Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Yeah, it was a simple, usual Friday at Stark Tower, no different from any other Friday. Sometimes you saw the Avengers pass by your office, through the glass walls, though it was most often your fellow coworkers of Stark Industries, or the occasional SHIELD agent, but that was it. The sun was warm at your back, and you were making decent headway through the pile of data and documents you’d been handed that morning. All in all, a fairly productive and relatively easy day…

But then you heard an explosion – a tiny one, but an explosion nonetheless – coming from one of the floors above your office. You were startled, though not necessarily surprised. Explosions of some kind or another took place just about every other day in Stark Tower. Though usually, those were slightly more muffled and indistinct due to the lab where they occurred was several floors below you, and there was adequate hearing insulation to keep them from becoming distracting to the work environment. So this time, you grew slightly more concerned.

Calmly, though your hands shook every so slightly, you checked your phone to make sure that JARVIS hadn’t sent an emergency notification, as the AI had been programmed to do for all civilian workers in the event the Tower came under attack. There was nothing on your phone, and when one of your coworkers poked his head in your office door, face pinched in concern, you shrugged a little helplessly.

“No word on what that was about?” Dernham – Jeffery Dernham – asked slowly. “Marie Chang, the one from Accounting, near about spilled her coffee all over her desk, she jumped so hard.”

“I’ll try Pepper, just in case JARVIS is on the fritz,” you sighed. “For now, have everyone save whatever they’re doing to the company back-up server and pause for a moment, in case we need to evacuate. I don’t want anyone panicking, so until I get word back, everyone stays where they are for now.”

“Yes, boss,” Dernham nodded, a cheeky smile playing about his face as he left to make the announcements. He knew how much it bothered you to be called “boss,” especially with his Brooklyn accent. It always made you feel like some kind of old-timey gangster godfather…

You rolled your eyes and turned your attention back to your phone. Still nothing from JARVIS, though that could mean any number of things. So you sent a quick message to Pepper Potts.

Just heard something explode upstairs. Any idea what that’s about? No word from JARVIS, but I need to give my floormates something to calm them down. – sent 2:35 PM

What only could have been moments later, though it felt more like an age, came her response: The Avengers are being themselves. Just got word from Tony – apparently someone got the great idea to piss off Loki, and it went from there. You know how it is. Give everyone the usual excuses, and the green light to continue as they were. It’s already been dealt with, Tony promises, etc. – received 2:37 PM

You sent back a short acknowledgment, and stepped out your office to make the announcement to those you were in charge of, which was the entire floor of the building. “Hey everyone,” you called, drawing the mild chatter to a close and pulling their attention to yourself. “Just got word from Ms. Potts. It’s a false alarm; the Avengers just got a little too enthusiastic today, is all. We’ve got the green light to push forward, since Mr. Stark has given his word that it’s already been dealt with. Any comments, questions, or concerns can be sent to HR – you all know the drill. Thank you all for your patience.”

And with that, your coworkers eased back into the swing of things. The general atmosphere had been effectively ruined, and likely wouldn't return until everyone came back the following Monday , but at least productivity was back in motion.

You couldn’t help the deep sigh that escaped your lips as you closed your office door behind you. And as you sat at your desk, your eyes were inevitably drawn to the selfie you printed out and framed on your desk of Loki and yourself. The friendship between you and the god of Mischief was a bit of an oddity, but since he had come to stay at the Tower and work towards redemption – by order of Asgard and the All-Father, you had been told – he had been alone and lonely for the longest time. You weren’t living in New York when his infamous near-takeover occurred, and you weren’t close to anyone who suffered from it even remotely, so it was a bit easier to make nice with the sweetly accented, intelligent man you met in the public library shortly after you moved to the Big Apple.

