"What are we wearing to this... party?" Loki asked on the elevator ride back up to your rooms. He sounded nervous. You took his hand and brushed your thumb over the back of it, reassuring.
"We're wearing our battle costumes," you told him gently. "You don't have to come if you don't want to. It'll be loud and obnoxious and probably full of Tony being drunk and people acting stupid," you added, equally gently. It really wasn't going to be an event that Loki would like. Hell, it wasn't going to be an event that you would like, but you were obligated to go. Tony had made you promise.
"You will be there," Loki replied carefully.
"Because I have to go. It's supposed to be fun. Tony insists it will be. I don't believe him, but I have to show up at least for a little while," you told him, whining. You just wanted to sit on a couch with a purring Lokitty and a book.
"Then I will join you and we will protect each other," Loki's voice was warm, obviously caring about you and your well-being, but you could hear the nerves in his voice. He didn't want to spend the evening with the mortals, with Tony, or his loud drunken friends.
"Lokitty, just stay here. You'll be safer and happier and won't have mortals stepping on your tail. I know how you feel about them not giving you a chance," you insisted. You didn't want to see him suffering through this party.
"Nonsense. It would be dishonorable to let you face this battle alone," he said in such a lofty formal tone that you couldn't help laughing. He seemed pleased that you had relaxed. You kissed his cheek when you were outside of your room. It had become a friendly, caring, gesture over the last few weeks when you couldn't reach the spot between the cat-ears on top of his head.
"Wait for me and we can go down to the ballroom together," you suggested.
"That sounds like an excellent idea," he agreed quickly. He lifted your hand and bowed over it as he kissed your knuckles. You smiled at the old-fashioned gesture and ducked into your room to get ready for the party. You used magic to summon your battle armor. It was a pain to put on normally. Coulson had given you a new set when yours was destroyed in the explosion. It now had gold trim with the green and black. You had a feeling he was trying to ship you and Loki too. But it looked cool and was functional, so you didn't complain. You did your hair and put on makeup since this was a party and made sure your wand was wrapped securely around your wrist pretending to be a bracelet. You didn't want to be without it among all these people, most of whom you wouldn't know.
You carefully settled your witch's hat on your head, securing it in place with magic. You took a glance in the mirror before you left your room. You looked tiny, innocent, and adorable. It was the exact look Coulson had been going for in your costume, a cute little witch who helped out the team and saved the world. There were negative connotations about witches being evil, so he'd designed your costume to look adorable, despite that it was mostly black. You were also careful to keep up a cheerful, polite, kind demeanor at all times. It had gotten you the reputation of being America's sweetheart and the public loved you.
You stepped out into the hall and saw Loki waiting for you in his full battle armor, including his golden horned helmet. You saw the illusions hiding his cat-ears and tail. You only saw the illusions because you were a witch. They were very well done. You also noted that he chose his current armor setup and not the set from New York. Wise choice. "Hope you weren't waiting too long," you greeted him with a smile. He was leaning against the wall with a book in one hand. He vanished the book and looked over at you as he stood.
"Not at all," he replied with a smile.
"Good job on the illusions," you told him by way of complimenting his appearance. He would be uncomfortable if you told him how hot his battle armor was. Instead, you complimented his skills, which he would appreciate more.
"You look lovely as ever, little sorceress," he replied warmly, accepting your praise for what it was. He hesitated a moment, but finally said: "I wanted to ask before we head to Tony's party: would you allow me the honor of escorting you on a proper date this Saturday evening?"
"It would be my honor," you replied automatically, just as formally as his question had been. You'd been waiting for him to ask after all. "Where are we going?" you asked curiously.
"It is a surprise," you gave him a look. The last date you had gone on had not turned out well. Neither had the ones before that. You weren't sure you trusted surprises, even from him. "Trust me, love. It will be a pleasant surprise. At the worst, we will have a fun evening out and remain friends." You relaxed at that. You could accept the surprise fun evening if there was no pressure that you'd lose your best friend if the dating thing somehow didn't work out.
