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Smoke rose off the battlefield as the morning sun crested in the distance. Loki's nostrils burned at the stench of sulfur that laid heavy in the air. The groans of those who had fallen filled the air like a chorus bringing a smile to Loki's face.
He surveyed the damage as he made his way across the clearing. She had done better than he gave her credit for in their original discussions. Loki chuckled, shaking his head as he stepped over the bodies scattered across the field, making his way towards the empty clearing. The groans of those who had not succumbed to their injuries echoed through the air.
"Music to my ears," Loki mused, a smirk pulling his lips. He noticed a familiar figure lying atop a collection of bodies a few steps away from him. Quickening his haste, Loki looked around at the pile of bodies, his eyes landing on one in particular covered from head to toe in blood.
Loki coughed, rubbing a hand over his chin as he watched her, waiting for something to happen. As he opened his lips to speak, her eyes popped open.
She narrowed her eyes as she stood. "You're late."
"Perhaps," Loki mused, offering a hand. His slender fingers wrapping around her small wrist, helping her to steady her feet upon the ground. "Or, perhaps, my love, you began the fun early."
Pansy pulled her hand away from him, brushing the dust off her arse, shaking her head. "You were late," she said, narrowing her gaze. "So, it would appear you have two choices."
Loki looked her up and down, raising a curious brow as he watched her brush the dirt away from her clothing. He took note of how her hand wrapped around the base of her wand, slipping it out of her jacket pocket.
"Terego," Pansy said, pointing her wand at herself and closing her eyes.
Loki watched in amusement as the blood disappeared from her clothes and skin. "And why pray tell, might those choices be?"
Pansy's eyes sparkled as they met Loki's, a smirk pulling at the corner of her lips. "You can admit that you were late and apologize properly."
Loki scoffed, shaking his head with a laugh.
Pansy glared at him, rolling her eyes. "Or," she hissed, "you can greet me properly and then admit you were late, followed by apologizing properly."
Loki took a moment to contemplate the choice Pansy had given him. After a momentary pause, Loki stepped over the body lying on the ground between them and wrapped an arm around her waist. He pulled her close as his lips crashed into Pansy's.
Bringing a hand up to cradle the back of her head, Loki entangled his fingers in her hair. He pulled her head back, trailing kisses along her jaw and down to her neck, nipping at the exposed skin eliciting the most beautiful noise from her lips. The warmth of her skin brought a smile to Loki's face. He kissed his way back to her lips, kissing her passionately before pulling away from her.
"Hello, my darling," Loki cooed, nibbling her ear lobe.
"Much better," Pansy snickered, patting Loki's chest as she pulled away from him with a smile on her face. After a pause, the smile fell from her face as she looked up at him. "Why were you late?"
Loki's lips drew into a firm line as he crossed his arms over his chest, looking her up and down. "I had a previous engagement."
Pansy furrowed her brow as she exhaled sharply. "More important than this?" she asked, motioning to the destruction around her. "What if I would have been dead when you got here?"
Loki bared his teeth and let out a low growl, grabbing ahold of Pansy's chin and forcing her to look at him. "Do not question my loyalty to you, witch. I was late because I knew you could handle yourself. If I am wrong in that assumption, then I do not see a future here," he hissed, lowering his hand away from her face as he turned on his heel to walk away from her.
He only made it a few steps before he felt a surge of energy rush through him. Loki stopped dead in his tracks and smiled, tossing his head back with a laugh. She was angry with him. For the first time in a very long time, Pansy was letting her emotions get the better of her, and that made him happy.
Pansy looked down at her hands and let out a heavy breath. It felt as though her hands were vibrating as she stood there glaring at the back of Loki's head. "This was your plan!" Pansy shouted, tossing her arms in the air as she stormed towards him. She grabbed his shoulder and forced him to look at her. "This was your fucking plan, which means you should have been here on time, Loki. I wasn't ready."
Loki rolled his eyes and pulled his shoulder out of her grasp. "Yes, this was my plan. Yes, there is blood on your hands that I didn't intend you to have, nor did I expect you to have to follow through on your own. As I said, a previous engagement came up, and I could not get away."
He noticed Pansy's eyes starting to water. Gritting his teeth, Loki shook his head and rolled his eyes as he took a step towards her. He wrapped his arms around her neck and pulled her into his chest. He felt a sob wrack through her body as she collapsed into his arms, tears streaming down her face and her breathing scattered.
Loki shook his head as he patted her back. He didn't do things like comfort and feelings, but as he glanced down at Pansy out of the corner of his eye, he knew there was no place he would rather be than here with her. He cursed under his breath and pulled away from briefly, looking down at her with anger in his eyes.
"What the hell did you do to me?" he grumbled, shaking his head.
Pansy looked up at him with a furrowed brow, tilting her head to the side. "What the hell did I do to you? I didn't do anything to you."
"You changed me," Loki replied, his voice low as he looked deep into Pansy's eyes. "In Asgard and here, I am known as the God of Mischief. I enjoy deceiving people and causing destruction, but when I'm with you."
His voice faded as he closed the space between them, pressing a desperate kiss to her lips. The kiss was full of want and desire. He wanted to take Pansy's pain away, which was a new feeling for him. He hated it, but at the same time, he didn't want to be doing anything else.
After a few moments, Pansy pulled away from the kiss and looked up at him. She started laughing as she looked at him. Loki looked at her with a raised brow, which made her laugh even harder. "You hate this," she teased, snickering as she looked him up and down. "You don't do vulnerability, but for me, you will do anything. Now I get it."
"Get what?" he asked, cocking his head to the side as his hands fell to her waist, holding her close to him.
"Your plan, now I get it," Pansy said, smiling from ear to ear as she looked up at him. The confusion on his face encouraged the joy that she felt. "You wanted to show me that I could handle it. That's why you were late. No previous engagement," she said, shaking her head as she rested her head on his chest. "Thank you."
Loki shook his head as a smile pulled at his lips. "You caught me," he laughed, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "It was the best Valentine's Day gift I could come up with on a whim."
Pansy's head snapped back to look at him. "Valentine's Day gift? How did you even know about that holiday?"
"Lady Granger may have mentioned something the last time we spoke," Loki admitted, smiling at her softly.
"Damn it, Granger," Pansy groaned, rolling her eyes as she smiled at him. She pressed up on her tiptoes, crashing her lips into his. She couldn't have asked for a better Valentine's Day present than Loki allowing her to finetune her witchcraft, something she would forever be indebted to him for.
Surprised by the kiss, Loki smiled, wrapping his arms tight around her waist as he pulled her closer to him. As he held her in his arms, his heart felt full. That was a feeling he hadn't felt for a long time. The last time he felt that kind of connection with someone, he lost them in a battle where they should have survived. He would not lose Pansy to a battle.
Falling in love was not a part of the battle plan. It was meant to be a strategic maneuver on Loki's part and an opportunity for Pansy to harness her powers and control her emotions. Together, they found something greater than either one could have expected.