Still, even now, a year after working with the Avengers and gradually improving public opinion, you knew that the Avengers as a team still didn’t like or trust Loki. In some ways, you could understand that it would be difficult to suddenly take in someone who was once an enemy, but you also saw the deep sadness and pain in Loki’s eyes whenever he needed to vent about his day. The bitterness that would creep into his voice the more he talked about how they shunned him from even the most platonic or innocuous interactions… it was heart-breaking. The more they pushed him away, the more difficult they made it for him to feel like he was secure and had a place to turn to if he truly needed help. Sure, he blustered away the discomfort with haughty shows of pride and snide comments, tricks and pranks when it suited him, but were also the only person who seemed open enough to see right through all that.

You were the only one Loki was unable to lie to, even if the lie wasn’t directed at you. Perhaps that is what made it so much easier for him to open up to you. So far as anyone could tell, this wasn’t due to some innate, latent power, and it never worked on anyone else; the anomaly rested solely between you and Loki… And you were both fine with that.

At first, Loki had tried every last trick he could think of to find out what it was, and certainly spent a lot of time researching into similar phenomenon, and even looked into your family history to see if there was some magical potential hidden in your line. But when all of that turned out fruitless, he seemed to let it go and simply determined to enjoy your company for what it was – simple and kind and nonjudgmental.

Well, to be fair, you would still judge him if he said or did something stupid or rude, but allowed yourself to become his safe space. That didn’t mean that you became his walking diary, but it did allow you to be privy to some of his innermost thoughts; you got to see how his brilliant mind worked, and whenever it all became too much for him to handle, he would seek out your company to soothe his weary soul.

A sinking feeling in your gut told you that you would likely be hearing from Loki soon, if that explosion was any indication of his current distress.

You gradually sunk back into the rhythm of work and pushed forward, shaking off your concern for now. There was nothing you could really do until he came to you, and he preferred to be the one doing the chasing, anyways, so what else could you do? The time passed surprisingly quickly, and before you knew it, most of your coworkers had gone home for the day. Noticing at last that the sun was on the verge of disappearing completely beyond the horizon, you stood and stretched, working out the kinks that had tightened while at your desk.

“Hey boss? I’m headed home for the night,” Dernham said, poking his head in the door.

“Good work, today,” you nodded with a smile. “Give little Charlotte a hug for me, will you?”

“Of course! See you on Monday , boss!” he grinned.

But just as he was closing the door, a streak of night tore into the office without a sound. Dernham hadn’t seemed to have noticed, and for a moment, you doubted your eyes. But then that same ball of darkness promptly hopped onto your desk, plaintively mewling for attention with great, big, green eyes – the color of emeralds… and Loki’s magic.

“ Loki? Mischief, honey, is that you?” you whispered, eyeing the cat carefully.

The cat nodded, surprisingly smug.

You couldn’t help gaping for a moment, but then you blinked, and peered him over. “Are you alright? I heard the explosion earlier, but I never got any details about what happened. Am I correct in assuming that whatever happened ended up with you being a cat for a while?”

He nodded, standing up on all fours and turning this way and that for your inspection. He knew you worried after him and his health, especially during missions, even though he was a demigod and could protect himself centuries before you were born.

Instinctively, your hands rose to touch his fur, same as you would a regular cat, but stopped yourself immediately. You knew Loki was very particular about whom he allowed to touch his body. Thor got away with more than most because they were brothers, but even then, he was likely to get a knife to the gut for unwanted touching (read: rough-housing). Only recently had he given you express permission to hold onto his arm if you were walking together, so he could essentially escort you to wherever you planned to be. And in the past, he was the one to initiate small touches like a light hand on your back to allow you to pass in front of him through a narrow way, or a brush of fingers at your shoulder or along your arm to get your attention.

Lokitty – as you now dubbed him in his current form – appeared to have no such qualms. He butted up his head right against your hands, encouraging you to run your fingers through his sleek, soft fur all along his spine. A small giggle danced at your lips and you pet your newly minted, Affectionate Cat Friend ^TM . Lokitty seemed to luxuriate in the affection and attention, a low purr rumbling in his chest. And when you began to scratch under his chin – oh, bliss! His eyes closed as he seemed to go boneless with relaxation.

