Work Text:
You wouldn’t necessarily call yourself a neat freak, but there was something therapeutic about throwing your whole being into cleansing the space you were in. Frankly, it was your stress reliever, and you would, albeit reluctantly, admit that sometimes it can be a bit toxic. It had started when you were younger, living at home with your family. After a particularly stressful day, you would go to down on your bedroom; quite literally chucking everything you deemed ‘unnecessary’ in a giant garbage bag. It was chaotic and frantic, but it was the blazing sprig of sage your space and your soul needed. Once everything was cleared out, the claustrophobic walls your anxiety and stress created finally receded and you could take a breath. Or you would throw your whole weight into ferociously cleaning a pan or chucking a heavy vacuum across the floor leaving you a panting mess by the time you were done. You figured it was better than some other toxic behaviors, or letting your fists fly against a punching bag until your knuckles bled. At least, you would have the satisfaction of a clean space by the end of it. As the stress and anxiety of your life waxed and waned, so did your cleaning habits.
Then, you accepted a job at Stark Industries. You were hired as an administrative assistant under Pepper Potts and while she was a gracious and understanding boss, the job left no room for nonsense or mistakes. And due to Pepper’s relationship with the one and only Iron Man, Tony Stark, you were often commandeered for Avenger tasks as well. The nature of the job and where you worked was incredibly stressful, but one of the perks was working closely with the Avengers. Most of your daily tasks involved handling files for Stark Industries, but also making sure the Avenger’s had what they needed to make their lives more comfortable while in the tower. Your work was invaluable, but you were definitely underappreciated.
And that was how you met Loki, the God of Mischief himself.
You were friendly with all the Avengers; you were the one ensuring their every comfort after all, but you wouldn’t consider any of them your ‘bff’. It seemed that Loki immediately appreciated all your efforts to make him comfortable at the Tower; a vast difference from the cold shoulders the rest of the team gave him. The trickster was given another chance to redeem himself, by way of public service with the Avengers, but it didn’t mean they had to welcome him with open arms. And it was that cold, bitterness from the others that festered the resentment and loneliness inside of him. So, your friendly, over enthusiastic demeanor was a very welcoming balm to him.
The very first day at the Tower, you had shown him his room and even prepared a well thought out welcome basket. It included information about Earth culture, with some lists and references to films and books you thought he would appreciate with the information given from Thor. The attention to personal detail warmed his heart and when you thrusted a plate of homemade cookies in his hands, he thought his heart might burst. You see, it was the little things that mattered, and you were always the person to make those special little things happen for the people in your life. And now, Loki felt blessed to be one of them and despite his emotional walls that rivaled the Great Wall of China, he found himself crushing on you. Hard.
But he could see that not everyone had the same appreciation for your special attention to detail that he had. You would always make sure everyone’s favorite foods were stocked in the community kitchen, including Thor’s favorite pop tarts. You knew everyone’s coffee and beverage order by heart, and they were always ready and waiting for the Avengers at every morning meeting.
“One Java Chip Frappuccino for the God of Mischief,” you said, handing Loki his coffee order.
“I won’t tell anyone about your crazy sweet tooth, my Prince.” You whispered in his ear, with a wink. Immediately his face flushed at your possessive pet name for him, but he still managed to stutter out a quiet ‘thank you’. Yet, he noticed how the others barely muffled out a hum of a response when you handed out the rest of their orders. It infuriated him to no end. How could they not see and appreciate all that you do? Especially on days that were particularly stressful and some of the Avengers took out their anger on you. Although it was unintentional, with each snarky remark or demand, the bright light in your eyes that Loki loved so much would die away just a little bit more. Yet, your kindness and sweet gestures always persisted despite the lack of gratitude. Every selfless action made Loki fall for you even more.
Even with their lack of appreciation and consideration of your feelings, all the Avengers knew to scatter once the vacuum in the common area flipped on. Once your cleaning frenzy began, it seemed you became a completely different person. All the muscles in your arms flexed and burned as you practically threw the heavy vacuum across the carpet; your hands red and raw as you furiously scrubbed pans in the sink under boiling hot water. It was sick, and borderline painful, but it was the stress relief you needed after a long day.
But, with Loki being a relatively new recruit, he had yet to see this side of you. He had seen your sweet gestures, the kindness that flowed effortlessly from you, and he craved the undivided attention you gave him whenever he spoke. So, when he saw you walk into the community living room where he sat, reading a book, he only quirked a brow with a small smile as you flipped on the vacuum. There were a few other people lingering in the community space, but he hardly noticed them scatter like insects as his gaze returned to his book.
