Just like two lovebirds, Loki and I went from kissing to pure affection. The loving affection turned into a passion and went on with pure desire. The arousal led to throwing our clothes onto the floor, this time without Loki's magic.
We took our time taking our clothes off. Loki's finger traced patterns on my bare skin before pulling up my shirt. And so did I. My hands stroked his body over his suit, feeling his muscles underneath it. Doing it slowly pikes up both of our lusts and leaving us both panting on the floor in the living room is evidence enough to say this was better than great.
Moreover, with us lying side by side after doing it, I felt very loved and understood. On the contrary when Loki hovers back onto the feet and leaves me alone on the cold floor. I squeeze my eyes together and swear under my breath. Loki chuckles amused as he covers me up with a towel, leaving me speechless from the sudden aftercare he shows.
"Where was that filthy mouth of yours before?" He smirks. "Ah, I see. It was my doing for you to be unable to speak."
His lips connected with the skin of my neck, leaving soft and kind kisses behind while wiping off the mess he had left on me. Although I am pretty sure he made sure to fill me up with all of his belongings.
I blush hard and internally I get frustrated. How can such a man make someone like me so weak in her knees? Well, he's a God too. And perhaps we are truly made for each other. Just thinking of that reminds me of what Frigga has told me before she stepped into Valhalla.
"Did you know that your mother has already approved our relationship?"
Immediately Loki pulls away, and the corners of his lips go slightly down and his eyes close too. Slowly he sits up, summoning our clothes back on. I can sense by our covered bodies now that we're going to have a proper talk. So I get up too and sit beside him. Before Loki speaks up, he swallows.
"Even when you try to hide it, she knew. Mother is," he pauses and sighs deeply. "Was a witch. Were those her last words?"
My chest tightens a little, seeing Loki so broken about his mother. And it upsets me even more that I have never thought about him or even Thor, both could be grieving too. Up until now, it was always about me.
I put my hand on his. Loki looks up at me with a fixed gaze and is frozen in place. I squeeze his hand to mention to him, I am here and send him a smile.
"Besides keeping an eye on you?" Loki smiles a bit. "That I'm in charge of her when Odin tries something," I recall what Frigga told me in Valhalla.
I look away and purse my lips. "What else did she tell you, my love?"
I scoff and shrug my shoulders. Of course, he knows that she said something more than just those things. And he knows exactly I'm hiding the major fact that affects me. Now it is Loki's time to give me an assuringly squeeze of my hand.
"Sometimes she can be quite forthright when you lose faith in yourself. You needn't tell me. But believe me that it can be very mind-altering." He smiles. "And she is the Goddess of clairvoyance and marriage after all."
A breathless giggle escapes my throat, "You're not suggesting to marry me now, are you, my prince?" I wiggle with my brows to indicate I was just jesting.
Loki laughs a bit, "I suppose we rather not rush our courtship, my queen. However, marriage will be an option in our future."
I breathed out in relief when he mentioned taking our relationship slowly. But it still takes me by surprise that he already thinks about the farther future. When teenagers or younger adults meet their first real boyfriend, they immediately think about marrying them one day and having children. They may be oblivious to thinking like that but in the end, it is natural to do so if you're in love. A normal response of the human body. And I'm not going to lie thinking about my first real love was going to end up like a fairytale.
But I guess with Loki, it can be different. He's not human but a God. Yes, not of the same pantheon as me and maybe I should reconsider Frigga's words. To accept changes and to accept my fulfillment. Both of us can be better together.
The huge grin falters quickly after he thought about something. The smile turns into a frown and I can see his eyes are stained with tears. Even if he tilts his head to the side and blinks them away.
"Loki, what's wrong?"
He chuckles heartlessly and turns around to focus back on me. "I have just realized mother will never attend one of her sons' wedding. It was her most desired wish."