“Hey, honey, does Thor know that you’re a cat right now?” you asked softly.

That made the purring stop, and Lokitty gave you a look of sheer disapproval, as only a cat can do, though it was softened by the fact that his chin was still resting in your hand. You snorted a laugh, taking that for the confirmation that it was, but continued to scratch and pet him till all was forgiven.

“ Do you want to stay with me for a while?” you offered. “At least until you’re able to comfortably resume your normal shape…”

Lokitty seemed to ponder on that for a bit, but eventually nodded. And with that, you texted Pepper Potts, just in case…

Hey Pepper, thought I’d let you know that Mischief is coming home with me for now. He needs some time apart from the others, and I don’t want a team of SHIELD agents busting down my door like last time. Tell whoever needs to know the plan, for me? Please and thank you! – sent 5:48PM

This time, her response was practically immediate, like she had been expecting you to message her: Of course! Just be ready to have Thor come in sporadically to check on him if he doesn’t return to the Tower soon. – received 5:49PM

I’ll probably have him for the weekend, and then we’ll go from there. Have a good one! – sent 5:50PM

You turned your focus back to the purring Lokitty, and tilted your head to the side as you gave thought to the situation. “Am I going to need to invest in a litter box?”

The purring stopped abruptly as Lokitty got to his feet, his face a picture of disgust as he shook his paws and gave his back to you.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, Your Worship!” you huffed jokingly, rolling your eyes at his antics. It seemed that as a cat, his proud attitude only worsened. “I don’t know what all you’re still able to do when you don’t have opposable thumbs!”

In answer, without him even turning around, a few pens, your empty mug, and your computer’s mouse began to float in the air, before gently returning to their spots on your desk.

You threw your hands up in defeat. “Yes, I see. Magic is a very handy tool, I get it. Now quit your pouting, I get that you’re not really a cat. But if you start doing annoying cat things like laying on my face during the night, or puking in my shoes because you’re upset, I will bring you back to the Tower, whether you want to or not. Just so long as you act the gentleman, you can stay with me as a cat for as long as you like.”

Lokitty peered over his shoulder to give you the most derisive expression you’d ever seen on a cat face, and you might have laughed if the reason for it didn’t make you groan with frustration.

“Semantics, Mischief. Geez, I can practically hear you saying this in my head: ‘But I’m not a gentleman, darling, I am a god!’ Yes, yes, I know, I get it. Hush up.”

He shook his head and gave a mighty huff, which you imagined was as close to laughter as a cat could get. But then he started purring again, softly, as he sauntered over to you again. As a man, Loki was so carefully graceful and purposeful in his movements, it seemed only natural that it translated well when he was a cat. That feline grace was all him no matter his form, and he was intent on coming home with you, whatever means necessary to win over your approval. You could practically see the determination in his eyes, and the plans forming in that brilliant mind of his…

Making a noise that was half sigh, half chuckle, you got to your feet and stretched, gathering up your things as Lokitty looked on. When you made strides for the door, he watched from the desk, wary to see what you would do next.

You propped open the door and gestured out. “Well? Are you coming?”

Like a bolt of black lightning, Lokitty was out of your office in a flash, though he slowed to a walk by the elevators, his tail a jaunty flag of satisfaction left in his wake. You laughed while you locked up your office behind yourself, mentally making a checklist of things you would need for keeping a cat in your apartment – because even magical cats had to eat sometime!

A bubble of warmth filled your heart as you approached Lokitty at the elevators. Though it wasn’t as you had been planing on, you had been wanting to invite Loki over to watch movies and hang out at your apartment for a while. He’d done so in the past, of course, but he never seemed to stay for longer than it took to clean up after the movie was finished, and he had been very busy helping the Avengers lately with routing out larger HYDRA bases SHIELD had found… It had been too long since you could just be together and exist in the same space.

