, and it has a whole list of people it wants to remove from its path to a planet-wide fascist oligarchy.”

“Nice way of saying that it wants all those people killed,” you mumbled, taking a long sip of your hot beverage. 

“The whole of the Avengers’ team is on their hit list. We don’t know when they’re going to strike.” Natasha sighed, and finally, that made you open your eyes and look up at her with dread.

You didn’t know if she was deliberately hiding the fact about your name being on murder-list or whether it was just oversight.

“Get some of their men, preferably in important ranks within Hydra, and then interrogate them,” Loki suggested, taking a long drink of his hot chocolate. You could hear him gulping it down, and from the sounds emanating from his throat, it seemed like he was drinking ambrosia.

“They’re dangerous, and it’s not that easy, Loki.”

He shrugged. “I could do it in minutes.”

“You need to rest and recover, volshebnik, lest you spread yourself too thin.”

Loki’s mug froze midway in the air, and he just… stared at Natasha in barely concealed disbelief. “I need to harm them before they can harm me and mine.”

Suddenly, everyone around you was staring at you very pointedly.

“It’s not just her,” he stated irritably, as if it pained him greatly to admit that he cared about others in the team as well. Well, he had an image to maintain, you supposed. Bad boy space prince...

“I’ll take your word for it.” Natasha smirked and then pulled out her phone from her pocket, typing smoothly. “I rough have a plan of action in mind, if you’re all game. I’ll call Tony and Clint over. Tony is probably nursing a whole bottle of some single malt by now.”

Loki suddenly stiffened at the mention of Stark, and you turned around to face him, frowning. 

“Yes, call Stark over. I have some choice words for him,” he said in an eerily calm voice, his expression stony.

Natasha and Steve both looked at each other, probably wondering the same thing as you--what was up with Loki and Tony Stark? 

Well, it looked like it was about to be answered, if Loki’s grim mood was any indication. 

When Stark turned up, he indeed looked slightly drunk, though, at this point, it could also be stress. 

“What’s up?” he asked, trying to saunter into the room, and failing at it terribly as he almost barrelled into Natasha. “Pepper and I were talking to Bruce over the phone, and he’s… uh… coming over in a few hours.”

“Great,” Clint exclaimed, grinning quite maniacally at Loki while he came to stand next to Stark. Loki simply ignored him. 

His focus was on Stark. 

“Stark, a word with you?”

“Like that? With her lounging on your lap like a poodle?” He was pointing right at you, not even being subtle about it.

Definitely drunk...

“Hey, after the hell I’ve been through, I think I deserve the choice to sit wherever I want,” you snapped in annoyance. It was the first time you had dared to snap at your boss, and he looked rather surprised by it. 

Good. It was high time everyone realized that you weren’t a pushover.

“That’s beside the point, Stark,” Loki interjected, earning Stark’s hazy attention again. “I’ll be direct with you, since you love to deflect--what did you do with the research you were conducting on my magic?”

Stark looked genuinely confused for a bit, as did everyone else in the room. “What?”

“You heard me. With whom did you share all those experiments?”

“I… uhh…” Stark rubbed the back of his head, staring off into empty space. “What are you even trying to imply here, Chaos?”

“I just want to know why Alexander Pierce knew about your experiments and findings regarding my magic?” he asked, still calm, even though the others in the room uttered a collective gasp. “Findings that enabled him to trap me in that seedy Hydra base... findings that had given him vital information regarding how my seidr worked, enough to have him commission a whole contraption that worked to block it?”

The tension in the room seemed to skyrocket upon Loki’s revelation, with everyone’s accusative gazes suddenly focusing on Stark, making him visibly uncomfortable.

You kind of felt bad for him, but not really, as he had almost gotten Loki severely hurt, if not killed. You hoped that he had a very good explanation for that.

NOTES:

Volshebnik = Socrcerer/mage/wizard in Russian

Chapter Text

Stark nearly stumbled back, his eyes widening. “I hadn’t shared it with Pierce, if that’s what you’re implying, Chaos. Why’d I do that?”

“Perhaps because you don’t trust me still,” Loki responded with a hint of venom in his voice. “Despite all the times that I covered for you in battles and saved your life.”

Stark raised his hands in mock surrender. “Look, even though I didn’t trust you fully, I’d never have shared that info with that bastard.”

Another round of gasps went off in the room. 

“So you did share it with someone.” Loki didn’t frame it like a question, and that was deliberate.

Stark sighed and gave you a pleading look. “Help me out here? Your boyfriend looks like he’s gonna fry me like a chicken wing.”

You bristled, your irritation suddenly spiking. “Don’t look at me, Mr. Stark, I wasn’t aware that you were sharing all that info with someone. Now, because of what you did, Loki gets hurt every time he uses magic. He still saved everyone today, despite being in pain. Are you even slightly bothered by your actions?”

Loki grasped your shoulder and squeezed it gently, prompting you to take a deep breath and control your sudden burst of anger. It had been a very long, very traumatic day, and your nerves were on edge. Hence the reaction right now...

Meanwhile, Stark looked like a kid who was just chastised by an adult. “I just… wanted to make sure that he didn’t go back to crazyland and like, end up hurting people. I just wanted to have a mechanism in place that’d stop him, in case that happened, without harming anyone. I did something similar with Bruce--created a Hulk buster armour.”

“What about hurting Loki?” Thor asked, speaking up for the first time since this big revelation. “Did you not take that into consideration?”

“Look, I just... I didn’t know it’d hurt him!” Stark was now waving his arms up in the air in exasperation. “I was still working on that thing, nothing was finalized yet. I merely had some basic blueprints for a prototype. That’s all!”

“Then how did Pierce get his grubby hands on it?” Thor asked. “How did he manage to trap Loki?”

Stark’s eyes roved around, almost looking crazed  for a second. “Fury. I kind of shared a basic blueprint with him some time ago, along with some of my findings. He had wanted some assurances against Loki. But… I didn’t realize that he’d have given it to Pierce. Hell, who even knew that Pierce was a bad guy before all this shit went down?”

Loki let out a heavy sigh. “They had strapped me to that abomination like a beast, and stripped me of all my magic. You know not how that feels, but just imagine fighting the enemy without the layers of your armour, and suffering through a burning pain constantly.”

“I’m sorry,” Stark said, fidgeting with his hands, then pointing to his glowing chest. “I might have a wee bit of an idea how that feels. So yes, I do apologize. I shouldn't have shared anything with Fury.”

Suddenly, silence fell over the room. Loki kept staring at Stark, though his gaze softened.

“I suggest that you destroy all your findings about my seidr,” he said finally, running a gentle hand through your hair, “and we’d carry on as comdrades.”

Stark nodded, then went off to sit down in a plush chair. “So… how did you even get out?” 

“I froze everything,” Loki replied, sounding quite pleased with himself.

“Froze?”

“Part of my charm.”

Stark looked perplexed, and you couldn’t blame him, really. Loki was being deliberately cryptic.

“You know that my brother is adopted,” Thor muttered then. You looked down in fascination as his hand slowly crept towards Loki’s and grasped it tightly. “He’s of different a blood and race--Frost Giants, or Jotuns, as we call them. Freezing things is indeed part of their charm.”

Loki didn’t say anything in response, but you could feel the tension rolling off his body. He simply nodded at Thor, who seemed satisfied with that response.

“So… anything else we ought to know about you and this Frost Giant thing?” Natasha asked, raising her brows in curiosity. To be honest, she looked slightly apprehensive of him now. “Just so that we’re not freaked out if, by chance, you get in the mood of freezing things again.”

“I turn blue,” Loki supplied, his tone brusque. “And my eyes glow red. My skin is textured too, markings etched all over my body.”

“Wow… okay.”

“Anything else you want to know, little spy?”

Natasha raised her hands, as if in surrender. “No… that’s quite a vivid picture in my head. Thanks.”

“He looks really good in that form,” you blurted out, hoping to quell the growing tension in the room. “Very, erm... pretty.”

Natasha and Steve Rogers both looked at you like you had sprouted horns. Loki remained silent, keeping a straight face.

“Can we get a sneak peek?” Stark asked, looking curious and kind of hopeful, now that things had somewhat settled between him and Loki.

You felt Loki stiffen. “No. I’m not putting on a show for anyone’s benefit here.”

“Tony,” Thor intervened, giving Loki a side-eye of caution. “This is a... ah... sensitive issue. Do not venture further into it.”

Thor wasn’t the god of subtlety, and seeing him be so careful with Loki and the whole 'Frost Giant issue' meant that it was something akin to a landmine. Loki was acting very prickly about it, after all. You still hoped, though, that one day, you’d learn all about it.

“Guess we’ll have to take your word for it,” Rogers said with a nod. He then turned his head towards Stark and gave him a pointed glare. “We apologize if we came off as rude or insensitive.”

Stark nodded and spread his arms as he gave Loki a sheepish smile. “It’s just that it’s a rather unconventional colour scheme; the same as Cap’s suit, in fact.”

Rogers’ face reddened in response, while Thor snorted out loud. Loki didn't react overtly, but you could sense that he wasn’t finding any humour in Stark’s flippant observations. His body was still rigid and tightly wound.

Apparently, Stark took note of it and thus, finally relented. “Alright, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I take it back. But for what it’s worth, you’d still be Loki to me, whether blue or not, so there’s that. In this house we respect all colours.”

“I have one question, though.” Clint raised his hand, as though everyone was sitting in a classroom. “Do you spread ice only when you’re blue?”

Loki let out a long suffering sigh. “Yes. Though there are some magic spells which I can use to make small amounts of ice.”

“I see. Well, the more you know…” Clint muttered, then shrugged it off. “It isn’t like any of us here are anything normal by human standards, right? We can certainly use a little bit of freezing here and there. I mean... climate change, anyone?”

When no one laughed at his poorly formed joke, he just rolled his eyes and gave up. 

“Alright, Nat, I say that we get to the plan.”

Natasha patted his shoulder, then moved to the centre of the room. 

Meanwhile, Pepper Potts entered the apartment as well, carrying a bunch of files in her arms, looking raddled. Stark was quick to help her, taking the load off her in a second. He was cute when he wasn’t getting on everyone’s nerves.

“I think we all realize that the tower isn’t safe anymore, so, first, we go back to the safe house. Then, we disband all online resources for Hydra and corrupt their systems. The aim is to disconnect their hubs and bases from each other.”

“I can help with that,” you chimed in, raising your hand like an eager schoolgirl, copying Clint’s actions. 

Immediately, Loki slapped your hand down.

“Hey!” You turned your head to glare at him. “I have some personal scores to settle with these fuckers, do you mind?”

Loki’s eyebrows nearly went up to his hairline. “I do, in fact, mind. You’ve been their target enough times. I don’t care for it.”

Well, you were on the Hydra hit-list...

“Exactly! I’m not gonna be a sitting duck. I’m gonna fight back and show them that I’m capable of bringing them down.”

“Sitting duck?” Thor interrupted both of you. “What a strange expression. Why would you be a sitting duck, Code Thaumaturge?”

“It’s a figure of speech, Thor. It means an easy target, someone with no protection.”

“Ah!”

“Guys, can we focus on the issue again?” Natasha asked in an exasperated tone.

Meanwhile, Loki and you were caught in a glaring contest, with neither of you admitting defeat. 

“Loki, I know that you’re concerned for her safety, but you cannot dictate her wishes,” Natasha stated, prompting him to switch his gaze to her. “She’s an asset to our team, what with her brilliant coding and hacking skills. We really need someone with that skill-set here, or we’d lose this war. We cannot just go in superhero muscles flexing; we need nerd power. You, of all the people here, should understand it.”

Something seemed to flicker in his gaze then, and it looked like he was poised to give in. Before you could study his expression further, it grew guarded.

“Fine.” He gestured at Natasha with his hand. “Carry on with the plans.”

You weren’t sure, but to you, that change of heart appeared to be too sudden. However, you let it go, as there were more pressing matters to be handled.

“So, where was I?” Natasha took a deep breath and then started explaining the plan again. “Yes… as I was saying, we’d target them through the web and other tech resources… in the meantime, we can catch some of their high ranks and get all the info out of them.” She nodded towards Loki, acknowledging his earlier suggestion about interrogations and letting him know that he’d play a part in them. 

He nodded back, his eyes glittering with anticipation. 

“The aim is to find out how they’re planning to kill off so many people at once. Once we find that out, we destroy the weapons they’re planning to use for it. In the meantime, we release the info about Hydra and Pierce on the internet, and then call open season on them. How does that sound?”

Her plan received unanimous approval. 

“What are you doing?” you asked Loki as you skipped alongside him and kicked at the wild grass growing near the edges of Clint’s secret property. 

You were back at the safe house, just as planned, and everyone was preparing for their part in that plan. Things were tense, but you were trying to have a light moment with Loki before shit went down.

So far, everyone was convinced that Hydra didn’t know about Clint’s house, since SHIELD itself didn’t know about it. Well, you hoped that their confidence was well founded.

“I asked you something,” you chirped cheekily, watching a hint of annoyance dancing on his pursed lips.

“I’m warding the place, you interfering busybody.”

“Warding?”

“Yes. Putting up spells all over the house and its boundaries, which will alert me if an intruder is trying to get in. And also, brand some intricate burns onto that intruder.”

“Is it not hurting you to do so?” You were pretty sure that it was, even though he was keeping his expression clear and calm. Always so in-control… or at least, pretending to be so.

He shrugged. “Nothing I cannot handle.”

Just as he turned to move further along the boundary fence, you came up behind him and wrapped your arms around his middle. “I don’t like seeing you in pain.”

He let out a hearty chuckle, grasping your hands and keeping them on his abdomen. “Trust me, even I don’t enjoy it much, but this needs to be done.”

“Much?”

“A little bit of pain is fine. It might even be good.”

“Seriously?” You slid along his body and moved to his front, finally facing him and his smirking face.

“Mmhmm,” he hummed, his tone very sing-song. “Especially for the brats who don’t listen to their sorcerer consort and go off on dangerous missions that threaten their lives.”

“Sorcerer consort?”

He raised an eyebrow in surprise, though he didn’t look all that surprised, to be honest. “That is what you chose to focus on?”

“It was hard to ignore that, honestly.” Actually, it made you almost giddy with joy that he called himself your consort. It sounded so old-timey and fairytale-isque. And… everlasting.

“Regardless, I suppose you know where I’m going with the benefits of applying a little pain?” he asked, tapping your cheek with his index finger and narrowing his pretty green eyes.

Uh oh… 

“I have no idea what you mean.” You just blinked and pretended to be all innocent, even though you knew that this conversation had been long due...

“You know exactly what I mean, darling.”

You let go of him then, and slowly began to retreat, heading for the house.

He simply laughed and kept working on his magical wards. “Oh, you wish to evade me? Alright, run little kitten, as far and wide as you want. When I see the opportune time for it, I’m going to come after you and hunt you down.”

“At least I get to have a head start!” You poked your tongue out at him, making him laugh even harder.

It was a beautiful sound.

It made your stomach all fluttery and your heart beat with a funny rhythm...

But most of all, it made you realize just how in love you were with him...

You were going over the ‘action plan’ with Natasha in your bedroom, away from the rest of the team, which was gathered in the living room downstairs. They were discussing the logistics of launching small, clinical strikes against Hydra, while you were working on launching the tech attacks.

Natasha was the coordinator between you and others, with Tony Stark keeping himself on stand-by. His main role in the action plan was that of a fighter and strategist, while yours was purely technical. You were to remain behind the scenes, taking a passive role, while the rest of the team was to fight Hydra actively.

From the sounds coming from downstairs, it appeared as though there was a huge disagreement between certain members. Oh well… so much for cohesive team work.

“We got word from Fury,” Natasha said suddenly as you furiously typed away on your laptop. “He’s recovering well. Agent Hill is with him, and she is sending in a team of tech support for you.”

“I’m not sure what I’d do with a team, Nat. I’m doing this on my own. Moreover, what about their trustworthiness?”

She shrugged. “I trust Maria, she has an even better bullshit radar than Fury. You might need some help with setting up the booby traps. You cannot do everything remotely, golubushka.”

You sighed and nodded. She was right. “Okay. I’ll explain the stuff to them when they arrive. When is that?”

“Likely tomorrow morning.”

“Great. I can at least have a good night’s sleep, then.”

“Are you done with the bugs?”

“Almost. I’m nearly getting double-visioned now, what with the amount of rapid coding I’ve been doing all day.” You laughed, trying to make light of it, but truly, you had been at it for hours. As a result, your neck muscles were feeling the strain.

“You’re as much as a soldier of the team as Captain America is, you know that, right?” She pressed a hand to your shoulder as she said that, prompting you to look up from your laptop screen.

“That’s heartening to hear. Please tell that to Loki as well.”

“I don’t need to. He knows that.”

Just as she said that, the bedroom door slammed open and in walked Loki, his face set in grim lines. Think of the devil… 

He didn’t greet or acknowledge either of you, choosing instead to head straight to the ensuite bathroom. A few seconds later, the sound of the shower trickled into the bedroom. 

“Well, that was dramatic,” Natasha said with a smirk. “Loverboy looks kind of pissed. Maybe the team didn’t entertain all of his plans. I’m pretty sure he tried suggesting that they let him storm into every Hydra base and go at them with his magic.”

You giggled, because there was a good chance that she was right. 

“Maybe he’s just tired. He’s been warding the whole property with his magic, despite the pain,” you supplied.

“I thought the pain was fading?” She asked, worry marking her beautiful face.

“It is, but it’s a slow progress.”

“He’s a bit of a masochist, isn’t he?” She laughed, picking up her notes and laptop and calling it a night. 

You smiled fondly. “Well, I’m sure he doesn’t think so.”

Loki emerged from the bathroom just as Natasha left, a towel hanging loosely around his hips. His body was wet and drippy, and it was doing unholy things to you.

“Are you done with your code sorcery?” he asked casually, gesturing to your laptop.

Code what…? What is code? What is life?

“Huh?” You just kept staring at the water droplets that ran down his abs and disappeared into the towel. You want to be them. 

Loki called your name, and you blinked. Once. Twice. Your focus shifted, finally, to what he was asking about.

“Uhh… oh… code! Yeah. Done.” You forced your eyes to look up at his face rather than his body. His eyes were narrowed, and his jaw stiff. Uh oh… someone was in a bad mood.

“Are you able to make such codes in just a day or two?” he asked, running a hand through his wet hair. Just as he did so, steam began to emanate from it, floating around him like a dreamy cloud. That magical blow-dry was really convenient.

“Why? You want some coding lessons?” You closed and put away the laptop, then climbed off the bed to face him. “I could teach you, if you want, but it’ll come at a price.”

“I don’t need lessons in code, I just need you,” he said cryptically, grasping your waist and pulling you closer. “Speaking of lessons, I think you’re in need of one.”

“A lesson?” you asked skeptically, looking up at him with suspicion. 

He nodded. “A lesson in being a good girl and keeping your promises.”

Oh… oh no.

“Y-You… you promised me a head start,” you mumbled, trying to pout and act all helpless to placate him.

“I did no such thing, darling, and you know it.” His hands slid lower then, cupping your ass and squeezing it. “Besides, I should be allowed to break promises as well, shouldn’t I? That would even the score between us.”

His tone darkened as he ended that sentence, eyes narrowing at you. 

“Loki, I--” 

He cut you off before you could explain yourself to him.

“No… I’m not listening to any excuses from you. I’m here to mete out your punishment, whether you like it or not.” His hands squeezed your ass again as you began to squirm in his hold. “I think you need a reminder of the fact that you belong to me… you can’t just break promises like that, darling, not to me.”

With that threatening statement, he threw you onto the bed, face down, ass up, and pulled your pyjama bottoms down.

Chapter Text

Loki breathed harshly while he held her down, enjoying her squirming as he tied a leather strap around her wrists and then attached them to the headboard of their bed. 

“Is that… is that part of your armour thingy?” she mumbled while she observed her bindings, ever so curious.

“Why yes, darling,” he replied, checking the knot to ensure that it was inescapable. “I do adore your sharp mind.”

She giggled at that, bringing a smile upon his lips - which she couldn’t see. For her, he kept the stern demeanour intact.

A slap landed right on her alluring bare bottom. The giggle died down immediately as she squeaked in response.

“And it’s your sharp mind that has gotten you into trouble now.” 

He gave her another smack on her rear, making her flesh jiggle deliciously. 

“Loki! I did it because it was needed!”

“Hush!” He shrugged off his towel in haste, watching her squirm again, not knowing if another slap was coming or not. “You put yourself at risk at a time when you knew that I couldn’t come to save you.”

“I thought I was relatively safe.”

“ Relatively .” He pressed his palm against the curve of her ass, making her tremble. She expected another slap, and so he didn’t deliver it this time. “You felt relatively safe inside the Stark Tower, after getting attacked in your apartment within the said Tower, hmm?”

“I-I had Natasha with me… and Clint,” she replied, still defensive of her decision to go to the Stark Tower.

He nudged against her opening, which was, much to his surprise, already slick. He didn’t press into her, though, choosing to simply hold his tip against her pussy. She shivered and moved her legs to a wider stance, silently inviting him in.

“Tell me again, how did Natasha’s presence protect you when that bazooka went off in your living room?”

He smacked her bottom again, three times, in quick succession.

“Loki!” she cried out, wiggling against his him.

“Tell me!” Another slap landed on her reddening ass now, though not in the same place as the previous ones. He didn’t wish to mark her. “Tell me how it protected you.”

“It didn’t protect me!”

