Jewel Thief ◇ L. Laufeyson

22 ◇ eyepatch

But to my surprise, Loki was right. As if my suit had been taken to a dry cleaners and given a complete workup, it was indeed clean, pressed, and free of any cuts and blood.

I glanced at Loki for an explaination. "How did you--?"

"Magic," he answered simply, waving his hands and sending me a proud smile.

I reached for the suit, my shoulder aching as I outstretched my arm. The arrow wound still hadn't healed.

"Still not feeling better?" Loki questioned. "I thought the bleeding had stopped."

I grimaced, eyeing my bad shoulder. The arrow hadn't lodged too far into my back, thanks to the protection of the suit, but it still took a chunk of out my skin. The hot water from the shower had stopped the bleeding for a bit, but unfortunately the blood had began to seep through again.

I bit my tongue, pushing away the pain like the stubborn Stark I was. "It's nothing. Just a flesh wound, really.

Loki scoffed and turned me around, pulling my hair out of the way to get a better look. Silently, he grabbed a long black scarf from nearby and began to wrap it around me.

It was quiet in the room, dimly lit by lights along the walls. With the steam from the showers, it was comfortably warm, even though I was dressed in only a towel.

Mentally, I forced myself to hold onto this moment. Loki and I, alone in complete peace and quiet. His hands in me, putting the utmost care into his actions to bring me comfort. Even though I wore basically nothing, I wasn't anxious or insecure; I was completely comfortable with him.

These seconds, right now, were so precious. Life felt perfect; the man I loved taking care of me in a stress-free environment.

Loki wasn't the only one worried about how the team would react to us. But, I tried not to make myself go crazy with worry - we would cross that bridge when we get there.

I wondered, would it really be possible to live like this forever? Thanks to HYDRA and their sick experiments, they did give me something I don't take for granted anymore - delayed aging. Loki and I would have plenty of years to look forward to, if we could find a quiet spot on Earth to settle together. As he said, we could travel, too - the Earth and space. But it all seemed....too good to be true.

Standing here with Loki, in the tranquility of this moment, I wanted to hold onto it forever and make the rest of my life look the same.

"What are you thinking about?" Loki asked me suddenly, his voice soft to not disturb the quiet.

"Maybe I'm not thinking at all," I hummed in response, "can't I just enjoy the silence?"

He chuckled, pulling me onto his lap where he sat on the bed. "If I know anything about you, Y/N Stark, it's that you like to talk," he spoke playfully, "and in the rare moments you are quiet, it means your mind is brewing."

I sarcastically rolled my eyes. "Fine, fine. I just..." Stopping myself, I took a second to look up at him and find the right words. "I just really, really like us. This. Me and you."

"Me and you," he agreed, his voice so low it was almost a whisper. For a few seconds, we were lost in each other's eyes. Then, Loki spoke up again. "I suppose we should--"