But hey, you thought with an internal shrug and a smirk, that’s what you get for being best friends with the god of Mischief, Chaos, and other perks.

Chapter Text

“You know, when I was thinking about my weekend, this really isn’t what I had imagined,” you drawled drowsily, “though I can’t really say that I’m complaining.”

Curled up on your own couch in your pajamas, with Loki by your side, simply enjoying each other’s company, and watching something mindless and numbing was always a good time. This time, the biggest difference was that instead of sprawling all over your couch as the Prince was wont, Lokitty was taking up real-estate in your lap, purring softly while you aimlessly stroked through his fur. The coziness of your home had increased about fifty percent with a content, lazy cat present.

With a giggle, you noted, “You know, now I think about it, nothing has really changed for you, huh?” You poked his side gently to make your point.

Lokitty gave you a dirty look, got up, stretched nonchalantly as only a cat can, and ambled onto the other side of the couch, pointedly facing away from you.

Laughing, you noted, “Oh, come on, Mischief! Can you really tell me that hanging out here at my place, doing as you please, is all that different from your usual?”

Lokitty’s tail flicked once, but that was all.

“Well, I’m kind of glad you’re this way for the moment. Gives me an excuse to keep you a little longer than usual while things calm down.” The sincerity in your voice definitely caught his attention. You smiled, “I missed you, Mischief. Whatever your form.” Lokitty looked to you over his shoulder, watching as you readjusted into a more comfortable position on your side. “Never doubt that, honey. I will always take you as you are.”

And with that said, Lokitty jumped to snuggle into your side. At last, his true nature is revealed! The cuddliness that Loki never showed anyone was yours to embrace, and it was sweeter than a single moment could capture with justice.

As you drifted off to sleep, you made a mental note to take as many pictures as you possibly could of Lokitty being so cute – Loki being cute in general, really. It wasn’t too often that you got to see how sweet Loki could be when he allowed himself the chance to relax and let go, since he was always so ready to fight at any given second. But in the quiet moments with him, where he could breathe deeply, those were your favorite, and you treasured them where you could…

That night, you dreamed of walking with Loki – your humanoid Loki – through a garden that seemed to stretch on and on forever. You would both pause often, pointing out blooms you recognized, or something that caught your eye. Sometimes stories were exchanged. It was so casual and lovely and oddly intimate…

And you woke with a smile on your face.

Though, that promptly dropped when you realized that Lokitty had gotten into the fridge during the night to eat ALL of your leftover pizza from dinner. He wasn’t even the least bit apologetic when you gave him The Look ^TM for eating your favorite leftovers!

“Rude,” you muttered, still drowsy from sleep but angry enough to swat at the mischief-maker as he smugly sauntered by. You missed, as intended, but he still gave you such a smarmy, satisfied expression that you almost wished you had managed to give him a love tap.

But that incident aside, there didn’t seem to be any other hiccups that weekend – none worth crying over, anyway. Lokitty seemed pretty content to laze about in the sunshine while you did chores and small projects. When you went to the kitchen to cook your meals, he always seemed to show up to watch what you were doing, though this too didn’t feel too different from usual. He didn’t do it often, but Loki did know how to cook, and he was always interested in watching what new recipe you might pull out to try.

And when you would finally settle down to relax, Lokitty was right there to cuddle up with you, purring while you stroked his soft fur.

Even if he wasn’t always listening, you enjoyed talking to Lokitty. It was nice to be able to verbalize your thoughts without feeling like a crazy person with no one there to hear them. You realized how lonely you got sometimes with no one else in your apartment, no significant other to cherish, or a roommate to bicker with… Maybe you ought to get an actual pet, once this was all over. At least then you might not feel like your home was so empty without Lokitty there to keep you company.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a weekend with Loki if there wasn’t some mischief afoot! Sunday morning found you and Lokitty carefully filling small, break-on-impact spheres of something – it was magic and supplied by the Trickster, so you decided not to question it – with copious amounts of glitter. You didn’t know why you were doing this, but Lokitty had left you the supplies along with a note telling you what to do with them, and you were always glad to assist in the more harmless, petty pranks. And in fact, when you asked on a hunch if all this glitter had anything to do with payback for being a trapped as a cat for a while, Lokitty’s solemn nod and diabolical grin were all you needed to cooperate.