“Indeed.”

He felt her pussy lips engulf his cock then, as she pushed back against him, surprising him again. Well, someone was really eager tonight…

Letting her push herself against him some more, he delivered more smacks along the curve of her ass, enjoying the sensation of being slowly encased by her pussy.

“Are you repentant?” he asked as she took him halfway in, her channel squeezing him maddeningly.

She didn’t respond, and so he slapped her ass again. Norns, the tight clench of her channel in response to each slap was delicious and addictive.

“I asked you something, my little slut ,” he murmured, now rubbing her heated flesh in a soothing manner. He did so love the way she shivered whenever he called her ‘his little slut’. 

“Yes,” she replied, pressing her face into the pillows and muffling her voice.

“I couldn’t hear you.”

She raised her head and then looked back at him, her beautiful face ablush and her eyes dilated. He could tell that she was trying to glare at him, but it wasn’t working. 

“Yes!” 

“Good girl.” With a hard thrust, he was embedded inside her fully.

She gasped and moaned, burying her face into the pillows again. Her pussy squeezed him once more, wet and fully distended. It took all his willpower to not come right then…

“Remember this,” he said as he began to move inside her with long, deep strokes. “You’re not going to act reckless without keeping me in the loop. Repeat my words. Now!”

“Oh god!” She moaned and fisted the sheets. “Oh fuck!”

“Repeat what I said,” he growled, thrusting into her with such force that the whole bed shook. He’d have to gift another one to Barton… but he wasn’t all that worried about it.

It was all collateral damage in teaching his consort a well-deserved lesson.

When she didn’t repeat his words, he smacked her bottom again. A loud whine escaped her, and he thanked his forethought then, for at least his soundproofing spell kept their activities discreet.

“Are you trying to be a brat?” he asked, grasping her ass cheek harshly. “Because I promise you, I’ll fuck the brat out of you.”

“No…” That was a very weak denial.

While she moaned and shook her head, her body pressed against him again. She was undulating in a rhythm that ensured that he’d keep thrusting into her at that angle - the angle where he knew his cock stroked all her pleasure spots.

“No what?”

“I’m not being… oh god … a brat.”

“Then go ahead and do what I want.”

She raised her head again, though this time, she didn’t look back at him. “Okay, I’ll inform you.”

He stopped thrusting and held her in place by grasping her ass in an unrelenting grip. “That’s not what I said, and you know it.”

She whined again, but he didn’t move an inch.

“It’s not about merely informing me, darling.”

“Alright, I’ll run it with you first,” she muttered begrudgingly. “Happy now?”

No, he wasn’t happy with that. “Say that you won’t go ahead with anything unless I approve of it.”

“What if you’re not there to approve it?”

“I’m not leaving you.”

She grew quiet for a bit then, frustrating him with her stubbornness. But blessedly, the silence didn’t last long.

“Okay, I won’t do anything rash and I will always get your approval. But the same applies to you .”

If he wasn’t buried inside her to the hilt, he’d have laughed. “To me?”

“Yes,” she said, clenching around him with surprising strength, nearly making him lose track of his thoughts. “It’s only fair. Do you agree?”

“Hmm…” He gritted his teeth as she kept squeezing his cock like a vice. “I will… do the same… but you have to agree first.”

“I agree.” She sighed, fisting the pillows. “Does that please you?” 

“Very much.” He chuckled and resumed his thrusting, smacking her ass again.

“Ow! What was that for?” she asked petulantly.

“Just for fun,” he replied, reaching around her hip to stroke her clit as he fucked her. 

She didn’t do much talking after that, for she was too busy coming on his cock. Repeatedly.

You lay in bed quietly, still on your stomach, while Loki rubbed a healing balm on your bottom, easing the heat emanating from your flesh. It was very effective. In fact, it was too effective, because it was making you horny again.

And you suspected that Loki knew about it.

“Are you done with your punishment, or do I need to learn the lesson some more?” you asked off-handedly, picking the lint off the bedsheet absentmindedly.

His hand stilled on your ass cheek. “I might make you learn it all over again if you keep being so impertinent.”

“As if what you did at SHIELD wasn’t overly risky…”

“I didn’t have a lot of options with me. It was either me getting caught or our three imbeciles . I’m not aware of exactly what their chances of escape were, but I trusted myself more, for I’m known for being sneaky. Plus, I had my magic and combat skills to back me up.”

Well, he kind of had a point there… but still, you felt a bit miffed that he could spank you for risking your life but he got nothing for doing the same.

“You and your magic got blindsided, though. You’d have been in deep trouble had you not had the power to freeze everything.”

“I was in deep trouble, for a while. But considering what all I’ve been through till date, it was nothing.” He took a pause then. “Why do I feel like you’re trying to pick an argument with me?”

You didn’t respond. You were trying to pick an argument with him.

He took your name then, which startled you. You turned onto your side to face him, giving him as much of a glare as you could muster.

“What?”

He smirked knowingly. “I see that you still have a bit of brattiness left in you. Maybe I need to take some more measures to ensure that you remain on your best behaviour.”

You frowned. “We’re in the middle of a crisis, and all you can think of is correcting my behaviour?”

“Ah, trying to deflect, I see. You already know how heavily I’m involved in mitigating the said crisis. In fact, in three hours, I need to leave with the team for that very purpose.”

That bit of information surprised you. “I thought you were staying here and others were going.”

“Change of plans. I did want to stay here, as you’re here. But there are certain things that only I can do, and my skills are in heavy demand due to a recent development.” He gave you a stern look, then, as he lifted you off the bed and onto his lap in a single move. “This time, you will not leave this place. I have warded it heavily to ensure your safety.”

“I won’t,” you stated, swallowing hard. “But I want you to be cautious as well. Don’t take yourself for granted.”

“It’s good to see that someone cares for my return…” He didn’t smirk this time, but gave you a genuine smile. 

“Thor cares as well,” you argued. “Don’t discount him.”

Loki rolled his eyes. “He has no concept of caring for anyone’s safety. Well he didn’t in the past, at least. I suppose Dr. Jane Foster is changing him for better.”

“I wanna meet her when this crisis is over.”

“Of course you’ll meet her, sooner or later, given that you’re with me and she’s with Thor.”

That confirmation made your heart skip a beat. You almost zoned out then, daydreaming about spending time with Loki in a relaxed atmosphere, getting to meet cool people like Dr. Foster… all in all, being carefree and not worrying about your life. 

A girl could dream, right?

“So, who all are going with you on this mission to destroy Hydra?” you asked, reluctantly pulling yourself back to the grim reality.

“Most of the team. Barnes, Banner and Romanoff are staying here.”

You made a face at that. “Isn’t Nat better at subterfuge? I thought that you’re going for sneakiness?”

“She is, but she wants to stay here to help you. I approve of it, since I can see how much she genuinely loves you.”

Whoa… he wasn’t even trying to be subtle about it…

“Umm… what?”

He shrugged, a small smile playing on his lips. “I know about her interest in you, and I don’t blame her in the least for wanting you. But her affection for you transcends mere lustful interest. She cares for you without conditions attached, and I know that she’ll try to keep you safe to the best of her capacity. Moreso, my wards shall protect you, so I’m not really worried about it.”

You looked at him doubtfully. “And her interest in me doesn’t bother you?”

“It used to, but I’ve learned to live with it.”

You raised your eyebrows in surprise. “I didn’t expect this…”

“I’m full of surprises.” He winked, then pulled you in for a kiss.

You relaxed in his arms then, letting go of the tension coiling in your belly. At least for now, things were peaceful. Loki was with you for a few more hours…

The hotel receptionist straightened his back as he saw two beautiful women approach the reception desk. Now, he had seen many pretty women enter and leave this place, but they were possibly the most breathtaking of them all.

Curvy, hourglass bodies… soft, inviting feminine features… they had everything. And yet, they still somehow contrasted each other--one had blonde hair and sun-kissed skin while the other had dark hair and porcelain complexion.

There was something almost otherworldly about them, especially with the way they moved, with poise and grace. Even in their simple knee-length red and black dresses, they looked incredibly sexy.

“We’re here to see Mr. Sitwell,” the dark-haired one said with a smile, while the blonde rested her delicate hands over the desk and gave him a strange look that almost looked like a glare. “For an appointment.”

Ah, they were here for a late-night--well, early morning, to be exact-- appointment. Mr. Sitwell had paid them extra to keep their discretion in these matters… 

“I see. Your n-names, ma’am?” he asked, unable to help the slight stutter in his voice.

“Tove Summers,” the blonde answered, pointing to herself as the other one smirked and played with a lock of her rich sable hair. “And she’s Lucy Smith.”

“Ah, I see.” The man smiled at them knowingly, then handed them a card. “There you go. Mr. Sitwell is waiting for you in his room.”

“Thank you.” Sending a bright smile his way, the dark one--Lucy--turned around and went straight for the elevators, with blonde hot on her heels.

He had never been so envious of Mr. Sitwell. Lucky guy… he was getting a double treat.

“I’m punching you in the face after this is over,” Tove said with a grimace as she and Lucy exited the elevator and entered the hallway to Sitwell’s suite.

While she struggled to walk straight in the high-heeled shoes Lucy had given her, Lucy walked without any issue. Of course , she walked without any issue… she was good in these matters. Tove, on the other hand, was a bit out of touch… 

“You’re talking as if this is the first time we’ve done this,” Lucy said with a titter. “Don’t be a bad sport.”

“We’re not even getting a feast in exchange for this. All the trouble… for nothing,” Tove grumbled under her breath.

“Can you think of something other than food? We ate before we came here.”

“Uhh… yes. I can indeed think of something else.” Tove winked at Lucy while she tried, and failed, to walk ahead of her.

“Not sex, please. Unless you want Sitwell to make your wishes come true.”

“Ugh no.” Tove made a gagging sound while Lucy simply rolled her eyes in response.

“Keep quiet and follow my lead. You’ll get to punch something pretty soon.”

The doors to the suite were flanked by two full-length mirrors, and while Lucy tried to slide the door opening card in, Tove took the time to admire her form in the reflection.

“I do look rather fetching, if I must say so. I’d court myself in a heartbeat.”

“Don’t be obtuse, that’s something only I’m capable of doing.”

“Yes, yes, I remember.. that is exactly how you evaded the invites from several houses with eligible daughters after your coming of age. You were already courting another--a mysterious lady with no court history. Even mother bought into that trick.”

“Yes, but not for long.”

“Guys, are you aware that we all can hear you two?” Clint Barton’s voice suddenly broke through their earpieces, startling Tove enough to make her stumble.

“Yes, I’m aware,” answered Lucy. “But sadly, I just don’t care for it.”

With that she turned their earpieces off, right in the middle of Barton’s responding rant.

“Let’s go and get this done.” Grabbing Tove by the arm, she invited herself into Sitwell’s suite. 

Sitwell was on the phone, walking the length of his living room. He turned around and smiled at them as he cut the call.

“Ladies… I… uhh, don’t recognize you. Are you new in the business?” he asked as he pocketed the phone, giving them a suggestive smile.

The ladies in questions shrugged in unison.

He nodded, smile still intact. “I see. It can be overwhelming for the first few times. I can guide you through it.”

“We don’t need guidance,” Tove said with a grunt, getting annoyed at the pretence. She gave Lucy a glare. “Get on with it already.”

Just as Lucy moved towards Sitwell, his phone began to ring.

He fished it out and looked at its screen to see who was calling. What he saw made his eyes bulge.

“Uhh… ladies, I’ll have to cancel this appointment,” he said, not taking his eyes off the phone. “I’ll give you full refunds and all.”

“Are you sure?” Lucy asked as she reached him. She slid a hand up to his chest and batted her eyes at him. “I’m sure we can change your mind.”

Sitwell cupped her hand in his and sighed, eyeing her cleavage. “It’s not about you, you know. Something urgent came up at my work. I will certainly book another appointment with you, I promise.”

“Are you leaving?” Tove asked, her barely controlled anger slipping into her tone. She very nearly looked poised to flip the coffee table right next to her.

“Yes,” Sitwell answered, still holding onto Lucy’s hand. “I’m really sorry, but I have to.”

“Oh, but I don’t think so,” Lucy countered him immediately, her voice transforming into a deep baritone, making Sitwell jump.

“What the…”

“You’re staying right here.” The hand against his chest reached up and grabbed his throat, slamming him against the nearest wall while Lucy slowly turned into Loki. “And you’re giving us all the information we want. Right, brother?”

“Right,” Tove grunted in reply. “Can you change me back now?”

Loki rolled his eyes as he choked a struggling Sitwell. “No, I’ll change you back when there's a need for it. We do need someone to order room service.”

“We’re getting food?” Tove asked hopefully, sounding gleeful.

Sitwell nearly fainted then, so Loki eased the pressure on his airway as he looked back at Tove. “Yes, we’re getting all the food we can. Interrogation is a strenuous task, after all. Go on, get your favourites while I see what I can get from him.”

“I’ll never tell you anything,” rasped Sitwell, prompting Loki to turn his focus back on him.

“Don’t worry about that, dear. We already know. We just want to know the spread of your good old organization.”

“Not telling you that either.”

“Oh, I’m afraid you don’t have a choice.”

Loki pressed his palm to the struggling man’s forehead then, launching the spell that would glean all the information he needed from him.

Chapter Text

Loki was going through a plate of crispy honey chicken while ‘Tove’ was sitting primly on the opposite sofa, holding a now worn out Jasper Sitwell in her grip. He was not even trying to resist now.

“Have we gotten all the information we want from him?” she asked, flicking her golden hair behind her shoulder.

“Almost,” Loki replied after munching on an especially crispy piece. “I simply needed to eat. This spell is quite energy consuming.”

She rolled her eyes in response. Loki just loved how much of a diva Thor could be in his feminine form. Then again, he was a diva in any form. Even as a frog. He had witnessed that first hand.

“You ate your fill, I had to have my turn. It’s been a gruelling one hour, and I want to keep my energy reserves in their prime. That’s why I can sometimes eat even more than you, you oaf.”

Thor’s eyes flashed. “Don’t call me an oaf while I’m a lady!”

Now it was Loki’s turn to roll his eyes. “Fine.”

“What do we do with this?” she asked then, in a refreshing change of topic, pointing at Sitwell.

Loki shrugged. “I suppose killing him will be fine. One less thing to worry about.”

Thor frowned, looking like she was doing a hard mental calculation. “Can we just kill Midgardians without repercussions?”

“We do it on our other campaigns. What’s the difference? Besides, it’s not like we’re killing innocents here. These are the scums who want to kill innocent people.”

She pouted while she looked at a suddenly panicked Sitwell. “I suppose you’re right. I just don’t want to break any Midgardian customs.”

Loki snorted as he set the now empty plate aside. “If they cared enough for their customs and laws, we wouldn’t be here, doing this .”

Wiping his fingers with a napkin, Loki stepped over to Sitwell, finally ready to continue with his mind reading spell. Thor kept holding him in her inexorable grip, leaving Loki free to do his work.

A great many things he found in Sitwell’s mind, a great many worrying things. Their mission was about to get a bit complicated...

After he was done, he simply looked over at Thor and told her all about the heinous crimes the man had committed under the HYDRA umbrella, not to mention, the ones he planned to commit in the future.

It didn’t take long for Thor to snap his neck.

One down, several others to go...

Loki activated the communication devices in his and Thor’s ears then, contacting the team to let them know where they were headed. Sitwell was, after all, just one of the cogs in the HYDRA machinery. And he had given Loki a lot of leads.

“We are done with Sitwell. Note the locations of others and deal with them, they could give away the location of Pierce. From what I gathered, he hasn't left the DC area. Meanwhile, we’re heading to a secret HYDRA base that’s located in Europe--Sitwell gave me some very disturbing imagery regarding that one.”

“Wait, Europe?” Barton asked, and Loki could hear the confusion in his voice. “I thought we were supposed to find Pierce together.”

“Change of plans, because that facility in Europe is developing some very dangerous weapons. I think we need to destroy it before Pierce lugs them over to your mainland and creates an even bigger problem than what we already have on our hands.”

Loki fished his phone out and texted everyone the information Sitwell’s brain had regurgitated. He hoped that they’d do what was required to get to Pierce as soon as possible. When he had suddenly gone into hiding, Loki knew that he was planning something big. He simply hoped that the trap he was setting up with the rest of the Avengers’ team was going to compel him to show his face.

“So, where to now?” Thor asked while Loki finished sending the text message.

“At least you won’t have to waddle in heels now,” Loki replied, turning Thor back into his male form. 

“Hmm. I suppose I’m going to snap more necks today.” Thor cracked his knuckles and then did a stretch. “What do you plan to do after the mission is over?”

That gave Loki a pause. “What do you mean?”

“I do believe that your term for reparations is about to be over.”

He was right, of course. “Am I supposed to return to Asgard immediately?”

Thor gave him a knowing smirk. “You will be a free man, for you don’t have the burden of the throne looming upon you. Though, father may want you back there, just to ensure that you remain in line.”

The thought of Odin keeping him ‘in line’ rubbed him the wrong way. “I’d rather stay here and help in stabilizing the realm. I’m not Odin’s pet.”

Thor sighed. “Are you really that altruistic?”

“No, I’m very self-centred. My interest lies here.”

“I think I can name your one interest here.”

He smarted at Thor’s teasing. “Can you get to the point you’re trying to make?”

Thor sighed again, then pressed a hand to Loki’s shoulder. “Sooner or later you’ll have to return to Asgard.”

“And is that not true for you ?” Loki asked pointedly. “What difference is there between your situation and mine, especially once I’m free from my obligations?”

Thor looked away, his visage growing sombre. “That’s something that gives me sleepless nights. I keep trying to come up with a way that would make it possible for me to stay with Jane. Well, without the disapproving glare of father. I think you’re thinking of something similar with our code thaumaturge .”

“What makes you think that I cannot bring her to Asgard?”

“You know that father will never allow it.”

Loki scoffed at Thor’s resigned tone. “No, but we cannot give up just like that. I may or may not have something of a plan brewing in my mind. But first, we need to complete this mission.”

Loki’s confidence seemed to give Thor a boost. His visage brightened. “Yes, I agree. But I am eager to plan and plot with you, brother.”

Loki gave him a wide smile as he punched his arm playfully. “Are you now?”

It was early morning, and you were busy remotely working with the agents sent by Agent Maria Hill. They were already infiltrating HYDRA's systems to plant the disrupting malware you had created. With that little bug in place, they’d be without the command and control of most of their resources. You were all waiting for a confirmation from Loki and Thor, to make sure that the information regarding the European base was accurate.

Agent Hill was trying to get someone from the team there as soon as possible, armed with the virus and backup. It was likely going to be Mr.Stark.

Meanwhile your self appointed bodyguards--namely Natasha, Dr. Banner and Bucky Barnes--were keeping an eye on you, as well as acting as a lookout for any incoming attacks on Clint’s farmhouse. There was little chance of that happening, but everyone was on high alert regardless.

Barnes and Natasha were being especially ‘extra’ about keeping you safe. They were practically attached to your hip. It was quite unnecessary, but it seemed like everyone was following the unmentioned instruction of ‘keeping the coder safe’.

Or maybe it was ‘keeping Loki’s girl safe’.

It didn’t matter, it was equally annoying either way. They were distracting you more than helping you.

Especially Barnes, who was acting way too chipper. Maybe it was due to that weird healing thing that Loki had done to him. You decided to ask him for some of that ‘feel good brain juice’ when he returned. Times were hard, you could certainly make use of it...

Barnes was sitting on the floor next to you while Natasha was sitting close to the window, her gaze drifting over the horizon. Both were stealing glances at each other in a strange way. Thankfully, Dr. Banner had gone downstairs for the time being; he was good at being unobtrusive.

“I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere,” Barnes stated suddenly, giving Natasha a friendly smile.

“You tried to kill me,” she replied in a deadpan manner. It almost made you snort.

“Not recently.” Barnes’ smile didn’t falter. At all.

“Yeah, even back then, you were trying to kill me.” Natasha lifted her shirt to show him a scar on her lower abdomen. “No more bikinis for me.”

Barnes frowned at first, but then let out a snort. “My apologies.”

Silence prevailed then, giving you the opportunity to work on your mission in a peaceful manner. Besides keeping Hill’s team in the game, you had to monitor certain sensitive SHIELD bases for any suspicious activity, especially if it pointed towards Pierce’s location. It was a rather boring job, but your name on HYDRA’s hit list kept you alert. Trying not to get killed was a great motivational tool. 

For now you just waited and watched, eager to hear the latest developments from Loki and Thor’s side. From what you had heard from Clint so far, Loki was showing off with his magic. Again .

All in all, though, the team effort was going strong, and you were quite hopeful that you’d all destroy HYDRA pretty soon.

“When was it that I tried to kill you?” Barnes asked, pulling out a knife from somewhere on his person and playing with it distractedly. The design looked suspiciously Asgardian. “Earlier, I mean.”

His question seemed to startle Natasha, even though she kept her usual poise. You could detect it because you knew her well now. It was in the way her posture grew suddenly stiff.

“It was on a mission.”

“When exactly was that?”

“A few years ago?” she provided, her tone guarded.

“I have a feeling that you know exactly when, but you don’t want to tell me.”

“It’s a bad memory for me.”

“I’m just asking for some help," Barnes said with a sigh that almost sounded petulant. “You know, to remember?”

Natasha remained adamant. “My answer won’t help you recall anything.”

“Try me?”

“No.”

He pursed his lips in frustration, then looked down defeatedly.