Yeah, my heart has just shattered. My mind ran wild with scenarios of how cheerful and joyful she would have been seeing her sons get married with the love of their lives. The way she would plan the ceremony was one of the biggest feasts ever since Frigga's and Odin's marriage. Way bigger than a coronation probably. The way she would join the journey of the bride picking up the dress, and cake and how she probably would mend in the bride's and groom's wish into the ceremony. As she told me once, tradition can be put together. Or how she would calm Thor's and Loki's nerves before they headed towards the hall and waited for their future bride to come.
Frigga would have been a great mother-of-law.
"I'm so sorry, Loki. Can I do anything for you?" I ask him while pulling him into a hug and he reacts rapidly by melting into my arms.
He takes a deep breath, a relaxing one, and snuggles into the crook of my neck while caressing my back, holding me tight.
"After her being gone, I do not wish to lose you either. Stay here with me, you are the only reason for keeping me sane. That is all I beg for, my dear."
I breathe out through my nose and hold him closer too. I nod my head and add, "Of course. But are you alright, my prince?"
He fakes a smile, I can tell since his eyes still have sadness behind them.
"How can I be not when tonight was the day where I claimed you?"
I giggle like a desperate little girl who wants to hear those kinds of praises. But I would lie if I said I didn't want to hear those words. I may be bold when I say, that every woman wishes to hear those words from their lover, or am I wrong?
"Then let's go to bed then, my king. It had been a long day for both of us. Sleep will help," I suggest instead.
Loki slowly pulls away and nods. I get up and pull him with me toward his bedroom. Without exchanging any words, we undress and get into bed. If it weren't for the situation, I would laugh at how quickly we had agreed on a relationship and now we go to sleep together. Arm in arm as if both of us are afraid of losing our partner in the deep sea. If I knew beforehand how calming it can be to fall asleep into a person's loving arm, I would have confessed my feelings to Loki a lot earlier.
☥ ☥ ☥
Whenever I fall asleep by my choice, I wake up with one of those nightmares that feel very realistic as if I set back the time and relieve my worst fear. Once again it was about me in the afterworld where I face my faceless father who holds me in his huge paw with his extended claw which holds me in a cage. Looking down at my trembling hands, I see them all covered up in crimson-colored blood.
The blood of all the innocent souls I kept in their corpses, not letting them take their path into the afterworld. And all of this because of me.
With weak knees, I step up, holding on to his claws, I beheld the view outside my cage. Instead of my homeland, I rewatch the scenarios of all the innocent humans that fall dead on the ground. How the bullet or sword pierces through their skulls or hearts, the red fluid spurting out of their dying bodies.
Along with the disappointed growl of Anubis, I wake up with a cold sweat in my bed. Panting, I take a look outside to see how the sun hasn't risen yet. And to my surprise, Loki isn't in bed anymore.
With that, I decided to get up and take a long hot shower to wash away my insecurities. After doing my morning routine, I grab a coffee from the kitchen and notice how the sun starts rising. Without taking the first sip of my hot beverage, Jarvis ordered every one of us to meet on the rooftop in our gear.
My first mission as an Avenger.
Quickly, I change into my catsuit and put over my cloak. I store my weapons into their designated holsters and take the elevator to meet everyone in front of the quinjet. I greeted everyone, minus Stark and Bucky, with a quiet mumble of mornings and then walked over to Loki.
"Good morning, my love," he whispers into my ear and kisses me tenderly which I return. As we pulled away, I noticed how everybody was watching us with a face that told us 'finally' or 'I knew it'. I blush a bit and shuffle uncomfortably on my feet. "Let them watch. They are only jealous of what we share."
I roll my eyes, "I know. I don't care if they watch us but I don't like to show my emotions to them."
He chuckles slightly, "Of course. It is a form of weakness. I do understand. Nevertheless, as Rogers has mentioned already, our love towards each other brings our strength to the forefront."