Though, as Sunday evening rolled around, and you began thinking about what preparations you would need to make for the week going forward, you had to find out what the plan was with Lokitty and his situation.

“Alright, Mischief. I need to know, so I can plan accordingly. Do you know when this spell is going to wear off?”

Loki’s tail swished through the air as he seemed to consider that. And he looked directly at you as he tapped his right front paw six times.

“Six, six what? Hours? Days? Weeks?”

Lokitty just gave you a long stare, blinking slowly, shrugging, and sauntering away, his tail proudly waving in the air after him. You sighed in exasperation, sagging into the sofa. There was little use trying to reason with Loki when he got into a mood like that. And more often than not – at least, from what you had observed over the course of your friendship – that mood meant that he was perplexed over something, and sour over the fact that he couldn’t figure out how to fix whatever was wrong. The fact that you were still able to read his mood even in cat form, though… You weren’t sure if that was a testament to your friendship, or if Loki’s body language translated very well even in non-humanoid forms.

Though, he obviously wasn’t too frustrated with you, since he joined you in your bed that night, curled up against your side. And thankfully, he had been cautious of your original warning and kept well away from your face while sleeping – Lokitty was almost a perfect gentleman, as a guest. Almost.

“Mischief, I swear, I’m going to shave you bald if you make a mess of my clean laundry like this again. Don’t think I won’t!” you grumbled, glaring between the copious amount of cat hair on your work clothes and the smug ball of fuzz, himself. “I’ll pick up a brush for your fur on my way home this evening. Now, if you would?” You gestured to your clothes pointedly.

Lokitty rolled his eyes and set his paw on the edge of the sleeve closest to him. A quick flash of green was all it took for your clothes to be good as new, and Lokitty sauntered off and out of your room to give you privacy while you readied yourself. Once dressed, a cursory glance around found Lokitty curled up on the couch, getting ready for a nap. Smiling to yourself, you snapped a surreptitious picture with your phone before you approached him, lightly kissing his head. “I’ll see you later, honey. Sweet dreams,” you whispered. And you left before you could see his reaction – or for you to begin to regret that decision.

Despite feeling a little flustered for showing such blatant affection to the dark god, the work day went fairly smoothly, if slowly. The biggest highlight was when Thor showed up at your office shortly before lunch, though you had been expecting he would show up at some point soon.

“Boss, Mr. Odinson would like a moment of your time. Shall I let him in?” Dernham asked, his head only just poked inside your office door.

You cocked an eyebrow at his oddly timed formality, but shrugged it off as being a little starstruck by the god of Thunder. It was an easy thing to do, for he was a fine specimen of a man no matter your preferences, but you had long ago learned to take overwhelming personalities such as his in stride. You worked for Tony Stark in his own Tower, after all.

“Sure. Thank you, Dernham. Be sure to close the door after him, please.”

“No problem, boss,” he saluted.

You rolled your eyes good-naturedly, but smiled genuinely as Thor entered and seemed to fill the room. No matter how big the space, Thor always seemed to fill it much more than should be possible with his sheer presence. Thankfully, he was such a sweetheart that the claustrophobia-inducing smallness faded before it could become suffocating. And the fact that he had taken to casual human fashions was helping tremendously in cutting down the general awe people felt when they approached him.

“Hey Thor,” you nodded, “I was beginning to wonder when you’d show up.”

Thor smiled too, though it was clearly overshadowed with concern. “Of course, my lady, and you surely already know why I am here. Allow me to thank you for watching over my brother at this time. I know he will likely never thank you himself, but we are most grateful to you for doing this, especially on such short notice.”