She was about to turn away from him, but stopped short when he pulled out a glock from the waistband of his pants. He didn't point it at anyone; he was simply studying it.

Or it looked like he was.

It made you nervous, because you still couldn’t forget his ‘Winter Soldier’ persona--the one he was known by in the intelligence community. The one who had been sent to kill you, specifically .

“Is that… my gun?” Natasha asked slowly, her eyes narrowing at him.

Barnes didn't look up from the gun. “Is it? I don’t know, I got it from Loki.”

She grumbled under her breath, glancing at you. “Should’ve known. I’ve been searching for this one for weeks.”

“Do you want it back?” Barnes asked, spinning the gun on his palm.

Natasha crossed her arms, looking like she wasn’t convinced that he’d return it to her. “I have a feeling that you’d return it to me on a certain condition.”

“Maybe?”

“Keep the damn gun.”

The animosity from Natasha was off the charts, and you wondered why. You had been so wrapped up in Loki that you hardly noticed the subtle interactions between others under this roof. Huh, maybe this was what it felt like to be dickmatized … But, well, in your defence, it was a godly dick.

A few moments passed, and you thought that the odd conversation between Natasha and Barnes was over. But then Barnes spoke up again… 

“Was it… 1988?”

Natasha frowned. “What about 1988?”

“When I shot you.”

Natasha flew out of the window seat and crouched down right in front of Barnes, grabbing him by his non-metallic arm. “What is the matter with you? Why are you poking me?”

Whoa, the threatening rasp in her voice was kind of unexpected.

That didn’t seem to bother him in the least. He simply blinked. “I’m pretty certain it was 1988. When we came here, Loki did something to my brain; unscrambled it, in a way. I’m remembering things. Not everything, but bits and pieces.”

Natasha’s sudden anger simmered a bit. “Well, you’re remembering this all wrong.”

“ Shirazi… wasn’t that the man you were protecting? What was his full name?” Barnes pressed on, not taking the hint from Natasha’s combative behaviour. Then again, he was an assassin himself; maybe he didn’t fear her at all. Or maybe he didn’t care for his life. Either way, it was worrying. “He was some kind of scientist, I think. Zana… or Dana… Shirazi.”

Surreptitiously, you tried to search the net for the name he was mentioning. And you found out that indeed, there had been a scientist named Zana Shirazi. His wiki page mentioned that he had died in a car accident on the outskirts of Gorgan--a city in Iran--in the year 1988 .

Huh… 

His specialization had been in nuclear physics. Hmm… as far as you knew about her, Natasha was born in 1984. How could she have been on a mission in 1988? There was no way she could’ve been on the job as a four year old kid.

Natasha’s grip on Barnes’ arm loosened, but her glaring intensified even more. “I told you, you’re remembering it all wrong. I don’t recognize that name.”

Her posture was akin to a spooked cat. Taut and ready to dash away. For half a second you were worried that she’d simply leap out of the third story window. That was the moment when Laura--Clint’s wife--decided to enter the attic, where your workstation had been installed.

She was holding a huge tray full of muffins and cookies, smiling and completely unaware of the tension in the room.

“I made you guys some home-baked treats. I thought some comfort food was in order, given how we’re going through a bad time.” She gingerly placed the tray on your desk, not looking at anyone in particular. “Hey Nat, can you bring the tea up?”

“Sure.” That was all that Natasha needed to dash out of the room.

Barnes turned to you and raised his hand, almost like a kid, silently asking for a treat. You stuffed a chocolate coated cookie in your mouth and handed him the whole tray.

He took it and placed it on his lap, thanking Laura graciously. 

“The smell,” he said, sniffing one of the cookies before taking a bite, “is so familiar. It’s pulling me somewhere, I think in the past. I’m getting a distinct feeling of comfort from this smell.” He looked up at Laura, smiling brightly. “I think my mother baked cookies as well. Something similar to these. I’ll have to ask Steve about it.”

Then, his smile faltered as he chewed, as if something was marring his experience of the delicious cookies. Perhaps a bad memory resurfacing?

“That’s great,” Laura said, hands to her chest. “If I can help in any way, I’ll be more than happy to do it.”

“Perhaps you gotta keep baking these treats,” you suggested, taking another bite of your chocolate coated walnut cookie. “You know, to jog his memory a bit more. I wouldn't mind a constant supply of these. They’re heavenly!”

“What happened to the tea?” Barnes asked, giving you a pointed look. Ugh, Natasha… she was definitely avoiding coming back up here.

“I’ll go and check on Nat. She should’ve brought the tea up long ago.” With that, Laura left you and Barnes alone.

“She’s an assassin. A spy. Lies are entrenched in her bones,” he stated then, almost startling you from your cookie induced sugar high. “She has also lived most of her life as an asset, a tool. Just like me… and your Loki.”

Your Loki … you kind of liked the sound of that.

“He’s a sorcerer and prince, not an assassin. Or a spy.”

Barnes gave you a lopsided grin. “Who says he can’t be all of them at the same time?”

Yeah, well, he wasn’t wrong.

“Stop provoking Nat,” you said after half a minute of consideration. You wanted to bring the topic back to Natasha. “I think your best bet at remembering things is either Steve Rogers or Loki. Not her. There’s nothing to be gained there.”

“Maybe not for you.”

“What does that even--” Your response was cut short by an increased activity at a certain tactical SHIELD base, which you were keeping an eye on.

That was… worrying, as this was the base that stored SHIELD’s newest helicarriers. There hadn’t been any suspicious activities on that base till date. Why now? They weren’t set for a launch for at least a week or two.

After giving a quick message to Clint about this new issue, you decided to keep a close watch on the base while your main mission was carried forward by Agent Hill’s team.

You’d deal with Barnes’ issues later. Or Steve Rogers could do it, after returning from the mission. At present, that wasn't your priority; taking down HYDRA was it.

Loki and Thor were in a strange place. It looked like a citadel, located in the forested area of the tiny country of Sokovia. Apt for a HYDRA facility that was off the grid.

“We’re here,” he spoke softly into the communication device, nodding to Thor, who was also observing the citadel. “And we’re going in.”

“Wait for me!” Stark hissed into his device, sounding impatient. “Are you even sure that this is the place? We have nothing on it from Matrix’s database mining.”

“I think it’s off grid on purpose. Even Sitwell didn’t know much about it. But from what I saw in his mind, this place is important. Time is of the essence, besides, it may be too risky for you, Stark,” Loki replied, sending a tendril of seidr out for reconnaissance. It returned with valuable information. The base had about forty personnel inside.

“Well, I’m Iron Man, risky is my middle name!”

Loki rolled his eyes. “Suit yourself.”

“Was that a pun?”

Loki didn’t reply. Thor did.

“Pun or not, if you’re not here in five minutes, we’re heading in. This looks like a promising battle.”

And Thor made good on that threat. Obviously, Stark didn’t show up in five minutes, for he was flying across a whole ocean to get there.

Loki and Thor went into the citadel in their renowned ways. Thor was the awe-inspiring god of thunder, going in like a destructive storm that ruined everything in its path. Meanwhile, Loki was the shock-inspiring god, taking everyone by surprise, dismantling all defences and weakening the citadel from within. He used both his magic and his combat skills, working with precision and stealth, taking cover under Thor's more boisterous attacks.

Together, they were shock and awe, perfectly in synchronous, just the way they had fought together in battles of the past.

“Be careful, they have an array of Chitauri-like weapons on them,” Loki called from within the centre of the citadel, knowing that Thor had a habit of growing overenthusiastic with his combat moves and lightning.

“As if I didn’t take them down as well!” Thor countered with a laugh, which made Loki chuckle as well.

After incapacitating the operatives on the upper levels, they both met at the basement, from where a powerful and somewhat familiar vibration was emanating. It was all quite entertaining for them both, fighting foes as a team, working in complementing ways. One was a swift rapier, and the other was a heavy club. Together, they were lethal.

By the time they dismantled the basement security, Loki was sure that he knew what was hiding there.

“Remember how SHIELD didn’t return the scepter to you, citing some pretext or the other?” he asked Thor as he felt along the walls for a give, very certain that a hidden room lay ahead. “I think I know why.”

He pointed at a part of the wall after knocking on it a few times. Thor threw his hammer at that portion of the wall, and it crumbled quickly.

Indeed, a big hidden chamber was revealed, full of Chitauri weapons. But that wasn’t the centre of their attention. The scepter was… the same scepter that Loki had carried in his hand during his crazed rampage not long ago.

“It wasn’t with SHIELD, it was with HYDRA,” Thor muttered, glaring at it.

“Hmm…” Loki stepped inside the room, looking around, observing every little detail. Something in here struck him as odd. “They have a very old computer here.”

“How do you know about it?”

Loki shrugged. “Our Code Thaumaturge had a book in her apartment that catalogued all kinds of computers. I read it because I was bored.”

Thor laughed at that. “Of course you did.”

“The more important question is… what is it doing here, among the Chitauri weapons and the scepter?”

“Can it be turned on?”

“Only one way to see.”

Loki traced its power cord with his eyes. It was plugged into a power unit in the wall. Crouching down, he pressed the appropriate buttons on the machine to turn it on. At first, nothing happened, and Thor even began to snort in amusement. But then the boxy monitor of the system came to life, with two words glowing on it, ending with a question mark-- Initiate System?

Loki leaned forward and typed Y-E-S on the keyboard, pressing enter.

The screen flickered green, with an odd, grainy image coming up on it. It was a face--a man wearing oddly shaped spectacles. Or at least it looked like that to Loki.

“What is that?” Thor asked, and Loki, sadly, had no answers for him.

That’s when the image in the monitor began to move and speak, something that the computers of the old definitely weren’t programmed for.

“Thor and Loki, sons of Odin. Ah, to be the one to behold the Gods who gave us the Tesseract all those years ago…” The image of the man spoke in a heavy accent. “Johann Shmidt would be so jealous if he were here.”

Thor took a step back, aghast. “Is this thing interacting with us? That doesn’t seem right.”

Loki spotted a camera right above them, it’s lens moving, making a hushed sound. “It seems to be. Even though that wasn’t possible on these old machines. Someone tweaked this one to suit their needs.”

“And who’s Johann Shmidt?”

Loki activated his communication device. “Johann Shmidt. Ring any bells?”

Someone on the line cursed colourfully. It sounded like Steve Rogers. 

“HYDRA. The founder of HYDRA,” Barton answered, while Rogers muttered about HYDRA in the back. “Guys, where are you? I think you need to get out of there.”

“Greetings. I’m Arnim Zola, in brain, if not in flesh,” the computer image spoke up again. “It is a true pleasure to meet you.”

You were on your third muffin, still watching the activity on the SHIELD base and keeping a track of your bug progress. It seemed that things were running smoothly thus far.

Which was giving you anxiety. Because this was supposed to be a big shake-up for HYDRA, and they were oddly quiet about it. 

You were beginning to doubt your success now, despite Agent Hill’s reassurances that everything was going as planned.

It had to come to this. The stress and anxiety was getting to you.

So when you heard a crash outside your designated work room, you got so startled that you almost snapped your own neck in your hurry to get to the door. Already on high alert due to the circumstances, you expected the worst on the other side of the door.

However, as you opened it--just a little bit--to peer outside, you were met with a scene that looked like it had jumped straight out of a femme fatale action movie.

Barnes was lying flat on the floor, on his stomach, while Natasha was literally sitting on his ass, holding him at gunpoint.

Both of them were breathing heavily.

“I told you to leave me alone, James,” she growled, pushing the muzzle into his neck.

He remained quiet and passive for a few seconds, but then, in a sudden move, he flipped them both over. Now that Natasha was under him, he was easily able to hold her down with his weight while his metallic hand easily grabbed hold of her weapon.

“It bothers you when I bring up the past, doesn’t it?” he asked, throwing the gun away, his breath a bit short. “You’re wracked with the same guilt as I am. Tell me, how do you deal with it?”

“By doing good, now get off me,” she hissed, struggling beneath him.

“Tell me why you’re keeping your history hidden?”

“It’s none of your business!”

“You weren’t born in 1984.”

“No, and that’s all you’re getting from me.”

Well shit… 

“Guys, can you cut it out?” you called from the doorway, eyeing them both grimly as you fully opened it. “I have a job to do, and your flirty combat is disturbing me.”

They both pulled apart and scrambled to get up, looking like reprimanded school kids. Oh well, they could do this after the mission was over, it wasn’t a bother to you. But right now, you needed to focus.

Rolling your eyes at them, you went back to your workstation.

Only to find a bunch of messages from Clint. When you read them, your eyes grew big.

“Uhh… guys, we have news. Loki and Thor found the Chitauri stash and the... scepter? Oh! Wait, the same scepter he was poking everyone with during his… you know, that time .”

You didn’t like to talk about that time . That was Loki’s dark era, even he didn't like to talk about it.

“And they found Arnim Zola there? Who even is that?”

“What?” Natasha rushed over and took the phone from you to read the messages herself, her whole body tense like a bowstring.

“That’s the scientist who experimented on me,” Barnes stated, the metal of his arm creaking as he clenched his fingers in a fist. “Wouldn’t he be dead by now? I certainly hoped that he would be.”

“He’s dead, but apparently they saved his brain on an old computer, according to what Clint heard over the comms,” Natasha replied, putting your phone back on the table. “This is bad. The US government had brought him in to work for SHIELD, from what I recall from the records. If Zola is pulling the HYDRA strings even now, then the HYDRA roots run deep into SHIELD. The whole organization is compromised, and there’s likely no saving it now.”

That sounded bad indeed. “So, what do we do now? Who do we trust?”

“Our people are still good. Plus, we have the Asgardians on our side. Don’t lose hope just yet,” she said, giving you a tight smile. “But yeah, I think the Asgardian bros need to get out of there ASAP. Send a text to Clint to pass on the message.”

You nodded, picking up your phone to do what she had suggested. Just as you pressed send, something on your monitor caught your eye.

The SHIELD base was suddenly abuzz, even more so than before, with several personnel arriving there in dark, tinted cars--very similar to the ones that had attacked you on the freeway. You moved your view to the cams in the launch centre, just to be sure if the helicarriers were safe. They were, but it seemed that the increased activity at the base was centred around these behemoth airships.

“Nat, what do you think is happening here?” you asked, bringing her attention to you. “What’s with the helicarriers? Their launch wasn’t scheduled today, right?”

Natasha quickly switched between the cams at this location, as if trying to find something in there. This went on for a tense minute or two. You were almost certain that this was nothing alarming, perhaps only a drill. But when you heard her curse in a different tongue, you knew that some terrible shit was about to go down.

When you followed her line of sight, you found motherfucking Alexander Pierce standing right there, in a corner of the launch station, with several people dressed in combat gear.

This was alarming, alright. Very alarming.

Chapter Text

“So you know about us?” Loki asked Zola, listening to Barton and Rogers over the line at the same time. Apparently, Zola was Schmidt’s right hand man, a genius of high order who led his weapons development back in the day.

Which meant that he was the actual brain behind HYDRA’s development and propagation. And he was somehow still around, even though his body had died long ago. He knew that part-machine and nonbiological creatures existed, or even the ones with hive minds, but to see one on Midgard, and that too completely computer generated, was strange.

“Of course, I also know why you’re here. It seems that my plans are coming to fruition,” Zola continued.

“What plans?”

The computer screen showed them old footage of a war, presumably the second great war of humanity in the 1940s era. The images then shifted, presenting the original SHIELD founders, their names listed beneath their visages. 

“HYDRA was founded on the belief that humanity could not be trusted with its own freedom. I suppose Loki understands that concept well.”

The computer now showed them Loki's own conquering campaign across New York and Germany, making him grit his teeth in annoyance. Thor glanced at him, a worried look crossing his face. Loki remained quiet, allowing Zola to continue. This wasn't a time for arguments. He needed to know why Zola was doing all this.

“What we did not realize was that if you try to take that freedom, they resist. The war taught us much. Humanity needed to surrender its freedom willingly . After the war, SHIELD was founded and I was recruited. The new HYDRA grew. A beautiful parasite inside SHIELD. For seventy years HYDRA has been secretly feeding crisis, reaping war. And when history did not cooperate, history was changed.”

More imagery flowed in the archaic screen while Zola prattled on, showing several conflicts across the history and geography of Midgard. It made Loki wonder if Odin’s policy of non-intervention for Midgard had been wise. Even though it wasn’t a perfect solution, they could’ve dealt with Hydra long ago…

“HYDRA created a world so chaotic that humanity is finally ready to sacrifice its freedom to gain its security. Your attack on Earth only helped us along, Loki. Once the purification process is complete, HYDRA's new world order will arise.”

“Purification?” Loki frowned. This sounded intriguing and terrible.

“I wrote an algorithm. I’m sure you’ll know about it eventually. It’s called Project Insight.”

“Wait, that name’s familiar. That’s what the encrypted files contained,” Barton replied, still listening in. “That list of hundreds of names, of people with potential to overthrow HYDRA and run the world in a better way.”

Loki knew about it, of course. Aside from the encrypted files, he had seen it in Sitwell’s mind too, even in Pierce’s. It was a tall ambition to achieve.

“I see both your brains ticking, but it’s too late to stop us now. I have achieved the ultimate aim of HYDRA.”

“Guys, for real, get out of there, you don’t have back-up yet,” Barton repeated, sounding worried now. Loki closed the communication device then, wanting to concentrate on the matter at hand. Meanwhile, Thor began to glow with lightning. He assumed that he wanted to get rid of Zola now. He was of the same mind.

“Thor, destroy this thing,” Loki whispered, moving to unplug the machine. Before he could even unplug it, Thor smashed the whole equipment to the ground. Efficient as ever… 

In the next moment, they heard a deep groan coming from somewhere in the opposite wall, and it alerted them both immediately. 

They didn't see anything, but both he and Thor got knocked down by a strange, whipping wind.

“What the…”

An array of glowing red orbs came at them right after, and Loki just about managed to shield himself and Thor from their energy blast as it rained on them. The strange attack carried the signature of the Mind Stone, and that put Loki on high alert.

“Ah, I daresay I know what they did with the scepter,” he grumbled, throwing out a quick spell to multiply himself into several copies as he stood up.

That did the trick of exposing their attackers, who came forward to attempt and fight his illusory forms.

A boy and a girl, perhaps in late adolescence, possessing powers beyond their control… that was what it all was to Loki. They both reeked of the scepter’s glowing orb. The boy was fast like the wind itself, and the girl possessed a fraction of the cosmic essence from the Mind Stone itself. Interesting.

Grabbing the scepter, he put up a protection spell on himself as he walked forward and dissolved his clones. “Stop. We’re not here to fight you.”

They both cried out and tried to attack him. The boy got knocked down against his seidr powered shield and the girl’s fiery orbs of red energy sizzled as they hit him. They weakened his shield, but it remained intact. For now.

“What is the meaning of this?” Thor shouted from behind him, almost making Loki cringe. He got hit by a red energy ball almost immediately, letting out an almost delicate sounding ‘oof' as he went down.

“Who are you?” the girl asked, her eyes glowing red as she raised her hands again.

“Stop it,” Loki warned, raising the scepter in response. “Stop attacking us.”

“Who. Are. You?” she asked again, slowly this time, still trying to threaten. Her palms glowed brighter, with the energy orbs growing in size.

“We’re here to rescue you,” Loki answered, wanting to keep her attention on him, not Thor. “You were… being misled here. Whatever these people, from HYDRA, told you, it was all untrue.”

“What do you mean? They told us that we’d get powers, and we did,” the boy countered, knocking on Loki’s magical shield, looking more fascinated than combative now.

Loki kept his focus on the girl, not him. She was clearly the more volatile of the two and looked poised for another attack. “I’m someone who knows the scepter well. I’ve been under its influence. I know what it did to you, how you gained these powers you can hardly control.”

That revelation startled them, as was obvious in the way their jaws dropped.

Slowly, the girl lowered her arms and the red faded from her eyes. She walked towards Loki, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. “You have powers too.”

“I do,” he replied, hoping that Thor wouldn’t disrupt his progress again. “I can help you.”

“And yet you still have that invisible shield over you. You’re scared,” she said, stopping right in front of him. The boy shifted behind her, his stance wary and protective. Their movements and actions were similar, almost fluidly coordinated.

“In my defence, you and your brother were attacking me and my brother.”

That surprised the boy. “How do you know we’re siblings?”

“I told you, I know things. I’m here to help.”

The moment grew tense as they all stood there and stared at each other, trying to assess who had the upper hand here.

“We attacked because we were told to,” she confessed, looking beyond Loki, observing Thor. He didn’t dare to turn around and look at what he was doing. Likely something distracting. “You’re not to be trusted.”

“Who told you that? The ones who put your life in danger by exposing you to this thing?” Loki lifted the scepter to draw attention to it, reminding her that he held the source of her powers. “As I mentioned before, I’ve been under the influence of its orb too. It feeds you forbidden fantasies and dreams, it poisons your mind. You can’t tell me that you don’t feel it too.”

The red balls of energy dissipated from her palms as she looked at the scepter, her gaze unflinching. “Who are you? How do you know so much about that thing?”

“I’ll tell you everything if you tell me everything.”

She tilted her head sideways, still assessing him. “I can show you what they did to us,” she offered, “but you have to take your shield down for that.”

That seemed fraught with risk, but if it helped in neutralizing her, then he was willing to take that chance. “How?”

“I have a way of showing things… directly into a person’s mind.”

He understood that mechanism. “So… telepathy?”

She shrugged. "Sort of."