Out of the corner of his eye, he watched you curiously. He saw the force at which you cleaned and the huffs that escaped your lips with each jerked movement. For a moment, he thought it was bizarre as he was sure Stark had people to clean for him, but he just thought it was another stupid, menial task they pawned on his sweet, dear Y/N. Returning to his book, he let the sound of the vacuum turn into white background noise.
Until he felt a sharp jab against his foot.
“Ow!” He yelled, lifting his foot, and wincing in pain. You had hit his foot with the vacuum, and he looked at you with wide eyes, filled with shock. This definitely was not something he expected from you.
“What was that for?!” He yelled, not out of anger, but to overcome the loud sound of the vacuum that still raged in front of you. You didn’t answer, but simply glared before thrusting the vacuum again unceremoniously back in his direction. Thankfully, his God-like reflexes saved him and his shins as he quickly jumped to his feet and out of the way. Then, as if nothing happened, you carried on with vacuuming the area where he sat and then the rest of the room.
Deciding it was best to give you your space, Loki left, but still lingered in the shadows with a confused look plastered on his face. It was so out of character for you; he had to figure out what was going on. So, with the help of his seidr, he followed you around the Tower as you carried out your frenzied coping mechanism undetected. He watched as your skin turned red under the hot, boiling water as you scrubbed a lone pan in the sink. Groans and frustrated mutterings escaped your lips as you scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed. The look of confusion on Loki’s face was replaced with a frown as he saw you torture your body. You must really hate messes, he concluded. He knew he had to help you; anything to ease your pain when you do so much for others.
The next few days were uneventful. There was no apology for slamming the vacuum into Loki’s feet and he decided to let it go as well. It seemed his sweet, Y/N was back as you showered him with your attention during lunch breaks; discussing anything and everything that was of interest of him. His hands would fly with unbridled enthusiasm and while he got his fix of your smiles and giggles that he found himself craving every day.
But then, after another particularly stressful day, he heard the vacuum turn on again in the common area and you were at its helm. It was his moment to shine, to express his appreciation and thankfulness for your relentless kindness that only he seemed to notice. When you approached him, vacuum leading the way, he stood carefully from his place on the couch as if he was cautious to scare off a frightened animal. For a moment, you both stared at each other. The same scowl from before was stuck on your face. Even with your angry look, Loki still thought you were adorable. Then, a grin slowly creeped on his face. He raised his hand and with a flourish of green, his seidr cleaned up the whole room. Everything was put away, the floor was clean, and all lingering dishes in the sink vanished back into their assigned spots in the cupboard.
There, the young prince stood, proud as a peacock with his chest puffed out and a Cheshire grin. You would be so thankful and appreciative of his efforts! But his confidence started to wane as your silence became palpable.
“Loki!” you groaned, “How could you!” Then, you let go of the vacuum and it fell on the floor with a loud thud. Tears threatened to spill from your eyes as you stared at the shocked God before you. With a choked sob, you turned around on your heel and left the room, leaving a very confused Loki in your wake. This definitely did not go as he had planned, and he wracked his brain about what could have gone wrong. He wanted to help you, but instead he hurt you and it shattered his already fragile heart. Maybe his understanding of his cleaning habits was completely wrong.
He made it his mission to find you the next day to apologize, but you waved off his apology insisting it wasn’t necessary. Shifting on his feet nervously, he wrung his hands as the feelings of guilt still consumed him. He wanted to make it right and he wanted to ask you directly what he did wrong, but you interrupted his thoughts with an invitation to join you for lunch. You offered him half of a cookie from your lunch with the bright smile he loved so much. It was the same homemade cookie you had given him the day you met, and he could not resist the sweet gesture. The temptation to bathe in your attention won over his curiosity as he joined you at the table and discussed a recent book you both were reading.
But, his curiosity was peaked again when the familiar vroom of the vacuum filled the room. The feeling of déjà vu overtook him as he stood from his seat in the common area, and you both found yourself in the same staring contest from before. He was determined to make this right, to get rid of that scowl from your face that didn’t deserve to be there and make amends for the pain he caused you. So, just like before, he raised his hands and with another green flourish of his seidr, the room transformed into a disaster area. It looked like a bomb went off. There was trash everywhere, dust covered all the furniture, and dishes overflowed in the sink. If a clean room wasn’t what you wanted, maybe you wanted a mess? And boy, did Loki deliver a mess.
Again, the silence from you was palpable as he waited for your reaction. You looked around the room with wide eyes, taking it all in. The silence was unbearable to the young prince, so he decided to finally speak up.