“Think nothing of it, Thor. Loki is always welcome in my home. I’m happy to have him,” you grinned, gesturing to the comfy chair alongside your desk as you sat.

That seemed to lessen the weight that had been riding on the Thunderer’s shoulders, and he visibly relaxed as he sat down. “I am glad to hear that. Loki has never been all that good at making friends, much less keeping them for long. He has a tendency to push away those who care for him, and cause trouble where there would otherwise be none… Am I wrong to assume he has done the same, even now?” There was a serious glint to his eyes that spoke fathoms of his care for his little brother, and you simply couldn’t lie to his face (even if you could do it convincingly) when he was so earnest.

And so, you shrugged, “Well, he’s a cat right now. I rather expected him to be underfoot, and perhaps slightly more annoying when things don’t go his way, but other than that, he’s been perfectly enjoyable company. Right now, I think he’s mostly annoyed that whatever caused him to transform in the first place hasn’t worn off, but other than that? Totally fine.”

Thor heaved a gusty sigh, and that pulled even more weight off his shoulders. “Praise be,” he muttered. “He can behave himself for longer than five minutes!”

That startled a laugh out of you, and Thor grinned despite himself.

“Forgive me, my lady,” he apologetically bemused. “Knowing my brother as long as I have, one tends to see the best and worst of him at the most inopportune times. I am relieved that he has chosen not to take advantage of your better nature.”

You waved off his concerns with a light giggle. “Don’t even worry about it. Loki may be the Trickster, but I’m no push-over. If he was truly set on causing bad trouble, I would’ve brought him back immediately. And since you’re his brother, I expected you to be wondering after him once he didn’t return his normal self soon enough. You’re welcome to come with me after I finish work today to check in with him, if you like?”

“I would appreciate that very much,” he replied warmly, bringing your hand up to brush a light whisper of a kiss across your knuckles. “I have the communication device given to me by Stark on my person today; you may alert me there when you are finished with your duties for the day, if you would.”

“Sure! Do you prefer I call, or would you rather I text you to let you know when I’m ready to go?”

A slight flush colored Thor’s cheeks at the question. He cleared his throat nervously before answering, “A call is preferable, dear lady. Regrettably, these tiny devices humanity is so fond of cannot always accommodate for Aesir size nor strength.”

A mental image of Thor struggling to squeeze his fingers in such a way to use the touch screen on a smart phone and then accidentally crushing it in frustration sprung up, but you were careful to hide your smile behind your hand as you coughed lightly to conceal a laugh as well, ever the professional. “Then I’ll give you a call when I’m done for the day, no worries.”

The day passed fairly quickly after that. And Thor was very prompt in arriving once you called him. You both made easy conversation as you guided him to your home – small things, mostly pranks Loki had done over the years, and the few movies you had both seen and enjoyed recently. And when you went to unlock the front door, you noticed him pull the same habit Loki had whenever he came to visit too – keeping a careful watch for anyone who might be too interested in approaching while you were vulnerable and otherwise occupied. It was sweet, and knowing that it seemed to be a largely protective gesture from the Asgardians made you feel a little warm in your heart.

“Hey Loki? I’m home!” you called. “And I’ve got something you need to see.”

A soft thud followed by near silent steps alerted you that Loki had been lounging on your bed while you were gone – again. Well, at least as a cat, it was less startling to find him there than if he were a man… Yeah, better to have cat hair all over the bed than to accidentally call the police on your friend. Again. You doubted you would ever live that down.

But you had to act quickly once Lokitty left your room, closing the door behind him to keep him from running away. He tended to avoid familial confrontations wherever possible at the best of times, and this was a bit far from even a moderately good time.

At first, he gave you a look that bespoke a thousand words, mainly conveying, What in the Realms are you doing?? But then he caught sight of Thor, and the absolutely betrayal the next glance held struck deep – much deeper than you thought could be possible when coming from a not-even-real cat!