“I want to see as well,” Thor said, still shuffling somewhere behind him. He most certainly did not want him involved.

“One at a time,” the girl responded.

“Alright…” Pursing his lips, Loki slowly dissolved the protection spell. He still didn't trust her, but what harm could she do? He was already familiar with the energy of the Mind Stone. He could handle it.

She raised her hands again, the red glow returning to them and her eyes. Just as they drew close to his head, flashes of memories began to assault him.

These weren’t her memories, though, they were his .

“What are you doing?” he growled under his breath, looking down at her as she showed him his past, especially the recent events. His fall from Asgard featured heavily, as did his time with the mad Titan.

“That’s how I work,” she replied, frowning upon seeing the images in his mind. “I needed to make sure that you were telling the truth about the scepter. So you’re Loki. The Loki.”

He didn’t like what she was doing, but apparently, she wasn’t aware that this kind of telepathy worked both ways. Her prying into his mind had opened the channel for Loki to glance into her mind. 

“Who’s that ?” she asked with a gasp as she probed, her eyes widening.

Ah, she was seeing one of Thanos' minions…

He didn't elaborate, he was too busy snooping into her memories to explain his. Hers were… interesting. She was motivated by vengeance; that he could respect, but her target was… highly improbable to be her culprit.

“So, Wanda Maximoff, you hate Tony Stark.”

Her eyes narrowed in response, and their telepathic link transformed.

Suddenly, the visions in his head turned into something else. These weren't memories, these were thoughts and premonitions. Something straight out of his worst fears, or a possible future. What he saw in there made him flinch. 

He took a step back from her, disengaging the telepathy immediately. “I offered to help you and you tried your mind tricks on me. Do you think it worked?”

“What happened?” Thor asked, raising his hammer as Loki backed up.

“She tried to show me something , alright,” he replied, noting the subtle movements of both the siblings. They were on the defensive now. “It wasn’t something I cared to see.”

“We set you free from your captors, and is this how you pay us back?” Thor asked, his voice booming in the empty basement. “You’re far too young to be here, to possess these powers.”

“You’re right,” the boy said cryptically. “We’re free now. You better watch out.”

There was a pause then, and Loki knew what it meant. An attack was coming. While he raised his defences, the girl raised her hands. But she didn’t direct her energy towards him or Thor, she sent a strong barrage of it into the citadel’s support structure.

“Damn right, we’re free,” she yelled, right as the whole building collapsed, burying Loki and Thor under it.

“So, what exactly do you think Pierce is doing at the helicarrier launch site?” You kept staring pensively at the cam as the combat team dispersed, leaving only Pierce and another man in a suit there. They were having a conversation, and you badly wanted to hear it.

Alas, the cameras didn’t have mics.

“Didn’t you say that they were about to launch in a few days?” Barnes asked.

“Yeah.”

“And they’re ready to launch?”

“They’ll need to get some pre-launch touch ups and protocols in order, but essentially, Mr. Stark’s designs don’t need much prep. Perhaps a few hours.”

There was a moment of pregnant silence, where each one of you just stared at the cameras.

Then, Barnes spoke up once again, sighing heavily. “They’re going to use the helicarriers.”

“For what? For finding us?” you asked, bewildered by his conclusion.

“No.” That was Natasha. “They’re going to use the helicarrier fire power to carry out the main purpose of Project Insight.”

Your eyes grew big like saucers. “What?! They’re… they’re gonna murder all those people with helicarriers?”

“Think about it. There are three new helicarriers with heavy duty, long distance guns and missiles on them. They don’t just fire them, they do it accurately,” Natasha supplied, reminding you just how lethal these ships were. “Not to mention the fighter jets.”

It took a while to sink in. HYDRA was going to use your boss’s tech to destroy so many lives. Mr. Stark was trying to do his best to save the world from threats; this wasn’t how he had intended his weapons’ design to be used. His basic folly had been to trust SHIELD.

Your eyes narrowed as you watched Pierce interact with that man, all suited up and acting chilled out, even though the bruises on his face were very visible. They were definitely from Loki.

As you looked on and ruminated, it finally clicked. You knew exactly what to do to stop HYDRA’s plans.

Pulling out a suitcase from under your table, you opened it and began to look for something very specific.

“What are you doing?” Natasha asked, crouching down with you. “What is all this crap?”

Uhh, rude.

“It’s not crap, Nat, it’s hardware. Specifically the hardware that Stark tech uses.”

“I used ‘crap’ colloquially. What exactly are you looking for?”

“Controller chips.”

“Why?”

“Cuz we're gonna burn HYDRA to the ground, baby!” The more you thought about it, the more tactically sound your impromptu plan looked to you. “I have a simple solution to this problem. Replacing all the controller chips in those helicarriers. New chips won’t respond to their commands, only mine. I’ll have the code for it, no one else.”

“But how will we do this? Our whole team is dispersed.” Natasha shook her head and began to pace. ”Even Maria cannot arrange something this quickly. We already need people down at that launching base in DC.”

While she kept muttering in frustration, you had your sights straight on your new mission. When you found the chips, you got to work immediately, hooking them up with your computer and feeding the commands into them.

And while you did so, you tried to alleviate some of Natasha’s worries.

“Chill, Nat, we still have a few hours, at least, according to my watch. Launching these things is not a child's play. They will need to boot up the systems, get the whole command team ready for pre-launch system adjustments and protocols, prepare the hardware and brush up the weapons and other shit on them. And since not all of SHIELD is HYDRA, that cannot go as smoothly as they might expect. Questions will be asked, and people will be wondering what the hell is going on. Like, they’re suddenly launching these behemoths almost two weeks prior to their actual launch date, without any notice. It ain’t easy.”

“Wow, golubushka, you’re in the zone. What happened to you?” she asked, sounding shocked at your cool headed attitude.

You snorted. “Necessity. If I lose my mind, I lose everything. I can’t let these motherfuckers win.”

“I didn’t know you were this… “ Barnes stalled, apparently trying to look for an appropriate word but coming up short.

“Badass?” you tried to help him along, typing furiously.

“Hmm… I suppose you are.” Then, you heard him ask Natasha, in a very hushed tone, what a ‘badass’ was. That almost made you snort aloud again. Poor guy needed a guide for modern lingo. That wouldn’t be a problem once everyone had more time on their hands.

“Nat, can you please tell Clint about our plans. See if he or others can arrange some kinda help for us. Best would be to have them all reach the launch site ASAP. In fact, tell him to relay this to Loki and Thor first. If they get there on time, we can complete this task faster.”

“I know Loki will do anything to keep you safe,” she commented as she took out her phone and began to text.

“I know…” You nodded, suddenly feeling all warm and fuzzy inside, recalling his confession of love. That gave you the strength and courage to continue your work.

You knew that he’d be pissed to hear about your plan. You were essentially breaking your promise to him, but then again, he had done the same to you. He had gone off to Sokovia with Thor without asking anyone for inputs or suggestions, including you. Moreover, if you didn’t do anything now, it was going to cost a lot of lives.

While Thor pushed through the rubble, Loki teleported out, scepter in hand. He looked around, scanning the woods for any sign of the siblings, but couldn't find them.

"They're gone," he muttered, his fist clenching in anger. “This is what HYDRA has produced. These unstable adolescents with powers they can hardly control! They’re essentially turning children into weapons!”

“I agree, it’s most disturbing. What should we do now? Go after them?” Thor asked, dusting himself off. “They might harm others wherever they go.”

“I don’t know what to do, but we can’t chase them right now. Our priorities rest elsewhere.”

Loki tried to contact Barton immediately, only to discover that the communication device was broken. He retrieved his phone, but there was no network. Of course, there was no network; they were in the middle of a fucking forest. Turning the Stark satellite feature on, he waited for a signal, only to see the text of ‘attempting to connect’ glowing on the screen.

“Fucked by the Uphimmin!” Kicking a rock in rage, he turned to Thor, his seidr sparkling around him like static. “Are yours working?”

Thor handed him his phone and his communication device without a word, watching him with rapt attention. Alas, his devices had suffered the same fate as Loki’s.

“Damnit!” Loki threw his phone back at him, running a hand through his messed up hair in frustration. His seidr pulsated all around him, reflecting his ire.

“Are you alright, Loki?” Thor asked, stepping closer to place his hand on his shoulder.

“I’m not!” Loki snarled, pushing him away, feeling the energy of the Mind Stone bearing down on him like an invisible weight.

Before he could do more harm, he took a step back, breathing heavily, his arm raised to indicate the need for space. He could hear the high pitched sound of the Mjolnir, a response to Thor’s tightening grip. Of course, he was close to the scepter too, within the reach of the Mind Stone. He wasn’t going to react well to it either...

Closing his eyes, Loki tried to centre himself, calling on a protection spell to create a sort of barrier between his mind and the scepter’s influence.

“The scepter is magnifying my emotions, like always. Yours too.”

“What? Mine too?” Thor asked, sounding like he didn’t believe him.

“That’s what it does. It took me a while to piece it together. But… we can’t let it control us.” Opening his eyes, he finally met Thor’s uneasy gaze, feeling a bit more stable now. “We need to get to the American landmass as soon as possible. I have a feeling that something terrible is about to happen.”

He had just about completed that sentence when suddenly, the blinding glow of the bifrost engulfed both him and Thor.

Within moments, they landed on Asgard, almost falling face first into the Observatory.

“Apologies…” The deep rumble of Heimdall’s voice echoed in the chamber, prompting them to look up as they regained their balance. “I had to bring you back home, for there’s an urgent matter at hand.”

“Heimdall, what in the Nine Realms is going on?” Thor asked, looking around in confusion.

Loki, on the other hand, wasn’t so much confused as he was enraged.

“Send us back,” he rasped, glaring at the gatekeeper of Asgard. “I don’t care about any urgent matters here. We’re needed on Midgard.”

Heimdall glared back at him. “You will stay here. Asgard needs its princes in this trying time.”

“What trying time?”

“The Allfather is on the death bed,” he answered, turning towards Thor. “The Allmother has asked for your presence.”

Chapter Text

“Are you sure about this?”

You hesitated, then grew irritated by the question. “Do we have a choice?”

“Subjective…”

You groaned under your breath as you glanced at Natasha. She was tense, despite her overtly joking tone.

“You know that people are going to die if we don’t do this now. We can’t have that.”

She grasped your hand and squeezed it tightly. “What about the fact that we’re likely going to die if we get caught.”

She was right; it only irritated you further. 

“We won’t. Where did your self confidence go, Nat? Also, Loki and Thor are coming back. Everything will be fine.”

“Clint didn’t confirm that,” Barnes responded, sliding a knife out of his pants pocket to fiddle with it. “He’s in fact quite stressed out over our impromptu mission of recklessness.”

“Guys, can you please stop talking like that? It’s not good for my nerves, and the other guy hates the nerves. I’m barely keeping it together.”

Oh damn, Dr. Banner… you kind of regretted bringing him as a back-up, but Natasha had insisted. The possibility of him getting nervous was making you nervous in turn. Going HULK was absolutely the last plan to activate in any given situation.

“Alright, no one’s dying and no one’s getting hurt, ok? We have to do this. Where’s the back-up that Cap had promised?” you asked, checking the packets that contained the rogue controller chips (for the umpteenth time). They were fine.

“Incoming,” Natasha replied, looking at her phone. “Cap said that he is very resourceful, especially if you wanna get to the heart of the helicarriers.”

“Where’s the rest of the team now?” you asked, pulling up your binoculars to look over at the building where the helicarriers were secretly stored. It looked so unassuming, no one would even suspect that it contained dangerous weapons in its basement.

“Cap and Clint are in New Mexico. Tony is still somewhere over the Atlantic. And… here comes our back-up, I guess.”

You turned around to see who it was, only to see Natasha and Barnes both pointing their weapons at the man walking towards you. He was wearing a strange backpack.

“What the hell, guys?” he asked, raising his hands in the air. “I was told to help you. On Cap’s assurances.”

“Sorry, taking the usual precautions,” Natasha replied, lowering her gun, nodding to Barnes to do the same. “Code?”

The guy rolled his eyes. “ Let the eagle of freedom fly. Way too long and way too obvious, if I must add.”

While Barnes frowned, Natasha snorted. “Yup. Good. Welcome to the team.”

She then pointed at you.

“That’s the mastermind. Follow her plan.”

You blushed and waved at him, introducing yourself.

“Sam Wilson,” he said with a nod. “I presumed I’m meeting Agent Hill here.” 

“Agent Hill is at an undisclosed location.”

Sam’s gaze was assessing and shrewd, but amicable. You didn’t know a single thing about him, but you trusted him all the same, because Captain America trusted him. That was the thread you were hanging onto.

“Alright…” His line of sight then shifted to Barnes and his eyes narrowed. “And I suppose that’s the Bucky I’ve been hearing about. Didn’t expect to meet him, but I welcome surprises.”

“Stop talking about me like I’m not even here,” Barnes responded, looking affronted. “And don’t believe much of what Steve says about me. He exaggerates.”

Before Sam could reply, you interjected. “Oookay, so let’s get back to business. We don’t have time for chitchat.”

Sam nodded, his demeanour growing serious. “So, what’s the plan?”

“Here.” You took out the controller chips from your jacket and showed them to him. “This is the plan.”

“Ugh, these digital masks feel weird. I wish Loki was already here so we could disguise ourselves without all this trouble,” you muttered, walking towards a security check-point. “And the wig is kinda itchy.”

Natasha, who looked like a blonde old lady right now, just gave you a long, hard stare. “Stop bitching and just admit that you miss him.”

“That’s beside the point I’m making!” you protested, checking your own persona as you passed a mildly reflective steel frame door. You were a middle aged woman with salt-pepper hair and freckles. Nothing very out of the ordinary. It was enough to let you mingle in the crowd.

While you and Barnes--also middle aged and unremarkable--were dressed as cleaning staff, Natasha was dressed as a higher up SHIELD official. She had chosen the identity after doing thorough research. That person wasn’t going to make it to the launch in time, all thanks to the background support op of Agent Hill.

“Alright, I’m gonna give you two access on the pretext of cleaning. You go in and do the job quickly,” she whispered as the three of you stepped into the hall that held the helicarriers. “This is the easiest option, so for the love of everything that’s holy, don’t deviate from the plan.”

“It’s my plan, why’d I deviate?” you asked, really feeling the nerves now and trying to hide them desperately.

“I was talking to the assassin supreme.” She pursed her lips, looking at Barnes, who seemed tense too.

“Don’t worry, dorogaya ,” he replied offhandedly, to which she simply didn’t respond. Her lips did twitch, though.

Really, whatever pseudo flirting was happening between them needed to take a break for now…

After you were given the clearances for going inside the helicarriers, Natasha parted ways with you to head over to the command centre.

For now, your job was to stop the helicarriers and possibly nab Pierce. It would be great if the whole team would make it here by the time half of it was done, because it would give you a huge boost. Without others, you were short in numbers, muscle and even otherworldly powers.

The fact that Loki and Thor were both out of the loop was not giving you good vibes. You still didn’t understand what was holding them up in Sokovia. After all, what was the worst that Bot Zola could do? He couldn’t physically hold them there, right?

“You’re walking too slow,” Barnes warned you as you both entered the first helicarrier. “We need to do this clean-up quickly.”

Yes, you understood what he meant. These masks were battery operated, and their batteries were quite meh, because they were essentially prototypes. You had to complete your task before they ran out of juice.

Giving him a nod, you quickened your pace.

But reaching into the heart of these behemoths was going to take a while. They were fucking huge, and their central units weren’t actually in the centre. They were deliberately designed this way, like a labyrinth--hard to reach and not easy to discern, unless you were someone who had worked on them.

Apparently this redesign owed its origins to Loki and his 2012 rampage.

Funny how things reconnected to him in strange ways…

“Where are we even going?” Barnes asked pensively, just as a couple of SHIELD (or HYDRA) personnel stationed there turned their heads towards you two.

“Just trust me, I know what I’m doing.” You tried not to side-eye the personnel as you walked past them casually, giving them a nod of respect to meet the quota of requisite ass-kissing.

“Hey!” One of them suddenly called from behind, just when you thought you had made it past them without being suspicious.

You and Barnes both turned around to face them. “Yes?”

“Who approved you?”

Well shit...

“Officer Mcgill.”

They blinked for a second, then nodded. “You must be here to clean the console area. You’re going the wrong way. Go this way.” He indicated with his thumb, showing you the first corridor to the left. You needed to go to the last one.

Ugh…

“Oh, thanks!” Giving him a thumbs up, you followed his suggestion, while Barnes muttered something under his breath behind you. It sounded like a curse.

This was definitely a deviation from the plan. You were so fucked…

“My sons,” Odin croaked from the glowing bed, his frame looking frail and almost lifeless. “Forgive me…”

It was hard to see him like this, a most powerful man reduced to this state. The sight was disturbing…

By the cruel hand of fate, it was a good thing Loki was distracted by his other worries. Distracted enough to not yet begin mourning… even though, in his heart, he knew that it was time to put their differences to rest and let the man go to feast in the halls of Valhalla.

Thor went to his bed while Loki kept standing by it, stoic and silent, watching him intently.

“Father,” Thor murmured, grasping his wrinkled hand, his eyes brimming. “You needn’t…”

“No, I need to,” Odin gasped, looking up at him, a watery smile gracing his wizened face. “I need to. Let me.”

Thor nodded, while Loki’s hands twitched in a horrid mix of anxiety and grief.

“I tried to be a good king, a good father. Unfortunately, I failed at both. I failed you…” Odin’s gaze shifted to Loki, a single tear escaping his eye. “So focused I was on my political strategies, I couldn’t see how unjust I was, to you both most of all.”

He halted, taking a laborious breath.

Loki could feel his vision blurring with unshed tears, but still, he kept his stoic distance, seeing how Odin was already surrounded by Thor and Frigga on each side.

But Odin’s gaze was locked with him still, and he couldn’t look away.

“Let me talk to Loki in private, please,” Odin requested then, to the surprise of everyone in the room. “I must.”

Frigga looked up at Loki with wet eyes, giving him a nod of reassurance as she rose from the bed. She pulled a very confused Thor along as she stepped outside with the healers, leaving Loki alone with his adoptive father.

Loki still couldn’t move. He kept standing by the bed, unblinking, taken in by a torrent of thoughts.

Odin’s gaze softened, and he continued to speak.

“Loki, my child of heart, if not of blood. Even though I tried to deny it, over the centuries, I have seen more of myself in you than I have in Thor, though I have denied it vehemently. Ours was a silent relationship, wasn't it? Full of my prejudices and reluctances…” He began to cough, prompting Loki to bring him some water. 

He didn’t take it, instead, he grasped Loki’s hand and urged him to sit next to him. 

“I realized it too late, when I began missing your presence, even more so when I began to miss being called father by you.”

That’s when the dam broke. Tears spilled over, and Loki couldn't help it. He let them flow, remembering how the last time he had called him ‘father’ was when he had been hanging onto the Gungnir, about to fall into the void.

“My mistakes are numerous, my wrongs untold. But my biggest folly was to not chase you down that void, son. When I let you fall, I let myself fall. That was the day I truly died…”

By now, Loki was grasping his hand tightly, even though his grip was loosening due to his failing health. They had both never been very expressive in physical affection, and it was still awkward. But Loki knew that they both needed it right now.

“Father…” he mumbled shakily through the tears. “I wasn’t without fault either.”

Odin smiled sadly. “I know all about your faults, son. Know this, they are nothing compared to mine. You have grown where I haven’t. Therein lies the difference between you and me. You adapt and learn and evolve. I chose to remain rigid.”

Suddenly, his eye clouded over, as though he were seeing something beyond his literal sight. While Loki frowned in confusion, Odin’s grip on his hand tightened.

“You have to go.”

“What?”

“You have to go back to Midgard.”

“H-How do you--”

“I have my ways. Your mother isn’t the only magic wielder in the family, though she taught you much. We’ll meet in Valhalla when the time comes, my son. Now go and set things right.”

Loki stood up, letting go of Odin’s hand hesitantly. “But…”

Odin’s eye caught that faraway look again. “I know. Worry not, I’m with you. Heimdall!”

Back at the Observatory, Heimdall had his sword pointed at Loki, who was blocking it with his seidr and the scepter. It was a hard act, because he was literally in two places at once, and his mind was in chaos.

“Let me go,” he muttered to the gatekeeper, who was stubbornly holding his ground.

“You do realize that you cannot just--” Heimdall stopped mid-sentence, just as his king’s call reached him.

His sword dropped immediately.

“How do you even do this?” he asked, completely baffled, his usual stubbornness all but gone now. 

Loki didn’t have the luxury of time to answer him. Assimilating his corporeal clone back into himself, he stepped up to him and spoke earnestly. “Tell me where she is. Send me there directly. Now .”

Heimdall pursed his lips and looked in the direction of Midgard as he picked up his sword. “I suppose you have to hurry.”

Loki walked forward as the gatekeeper pushed the sword in its slot, looking more and more sullen by each passing moment. 

“Send reinforcements when you can. Thor will give his assent as the new king.”

Heimdall gave Loki a sharp look. “Your command is enough, given what I’m witnessing right now in the Allfather’s bedchamber.”

That was all he said before he sent Loki hurtling down to Midgard.

"So we meet again," Pierce stated as his HYDRA goons brought you into a dingy room and shoved you in a chair. "Tony Stark's annoying protegee, a known space criminal's whore ."