With a yawn, I nod my head while Loki furrows his brows. But we couldn't exchange any other words when finally Tony decided to join us.
Steve clears his throat and gathers us all together inside the aircraft, "I know we all are tired from last night but we need to stay focused," he says as he watches a few of us rubbing their eyes. "But Banner located Loki's scepter in one of HYDRA's secret bases in Sokovia."
My heart thumps against my chest and I decide to take a step into our circle, "I'm sorry but why do you need all of us?"
"They're using the scepter as a weapon. The base is secured with three times more agents who are defending the base," Banner explains as he shows us a holographic map of a castle.
I gulp but the comfort comes back a tiny bit when Loki lays a hand on my left shoulder, "And what about the other tasks you gave us the other day?"
Steve's mouth is slightly agape, knowing exactly why I am very much concerned. He knows damn well why I don't feel comfortable enough to join this mission against HYDRA after what happened. Even more when the aether is still stuck in my system and with my body recovering from the curse.
As a matter of fact, Loki nods towards Steve. Something is off here, the goosebumps all over my skin are trying to warn me.
When I saw Loki taking a step toward me, I tried to jump back but he was quicker. Loki holds onto my shoulder, holding me still while Steve eyeballs Tony. With that one pierces a needle through the skin of the triceps, receiving a yelp mixed with a growl from me.
"Oww, what the hell was that for?!", I yell pathetically as I feel my body succumb to the effect of whatever shitty thing they did to me without my consent. I wanted to shove Loki away but luckily he catches me when my knees buckle in. "What was that?", I ask with a croaked voice.
Loki's eyes narrow in concern as he watches my body fight against the foreign serum in my body. A whimper is my response and that was Thor's cue to hold out a vessel in my sight. My insides are boiling as if the aether gets angry for getting kicked out of its home.
"Stark, why isn't it working?", Natasha questions worried as she sees that nothing flies out of my body to the vessel that should contain something from my possession.
Tony shrugs his shoulders bluntly at ease and that's when I close my eyes to make the burning pain in my bones more bearable. As I reopen my eyes, I see my body covered up in my shadows trying to fight against the red glow. I blink in surprise at the view, also that Loki has put me into my seat and buckled me up. I haven't even noticed that the quinjet has taken off already.
My head snaps towards Tony who stands at the cockpit, "Don't worry, I've created an antidote to the serum of HYDRA too. It's a two-in-one device. While you're getting vaccinated with the antidote and getting healed from whatever weakness you had, the aether will get extracted too. See, a win-win situation."
With bared teeth and gripping my cloak tight together, I ask breathlessly, "Then why does it take so long?"
Tony nods towards Loki who nods in return. He puts his cold hand on my forehead. The coolness of his skin is already enough to make the heat more bearable. And with his healing magic, the pain slowly fades away.
Loki leans down to me, whispering into my ear, "Give in to my magic and your powers. Without you fighting against it, it'll work, darling."
I take a shaky breath and try to relax my muscles. Natasha wants to intervene but Bruce holds her wrist to stop her from doing that, shaking his head. And I couldn't resist my smirk even though I was in a bit of pain at the sight of her melting into his touch. I guess it's my turn to tease her now.
All of a sudden my shadow manipulation's color consumes the red fluid and drags it out of my system. In a smooth line, it creates a lane and transports the red infinity stone into the vessel which Thor holds out in my direction. Once the extraction is done, Thor locks the container and I slump forward in my seat and gasp in desperate need of air.
I chuckle darkly as I shake my head for myself. With a glower through my lashes, I eye everyone while my head is still low. "I hate all of you who got involved."
Clint speaks up and ignores my previous comment, "Did it work?"
With a grumble I lean back and slowly close my eyes, feeling totally exhausted from the lack of sleep I had the night before and now including the involuntary extraction of the aether, "Let's wait and see," I slur, slowly drifting to sleep but I still managed to say one last thing barely in a whisper, "I hate you all."