“Don’t give me that look! He said he just wants to check in with you, alright? He won’t be staying long, promise!”

“It is as the lady said, brother,” Thor rumbled. “I had to be sure that you are well, and so I came to see you.”

With a sassy flick of his tail, Lokitty pointedly sauntered over to the couch, facing away from the both of you. A sigh threatened to escape your lips, but Thor simply took it in stride, planting himself on the other end of the couch. You hovered awkwardly for a moment, torn between wanting to mediate what was sure to become an argument, and wanting to let them work out whatever they needed themselves. Eventually, you decided to just whip up a couple of drinks while the guys had their chance to… well, chat would be a bit of a stretch, but close enough.

Some sweetened tea would go a long way in soothing Loki, but you didn’t want to interrupt to ask Thor what he wanted, so you just made extra of what you were having to give to him. He was educated in Earth-style politeness now that if he hated it, he at least wouldn’t say so publicly anymore, so there was that small comfort.

At first, you couldn’t hear what was being said at all, but the longer you lingered in the kitchen, the more audibly frustrated Thor became. And the more frustrated he got, the more he slipped into the Aesir tongue – which you couldn’t understand at all. Tentatively, you poked your head out of the kitchen and found Thor fuming at the disinterested Lokitty. Luckily, everything was all put together and ready to go out of the kitchen, so you promptly loaded the drinks onto a tray and announced, “Well, that took a little longer than expected, sorry guys. What have I missed?”

Before you had even finished setting down all the drinks, Thor took his, slammed it down like a shot – likely not even tasting it – and stood. “Forgive me, fair lady. I had best be on my way,” he said.

Startled, though not really surprised, you nodded, “Okay, let me show you out.”

Thor was once again stiff, his shoulders tight and his whole body tense, as he walked to the door. Loki must have said – or communicated, somehow – something scathing to his brother, likely lashing out his frustration on the easiest, most familiar target. For a moment, you had a brief moment of sympathy for their mother, Frigga. It can’t have been easy to raise boys into men that were so fundamentally different and often antagonistic towards each other.

“My lady, you have my thanks – for always being a friend to my brother, and now for caring for him even when he is being most difficult,” Thor rumbled, pausing before the door.

“Of course! He is very dear to me, and he makes it easy to be good to him,” you smiled, your thoughts straying to times you simply got to spend time with your favorite Mischief-Maker. Loki may not have always been the warmest person around, but once you got past that icy facade, he was a very sensitive soul with a fragile heart that simply wanted to be cherished.

Thor quirked an eyebrow at you, head tilted to the side. No doubt, he was wondering if you were actually referring to the same person. “Even when he is being difficult?” he snorted.

You had to laugh at that. “I’d say especially when he’s being difficult. Really, Thor, you don’t need to worry over him here. I’m happy to have him – no matter what form he’s in.”

Unconvinced, Thor sighed and shook his head. “All the same, feel free to contact me should you ever feel overwhelmed.”

“I doubt that will ever happen, but I’ll keep it in mind if that makes you feel better.”

“It does. Again, you have my thanks, my lady. Farewell,” Thor nodded, showing himself out.

“Take care!” you called with a wave, securing the door behind him.

Once the door was closed, you sighed and closed your eyes. The tension in your home had lessened to a degree once Thor left, but Lokitty was still silently fuming over whatever argument he had with his brother and your hand in getting to that point as well. You knew you’d have to make amends somehow… Though at the moment, nothing really came to mind. Sighing softly once more, you wandered back into the living room, spotting Loki’s now-empty teacup on the coffee table and Lokitty himself still curled into a tight ball in the far corner of the sofa. You silently took up the empty spot on the opposite end – your usual lounging position. Lokitty staunchly ignored you as you sipped at long last on your drink.