"Wow, it wasn't enough for you to be a neo Nazi maniac, you gotta be a mysogynist too, huh?" you asked, just as your wrists were attached together with thick metallic cuffs. It was an overkill. "And he's a space prince , mind you. Of two different realms."

Pierce simply smiled at your retort. "Let's get to the point. What did you do to the first helicarrier? It's not responding to any commands."

"How come it's something I did? Could be your shitty command protocol."

You were trying your best to buy time here, hoping that Natasha was still out there, doing the required job. You knew that Barnes had been taken too, despite how strongly he had fought to keep the HYDRA goons from capturing you. They won only because they had numbers on their side. Fifty against one wasn’t a fair fight by any measure.

It had pretty much gone downhill after you had installed the rogue chip, because one of those pesky men who had redirected you had decided to follow you. And he was a HYDRA operative.

You had been captured before you could reach the next helicarrier.

And now, here you were, tied to a chair, being bullied by Pierce. It was scary, to be completely surrounded by the enemy, but you had hope.

Hope of rescue and hope of stopping this enemy.

Otherwise, you were toast.

“I’m asking you again, going easy on you for now. What did you do with the helicarrier?”

“I messed them up real good.”

Pierce looked down and rested his hands on his hips, clearly frustrated. Then, he stepped closer and slapped you without warning.

A loud gasp escaped your mouth as your head snapped sideways. To put it simply, it fucking hurt .

"You little twit," he muttered angrily as he loomed over you. "You did something to override our commands."

"Changed the controller chips," one of his men supplied as you blinked blearily, preparing yourself for another slap.

"Smart, right?" you sassed them, against all wisdom.

God, I'm gonna die here. Sorry Loki… also, where the fuck are you?

"Give me the command protocol you used," Pierce continued, grabbing your jaw. "Or I'll do much worse."

His threat was accompanied by the opening of the door, giving way to lots of black clad HYDRA people. Much to your horror, they brought in both Barnes and Natasha.

They were leaning on them, appearing to be heavily sedated.

"Get them set up, that metabolism burns through the dope quickly," one of them grunted as they carried them to the other restraining chairs in the room.

Well, shit just got real…

Pierce's grip on your jaw tightened painfully. "There goes your back-up plan, silly girl. Still want to keep mum?"

You didn't reply, really feeling the throb in your jaw now.

"Oh, so you think that you can still beat us? Did you forget that we still have two fully functioning helicarriers at our disposal?"

A smile crept up on your face then, breaking through the pain. "Do you?"

You really hoped that your timing was not off…

"What does that mean?" Pierce asked, pulling away, his face twitching in a mockery of a smirk.

You didn't answer, and the seconds ticked away. It felt like time had slowed down.

And then, finally, you heard the sound of a crash. A very loud crash that reverberated through the whole building.

That was enough to galvanize all those HYDRA bitches in the room.

"What's happening?!" Pierce yelled, completely losing his cool at that moment.

"One of the helicarriers crashed back into the hangar. The other is still taking off."

Not for long , you thought to yourself, smirking despite your predicament. Sam Wilson was doing his job well, replacing the controller chips as Plan C of the mission. 

Another crash and bang… and you knew what that meant. All the helicarriers had been compromised now. Where you had failed, Sam had succeeded.

Your smirk, however, disappeared the moment Pierce’s gaze settled on you again. Despite the utter chaos that was surrounding him, he suddenly grew very calm.

“So you have more friends out there.”

You shrugged in a nonconfirming way.

“I see.”

His eyes shifted away from you… and onto Barnes.

“You’re finally home,” he said in an even tone. “Created a lot of problems for us, but I’m willing to forget that, if you’re willing to forget it too.”

It was then that Pierce smiled the most evil smile you had ever seen on anyone. It looked overtly genuine, but just off enough to trigger your uncanny valley.

“I’ve forgotten enough for a lifetime,” Barnes muttered, looking less loopy now. The sedatives must’ve worn off.

“And yet, that’s part of your protocol, is it not, soldat ?”

You felt the atmosphere of the whole room change with that one sentence, as if the air grew heavy and thick, and you couldn’t breathe.

You glanced at Natasha and she appeared absolutely panicked, which meant that it was likely the time for you to panic as well.

That’s when Pierce began a strange sort of chant in another language.

“Zhelaniye… rzhavyy…”

It sounded Russian, from the phonetics at least. Natasha’s expression of horror only confirmed your suspicions.

“Stop!” she cried out, but Pierce didn't even look at her. He continued.

“Semnadtsat… rassvet…”

Barnes growled low in his throat in response, shaking his head. “No… no!”

As Pierce walked closer to him, his smile widened. The more Barnes struggled, the more it pleased him.

“Pech… devyat… dobrokachestvennyy…”

That’s when Barnes really put his strength in, shaking wildly, crying out like a hurt animal. His metallic binds began to show cracks. It was disturbing to witness it… scary even.

It occurred to you then, very belatedly, that Pierce was triggering his Winter Soldier program. That’s why Natasha was panicking.

“Vozvrashcheniye na rodinu… odin… gruzovoy vagon.”

Suddenly, all the thrashing and struggling stopped, leading to an eerie silence. Barnes was breathing heavily still, but he was quiet and calm.

There was likely no Barnes in that head now, only the HYDRA assassin who had attempted to kill you more than once.

“Zimniy soldat?” Pierce grabbed Barnes’ hair to make him look up at him. 

“Gotov podchinyat'sya,” Barnes replied, his voice a monotone, his eyes empty.

“Good.” Pierce nodded, turning his head to make him face you. “That’s your next mission. Make her talk. I need the new helicarrier codes and protocol from her. Use any means necessary, but don’t let her die.”

“Understood.” Barnes nodded while you gasped, your whole body shaking in fear.

You knew then, that you were totally out of your depth in this situation. One hard punch from the Winter Soldier would be enough to render you dead, and there was hardly anything you could do to prevent it.

Chapter Text

Pierce chuckled and moved away from Barnes, stepping into a corner of the room to watch the results of his machinations. Most of the other HYDRA operatives left the room, leaving only a handful who flanked Pierce. They all had gleeful anticipation in their eyes. It made you sick.

Meanwhile, Barnes… no, the Winter Soldier, broke free and rose from his chair. He moved towards you without any delays.

“B-Bucky…” you spoke meekly as he pulled the bindings clean off your hands and lifted you off the chair by your shoulders. “Bucky, no…”

Your legs dangled in the air as he carried you to the opposite wall and shoved you against it, pressing you into the concrete with his whole body. It was enough to pin you to the hard surface; you couldn’t do anything but squirm.

“The codes,” he muttered gruffly, punching the wall right next to you with his metallic hand, creating a hole in it.

Your ears rang and your head spun. All your thoughts and plans grew muddled, mixing with fear and adrenaline. Still, you resisted answering him.

He punched another hole in the wall, closer this time. Somewhere behind him you heard Natasha shouting, but you couldn’t make out the words.

He ignored that and grasped your throat, making you look right into his crazed eyes. “Now listen to me--”

“Bucky, Sergeant Barnes , please!” you cried in distress, cutting him off mid-sentence. You pushed against his shoulders, desperate to free yourself. “This isn’t you! You were supposed to help me! Remember who you are.”

You weren’t sure, because the threat of death and torture sometimes made one hallucinate, but you heard him chuckle in response. It was too low, and your heartbeat was too loud, so you had no way of knowing. It sure made you gape at him, though.

Another hole got punched in the wall, and this time, it was way closer to your head than the last one. Your eyes snapped shut as you turned your head away from the flying concrete bits, certain that the next punch would open your fucking skull.

“Stop it! Please!”

“Shhh…” was all you heard in response from him, and even that was muted enough to confuse the fuck out of you.

Was he telling you to shut up? Did that even matter?

A strange snapping sound came from somewhere behind him then, startling you enough to make you squeak.

You opened your eyes just in time to see that it was Natasha, breaking free from her own bindings in a manner that only confirmed your suspicions about her being superpowered. With a hard kick, her chair was airborne, turning into a projectile aimed at Pierce and his men. They just about scampered away from it as it came flying at them.

Meanwhile, Natasha turned around and kicked Barnes right in his flank. His grip on you loosened as he went careening into the adjacent wall.

“Seriously? Remember who you are? Who are you, Mufasa?” she asked you harshly as she grabbed you and nudged you off to the side.

“I was trying!” you protested, watching her descend on Barnes-- Winter Soldier? You weren’t even sure anymore --with punches and kicks. He tried to avoid them, taking a defensive stance, but she was on fire .

Her thighs wrapped around him, not letting him manoeuvre much. And then she did a very crocodilian-like death roll, making sure that he hit his head against the floor enough times to cause a great concussion to a lesser man’s noggin. 

“What are you doing? Shoot her!” You heard Pierce cry.

“It’s too close. We have to separate them.”

“Then do it!”

No one moved, because clearly, everyone was afraid of Natasha in her full on Black Widow glory. She took that moment’s advantage to literally hurl Barnes at them. He took two men down with him, which was… strange but impressive.

But it was what happened next that completely blew your mind.

Barnes pulled a knife out from somewhere on his person and sliced through the rest of them like fruit ninja. All but Pierce, because they were actively protecting him.

When Barnes came for Pierce, though, he exited the room in haste, activating some kind of lock behind him, you assumed, because the door slammed shut, trapping you, Natasha and Barnes inside.

You were simply too shocked to react to any of this, so you numbly muttered the first thing that came to your mind.

“So… was that thigh death grip part of the flirting?”

They both looked at you askance.

“Was scaring me to near death also part of it?”

Barnes shrugged, while Natasha simply sighed.

“I wasn’t sure if he was himself or not,” she replied, running a hand through her now messy hair. “I had to do something!”

“So you tested him by throwing him at the enemy?” you asked, still not quite sure about what had just happened.

“I didn’t mind it. In fact, it kept me alert,” Barnes replied, giving you a sheepish, almost apologetic smile. “So that I remembered who I was .”

Natasha was quick to tell him about that reference. “She quoted a movie.”

“Really?”

Now it was your turn to feel sheepish. “Yeah, not intentionally, though. But seriously, how did you resist that Winter Soldier programming? You scared the living daylights out of me.”

“Your Loki,” he replied, tapping on his head. “He did something with my brain. Weakened the programming with his strange powers. Same thing that made me recall some of my memories. He had given me his word that I wouldn’t be affected by these particular trigger words if I concentrated on something else. I chose a Mozart symphony.”

You nodded, feeling a strong hit of pride at Loki’s feat. He was taking care of you and others even though he wasn’t actually here.

Suddenly, you realized that if he were, in fact, here , he’d be really mad at you for putting your life at risk again. That was a sobering thought.

“So, what now?"

Natasha grabbed you then, pulling something out from a hidden pocket--right between her breasts--in her SHIELD uniform.

"I got some info from Pierce’s laptop," she said, handing it to you. "He's not the most tech savvy guy."

It was a flash drive.

Immediately, you stored it in your inner jacket pocket and zipped it up. “Did you use the tricks I had shown you that one time at the tower?”

"Yup. He's doctoring accounts, funnelling loads of taxpayer money into HYDRA," she explained. "This is the proof. I was hard at work while you were switching the controller chips."

While Natasha gave you the gist of the evidence she had collected, Barnes admired his fist-powered handiwork on the wall as if he was expecting something from it. Weird.

"Not surprising. You think he's gonna be back soon? Or is he gonna try to reboot the helicarriers?” you asked, focusing back on your present predicament.

Your answer didn’t come from either of them, it came from the wall--the same wall Barnes had punched holes in.

Something loud and heavy banged on it from outside, startling you.

“Looks like our rescue is here,” Barnes replied, grabbing you and pushing you behind a pillar.

“What?”

That’s when the wall burst, sending pieces of concrete flying everywhere. It was none other than the Hulk, with Sam flying up right behind him.

“Got your SOS! Had to take the big guy’s help!” he shouted, watching the Hulk destroy the wall. “Don’t ask how!”

Just as he said that, the door to the room opened, with several HYDRA men rushing in. 

“Go!” Natasha cried, pulling you from the pillar. “We’ll take care of them with the big guy!”

And then you were flying… or falling, because Natasha had literally just hurled you out of the building. You couldn’t even scream in your panic, which was short lived, because Sam caught you. 

“Got her!”

“Leave the area! She’s a target!”

That was all you heard before Natasha’s voice got drowned by gunshots and the roar of Hulk’s anger. 

This was bad… really bad.

Sam tried to carry you out of the base itself, but he was being shot at with some heavy duty ballistics. You were of absolutely no use here, a deadweight he needed to carry off. So much for being the mastermind of a sick plan.

This was a shit plan.

Just as Sam was about to fly over one of the bridges connecting the base’s waterways, one of his wings suddenly went limp. That made you lose altitude real quick.

Sam crash landed on the bridge itself, rolling over to further break the fall. His wings took most of the shock and bang, while you and he only suffered some scrapes. It was really a miracle that nothing was broken.

But the respite was thin, because you were still under attack.

“What now?” you asked in a daze as he manoeuvred you under him.

“I’m activating the armadillo.” That was all he said. No other explanation.

Thankfully, what happened next was self explanatory. His wings wrapped around both of you as he held you tight under him, acting as a kind of armour against all the incoming firing.

“Falcon down!” Sam cried, making you wonder just who he was talking to.

More bullets rained down on you, and it seemed to continue for an eternity, even though it was likely only a few seconds. Then, it all stopped. Very suddenly.

“What’s happening?” you whispered, your eyes wide in fear.

Your answer came in the form of a familiar sound-- Iron Man’s famous repulsors. Likely being fired at the guys who had targeted you and Sam.

“Hey birdie, hand Matrix to me. I’m her official air cab,” he said as Sam sat up, still cradling you in his arms protectively.  “Cap’s in the building with others, we should leave ASAP. You can hang onto my leg too.”

Sam seemed confused--like you--but he nodded nonetheless. “Alright.”

Before you could say anything, you were thrown into Tony Stark’s armoured arms.

Seriously, when you had asked the universe to give you more manhandling, this wasn’t what you had meant…

Stark flew you and Sam out of the base and took you to a nearby reservoir, very close to the stakeout point you had chosen to meet Sam at.

“This has been a ride,” Sam said as he jumped off Stark’s suit. “I need to repair my wing.”

“We might not have the time for that,” Stark stated, looking in the direction of the base. “Shit’s hitting the fan as we speak. Thor and Loki have vanished off the face of the Earth. I couldn’t find anything in Europe. And by the time I travelled back here--at an impossible speed, mind you--we were all declared terrorists by Homeland Security.”

“What?!” Both you and Sam asked in unison.

“You heard me,” Stark replied, removing his visor. “Now the team’s there, doing god knows what. And I’m pretty sure Fury is there too.”

“What?!”

Stark rolled his eyes, but looked really tired doing it. “Get a thesaurus.”

“I have absolutely no idea what’s going on, but I’m on the terrorist list too?” Sam asked, looking freaked out now.

“I honestly don’t know if you’re on the list… wait, I don’t even know your name,” Stark replied, looking at you for assistance. 

“Sam Wilson. Cap sent him.” That was all you could manage in your state of shock.

“Of course, Cap would send in a contact and not even mention how dangerous the mission is.”

Sam shrugged, looking down. “It’s on me. I told him I was ready for anything.”

Stark uttered a long suffering sigh. “Anyway, we need to get you to safety. Maybe do a regroup and re-plan. This plan got fucked.”

“We did stop the helicarriers from taking off, though,” you provided, desperate for some hope.

“At the cost of what?” Stark asked, pointing to the base where the team was still fighting HYDRA.

“The price of doing good is often high.”

As Sam said that, a black hummer pulled up at the edge of the reservoir, putting all of you on high alert. The door opened, and out came Sharon, looking tense and furtive. Stark visibly relaxed upon seeing her.

“Come on in, we don’t have time!” she shouted at you.

“Go with her,” Stark urged. “She’ll take you to safety.”

“Can we trust her?”

“We can. We have to. Now get in. I’ll go back to the base and keep them busy and off your trail.”

“I was told that you carry some important info regarding HYDRA,” Sharon said as she took off, with you and Sam settled in the hummer. “I think the time is right to release it completely. Or that’s what Director Fury told me.”

As it turned out, the hummer had a laptop and other computer equipment on it. Sharon had come prepared.

“It’s not on me, physically, but I can access the cloud where it’s stored. Are you sure about the release?”

“I mean, I agree. You’re all terrorists now, with a huge target on your heads. I’m helping you guys out, so I’ll likely be out of a job and on the terrorist list as well by the end of the day. There won’t be a more perfect time than now I think.”

“Makes sense. Thanks, Sharon. I don’t even know you that well, but still, I'm glad that we have help.”

“Welcome.” She smiled at you from the rear-view mirror. “I’m essentially following Director Fury’s orders, but it feels good to help the cause that stems from my legendary great aunt.”

“Huh? Who?” Sam asked, looking up from his wing suit, which he had been tinkering with up till now.

“Peggy Carter, one of the founders of SHIELD,” she replied with obvious pride. “So it’s something of a personal matter to me as well, because HYDRA is besmirching her legacy.”

“Wow. Makes sense,” you said, amazed at her personal connection to SHIELD. “How’s Director Fury doing?”

“Better than you’d expect of someone who had almost died.”

“Must’ve scared death itself,” you muttered as you booted the laptop, remembering just how scary he could be in person.

“I feel like I’m missing some info here, but whatever.” Sam shrugged, going back to his wing suit tinkering.

As the car got on the highway, you began to compile and compress all the incriminating HYDRA files you had on your Stark cloud, as well as the info on Natasha’s flash drive. Once that was done, you took to the internet and released the info in a staggered leak, sending it to multiple departments within the American Government, and, not to mention, to the World Security Council as well.

HYDRA wasn’t just a national security threat, it was an international problem. Especially in the countries that held a seat on the council.

“Any chance I can repair my wings on the go?” Sam asked while you worked, glancing at your screen curiously.

“I’m honestly not sure,” Sharon answered, increasing her speed. “I was simply told to take you out of DC. Agent Hill stuffed the car with equipment and some arms. If you can find something in the back, you’re good to go.”

“That doesn’t sound very promising.”

“I wasn’t trying to be.”

Despite the mounting stress, you couldn’t help but smile at their conversation. You could see them becoming friends in the future.

If you all came out of this situation alive, that is.

That was a terrifying thought.

Sam hopped into the back of the car to look into the equipment sent by Agent Hill, while you tried to send off the incriminating data in medium sized packets over the clunky internet. 

All this while, Sharon kept her eyes on the road and drove smoothly.

It was quiet for like, five minutes at best, but then she spoke up, her tone suddenly very tense.

“Guys, I think we’re being followed. Those cars tailing us aren’t civilian, they’re SHIELD. I recognize the plates.”

“Aren’t these windows tinted?” Sam asked, baffled.

“Yeah, so I’m guessing they have some other way to track us. I don’t think we have the time to investigate.”

“Might have done well with a less conspicuous car.”

“I’m not gonna debate about our getaway car. We were out of options!”

“Let’s just continue on our path, at top speed,” you suggested, watching the data transfer progress despite your present worries.

“I’m trying my best!”

“The fuck is that ahead?”

“Oh god, no…”

“What?” You finally looked up from the laptop, eyes wide and anxious.

“Armoured vehicles,” Sharon replied, holding onto the steering way too tightly.

“Can we circumvent?”

That’s when you looked out the windows. It was to look for dirt paths or small roads, but what you found was a whole fleet of armoured vehicles… heading straight towards your car. They were converging from all sides.

You were being corralled. There was no way out.

“Sharon, what’s going on? How did they find us?”

“I don’t know!” she cried out, sounding panicked. “Pierce must’ve put a tracker on something. I thought Maria had scanned everything!”

The car accelerated further as she spoke.

“What are you doing?” Sam called out from the back.

“Just… trying to see if I can ditch them somehow.”

“No, they’ll kill you.”

“We’re dead anyway.”

You glanced at the data transfer progress as you spoke. “Sharon, stop the car when they close in. We’re surrendering.”

“The fuck?” She gave you a sharp look from the rear-view mirror.

“Trust me, I think this is our best chance at survival. HYDRA likely wants me alive…”

“Likely?”

You pursed your lips and closed your eyes for a moment to calm yourself down. “Yes. We have to take the chance. The data transfer is ongoing, and it needs a few minutes, at least.”

“Fine,” she said defeatedly, slowing the car down as the armoured fleet closed in. 

You weren’t sure if they were all HYDRA, or if this was a direct action from the Pentagon at the behest of Pierce. You were a declared terrorist now, after all. So, all in all, you were supremely fucked.

“If we survive this, this is gonna be a hell of a story,” Sam said, probably trying to distract you and Sharon from the hopelessness of the situation.

“Yup,” you muttered, while Sharon remained silent.

The car slowly came to a stop off the highway, surrounded from all directions by the scary looking, ballistics loaded vehicles. You looked out the window, trying to see just how many weapons were pointed at you at present. You lost track of it the moment someone began to speak on a megaphone, taking your name.

It shook you to the core.

“Come out of the car within the count of ten and drop all your weapons on the ground. If you act suspicious in any way, we have orders to open fire.”

“Fuck, that’s their standard line for killing suspects . We may not survive this,” Sam stated dejectedly as the counting began. “We don’t have to actually act suspicious; they’ll just say that we acted suspiciously and they had to open fire.”

That was what you were afraid of. Pierce was counting in on this kill. With you and others eliminated, he could very well restart Operation Insight , with the American government none the wiser.