"Alright, but you're going to have to give me some clue or I'll have no idea what to wear," you informed him with a teasing smile. You saw his grin and the glimmer of mischief and fun in his eyes.
He offered you his arm. "Shall we?" you hesitated before you took it. He looked surprised and a little hurt that you didn't take his arm automatically like you usually did.
"Not that I mind," you told him quickly "but if we go down to that party arm-in-arm every single person there is going to assume that we're dating and it will end up all over the news and tabloids. I don't mind," you repeated firmly. "I just want to make sure that you're ok with it," you knew how shy he was even around the team, though they were all starting to warm up. Out among normal people who would probably recognize and hate him for trying to take over the world? It was already amazing enough that the magic school accepted him with little to no question. He was a cat and a god, of course he'd tried to take over the world. Everything had worked out in the end, so the witches and wizards moved on. It's what they did. Muggles were harder to convince.
"You wish to make sure I feel safe?" Loki mused with a warm smile. He looked truly touched that you were thinking of his feelings. "I promised to face this challenge with you," he reminded you and offered you his arm again. You smiled and placed your hand on his offered arm. "This might be fun after all," he commented as you walked to the elevator to head to the ballroom. He would enjoy the press having a field day.
You tightened your grip on his arm when you stepped off of the elevator, glad for his presence. The ballroom was packed. Everyone was in costume, though the rule was that only the team were allowed to dress as Avengers. At least your friends would be easy to find. You didn't know how or why Tony had invited so many people to this stupid thing. "It's alright, love," Loki's voice was kind, but you saw his tail bristle under the illusion spell. He wasn't comfortable in this crowd either. You steeled your spine and courage and stepped into the room proper.
"Let's go get drinks," you told Loki and gestured to the bar. "That's where Stark's likely to be and we can't escape until he sees us here," you added. Loki inclined his head to indicate that he'd heard you over the crowd and he led you to the bar. The crowd seemed to part for him and you couldn't tell if it was magic or his presence that was getting them to move.
"You two finally decided to show up!" Tony exclaimed when you reached the bar and handed you each a drink.
"You threatened me if I didn't," you glared at him.
"You need to have fun sometimes too, kid," he teased, "even if it's forcefully. Now have fun," he told you and shooed you toward the dance floor. You weren't going near the dance floor until you had to, or until Tony played something you could actually dance to instead of this...club music. Instead, you found the science bros corner. It was a quiet corner where Bruce and Doctor Strange were currently hanging out.
"Nice illusions, not-a-cat," Strange greeted Loki when you two made your way over. Loki bristled, not liking being teased by Strange who didn't really trust or like him.
"Stop that," you told Loki firmly and kissed his cheek to calm him. "Strange teases, it's what he does. You can't stab him for it," you added quickly before Loki could do just that.
"The press is loving you," Strange said sarcastically, commenting on the pictures that were being taken of you being escorted by Loki and of course that kiss on the cheek. You shrugged.
"No one cares what the press thinks," you replied more bravely than you felt.
"I think you'll care when they put out the story that America's sweetheart is being courted by a reformed super villain," Strange countered. You shrugged again.
"They'll learn what he's really like, eventually. Until then, who better to prove that he's not evil than 'America's Sweetheart'?" you replied. Loki raised your hand to his lips to kiss, grateful that you were standing up for him.
You chatted with Strange and Bruce until your drinks were gone. You vanished the empty glasses back to the bar, then went to go find the others. You couldn't escape from the crowd until the entire team had seen you here. Thor was overjoyed to see Loki here and clapped him on the shoulder jovially, while Loki growled at the treatment. Nat and Clint were on the dance floor. Cap was hanging out with some WWII friends and nodded to you when he saw you.
You grinned when one of the line dances started and dragged Loki out onto the dance floor by the hand. He followed, letting you drag him like a well-loved stuffed animal, or your best friend, which he was. "I do not know this dance," he protested feebly, interested by all the people dancing in sync. So you taught him the electric slide.