“Sorry to have sprung this visit on you, honey,” you offered, voice low. From the corner of your eye, you saw one of his ears cock your direction, so you knew he was listening. “I don’t know what either of you talked about, but I do know that it comes from a place of love. Your brother really cares about you, you know?” Other than a twitch in his tail and curling in on himself tighter, Lokitty didn’t react at all. “Still, I know that you and Thor don’t really get along, and I should have taken that into account before allowing him in to see you. And for that, I’m sorry.” You finished up your drink and stacked all the dishes back onto the tray, washing up and going about the rest of your evening routine. Loki would forgive you in his own time, there was no use in trying to force anything with him.

Still, it was with some small amount of hope that you left your bedroom door cracked open for him before going to bed. And gladly, that hope proved fruitful. At about three in the morning, you felt the bed compress lightly near you before becoming aware of Lokitty rubbing up against your arm. Mostly still asleep, you slurred, “Mm surry, Lo. Plez furgiv meh?” To your relief and happiness, Lokitty began to purr like a motorboat, snuggling up in your arms and licking your jaw once. A smile tugged at your lips, and you nuzzled into Lokitty’s neck, happy and satisfied to have him with you. “Luv ya too. G’nite.”

The work day began as any other, though Lokitty remained quite happily asleep in your bed that morning. Though, it wasn’t until about an hour after everyone else had trickled in and progress was once again on the rise that you found out exactly what those glitter bombs you’d helped Loki make over the weekend were for…

Into your office, trailing glitter and tiny ribbons everywhere, Tony Stark and Thor stomped in without so much as a knock, though Thor looked considerably more resigned of the two. It was apparent that he had been expecting some kind of retaliation after the argument the day before. Tony, on the other hand, was a strange cross between annoyed, mildly impressed, and exasperated.

“Hey, Network, I get that your boyfriend is mad – and this is actually not so terrible a prank, I’m impressed – but can’t you keep him out of trouble when he doesn’t even have opposable thumbs?!” Tony huffed.

You resisted rolling your eyes at your boss. You had long ago given up trying to convince Tony that Loki wasn’t your boyfriend. “Mr. Stark, with all due respect, can Pepper keep you out of trouble for long?”

Tony shrugged in defeat, arms akimbo on his waist as he shook his head. Thor openly guffawed, and you couldn’t help a tiny smirk. “Whatever,” Tony drawled. “Just try to keep him away from the Lab, okay? I don’t need glitter or what-have-you mucking up the experiments or damaging the sensitive equipment in there.”

“I’ll put a word in,” you promised. “No promises, though. Especially if you were part of the accident that made him a cat in the first place, and haven’t apologized yet.”

“Thanks. I’ll make it up to him as soon as he gets back. Now, I need to figure out how to get these Craft Herpes out of my hair. I’ve given up the clothes as a lost cause already!”

But just as Tony made to leave, in walked Director Fury… And you nearly lost your composure.

Tony had no such qualms and immediately began to cackle. Thor was grinning, and you were having a really, really hard time trying not to stare and giggle.

Because Director Fury was not only COVERED in glitter, but his usual goth-aesthetic all-black ensemble was transformed into a bright, bubblegum pink. And the cherry on top of it all? His eyepatch was now bedazzled with a pink skull-and-crossbones.

Needless to say, Fury was NOT impressed.

“Tell that little shit that he’s had his revenge. And as soon as he’s back to normal, he’s going on so many missions, he’ll look back on being stuck as a cat as vacation time,” Fury growled, stomping off and ignoring the excited titters his presence made – no matter how undignified.

“JARVIS, tell me you got that on video!” Tony wheezed.

And just as the Tower AI confirmed that yes, that conversation had been recorded, Thor turned to you, eyes bright and full of laughter. With a shrug, he offered, “He’s adopted.”

You lost it.

While you laughed, you made a mental note to congratulate and scold Loki as soon as you got home. Those were pranks well worth seeing, but only if he was there to take responsibility for them! Yet all the same, you wouldn’t have him any other way.