With your heart thudding loudly in your chest, you left the laptop running on the seat as you opened the car door to step out. Sharon and Sam did the same, all of you raising your hands in surrender, showing that you had no weapons on you.

Above you, clouds began to gather in swirling, storm-like formations, which honestly matched your situation. You were indeed in the eye of a huge storm now, metaphorically speaking.

“I surrender,” you called, just as all the big guns got trained at you. “I’m not armed. None of us are.”

“Come forward,” said the man with the megaphone. He was wearing a SHIELD uniform, so he was most likely from HYDRA. “Your friends have done enough damage already. We’re taking no chances.”

You knew what was coming next…

“Wait, we’re not even resisting, what--”

Sharon’s objection was stopped in its tracks as you were all hit--very suddenly--with a blinding glow, accompanied by a sharp boom. The force of it was enough to topple the vehicles right in front of you (megaphone man included). It knocked you off your feet too, making you think that you were within an inch of being toast.

But then the glow transformed into varying rainbow hues, burning the ground all around it.

That, however, wasn’t even the most shocking thing about it. 

It was that freaking Loki was standing in the middle of the multicoloured glow, looking full of murderous intent.

You had never felt such a surge of relief as you felt right at this moment… 

Loki was back!

You wanted to hug him so badly, even though he looked positively mad. But you didn’t even get a chance to call his attention to you.

Because the whole fleet opened fire right then.

You closed your eyes instinctively, covering your face with your hands. 

But instead of being assaulted by all kinds of explosions, you only heard muffled booms and bangs.

What the fuck?

You opened your eyes to see what was going on, and witnessed first-hand why Loki was called a ‘god.’

None of the firepower being blasted at you touched you… or even Sam or Sharon. Even the hummer was safe from it.

Because Loki was holding a sphere of protection around you all, using the otherworldly force of his magic. He turned to look at you while the bombardment continued from all sides, his gaze softening.

“You have a lot of explaining to do,” he said, illuminated by the glow of his magic and the blazing guns in the background.

Chapter Text

“You have a lot of explaining to do,” he said, illuminated by the glow of his magic and the blazing guns in the background.

"Well, you have a lot of explaining to do as well," you stated in return, getting back on your feet clumsily. “Like where the hell were you?”

“Later,” he muttered, grabbing your arm to pull you closer. “We’re literally under fire right now.”

His words were spoken evenly, but his eyes held a storm in them. You knew, then, that something bad had happened, which he was obviously trying to suppress. It was better not to poke him further. For now, at least.

“Alrighty. Thank you for saving our asses here.”

“I only cared about saving your ass; it’s precious to me.”

That made you snort, despite the precarious situation. “Let’s get out of here please, these idiots won’t stop firing at us.”

Loki nodded, then turned to face the trigger happy brigade. “Step back and cover your ears, tell your cohorts to do the same.”

It was a very clear command, and despite the dire situation, it made your kinky little heart flutter.

Get a grip, will you? You were about to be toast not even a minute ago. Let that pussy rest.

While you were busy scolding yourself, Loki let go of you and made a subtle motion with his hand. Only then did you notice that he was holding a spear. It looked familiar… but you had no time to dwell on it. You simply followed his command and motioned for Sharon and Sam to do the same.

They were still staring at Loki in awe and wonder, but they covered their ears nonetheless. In the meantime, you scurried over to the hummer to see if your incriminating info against HYDRA and Pierce had been relayed or not. It had. Phew!

Go team!

"Cease the firing!” Loki’s voice boomed from the sphere of protection, louder than the weapons that were going off relentlessly. “Don't make me kill you, because I promise you that I won't hesitate. You have ten seconds.”

Worked like a charm, because the firing stopped as suddenly as it had started.

“Loki, we have no quarrel with you,” someone called from a non-toppled armoured vehicle. “You can leave and go back to Asgard a free man.”

Loki cocked his head to one side, gazing in the general direction of the voice. “I’m already a free man. And your actions have essentially declared war on Asgard--you attacked me , their prince.”

“The last we heard, you weren’t a prince anymore,” the guy answered, much to your surprise. Wow, he must have an A+ in stupidity, to be arguing with a person who just threatened to kill him.

At that point, you heard a loud noise coming from the general direction of the helicarrier base—it suspiciously sounded like a big weapon going off. You weren’t even done processing that, when the rainbow space beamer of Asgard landed close to Loki again. He just stood there calmly while more vehicles toppled, still staring down at the fleet Pierce had sent for you. Meanwhile, you, Sam and Sharon simply braced yourselves against the hummer to keep from falling again.

The fuck was going on?

When the dust cleared, you saw Thor standing there, along with two other men who were wearing some really shiny dramatic helmets and armour. I guess Loki’s not the outlier here. All of Asgard is like THAT…

“You are right,” Thor called out then, grasping Loki’s shoulder as he stepped closer to him. “He’s no longer a prince of Asgard!”

Oh damn, what did that mean? Was Loki in more trouble now? Were they apprehending him?

But Thor wasn’t done yet…

“You’ve declared war on Asgard by attacking its King! ”

What?!

Your jaw dropped.

That declaration came as a surprise to not just you, but also, from the looks of it, to Loki. He turned his face towards Thor, frowning, taking a break from his power stance.

“What?” he asked Thor in a hushed voice.

Thor nodded. “It’s father’s last decree.”

After that declaration regarding Loki went down, the fleet of armoured vehicles retreated quickly. Nothing more was heard from them, not a single peep, which was weird.

"What now? What's happening?" you asked, hurrying over to the Asgardians.

Thor was the first to respond, while Loki just looked out in the distance, his expression unreadable now. 

"Now we finish this nonsense and bring Asgardian justice to Midgard."

You noticed that his usually cheerful demeanour was completely gone now. In its place was a glower that kind of made you feel apprehensive.

Needless to say, you didn't ask him anything else.

"Go there, that's where the battle is." Loki pointed at the helicarrier base, turning to face Thor.

“That’s where Pierce is as well,” you provided. “Orchestrating everything. If I’m right, he’s going to try and escape soon, because I’ve sent out all the incriminating info about him and HYDRA.”

While Thor didn't react at all in response to this development, you caught Loki flexing his jaw in a telltale way that demonstrated his anger.

"Go," he repeated to Thor. "I'll join you once I've secured her."

Thor nodded, already swinging his hammer. "Don't tarry."

As he flew off, Loki gestured for you to come forward. When you did, he grabbed your arm again. "You will remain where I drop you, understand?"

You nodded, then pointed to Sam and Sharon, who were giving you weird looks now. "What about them?"

"Them too. Just stay out of trouble, all of you. Now come forth so I can take you to a safe location, from where I can actually keep an eye on you."

While he pulled you flush against his front, he merely offered his arm to the others to hold onto. You took that as a sign of continuing intimacy between you and him, despite the new, thoroughly rattling revelations regarding his status in the Asgardian monarchy.

Loki brought you and your two companions (not to mention his odd Asgardian bouncers) back to the vantage point close to the reservoir. By now, a part of the base’s structure seemed to be crumbling and the rest of it didn’t look good either. You had no idea what was going on, but you were worried for the team.

The Asgardians took Sam and Sharon aside upon landing while Loki held onto you.

“Be a good girl and stay put. I’ll come for you soon,” he promised you, pressing his forehead to yours.

“Please don’t leave me again.” You didn’t care how pathetic and needy you sounded right now. You didn’t want to be separated from him again. “I was so worried for you.”

“Don’t. I’m here.” Throwing the weird glowy spear on to the ground, he cupped your face and looked into your eyes with an intensity only he could muster. “Your rather incompetent friends need all the help they can get. Afterwards, I’m going to return to you, I give you my word.”

You smiled through your distress, placated at the prospect of being with him again, without the accompanying gunfire and attacks. That was… until he spoke again.

“After all, who else is going to mete out your punishments?”

You almost choked on your words. “Wha… what… Loki, why?”

His lips caressed yours as he spoke. “You know why. Now, if you do listen to me this time, maybe there’s hope that I’ll be lenient.”

With that, he pulled away from you and picked up the spear again, giving you a hint of his infamous mischievous smirk. He spoke in a different language then, sending a strange vibration of warmth towards you. You assumed it was some kind of spell, even though you didn’t understand the mechanics of it.

“Don’t let her run off, this is your safe zone, protected by my wards,” he told Sam and Sharon before vanishing into thin air with his Asgardian warriors. Huh, you had all but forgotten about them.

“So… what’s a ward ?” Sam asked, frowning at the place Loki had been occupying just moments ago. “What does it do?”

“Magic spell.” That was only answer he was getting; you were not in the mood to elaborate.

Breathing out a puff of air, you closed your eyes for a second as the adrenaline of almost dying again finally began to dissipate, replaced by exhaustion.

As Loki landed amidst the battling parties, right next to the helicarriers, one thing became clear—Midgard wasn’t a safe place anymore, especially for his consort.

It wasn't even the chaos that permeated every corner here; he wasn't averse to chaos at all, he thrived in it. No, it was the active animosity that bothered him.

"Who are we to fight, sire?" One of the Einherjar asked. "They all look the same."

Well, wasn't that a problem…

"Go and eliminate the ones attacking Thor and his cohorts. I'll take care of the rest."

With the command given, Loki leapt from his landing spot, heading towards the most intense fights first. Neutralising them only needed a bit of the scepter’s power, no matter its impact on him . It wasn't easy working with this particular weapon, for he could feel its pulsing attempts to invade his mind almost constantly.

When he reached the end of the hall, he saw a struggling Natasha Romanoff trying to fend off more than half a dozen of her attackers. But she wasn’t the only one struggling, at the other end of the humongous room, Steve Rogers was on his back, shield up, getting fired at from different sides.

Cursing under his breath, Loki let loose a wave of energy—his magic combined with the scepter’s. It did the trick of toppling all of Rogers’ attackers in one fell swoop.

But that wasn’t the thumping victory Loki had assumed it to be. He saw other HYDRA soldiers rushing in to replace the fallen ones, even though Rogers was quick on his feet. He fought them off while Loki fired a barrage at them again.

Luckily, Barnes showed up then, hurtling down a flight of stairs, chasing yet another group of attackers. When he joined Rogers, both of them began to fight like a strategic pair of soldiers.

That gave Loki the chance to focus back on Natasha Romanoff, who now seemed to be in danger of getting injured, with no backup in sight. Hence, he hurried to assist her while Rogers and Barnes went through their opponents. Because even more of Pierce’s footmen were coming.

"Heimdall, we need reinforcements," Loki muttered as he jumped into the fight that was overwhelming Natasha. “Send a legion if you can.”

He took out three of them quickly, not even requiring the scepter’s energy this time. Natasha was rather surprised by it, but recovered quickly.

“Fancy seeing you here,” she panted tersely, making a shield of his body as she fired her charged tazing bullets at the enemy.

Loki finished the last one with a dagger, holding her against his flank. “You’re injured?”

“No, just some bruises.” She patted his chestplate in reassurance as she caught her breath. “Have you seen—”

“She’s fine,” he answered before she could finish the question. “Secured.”

“Phew, my efforts weren’t wasted.” While Natasha was trying to be sarcastic, Loki knew that her concern was genuine. 

“Any idea where Pierce is?” Just as he asked that question, he heard the telltale rumble of the Bifrost. Heimdall was delivering the reinforcements; Loki couldn’t quite believe that he had actually heeded his request.

“I haven’t been able to locate him ever since he captured us—temporarily—and slithered away,” Natasha answered distractedly, looking around for any incoming attacks.

“He what ?”

“No time to explain. Maybe you can magic interrogate it out of the people who last saw him?” She made a rather awkward hand gesture, trying to imitate one of his spell casting movements. It was a horrendous attempt.

He nodded. “There's hardly time for it, but perhaps if you can take me to them, sure.”

“On it.”

Together, they took to the upper levels of the building, accompanied by Rogers and Barnes. Loki's aim was to get to Pierce before he could leave the battle to regroup. Given a chance, it was likely that he was going to hide in a safe haven and reinitiate his plan to establish HYDRA as Midgard's shadow oligarchy, killing numerous people in the process.

On their quest to find Pierce, their little party came across an astounding number of HYDRA foot soldiers who were ready to sacrifice themselves for their master. Loki had no qualms about going through them, for they had chosen loyalty for HYDRA over rectitude.

Spinning around with the scepter at its full length, he slashed through their front ranks while the rest of his party caught up with him.

When he finally got the chance to read the mind of one of them, he received an information that left him shaken. So much so that finding Pierce didn’t remain a priority.

" Nidhogg’s rotting maw … get others out of here," he muttered as he threw the now chuckling (and bleeding) man aside. "They're martyring themselves. This whole fight is a ruse. A distraction."

"What?" Natasha looked at him for further clarification. "Plain words, Loki."

"How much plainer can I get?" he snapped. "Get everyone out. They're going to destroy this whole base, this whole area!"

"But Pierce—"

"Fuck Pierce! There's a weapon coming our way, far more potent than what they've used thus far."

Natasha's eyes widened.

"You mean a repeat of New York?" Rogers asked, with Barnes already trying to pull him away.

"A ballistic, most likely," Natasha whispered, turning around swiftly. "You still have your comm, Cap?"

Rogers nodded, still looking baffled.

"Inform Tony and others. We gotta hurry."

With that, Rogers activated his communication device.

"Heimdall!" Loki called as others on the team received the ominous message. "I need your help. Make haste."

This wasn't the command of a sovereign, or even a royal. It was a plea. And Loki hoped that Heimdall would listen…

So… what just happened?

(That could very well be the title of your memoirs. Maybe you should start working on that…)

"That was weird," Sharon commented, coming to stand beside you.

Weird didn't even begin to cover it.

"Even though your boyfriend is powerful and impressive, I’m feeling kind of left out." Sam came forward too, shading his eyes with his hand to watch the battle unfold. "I honestly want to go back there. They could use an extra hand."

"No," you said a little too loudly, getting strange looks from both of them. "We stay put. Loki said so."

Sharon snorted out loud. "I was told that you were bad at following orders. Genius at your job, but not a follower of rules, per se. Now you're telling us to stay put."

Ha ha, very funny.

"I think I've had my quota of near death experiences for today. No more."

You wanted to avoid injury or death. You wanted Loki's leniency too, but Sharon didn't need to know about that .

While all of you stood there, watching, an explosive, thunderous sound came from the main building—well, what was left of it—with rainbow lights shining down on it. From what you could see, more Asgardians were arriving on the scene, all warriors, presumably. (Did they even have non-warrior civilians?)

It meant that the fight was going big . That made you nervous, but still, you knew that you could hardly do anything more now. Your work wasn't tangible. You weren't a fighter, despite Nat's training. Going back in there now would be foolish, Loki's threats of kinky punishments notwithstanding. You’d be a sitting duck.

"They have the Asgardians now. Everything will be fine."

"Yeah." Sam turned his attention to you. "So, what's up with these dudes and their royal asses? Did I hear it right? Loki is king now, for real? I thought he was here on some kinda probation."

Ah, and here you were really trying to avoid thinking about that revelation.

"I have no idea what's up. They were gone for a bit, both of them. I can only assume that something happened back on Asgard."

"If Loki is king, that would mean that the previous king either got deposed or stepped down," Sharon speculated, sitting down on the grass. She looked exhausted, and you empathized with her.

" Or the previous king died," Sam added. "How old was their dad? Did you ever get to meet him, considering your relationship with Loki?"

You shook your head, the realization now dawning on you. "But I do know that he was very close to stepping down a few years ago. Old age… Thor had said."

It was more than likely that Odin had passed away. Maybe that was why Loki looked so upset upon his return.

“What about Thor? Isn’t he elder to Loki by a smidge? How does succession work over there?” Sam, it seemed, wasn’t done with his grilling.

“As I said, I have no clue what happened, or how things work there. I always assumed that they were the same age, give or take a few months.”

"Months? Aren't they, like, thousands of years old?"

"Just around a thousand. I don't know their exact ages."

“Some girlfriend you are, missy.”

“Leave her be, Sam,” Sharon interjected, and you thanked her silently. “Let’s not assume things. We have to focus on surviving for now.”

“Pretty sure the abracadabra Loki just performed on us will protect us. Right?”

Another explosion occurred, this time, further taking parts of the base down. It reverberated through your whole body.

“What’s happening?” you gasped, watching the destruction unfold. 

“No clue,” Sharon replied, grabbing hold of you as she stood up “You think we should take cover?”

You shook your head. “He told me to stay put. Shouldn’t the fight be over now, anyway? I thought that the Asgardians would end it quickly.”

Apparently, it wasn’t over, because just as you said that, something on Sharon began to beep very loudly.

“The fuck?” Sam looked at her, perplexed.

Her eyes widened, and she pulled out and opened something like a flip phone from her pocket. “Shit!”

“What?”

“Someone fired a ballistic! I’m getting a notification that it's heading for this area.”

Oh no…not again.

Your heart sank.

This couldn’t be happening…

"Fuck… I think it's a nuke. They fucking fired a nuke at us!"

"What the… are we protected or not?"

"I don't know! It's not like we can outrun this!"

Their voices suddenly sounded distant, because panic took hold of you. Your whole body felt like lead. Heavy. Immovable.

So this is what PTSD feels like, huh?

“Where would we even go?!”

“Just take cover wherever you can!”

Just as Sam made a move towards grabbing your arm, you finally saw the weapon in the sky. It was curving down, leaving a trail of smoke behind it. It was going to hit the area within a handful of seconds.

And there was nothing you could do.

Perhaps you had stopped HYDRA and Pierce from causing the damage they had initially intended to, but they weren't going to go down alone. They wanted to take you and all of your friends with them.

Your only hope was that Loki would survive, somehow…

Apparently, your mind and body couldn't take the shock, because you blacked out and collapsed just before the missile hit.

Ah, sweet, ignorant bliss…

Chapter Text

You woke up to a weird, annoying glow surrounding you. It was bright enough to make you squint.

“Wha…” you croaked, your throat feeling dry and sandy.

You tried to sit up, but as soon as you did, your head swam, prompting you to give up on that endeavour immediately. So the next best thing to try was to look around, beyond that blinding glow that surrounded you.

You discovered that you were in a room… on a very cushy and comfortable bed. With covers that felt like warm clouds.

Nothing all that unusual there, except that the bed was the most ridiculously ornate one you had ever seen, in the shape of a boat ; the room was huge, with a ceiling high enough to challenge a cathedral; and the illuminated art on it was beautiful enough to make you wonder who broke their back to make it, Michelangelo style.

Even the walls of this room seemed to shimmer. Or was it your tired brain hallucinating?

Where were you, you wondered. This couldn't be some weird HYDRA base, could it?

Wait…why did you feel like you had been hit by a bus? The last time you checked…nothing of the sort had happened.

Right?

As you lay there, looking at the pretty scenery of mountains, flower-covered arches and dancing girlies, you tried to put some pressure on your memory—to recall the last thing that had happened to you. All you could go back to was Loki depositing you to a safe place, away from the helicarrier base.

Someone entered the room then, their steps unhurried but even. Soon, you saw a youthful feminine face pop into your peripheral vision, with deep blue almond shaped eyes and a snub, slightly upturned nose. She was dressed in light beige, her blonde hair up in twin buns that reminded you of Princess Leia, but not quite the same. There was a tray in her hand, the contents of which you couldn't quite make out yet.

She smiled at you when she saw that you were awake.

"Oh, you're out of it!"

"Out of what?" you asked apprehensively, extremely wary of her and her tray.

"The somnolence ," she provided. Succinct but unhelpful nonetheless.

You pursed your lips. "Why was I in somnolence ?"

"That I'm not fully aware of. After all, I'm just a healer's hand, at least for now. But I'm learning, and I'm getting better. I'm going to become a healer one day!"

Really, her enthusiasm was quite endearing, but you still had no idea who she was or what the fuck was going on. So you cut straight to the point.

"That's great, but where am I? Who are you? And where is Loki? And the rest of the Avengers and allies’ squad?"

Her eyes widened, and the tray rattled in her hand. "Oh. Oh! Of course, you don't know! How idiotic of me to just prattle on about myself without explaining things to you!" She put the tray on the side table and turned back to face you, her face somewhere between anxious and constipated. "Please don't tell the king that I made this gaffe. He'll have my head!"

You squinted again, thoroughly confused. "King? Odin?"

Her eyes widened even more, if that were possible. "No, Norns bless him, he's going to dine in Valhalla now, with the brave and the noble."

"Huh?"

"I meant King Loki Odinson, of course. Although, we're not supposed to take his name so casually. Not unless we add 'Allfather' to it." Her cheeks reddened as she explained these strange customs to you. "Anyhow, this is Asgard, the realm eternal. I'm Eyvor Asvoradottir, I work in the healing wing. I don’t know anything about the Avengers, but the king is quite preoccupied, you see, trying to bring Midgard to its knees."

That startled you. "Wait, what? No… he cannot do that! He doesn’t even want to."

You began to cough, because a dry throat didn't lend well to a raised voice.

Thankfully, the young woman came to your aid. First, she helped you in sitting up, making sure that you were supported by the huge backrest pillows placed on the bed. When that was done, she offered you water from a golden pitcher—that had been placed on the weird, curved nightstand attached to the boat bed. Well, at least the glass was fairly normal, with a translucent knot design decorating its lower half.

You drank two glasses full before you decided to speak again.

“My clothes, they’re changed.” It was kind of stupid how you were noticing that just now, while sitting upright. You were wearing a full length nightgown, the most comfortable one you had ever worn. Suspiciously, it was the same shade of green as Loki's armour and cape.