A slow song started and he looked equally confused at this dance. You wrapped your arms around his neck, his arms went automatically around your waist. "I know, it's not like a proper ball," you empathized with him mournfully. "There's no finesse to these... slow dances. Not like the waltz. You just kind of...hold your partner and sway,"
"That can be enjoyable as well," Loki's voice was a purr as he held you close to him. His lips touched your forehead. "Quite enjoyable, though you are correct. This is nothing like a proper ball. There is no finesse, no style, no... emotion in the dance itself." You both ignored the press taking pictures of the pair of you.
Thor grabbed both of your arms later in the evening, once most of the crowd was dying out and dragged you over to the bar where the others on the team were gathering. "Thor!" you both protested.
"C'mon, you two, it's tradition!" Tony exclaimed. "Thor, you brought it, right?" he asked. Thor let you and Loki go now that you were at the bar with the others. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a giant flask.
"What tradition is this?" you asked Nat.
"Stark wants to get shitfaced off of Asgardian booze. So he makes us all drink it, forgetting that it takes a lot more of the stuff to get those of us who aren't normal humans shitfaced," she explained quickly as she took her shot from Thor as he passed them out. You shrugged and took one too. You weren't a normal human either.
"Be careful with this," Loki warned as he accepted one as well.
"It has been aged 1000 years," Thor reminded the team. "And not for mortals," he glared at Tony, who downed his shot, regardless of the warning.
"How many shots does it take to get you drunk, anyway?" Tony demanded as he watched you down the shot.
You shrugged. "More than a human, less than Thor," you answered. You hadn't tested your limits in a long time. "That stuff is good," you added to Thor as he refilled your glass.
"Careful," Thor reminded you again. You nodded and sipped on the second round. Tony was not nearly so careful and was down for the count almost instantly. Clint and Bruce were soon on the losers pile with Tony. You stopped after the second, not wanting to end up drunk. A taste of the stuff was one thing, getting drunk was just silly.
It was getting late and you'd been social much longer than intended, so you turned to Loki, who was watching the antics with amusement. "Lokitty, mind walking me back upstairs?" you asked. He raised an eyebrow, but set his glass on the bar. "Guests are only supposed to have access to this floor of the tower, but mistakes have been made... I'd rather not find out alone that someone snuck into my room," you explained, though tried to make it sound like it wasn't a huge concern.
One of the guys always walked you back to your room after these kind of events, usually Thor, since he was the most responsible as the most sober. Nat and Clint always slept in the same bed after these things, claiming it was for protection from nightmares. No one dared dispute their story or tease them. Bruce was safe because of the Hulk, an Iron Man suit guarded Tony, and Thor and Cap were...Thor and Cap. Thor wouldn't leave you alone last time until you'd created satisfactory shields around your room. There had been one incident since you'd lived here of a drunk girl in a Black Widow costume making it to the living room and passing out there. No one was taking chances with anyone's safety on the team.
"Of course, darling," Loki replied warmly. He offered you his arm and nodded a goodbye to the others. He wouldn't be coming back to the party once he escaped.
"Brother... " Thor's tone was a warning. He wanted to say more, to make the suggestion that your relationship was too new and too unofficial to handle without breaking.
"Lady Y/N is perfectly safe in my care," Loki replied grumpily, growling that Thor questioned his honor. That wasn't what was going on, but was the obvious conclusion.
"I am not questioning your ability to keep her safe. I merely wish to remind you that it may be necessary to do so, which is uncommon in the safety of the tower," Thor replied calmly, not offended at Loki's grumpy reply. "People have slipped past our security into the tower before. Take this responsibility seriously, despite the fact that Lady Y/N asked you lightly,"
"I'm not helpless, Thor," you grumped at him.
"No, you're not," Thor agreed mildly. "But that doesn't mean you should be stupid," he replied. You nodded in agreement with that. It was a perfectly logical assessment. You took Loki's arm more firmly and let him lead you to the elevator.
"Are you alright?" Loki asked you softly, noticing your grip tighten.
You nodded. "Just tired of all of the people," you admitted softly. The others knew you were an introvert, but only Bruce seemed to really understand how exhausting it was.