“I…Y/n…I just – I was just thinking…” He stammered, not knowing what to say. While every friendly conversation flowed easily between you both, this was a completely different story. He felt like a fool, unable to help the one person he wanted to shower with love and affection, and he can’t seem to get it right.
“Am I a joke to you, Loki?” Again, tears made your eyes glassy, and he hung his head. It seemed he understood the situation wrong again. You just wanted to clean the room in peace, exert your frustrations and purge the room of mess and he just made the task a thousand times worse. Deep down, you knew he meant well, but after a stressful day your judgement was clouded. The tightness in your chest constricted further and your breathing was ragged.
Without another word, you fled the room with tears streaming down your face. Again, Loki was left alone with his thoughts and the pain of the situation. He sank back down on the couch, paying no mind to the trash he sat on. Holding his head in his hands, he held back his own tears. He was at a loss of what to do. Everything he tried seemed to make it worse. The fear of losing you threatened to overtake him as events that just transpired swirled around in his head. He couldn’t let that happen. What was he doing wrong? Maybe, he was approaching the situation the wrong way. He thought about your cleaning habits, the days you had and then….
He shot up from the couch, a proverbial lightbulb shinning above his head. Finally, he understood! Leaving the destroyed room behind him, he ran off to his room to make preparations.
After your last encounter with Loki, you avoided him like the plague. You weren’t ready to explain the reasons behind your actions and frankly, you were beyond embarrassed. You cherished your time with Loki and you were acting like a child. Why couldn’t you break this toxic cycle, and just do something healthy instead of torturing yourself and the people around you? This god, the most handsome person you have ever encountered, has been nothing but nice to you and you hit him with a vacuum! You couldn’t look him in the eye; the shame was too much.
But toxic habits were hard to break. After another rough day and some snarky remarks from Stark, you wanted to get your fix. You crept into the common area and prayed to the gods above that Loki wasn’t there. But there he sat in his usual spot on the couch. Unlike every other time you came into the room, he didn’t look up with a bright smile that he only reserved for you. He kept his eyes trained on the book in his lap. Your heart cracked; another relationship ruined.
For a moment, you debated even continuing into the room. But the itch and the tightness in your chest was too great. You had to get rid of that feeling somehow and the vacuum screamed out to you from beyond the closet door. It drew you in like a drug you couldn’t resist and before you knew it, you had plugged the vacuum in and flipped the switch. But, before your first push of the machine, the vacuums whirring suddenly stopped. You looked over your shoulder and saw Loki, holding the now unplugged cord. And you just glared at him. What was wrong with you?!
“Darling, this has to stop.” This simple comment stopped you in your tracks and your eyes fell to the ground in shame. You wanted to hide, you wanted to run, anything to avoid discussing your dirty toxic habit. Then, you felt his cold and gentle fingers grip your chin, making you look into his crystal blue eyes.
“You are stressed, and this is no way to treat yourself. Will you let me take care of you?” Again, his words were so simple, but they hit you like a ton of bricks. You found yourself lost in his eyes that were filled with an emotion that you couldn’t quite place. But even though you couldn’t see or understand the adoration that filled him as he stared down at you, you couldn’t resist him.
“Yes.” Is all that you said in reply, and Loki let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding in. Finally! His own eyes turned glassy as emotions consumed him. He finally got it right.
Without another word, he offered you his hand and after a brief moment of contemplation, you took it. The smile that took over Loki’s face shone so bright, it could rival the sun and you knew in that moment, you would follow him anywhere. He led you silently down the hall to his bedroom and after closing the door behind you both, he revealed his grand plan of pampering.
“I know things have been hard for you,” He said, taking both of your hands in his, “I see how hard you work and how much you care, but no one appreciates it. Yet, you still care, and you still give and that is something I…” He paused, wanting to choose his next words carefully.
“It is something I cherish about you.” You didn’t know what to say, shocked by his confession. Did he care for you more than a friend? He didn’t let you stew in your thoughts too long before he carried on with his plan, squeezing your hands gently.
“I will run a bath for you. I have herbs from Asgard that will help you relax, and I will give you privacy, so don’t worry…” He said with a wink and your cheeks started to heat up.
“I will have comfy clothes waiting for you along with your favorite dinner…and if you would like, we can watch those films you like. Disney – is that right?” Stunned by the amount of care and attention he was giving you, you just nodded. You always cared for others, but when was the last time someone cared for you? You couldn’t remember and that realization made you that much more appreciative.