“Yes, you were washed and changed into new ones,” she replied, her face looking even more constipated now. She was clearly trying to keep something from you.

“By whom?”

“The…king? Seidr?” She began to fidget. “I mean, I assume he used seidr to clean and change you, after he brought you here, that is. Assuming otherwise would be treason.”

What kind of fucked up logic was that?

"So… what was I saying?" you asked, blinking repeatedly. “Before I started about the clothes.”

Eyvor appeared to be quite amused and perplexed by your question. "That the king cannot bring Midgard to its knees. I assure you, my lady, he very well can."

You gaped at her. "No. That's why he got punished in the first place. Moreover, he wasn't going to. He had no intention."

Still perplexed, she shook her head. "No, my lady, he was sent to Midgard to aid the realm. Anyhow, I'm sure he's handling the matter with appropriate poise and grace, peacefully this time… hopefully."

It sounded like she was merely trying to appease you. And quite honestly, you were in no mood or shape to argue with her.

"Hmm… so this is Asgard?"

She nodded.

"Where in Asgard?"

She tilted her head, frowning slightly. "The royal palace of Valaskjalf. Where else would you be?"

Huh…

"Yeah, okay. Just wanted to make sure."

She gave you a tight smile. It was an awkward interaction. This was a lot to take in.

You were in Asgard, in Loki's home, and of course, he was King . You recalled now that Thor had mentioned something like that upon landing next to him.

You never really got the opportunity to talk to Loki about it.

"Okay, so, can I get up and go back to my normal life now?" you asked hopefully. Just as you said that, your stomach began to rumble with burgeoning hunger.

It made your face heat up in embarrassment.

Evor—Eivor?—the healer's hand clapped happily upon hearing the noise, as though your hunger was something to celebrate. Weird flex, but okay…

You simply raised your eyebrows in question.

“Yes, yes! You’ve arisen! It means that your bodily functions will return as well. Hunger is the first one, yes yes.” She looked down at the tray and then back at you. “Oh, I had brought your daily dose of passive nourishment, but you won’t be needing it anymore. Just give me a few moments, and I’ll return with edible treats!”

“Wait!” you called out as she began to scurry away. “Can I get up and leave the bed? I don’t feel very confident about my motor functions, but I reckon I’ll need them soon. Bodily functions and all.”

She turned back and seemed to hesitate. “Well, yes.” Her gaze turned towards your left. “There’s the bathing chamber and toilet, over there. But you shouldn’t try to get up on your own. You will feel dizzy and ungainly—that’s what happens with the renewal . I will return soon and help you.”

She ran away before you could stop her this time around. Thank fuck your bodily function of peeing wasn't knocking at your bladder yet. Small mercies.

You tried to stand up while you waited, slow and steady, with no sudden movements, hands always on the nightstand for support. Surprisingly, it actually worked. Your head swam a bit, but nothing that warranted falling flat on your back again.

For some odd reason, your limbs felt heavy, as though you were underwater. What had happened to you that had fucked you up enough to cause this?

Your brain just couldn’t supply you with any answers.

While you waited for Evor to return, you tried to stand on your own and peruse your surroundings once more. The room was decorated in a style that struck you as somewhat of a cross between Greco-roman, old Scandinavian and steampunk. However, it wasn’t either of them, you realized as you observed the complex vine-like knot designs on the walls, or the golden and rainbow hued upholstery of the furniture, or the freaking boat—no, you realized now that it was a longship—design of the bed itself. 

It was all likely older, much older than all of those design and decor styles.

It was Asgardian , not of Earth. It was alien . Literally.

You were in Asgard, very far from home. You were no longer on Earth. And Loki wasn’t here to make introductions for you. No, he was a king now, and you were pretty sure that a king wasn’t supposed to do that. Moreover, he was out doing kingly things. (Which apparently included subjugating earth again?)

You had always wanted to visit, no lies there…

But you were all alone here. And you had no idea how the Asgardians were going to receive you. Would they even like you? What if they actively hated you? Just being here felt sort of illegal, you didn’t know why.

Suddenly, your breath felt short.

You were in Asgard. Loki brought you here. Loki was king. Loki was freaking KING!

How could you be in a relationship with a king now? That was just absurd!

Your breath was definitely short now. No, you couldn’t breathe anymore. You were wheezing and shivering and what not…

Wait, what the fuck was the air composition here? Were you being poisoned by some stupid reactive gas in it? Or just plain suffocating because of lack of oxygen?

You were about to keel over when Evor came rushing in with someone else. They both grabbed you and made you lie back down on the bed. 

“Ah, she’s overwrought,” said the other person—another woman, you assumed. She looked older than Evor; at least that was the info your short-circuiting brain was supplying you with. “Happens far too oft. Bring the breathing aid. Oh and the calming potion too.”

That was all you could make out before you slowly lost consciousness, with something like an astronaut’s visor being placed on your face, supplying you with air that carried the scent of pleasant woods and flowers. 

Oooh trippy…

When you opened your eyes again, the strange glow around you was gone. And you saw a familiar face watching over you—a familiar face you adored and had wanted to see the most.

Loki gave you a small smile as your sleep heavy gaze cleared. 

“Hello, sleepyhead … as the Midgardians say. I heard you created quite a stir here upon awakening the first time.”

“Loki!” You tried to reach for him, extending an arm out in his direction. You wondered if you’d feel woozy again if you tried to sit up. “I’m scared! They freaking drugged me!”

“I’m here. You needn’t worry.” He shifted onto the bed, helping you to sit up. But you weren’t satisfied with it, you wanted to touch him, to be in his arms. And hence, in your desperation to do so, you plonked your face right onto his thigh, dangerously close to his crotch. He wasn’t wearing his armour, you realized, but something softer and cuddlier.

You groaned into his thigh, feeling frustrated.

“Silly girl, what are you doing?” Pulling you upright again, he helped you onto his lap, which was right where you wanted to be. “And who, pray tell, drugged you?”

“Evor? Evir? Those ladies…” You grabbed onto his arm and neck, seeking comfort in the familiarity of his tangible, solid form. He let you. “I thought… I thought you were on Earth, subjugating it. I… what happened to me? What’s going on? Why am I sick?”

“You’re not sick. In fact, you’re getting better. Much better. And don’t fret, those ladies didn’t do any harm to you; they’re healers—like doctors on Earth.” His hand stroked your hair as he spoke, which helped in calming you down a little bit. “Oh, and Earth is fine, thanks to our efforts, especially yours.”

As his words slowly sank in, they did the job of reassuring you, lowering your anxiety substantially.

But once you were calm, you grew horny. What followed was a clumsy attempt to kiss him. He chuckled at that, but he did kiss you back. It was slow and gentle; he was handling you with care—not something you usually associated with Loki.

But then again, if you were being real, he had never really handled you roughly either, kinky stuff aside. He always acted like he did, though.

When he broke the kiss, you actively reached down to stroke him. However, in a surprising move, he pulled your hand away from his crotch (despite the fact that he was now sporting an erection).

“Not tonight, pet. You’re still recovering.”

“Recovering from what?”

“Certain injuries sustained in battle.”

That didn’t make any sense, you didn’t remember actively fighting in a battle—that was way beyond your skillset. Or maybe—your tired brain supplied—you broke something during that bit where you were being passed around from person to person like a human ragdoll…?

Still, it didn’t mean that your urge to get dicked by Loki had been diminished.

You couldn’t help but pout. You wanted him, needed him. Especially his cock. It was essentially your only anchor in his strange alien world. “You said I wasn’t sick. Please, Loki, this would help in grounding me here.”

"Really now?" He nudged your nose with his, smiling as he kissed you again. "Sex with me is grounding ? I prefer to think that it's transcendental ."

"Yes, that too. It's both. Now stop being a dick and give me your actual dick," you insisted, trying to untie the strings of his shirt—tunic—whatever…

"You've grown quite demanding, haven't you? Bratty, even." Grabbing your trembling hands, he halted your attempts at undressing him. "As much as I'd love to take you right now, or even spank some sense into you, no . This will have to wait.”

“Why?” you whined, feeling—quite irrationally—annoyed and frustrated. “Is it because I’m explicitly saying that I want you? Should I, maybe, start resisting you? Will that be enough to get you interested?”

“I’m not playing that game with you, not right now, at least,” he replied, all amusement gone from his face. “Behave yourself, kitten. You’re not in the right condition for handling my dick .”

Feeling extra petulant at his authoritative tone, you yanked your hands from his grip and crawled off his lap, landing on the bed in an ungraceful heap. “Don’t tell me what to do. You’re not the boss of me.”

He stood up and crossed his arms in disapproval. “Actually, I am now.” 

“What does that even mean?”

“I’m the boss of this whole realm, darling. And you’re under my protection.”

You tried your best to mimic his pose as you sat back against the pillows. “And you’re trying to be the boss of Earth too, I heard from Evor.”

He uttered a long-suffering sigh upon hearing that name. “It’s Eyvor , and she always says too much. That girl must be related to Ratatoskr.”

“Ratatouille?”

Loki’s lips twitched. “No, Ratatoskr —a loquacious creature from our legends, with a passion for spreading gossip all over the Yggdrasil.”

Huh, perhaps you needed to read up on that. Sounded interesting.

“So… you know her? Eyvor, I mean.” You felt a hint of jealousy as you asked that question. God, where was this stupid emotional turmoil coming from? One too many near death experiences? Anxiety? Insecurity?

He gave you a sardonic smile. “Yes, I know her very intimately.”

Your eyes narrowed as you waited for him to elaborate. This better not be some kind of Zeus type situation…

“I was, in fact, involved in her birth.”

“Involved?” You didn't quite follow, so he went on to explain it further.

"I had gone on a resource expedition to another realm, with a handful of Einherjar and some scholars who specialized in geography. Her mother, Asvora, being the latter, had been a part of that party… while being with child."

"Wait… are you telling me that she went on a mission with you guys—" you shook your head as you tried to picture that scenario “—on another freakin' planet while she was heavily pregnant and close to birthing?"

He shrugged, stepping away from the bed to stroll about it, clasping his hands behind his back. "Asgardian women have gone on hunts and fought battles like that on many occasions. It's their choice."

That would be straight up fatal to humans. It was pretty obvious that Asgardians were just built different…

"So, since I was the only one in that party who knew how to help deliver a child," Loki continued, "I had to step up when Asvora went into labour."

“You did midwifery ?” What a jaw-dropper. You couldn't believe your ears.

He seemed to be getting a kick out of your reaction. “Thor did as well—it was part of our all-round training—not that he was very good at it. It needs patience and a gentle hand.”

Quite the surprise there.

"So you legit delivered Eyvor?"

Now, he was beginning to look offended by your continuous disbelief at his newly disclosed skills. "I know it sounds unbelievable, but yes, I did. And she’s not the first babe I’ve helped in delivering. There are things about me you're as yet unaware of, love."

Regardless, this whole conversation was just way too crazy to absorb. Loki had assisted in the birthing of several babies? Held them as newborns, mucus and blood and all? Whoa…

“Okay, well. Uhh…” You blinked, trying to focus again. "I think I've forgotten what we were initially discussing…"

That seemed to amuse him. "Perhaps that is for good."

But you weren't about to give up. It took you a few minutes, but you got there eventually.

"Oh! Yeah… I recall now. Eyvor said you took over Earth again. Something like that. But please don’t punish her, she was sweet to me. Okay?”

He let out a hearty laugh, shaking his head he kept sauntering around the bed. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to punish her. And I haven’t taken over Earth. Thor and I simply arm twisted your so-called world leaders into giving up all of their nuclear arsenal. And we had to leave a legion of our soldiers there, to work with the Avengers and take care of what remains of HYDRA. Not everyone is pleased with that, be it Earth or here on Asgard.”

Your stared at him in confusion. “You took their nukes? All of them?”

“What else was I supposed to do? It was the second time that that sort of weapon was targeted at a place where innocents were sure to be the victims. And given the situation—wherein the members of a dangerous cult are wanting to hold the whole realm hostage with fear and destruction—it seemed like the best option to exercise. I’ve looked into their minds, love,” he said, his eyes suddenly growing distant and pained. “They all have a fanatic belief in HYDRA’s cause. Your realm doesn’t deserve it. It needs healing .”

“Did you kill the ones you caught?”

He nodded, looking away from you as his jaw flexed.

“Pierce?”

“Pierce went into hiding, as was expected, since you had exposed him by sharing all that critical information about him and HYDRA. But I have Heimdall on his trail There is nowhere he can hide from his gaze. Once we have him, we’ll get the rest of their lot as well. Only then will the extermination of HYDRA be complete .”

You grew quiet after receiving that answer, noticing how the atmosphere in the room suddenly grew heavy and tense.

Loki wasn’t wrong. Still, knowing that he could off people with such ease and cold logical approach was kind of scary. However, you knew that about him from day one. No surprises there. Whatever he was doing, he was doing out of necessity… not for funzies.

Plus, this was what you had wanted—annihilation of HYDRA—so you decided not to dwell on the extermination angle anymore. This was the Asgardian justice Thor had mentioned to you, and it was effective.

You opened your mouth to speak again, to ask him about the wellbeing of your friends, but all of a sudden, you felt dizzy and imbalanced. Not just that… along with it came the bodily functions that Eyvor had warned you about earlier.

Oh no… this was going to be embarrassing.

Chapter Text

You needed to pee. Badly .

“Fuck!” you cried, flailing to get out of the bed. “Get me out of here, please.”

That seemed to prompt Loki into action, who was, up till now, valiantly keeping his distance from you despite his still very prominent erection. He reached for you and picked you up in his arms in no time. “What happened? I swear to the Norns that if this is some convoluted way of getting me to fuck you—”

“No!” you cut him off right away, smacking him on the chest. “I need to pee, you ass . Like, badly. Right now. I need to go!”

“Oh!” He did take you to the bathroom, but the asshole had the cheek to openly laugh in your face all the way.

While your face burned in embarrassment, he deposited you right in front of the shiny commode.

“Need me to…?” He pointed at your gown, making the gesture of pulling it up and sliding your panties down.

You were pretty sure that your cheeks were on fire now. “No, I don’t. Go away now.”

“Oh, look at you now,” he teased, leaning against the wide, cauldron-like washbasin attached to the shiny walls, “so shy and embarrassed. As if you weren’t asking me to take you just moments ago. As if I haven’t seen you completely naked and done things to you that—”

“Loki, shut up and go,” you growled in annoyance and desperation, your bladder screaming to let go.

Thankfully, he did leave you alone to do your business (after making the effort to explain how everything in the bathroom worked), though his laughter haunted you all this while. Afterwards, you simply walked out on your own, however long it took, however clumsy you felt. There was no way in hell you were going to call him over to carry you back to bed.

Surprisingly, your head felt better now; the dizziness was all but gone.

“How’s everyone else doing? Are they all okay?” you asked as you made your way back to the huge-ass longship bed.

Loki grasped your hand to help you climb up on it, while he himself remained standing—perhaps to keep himself out of your seductive clutches . As if he was the paragon of propriety.

“Everyone’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

“Why did you bring me here?”

His expression turned suspiciously blank. “It was necessary, for your own safety.”

You did recall that you were being actively hunted by HYDRA, but there were many blank spots in your memory. You were hoping that it would all come back to you eventually, after the shock of waking up in on an alien planet would dissipate.

“So… are you going back soon? When are you taking me back?” you asked softly, still holding onto his hand.

His eyes narrowed just a tad bit, but his face remained even. “Whatever do you mean? You’re staying here.”

“What? But—”

“You’re staying.”

You let his hand go. “Okay… but, you’re the King of Asgard now, right?”

From the looks of it, he didn't seem all too happy about it, sighing heavily as he sat down on the edge of the bed, facing away from you. “It's complicated, but, in a way, yes. The coronation ceremony hasn’t happened yet.”

That answer wasn’t what you had expected, to be honest. A simple yes would’ve sufficed, unless it was actually more complicated than that. “But… Eyvor called you king. In fact, she didn’t want me taking your name so casually.”

He rolled his eyes. “Of course, she didn't. I’m the heir as per Odin’s last decree and dying wish, the reasoning for which escapes me still. But yes, it’s the custom.”

Oh!

“Your dad… I’m sorry.” You wanted to comfort him, but you didn’t know how. His relationship with his dad had been quite turbulent and complex, but it was clear that he was grieving, despite his overt sangfroid and teasing with you.

Now you felt like an absolute ass for trying to seduce him…

“How did it happen?”

He shrugged. “It was his time to feast in the halls of Valhalla. He had been growing faint ever since I ruined Thor’s coronation a few years ago. Or perhaps I should say the day I ruined my own life as it were.”

A moment of quiet followed, full of unsaid feelings…

“Was it really ruined if you’re the king now?” you asked him carefully, watching his back muscles rippling with tension under that soft tunic he was wearing.

“Perhaps I wouldn’t consider it ruined, but not because I get the throne now. That was never my plan.”

“What was, then?”

No answer… only a sigh.

As you tried to muster the patience to let his deliberate silence slide, you tried to mentally calculate how many days had passed since Loki had landed back on Earth. But honestly, you didn’t even understand how time worked on Asgard. Not yet, at least. You simply had to assume that your weird recovery sleep hadn’t lasted more than a day, max.

Slowly, with much effort, you got on your hands and knees and crawled up to him, wrapping your arms around him from behind. “How’s your mom holding up?”

His back grew rigid in response to your embrace, but you didn’t let up. You wanted him to accept the comfort you were trying to give, however awkward it was.

“She’s… in deep mourning, heartbroken.” Slowly, he gave in and accepted your hug, growing lax in your arms. “It’s not easy, but she’s trying her best to keep herself distracted. She has been quite involved in the running of the kingdom. It was needed, especially when Thor and I were on Midgard, trying to sort out the mess created by HYDRA.”

“Hmm, it’s never easy, losing someone you love.” You wanted to say more, but didn't know how to go about it. You were not in a position to empathize with his family's pain; you had lost your parents, yes, but to their neglect you, not death.

“She was prepared this time, I think. But you’re right,” Loki admitted, his voice heavy with sadness. "It's not easy to be parted with a loved one, especially one's spouse."

“How many days has it been since…” You hesitated to go on, but thankfully, he understood.

“Two days. I was hoping that you’d awaken soon and participate in the funerary rite—the pyre and send off.”

“Do I need to?” Oops, that came out all wrong. Apparently, the whole coma-like sleep thing had taken your filter away. “I’m sorry, I mean… I have no idea how it's done here. And not knowing makes me nervous. I do want to attend your dad’s funeral, but I don’t know what I have to do, like what are the participation rules…?”

He turned his head towards you and gave you a wan smile, stroking your cheek with the back of his fingers. “Calm yourself, kitten, you will simply have to stand on the same platform as us. The rest we’ll take care of. You’ll have Eyvor with you, she’ll guide you.”

You leaned into his touch, unable to help yourself. “Did you get a moment to talk to him, at least? Before he went to Valhalla, that is.”

“I did. It was a good talk.”

He actually looked peaceful when he answered, so you assumed he was being honest.

“I’m glad you got the chance. I kinda feel guilty about this whole situation. You could’ve been here all along, you could’ve spent more time with him. Instead, you had to go back to Earth to fight HYDRA.”

“And how could you have prevented it? He was the one who sent me to Midgard in the first place, silly girl.”

“It all went to shit so quickly.”

“Not your fault. He knew that as well.”

That gave you pause. “Wait… he knew about me? Did he know about us too?”

That made him laugh despite the heavy topic of your conversation. “Yes, he pretty much allowed it, in an implicit sort of way. He was a wily old man.”

You remained silent for a while, just breathing in and out, your mind whirring in different directions.

“I can practically hear you thinking, you know,” he said, turning around so he could face you fully. “What’s the matter?

“Nothing. I’m just very exhausted and confused.” It was an honest reply. You were indeed feeling quite worn out now.

“Is that so? Why the confusion?”

“You said that I’ll remain on Asgard, but my home is on Earth, Loki. You’re king now, and I’m just some peasant equivalent, right?" Somehow, the fact that his late dad had known about you, about the strange relationship you had with Loki and all its trappings just felt odd. And yet, him knowing about it didn’t give legitimacy to it. "I know that we never really discussed it, but our relationship is kinda impossible. I mean, it always was—that's why I never tried to define it or ask you about its nature. I was just trying to ignore it till it blew in my face.”

He didn't respond right away. Instead, he manoeuvred you on the bed to make you lie down, and then, in a surprising move, joined you, pulling you in for a cuddle. It was sweet and comforting, he was the big spoon and you were the little one. And you realized that this was what you had needed all along. You just needed to be held .

“As I said, calm yourself. No need for such fretting,” he assured you. “You belong here, with me. I’ll make it possible.”

“But, Loki, you’re a king , do kings marry peasants here?”

“But you’re not a peasant. You’re not involved in agriculture, let alone subsistence farming, No one here is.”

You wiggled against him in annoyance. He knew what you had meant by that comparisonl; he just wanted to deflect.

“What I mean is… we’re not equals,” you mumbled, but he quickly shut you up with a kiss, turning you on your back.

When he pulled his lips from you, he continued down your neck, placing feather-light kisses across your skin. It turned you on immediately, distracting you from what you were trying to discuss.

“Loki…” Your hands clutched his shoulders, wanting to stop him, but weak against your lust and love for him. “I thought you weren’t supposed to touch me.”

“No, you aren't supposed to touch me." He chuckled against your skin, opening the front of your gown to access your breasts.

His mouth on your nipples was soft and coaxing, and you gave in immediately, pushing your fingers into his hair.