"I completely understand," he agreed, just as shy and introverted as you were. Once the elevator doors had slid shut you both used magic to ditch the costumes, back to comfortable pajamas and normalcy, and Loki dropped the illusions on his cat-ears and tail. You reached up automatically to scratch behind one of his ears. He gave you a warm smile in return. "Are they others taking a buddy with them to look for intruders?" he asked you curiously.
"Nat and Clint are sharing a bed tonight. Tony and one of his suits will be sharing a bed, or hanging out in the lab with Bruce. Hulk will keep Bruce safe. Cap is Cap; I'm not sure he even sleeps. Your brother is well... Thor. He can take care of himself. If not, his roars will wake the entire tower," you explained on the elevator ride.
"The oaf is quite loud," Loki agreed. "Is he exaggerating the threat?" he asked softly, his tone demanding a truthful answer.
You didn't want to worry Loki, but you knew better than to lie to him either. "I don't think it's as bad as he's making it sound, but there have been intruders before, including one since I've lived here," you told him. He nodded, accepting your words, but you saw the worry behind his eyes.
He wrapped an arm around your shoulders as you walked down the hall to your room, an overprotective gesture, but you didn't mind, especially when you had asked him to walk you safely home. You opened the door and stepped aside so he could go in and check for intruders. You knew how this worked and didn't deny that his honor demanded that he verify you would be safe. Loki peeked his head out of the room a minute later. "It's safe," he told you. You nodded and followed him into the room. He hesitated and you saw what he wanted to ask, and saw him try to figure out how without upsetting you or sounding like he was pushing for more than just sleep and protection.
"Lokitty, just stay," you told him gently and began pulling back the covers on your bed. He just stared, shocked at the suggestion. "You want to make sure I'm safe, especially now that you know it's a legitimate concern and not just something your idiot brother made up. I'd feel better knowing you're safe too,"
"You would not think it... forward?" he finally asked, though it sounded like that wasn't the word he was looking for. It got the concept of his hesitation to you well enough.
"Lokitty," you sighed in exasperation. "You're my best friend and I trust you," you saw a heartbreaking expression in his eyes that anyone would say that they trusted him. "Besides, you've slept here plenty of times before," most of those times he'd been in cat form, but still, it had only been most of those times. "I'm inviting you to stay for sleep and safety. There's plenty of bed for both of us. So, yes, you're invited to stay. But if you climb on my face or do any other annoying cat thing to wake me in the middle of the night, you're never getting another invitation," you warned him lightly, using the exact words you'd warned his cat-form with.
He chuckled. "Does that mean you wish for me to change forms?" he asked just as lightly, willing to do that if it would make you feel safer about his presence.
"And risk you refusing to turn back again? No. I was just teasing so you'd relax and cool that adorable blush. Especially when there's no need for a blush over a simple sharing of a sleeping space," you teased. He laughed and seemed to finally relax. "Now I'm exhausted after having to deal with so many stupid people. Are you staying, or do I need to come with you to make sure your room is clear of intruders too?" you asked and covered a yawn with your hand.
He kissed your forehead. "Take the side of the bed furthest from the door," he told you firmly. You couldn't help smiling at his automatic jump to taking the more vulnerable position. "I'll join you in a minute," he added warmly. You nodded and climbed into the bed while he went to the door to lock it. You both made the shields around the room, twining your power together. Nothing was getting through those shields. Loki joined you a minute later, sitting against the pillows with a book. The lights in the room went out, but he held a little ball of light in one hand. "Will this disturb you?" he asked, perfectly willing to set the book aside so he didn't keep you from sleeping.
"Not at all," you replied, curling yourself comfortably under the covers. "Goodnight, Lokitty," you bid him warmly and closed your eyes to finally relax after dealing with so many people. You needed to recharge your introvert batteries.
"Sleep well, darling" he bid you softly. His voice was warm honey as he read aloud from the book of poetry he held. You fell asleep listening to his sweet honeyed voice and the lovely cadence of his words and accent, feeling perfectly safe in his company, and knowing that if he was here reading to you that he was safe and happy too.