With a quick peck to the top of your head, he vanished into the bathroom of his suite and ran the bath as promised. Not too long after, he reemerged and led you into the bathroom. The room smelled heavenly. You took a long whiff and let out a contented sigh and again, Loki beamed with pride.
“So, um, here you go!” He mumbled, gesturing to the tub filled with herbs and dried flowers.
“Take your time. I will have dinner ready for you once you are done.” You whispered a quiet thank you to him and he left you, closing the door behind him. Your hand ghosted over the clothes that he left for you on the edge of the sink. The corner of your lips turned up in a small smile after you realized they were his clothes. You disrobed and sank into the steaming tub, letting out a contented groan as you did.
Meanwhile, busying himself in his small kitchen, Loki started to prepare a meal he recalled you loved. His Godly hearing picked up on the groan that had escaped your lips, and a flush crept up his face as he tried not to think of your naked body just on the other side of the door. With a quick shake of his head, he refocused and started to pull out the necessary ingredients and pots and pans.
Time slowed down as you soaked in the tub, inhaling the sweet scents with long deep breaths. Your muscles started to relax and the lingering tightness in your chest started to dissipate. But, not before a few lone tears traveled down your cheeks. The love and the care were overwhelming; maybe there was more to your relationship with the God of Mischief after all. You lingered in the tub for what felt like an eternity of relaxed bliss before your stomach reminded you of the promise of food. You stood up from the tub, dried yourself off with a fluffy towel, and donned the clothes he left for you, soft black sweatpants and a large, cozy, green sweater. Of course, they would be in his colors. You lifted the collar of the shirt to your nose and sniffed. It smelled like him, and your heart fluttered.
You stepped out of the bathroom, your hair still dripping a bit from the bath, and you saw him. Loki was pulling out one of your favorite dishes from the oven and your heart swelled at the fact that he remembered this random comment you made about it ages ago. Then, you let out a small giggle as you took in your Godly chef for the night. He wore an apron and had floral oven mitts covering his hands. It was odd to see him so domestic, but it was a welcome sight that you could certainly get used to.
Your giggle must have caught his attention because he turned to you and you could have sworn you heard his breath hitch at the sight of you, almost dropping the hot meal that was in his hands. Quickly, he put it on top of the stove and practically ran over to you. He stopped just in front of you, taking in your body that was covered in his scent and in his clothes. You couldn’t help but blush as his gaze lingered on you unabashedly. Realizing that he was staring, he cleared his throat and invited you to sit down at his small kitchen table.
“Right… I hope your bath was sufficient?” He pulled out a chair for you and you sat down. He brought the dish over to the table and sat across from you, serving you a plate of the meal that looked and smelled absolutely amazing. Your mouth watered at the sight, but you also didn’t miss how his hands shook slightly as he served you. Was he nervous?
“It was more than sufficient. It was incredible – very relaxing and just what I needed.” You beamed at him, and his face reflected your happiness back at you. You both settled into easy conversation as you enjoyed your meal. You found yourself giggling and laughing wildly as he cracked joke after joke. The sound of your laughter was music to his ears, and he couldn’t help but keep his silly antics up just to hear it more. Your body felt so relaxed and floaty as your last giggle fit died down and for a moment, you both just stared at each other. His icy blue eyes held nothing, but adoration for you and yours shone with unapparelled appreciation and affection. In that moment, words weren’t necessary.
But he broke the silence when he invited you to his couch. He patted the seat next to him as he pulled up your favorite Disney film. You surprised him by not only sitting right next to him, but also by curling your body right into his side with a contented hum. His body stiffened at the contact and for a moment, you worried that you pushed things too far. As you began to pull away, he wrapped a strong arm around your waist and pulled you back close to him.
Loki greedily relished in the feeling of your body against his. After these past few weeks, he never thought he would be in such an intimate position with you. The once dark prince, now only wanted to pour all his love and affection on the little mortal that graced him with their presence. Feeling braver, his hand snuck up your side and landed at the side of your scalp – pampering you with little scratches. A contented hum graced your lips and Loki smiled to himself. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw your own eyes slip close. He rested his head onto of yours as his fingers continued their ministrations in your hair.
Eventually your breathing evened out as you fell in a deep sleep. Again, Loki stared down at you with greedy abandon, taking in all of your features. Your long eyelashes, the curve of your cheeks, the cupid’s bow of your lips. His heart swelled as he knew he completed his mission to help you relax and finally receive just a fraction of the love you dished out on the daily basis.
He knew that he wanted to be that person for you from now until forever. This was just the start.