“That’s… that doesn't make any sense.”

He chuckled again, pulling the skirts of your gown up to reach into your panties. Soon, his fingers were inside you, and you were moving in sync with them, seeking relief despite your confusion. But he wasn’t giving it to you like you had gotten used to. He was being far too gentle and slow in his approach.

“Loki, please, I need more,” you whined, trying to hump his fingers aggressively. 

In response, he slipped a leg over yours and held you firmly, halting your movements.

“No, that’s not how we’re doing this tonight,” he murmured against your skin, his fingers moving ever so languidly, his thumb stroking your clit in the same vein. “Be good, or else I won’t let you come.”

“No, that’s just mean .” Why was he being like this—so hot and cold? “You started it!”

“Did I? And I am mean, or have you forgotten certain things about me?”

“Loki please .”

“Shh… easy, we’re not in a hurry. I’ll give you what you need, but you need to be good.” He looked into your eyes, still holding you hostage in his grip, not letting you move. “When you get better, I’ll get more… creative . For now, though, let me do it at my pace.

You froze in place for a second, wondering what that ‘ creative’ meant for him. Still, you weren't done arguing. “Your pace isn’t like this.”

“ I decide my pace, darling. Now stop whining like a brat and enjoy this relaxed pace for a change, hmm?”

"Don't you have a kingdom to run?" you asked with growing irritation, still trying to get more friction from his fingers despite being unable to move much.

"In the dead of night?"

Fuck, you didn't even know what time it was…

"Stop being greedy," he said, giving you a quick kiss. “Your body cannot take more than this, trust me. Now will you be a good girl for me?”

You sighed and nodded, making sure that you did so with a martyred air.

Well, you had to accept it, there was no other choice. It was more than you had hoped for anyway, so you stopped your bitching and whining and tried to get him to suck on your breasts again, guiding him by pulling on his hair.

“So demanding.” You could feel his mirth against your skin, especially when he smiled against the curve of your breast.

The ride to your orgasm was slow and steady, full of frustration and protracted indulgence. His fingers didn’t tire, though, and so, as your peak grew close, you stopped complaining and started enjoying even the smallest movements that he offered.

When it finally hit, you arched your back and moaned into his hair, settling into a trance-like state. Loki whispered something against your skin, then, in a language unknown to you. Immediately afterwards, you began to feel drowsy.

Oh no, you knew what he was doing… the fucker was using some kind of sleep spell on you.

“S-Stop…” you complained, your tongue suddenly feeling lead-heavy. “We need to… talk.”

He raised his head from your breasts and gave you a knowing smile. “Do we?” 

His fingers were still moving inside you, promising you another peak of pleasure if they carried on like that.

“Yeah… you can’t jusht shpell me to shleep, you…” You forgot your train of thought halfway, because his thumb pressed on your clit and rubbed maddening circles around it, bringing you to another orgasm.

“Just give in, pet.”

You didn’t know what happened after you came, because you were far too lost in the pleasure of it. So lost that you didn’t realize when you fell asleep.

When you woke up, the longship bed was devoid of Loki’s presence. And the horrible dome of glow was back, encompassing the whole bed again.

Ugh… What the hell even was this thing? Was there a switch to turn it off? You really wanted to turn it off.

You tried your best to ignore it as you turned onto your back to stare up at the ceiling fresco. To your surprise, it wasn't the same as before. The scene depicted was completely different now—a river flowing through a valley, surrounded by flowery meadows, with bright nebulae rising in the distance.

Huh…witchcraft?

Or, more aptly, likely the Asgardian equivalent of a 4K screen installed up there, with changing landscape screensavers running. You wanted to examine it badly, see what type of software they’d used to run it. It couldn’t all be magic and spells, right?

You did a superficial body check as you stared at it, noting, with slight annoyance, that Loki had left your gown open in the front. Your boobs were all but hanging out.

You remedied that situation quickly.

Honestly, you expected your body to feel achy and weird again, but strangely enough, you felt refreshed and well-rested. Even sitting up and leaving the bed didn’t give you a dizzy head. In fact, you felt incredible. Like you were a feather in the wind, all bouncy and full of energy.

Maybe, just maybe, Loki had been right about spelling you to sleep, even though you were growing quite annoyed of getting drugged/spelled to sleep.

As you padded around the room—discovering that the intricate mosaic floor was heated—you wondered if Eyvor would be back soon. Perhaps, you could explore the room on your own until she did. Because you were afraid that she was going to force you to rest again. Or report back to Loki about your lack of obedience, so to say.

Firstly, you went around the longship bed, looking for something akin to a switch or a button to turn the glowing dome off. Alas, you had no luck. So, giving up on that endeavour, you went to the walls and did the same. You were going to push every button you were going to find, just to see what happened.

You were amazed to find that the walls had texture—no, they had a full on embossed or carved design on them. It wasn’t even a repeating pattern, it was a whole art scene. On each wall. Most of them looked like interconnected mandalas, but the wall facing the bed had a tree—with long, gnarly branches spreading out.

And right in the middle of it was a button, with an embedded gemstone decorating it. Fancy .

You pushed it, and suddenly, the whole wall began to hum and move sideways, making way for a huge ass balcony.

“Woohoo!” You jumped in excitement, as though you were a kid participating in The Crystal Maze or some shit. “Secret balcony!”

Needless to say, you stepped out and went straight to the balustrade, eager to see your first view of Asgard.

The first thing you noticed was that your room was located at a great height—perhaps even higher than the Stark Tower itself. This was some penthouse level shit—and it gave you an expansive view of the city down below.

The world that greeted you was definitely alien, but with an air of the familiar, just like your room. There were tall, interconnected buildings; smaller, cutesy buildings arranged in neat rows; some really odd structures built right on the jagged cliff edges skirting the city; huge statues of armoured warriors arranged in rows at certain intersections; colourful hanging gardens with skywalks and sparkling ponds; ground-level gardens and groves with fountains and little waterfalls; gravity defying floating spires; and… some kind of viaduct in the distance, running parallel to a river with lots of colourful meadows and trees around it. Beyond that were the mountains, reaching higher as the distance increased, some even snow-capped.

All the structures had a golden hue to them, some more intense than others, some even shining like sunstone. Most of the trees in the hanging gardens were of the flowering kind; they reminded you of the legendary Ashikaga Park in Japan (which you had had the privilege of visiting once). If you squinted enough, you could actually see a variety of birds hanging around too.

And people! Lots of people milling about on every level. Asgardians… not humans, you reminded yourself.

You leaned over a little to see the outer structure of the palace, and what you saw made the other things pale in comparison. The thing was fucking huge . And you were not even at the top level. From your location, all you could see was a bright gold facade with different vertical sections to it, growing wider at the base.

“My lady!” someone called from behind you, startling you into backing off from the balustrade. It was Eyvor, rushing towards you at full speed, her sandals clacking against the floor “You’re not supposed to do that!”

“Do what?” you asked, trying to avoid her grabby hands as she tried to guide you back into the room. “I’m feeling fine, just wanted some fresh air.”

“Yes, yes, that’s quite alright, but you mustn’t lean over the balustrade like that. It’s dangerous. How did you even open the balcony doors?”

“It wasn’t that hard to figure out, really.” You relented and went back in with her, if only to stop her from getting so agitated over your safety. “So, what’s up?” You decided to field some questions at her to keep her busy instead. “Finally came back with some food? I noticed that my hunger was gone when I woke up at night. What’s that all about?”

You didn’t mention that your horniness likely overpowered the hunger, because Loki had been there. You had no idea what she knew about you and what she didn’t—it could very well be that Loki hadn’t told her about the nature of your relationship with him. Playing it safe was better.

“Yes, yes, my lady, I've brought you fresh nourishment.” She led you to the sitting area, which was overflowing with food. The whole coffee table—Was it a coffee table? Nevermind—was prepped like a buffet. “Yesterday, since you were having a panic spell, Lady Eir decided to give you passive nourishment again. Hence your lack of hunger.”

You presumed that this Lady Eir was that other, older woman who had accompanied her yesterday. "Is she your boss? Lady Eir?"

Eyvor nodded, waiting for you to be seated. "She's the head healer. She is not only the best in the realm, she has trained many others to perfection as well. The king completed his healer's training under her guidance only."

“When did Loki train for it?” You had been curious about it ever since he had mentioned the midwifery business and Eyvor's birth.

"Some ten centuries ago. When he had just come of age."

Then she began to fidget as you sat down on the rainbow hued sofa with strange dancing birds embroidered on it. Her visible discomfort reminded you that you had made a gaffe just now. You had called Loki by his name. Uh oh…

“Sorry, I won’t take his name again,” you said, perusing the food that had been brought in just for you. “It’ll take me some time to lose the habit.”

“Thank you.” The relief on her face was almost comical. “Is it a Midgardian custom to call royalty by their given name?”

"No, it usually isn't. But then again, we don't have much royalty left there." You knew that now she probably thought you either crazy or simply insubordinate. "With both the king and Prince Thor, it was just that… no one addressed them with their titles. They're not royalty on Earth—Midgard."

That wasn't a good explanation, but that was all you had. She tilted her head, as if trying to make sense of that. You were pretty sure that for Asgardians, Earth was part of their sphere of influence and extended kingdom. The fact that Earthlings didn’t consider Asgardian royalty as theirs as well was something of a shocker, you assumed.

Eyvor still seemed perplexed by that reasoning, but didn’t question you on it any further.

"Alrighty. So… did the king start the healing training when he was close to your present age?" you asked, having a flash of amusement as you imagined a young gangly Loki trailing after a doctor, trying to assist her.

“Uhh… yes, my lady.” She frowned as she sat down next to you, grasping your hand to tap her thumb on your wrist. “How do you know my age, if you don't mind me asking?”

You shrugged, watching her with curiosity as she completed some kind of check-up procedure on your hand. "Just guessed it. But like, in human years. Your chubby cheeks of youth were a giveaway. Though, seriously, in Asgardian years you must be, like, more than a century, huh?"

You knew that Loki was more than a thousand years old—a fact that still intimidated you in many ways—and even he wasn’t considered old in Asgardian terms. Understanding that ageing process was a hard task.

"I have completed but twenty revolutions around the sun. Most people here consider me a wee babe," Eyvor answered, looking quite put out.

Your eyes widened. An Asgardian who was younger than you? Whoa…

Now even you couldn't help but see her as a kiddo. Though you also understood her annoyance at being considered immature…you had been there yourself.

“Interesting. You’ll grow out of it, don’t worry.”

She nodded, though she didn’t look very convinced by your reassurances. 

“We can keep talking, but you must eat, my lady,” she urged then, gesturing at the food. “Everything is edible and approved by the king himself. You can go ahead and eat to your heart’s content. Let’s start with those apples from the middle tray.”

Huh, you had thought them to be some kinda decor, not real, edible fruits, considering their golden colour. “I thought those were fake.”

“No, they’re apples.”

“They’re huge!” They were at least thrice as big as the average apples found on Earth.

She giggled. “You say the strangest things, my lady. Yes, they’re quite big in size. I'll cut one up for you.”

Glad you find me funny, buddy.

You shrugged, gesturing for her to go ahead.

When she offered the apple pieces to you, you tried to encourage her to eat a few of them too. But she refused, insisting that it was specifically for you , no one else. It struck you as odd, but you didn’t question her about it. Asgardians had some strange house rules, it seemed. Which included not sharing apples. 

You were hungry enough to accept them, for now.

“Mmm… yummy,” you gushed as you devoured the apple. “What kinda apple is this? I’ve never had one so sweet and crispy! Must take them back home and grow a tree of my own one day.”

“They’re called the aureate apples , my lady,” she replied with a smile. “They can only grow in one place. They’re for your—”

The doors to your room opened then, quite loudly, and in walked none other than Loki. He was dressed in full armour this time, horned helmet included. That whole get-up had you feeling intimidated, not to mention, horny on main.

Eyvor rose to her feet and bowed to him as he approached the sitting area, sauntering in like some kind of alien mafia boss, his face stoic and almost stony. Very different from how he had looked last night.

You got up as well, and tried your best to mimic her actions. It ended with an awkward halfway bow.

“Your majesty.” She greeted him a reverence that totally seemed over-the-top.

He nodded in acknowledgement, looking mighty uncomfortable for a bit as he glanced at you briefly. “At ease. Eyvor, we’ve talked about this before; keep it for the throne room,” he muttered. “How is she faring?”

You raised an eyebrow at that question. Why was he asking? He was here last night. 

She straightened up quickly, giving him a stiff nod. “She is doing very well, sire. I was offering her nourishment, her first since her somnolence ended. We started with the apple, as per your command.”

“Hmm, make sure that she eats properly. She can be neglectful of her health.”

“I will, you needn’t worry.”

Why were they talking about you as though you weren't there? Rude as fuck.

He nodded, grabbing a bunch of grapes from the fruit tray to pop them into his mouth. He looked quite ridiculous, eating grapes in full armour. “Good. You are to prepare her for the ceremony in the evening, as Midgard's representative and the Asgardian throne’s ally. Get her handmaidens and other aides to prepare her. I believe you can manage that, right, Eyvor?”

She was quick to respond enthusiastically. “Yes, your majesty, I will manage everything without any hassles.”

“Lest I tell your mother all about your japes.” Much to your surprise, he cracked a teasing grin at her, showing his gleaming teeth. “She keeps asking me if you’re on your best behaviour.”

Eyvor’s eyes widened almost theatrically. “No, you wouldn’t, sire, please! I’m being good, you know I’ve been good. I take my work and responsibilities seriously.” Her eyes shifted to you for a split second as she made that last assertion. From what you could gauge, she meant that you were her responsibility, handed to her by Loki himself. Poor girl…

“Ease your histrionics, girl. I’m merely jesting.” He patted her head affectionately, the stoniness of earlier melting away. “Your mother beams with pride whenever someone mentions you. You’re doing exceptionally good work as a healer’s hand.”

“Thank you, sire.” She bowed again—but not fully this time—looking relieved and pleased with herself. “I’ve even learned how to play the faelute and dance the fasturfotr .”

“Is that so?” he asked, obviously faking disbelief. “You’ve become a full grown woman in my absence, haven’t you? I’ll have to see it with own eyes to believe your claims.”

That made her giggle. But she dropped it midway, giving you a furtive glance. It seemed she had forgotten that you were there, engrossed as she was in her conversation with Loki.

Finally, he turned towards you, dispelling the suspicion that you had grown invisible. His gaze was piercing and yet impersonal.

"I hope you slept well."

He did not just ask you that! Not when it was he who had made you fall asleep with his knowing fingers and his sneaky spell. It made your cheeks burn.

"I did, your majesty," you replied, lowering your gaze. "I thought you were aware of it."

"Keeping track of your sleep schedule is not part of my duties, your ladyship," he replied in an almost scolding tone, catching you off guard. "I’m simply asking because I care.”

“Why?” you asked, feeling sassy in the face of his authoritative posturing.

“Need I remind you that you’re my subject now?"

You were forced to look up at him again, because his rudeness was off the charts.

"Thank you for keeping an eye on me," you replied, unable to keep yourself from mimicking his tone and cadence.

You received a raised eyebrow in return, which you copied as well.

Eyvor seemed to be distressed by this exchange, but Loki had a gleam in his eyes that told you that he was stoked for more, even if it irritated a part of him.

“How can I not? You’ve tested my patience far too oft.” 

You remained quiet, but your consternation was not hidden from him. He smirked—a silent challenge for you to continue with the argument. You didn’t, because you knew that he wasn’t exactly wrong for feeling that way, brusqueness aside.

“Do you wish to stay for breakfast, sire?” Eyvor jumped in then—a desperate effort to dispel the rising tensions between you and Loki. “We had just begun.”

Loki plucked the last grape from his bunch with his teeth, never breaking his eye contact with you. “No, I’m far too occupied with my duties to enjoy a leisurely meal.”

“ All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy ,” you remarked, unable to help yourself.

Loki flashed you a wolfish grin, while Eyvor just stared at you in confusion.

“Who’s Jack?”

Loki ignored her question and instead kept his focus on you. “Come now, you know that I maintain a sweet and healthy balance between the two.”

You bit your lip, finally giving up as you caught the salacious meaning behind his words. Continuing the argument was only going to him provoke him further, you realized, given his silvertongue and penchant for verbal smackdowns.

When he saw that you weren’t going to continue to spar with him, he simply gave you an insufferable smirk, then turned to Eyvor. "Hmm, make sure that she’s more presentable the next time she sees me. I care not for shabbiness."

How dare!

Eyvor switched her gaze between you and him while she replied, no doubt trying to guess what was going on. “Yes, your majesty.”

You were poised to respond to his mean spirited comment, but he didn’t give you the opportunity to do so. He simply turned around and left the room, cape billowing dramatically, barely taking note of the farewell bow from Eyvor.

You were so going to give him a piece of your mind when you saw him next, alone that is. What an ass.

Chapter Text

When Eyvor turned to face you again, she held a very strange expression, somewhere between concern and disapproval.

“What?” you asked, crossing your arms as you sat down again.

"You mustn't test his patience like that,” she said softly, joining you on the sofa again. “You mustn't argue with the king—the Allfather-to-be. There are certain rules of comportment that must not be broken, my lady, this is one of them."

Oh no, not this mediaeval monarchy nonsense again…

"He was the one who started it." That was kind of petulant, but you didn't care. "And it's not like anyone explained the rules to me. I literally just woke up an hour ago." Technically a lie, but she didn’t need to know. “And I didn’t even get to properly plan this visit.”

She sighed and continued, apparently not willing to let it slide. "He's being exceptionally kind, you know. Odin Allfather—may joy and merriment be upon his soul in Valhalla—would not have accepted or allowed this kind of arguing. You would’ve paid for it very dearly. I don’t know how the norms go on Midgard, but now you’re in Asgard, and you must follow the norms here. We don’t want any embarrassment on our hands, not with the nobility watching the king like hawks and gossiping among themselves like Ratatoskr."

There it was, that name again. You really needed to read up on this creature of high gossip.

“Gossiping about what?”

Eyvor pursed her lips, her eyebrows drawing together. “Everything about him courts controversy… whether driven by his actions or by others’ prejudices. Now that he’s going to be king, they’ll take any chance at undermining his authority, through anyone. Hence the errant gossiping and rumour spilling. Some of it they try to justify, as his sharp wit and tongue has often struck them hard. And in that they oft forget his acts of bravery and kindness.”

Alright, now you felt bad about arguing with him, despite his prickly behaviour (who knew what kind of stressors he was facing while trying to run this place). It was true; he had a habit of riling everyone up—including you—with his slivertongue, but he had indeed been kind to you, and others, in his actions. Typical…

“Okay, I won’t argue with him, at least not in front of others,” you conceded, taking a deep, cleansing breath. It was time to shift the gears of this conversation. “Hey, Eyvor, how about we let this slide and get on with the day? I'm still hungry."

Thankfully, she listened, offering you more fruits and other, very interesting things—like spice infused savoury pies, a layered, almost honeycomb shaped dessert (which tasted somewhat like a funnel cake but not quite so), flatbread sandwiches and a whole lot of stuff you couldn’t define. All delicious.

You encouraged her to eat as well, for it felt absolutely ridiculous for you to keep munching while she just sat there, handing you everything. Thankfully, the share-no-apple rule didn’t apply to other things, and she accepted your offer.

She didn't speak up until you were both full.

“As you know, you have to attend the ceremony at the shore today,” she said, offering you a cup of rose coloured tea to wash down the breakfast. “So we must start preparing for it now.”

You simply nodded, even though it struck you as odd—that you needed a whole day to prep for it. "Will you please guide me on what to do during the rites and rituals? I don't want to accidentally offend anyone. Or create more problems for Lo—the king."

That made her laugh.

"This is why we must start now. Be assured that I'll not let that happen. In fact, I have made some notes for you in my sheaf ."

And that was how you were introduced to the Asgardian version of a smartphone/tablet, which looked like a rolled up parchment notepad but was actually a sophisticated device. You couldn't understand the script and language it used, but it had a fun interface.

Hence, along with learning the rules of comportment from Eyvor, you also learned certain things about Asgardian tech, which was not just impressive, but kind of mindblowing. That little device (and even bigger ones, as relayed to you by her) never needed any charging—they took their power from the walls, which in turn too their power from heart of Asgard. 

And it didn’t stop with just the walls, every other structure here functioned like that. No need for a switch, they just glowed and dimmed whenever light was needed. What more, the palace gardens (and farms) all had their own watering clouds and soil enrichment systems; the palace itself could change the levels of its various floors and clean its various halls and rooms on its own; and they even had flying boats and giant ships that could function on land, water and even space.

Honestly, you were now very eager to see all these tech marvels with your own eyes, and Eyvor promised you that she’d show them to you after the coronation. Loki’s coronation.

Your heart skipped a beat every time you thought about it. He was going to be a king, and he was bent on keeping you on Asgard, regardless of how out of place you felt at present. You could only hope that you’d be able to adjust, as you didn’t want to part with him.

Loki was reading a tax collection report in his chambers, wanting to be done with it before the funerary ceremonies began, for ten other reports awaited his attention, apart from that one.

It wasn’t that he was being irreverent towards Odin’s send off; it was just that there was too much to be taken care of. Especially with Midgard being so unstable at present. 

Hence, he had taken on the duties of a sovereign and king without the official transfer of title. It was still not settling in… that he would have to rule. In his mind, that burden was always going to be Thor’s in the end, despite his temporary stint as Asgard’s regent, disastrous though it had been.