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It had been a long grueling week and you were feeling it. Like ‘being hit by a freaking Mac truck’ feeling it.
Somehow, somewhere, you’d manage to pick up a nasty bug. One that left you sitting out a few missions and suffering through the effects that only a doctor’s diagnosis of bronchitis could offer.
It was late in the day, the sun just starting to set when Loki wandered through the halls of the Avenger’s tower in NYC. He had admittedly grown rather fond of your conversation over the past few months. More so than he would openly admit.
He’d been reluctantly forgiven for the events of NY a year prior, but you had been the only one who had instantly seen past the facade he’d put in place. It had confounded and irked him that someone such as you could espy his secrets so easily. Yet, after just a few times spent in your company, Loki had quickly realized that you weren’t like the others in the tower. You took your time before forming opinions or judgments, choosing instead to dig a little deeper to get the right answers. And even then, you withheld your judgments, doing your best to treat everyone fairly and respectfully.
You were quiet, but always willing to listen. You didn’t seek out companionship and conversation, but also never rebuffed it when it was offered or given. It hadn’t taken long for you to quickly worm your way into the hearts of all the Avengers. Loki included.
Loki turned another corner only to find another empty room in his search for your company. His brows furrowed. You had been exhausted after you’d come back from your doctor’s appointment the day before, but you had told him it was just a simple cold that would go away on it’s own and not to worry.
Yet, Loki hadn’t seen or heard from you since yesterday evening when you’d peeled yourself off the couch in the main room and crawled to your room. He had knocked on your door, but you hadn’t answered, hence his search of the tower. Worry marred his features as his mind began to conjure up worst case scenarios.
Captain America was seated at the kitchen island when Loki walked in. “Ah, Captain,” Loki approached the man, making sure to keep a respectable (and safe) distance from the super soldier. “Perhaps you might be able help me. I’ve been searching for Y/N, but I haven’t been able to find her. Is she not in the tower today?”
Cap looked up from his newspaper, his brows furrowing in thought for a moment. “I think she’s still in her room. Doc said she had bronchitis and gave her meds that probably wiped her out.”
Loki simply nodded a thanks to the man before turning and snaking his way through the rooms and halls leading to your door. With a keen ear, Loki knocked gently on the door a few times and then stepped close to listen for a response.
When none came, he tried once more, his knocks a little louder. Still, he heard no reply. With a quick glance around, he gently turned the handle of your door only to find it unlocked. With worry he stepped inside and looked around your room. It was tidy and organized; everything in it’s place. Everything, that was, except for your sleeping form curled up into a ball on the couch situated in your living area.
Quietly, Loki quickly made his way over to you, the crease between his brows deepening as he took in your appearance. Sweat soaked strands of hair clung to your forehead. Your face was flushed red and your face portrayed discomfort and misery rather than peaceful rest.
Gently, Loki placed the back of his hand against your forehead, instantly removing it as the heat from your skin scorched his. This was not good. The Asgardian might not be very familiar with human biology and how their bodies might react to an invasion of germs; but he did know that your temperature was not supposed to be so high.
Softly, he called your name, trying to garner any response from you in order to ensure that you were alright. Even after he gently shook your shoulder and called your name louder, you remained unresponsive.
Immediately, he set to work.
With gentle and cool hands, Loki scooped you up from the cushions and moved your limp form to the large bed. He held you close as he made the short journey, allowing his cool Frost Giant temperature to help in lowering your own. Selfishly, he couldn’t pass up the chance to relish in the feeling of you wrapped up in his arms, even for just a moment.
Covering you only with a sheet, he then moved to the bathroom where he quickly retrieved a hand towel. Soaking it in ice cold water from the faucet, he returned to your side and placed the cooling cloth around your head. His eyes studied your face for a moment, your presence filling his chest with a soft feeling.
Over the next period of time, Loki stayed by your side, using any method he could recall or conjure up on the internet to aid in your recovery. He did what he was able to with his magic to speed your healing, but having remained on Midgard for so long had taken its toll and limited his abilities.
Finally confident that he had done all he could and that you were finally improving, Loki settled down into the large chair near the foot of your bed. There he stayed, reading the book of Shakespeare you had on your nightstand.
And there he was sat when your eyes slowly fluttered open. Your body still ached but you were surprised to find it much easier to breath, the heaviness in your chest completely gone. Carefully stretching out your limbs, you froze mid stretch when your eyes caught sight of the Asgardian in green seated nearby, his eyes scanning the words in the book he held.
You took the moment to quietly observe the man in your room. While you obviously wondered what he was doing there, you couldn’t help the smile that lifted the corners of your lips as you took in the sight of him. You’d be lying to yourself and everyone else if you said you hadn’t developed feelings for the Frost Giant.
Loki had fast become a good and close friend, someone you felt you could talk with about anything and everything and never feel judged, but understood. It had broken your heart when he had been shunned when he first arrived at the tower. While the fight with the Chitauri had been before your time with the Avengers, you’d heard enough about it and done enough research into it to know that Loki hadn’t truly been the one at fault.
He had been a victim. And anyone with half a brain that had bothered to dig a little deeper would have been able to figure that out. But instead, they’d pegged him as evil and in need of punishment—more than he had already suffered through.
Your heart had broken for the man, but he had healed it when he had welcomed you into his lonely world, discussing and sharing books, spending time together in quiet doing anything from painting to reading to star gazing to simple enjoying each other’s company.
It hadn’t taken long at all for the feelings towards the Asgardian to flow freely through your heart, crashing in wave after wave with every glance, every word sent your way. Whether the man returned your feelings or not, you knew you’d never love anyone the way you loved Loki.
And here he was, sat in your room, reading your book of Shakespeare sonnets. It was like something out of a dream, waking up to see the beautiful man beside you. You couldn’t drag your gaze away, even if you wanted to.
As if feeling your gaze settled on him, Loki looked up from the page he was reading. His eyes widened slightly with relief before he snapped the book shut and placed it on the table beside him. You weren’t sure, but it seemed as if he might be holding himself back from jumping up and running to your side.
“You’re awake.” His voice washed over you like a cool wave washing over sand. You closed your eyes for a moment to enjoy the sound. “How are you feeling?”
You opened your eyes to find Loki now stood at the end of your bed, his hands clasped behind his back. “I’m feeling much better than yesterday.”
Loki studied you. “I’m glad to hear it.” His voice was nothing more than a whisper.
A thought crossed your mind. “It was you, wasn’t it? That helped me recover so quickly?”
Loki rocked on his feet as he considered his words. “Ah, yes. I may have aided your recovery a bit.” His next words came rambling out quickly as if trying to defend himself against a protest. “I hope you’ll forgive me. It’s just that I came to check on you when the Captain mentioned your diagnosis. But when I found you, you weren’t fairing as well as you should, and your temperature was dangerously high. So, I tried to get your temperature down and I thought you’d sleep better if you were in your bed rather than the couch and—” you held your hand up to stave off any other ramblings you were sure were about to tumble out of the god’s mouth.
You smiled softly. “Thank you, Loki.” You infused your words with as much sincerity as you could. It still didn’t seem like enough.
“You are most welcome,” Loki answered, a soft smile settling on his face. He stood there for an awkward moment before clearing his throat. “Are you hungry at all?”
“Surprisingly, I am.”
“Why don’t you take a shower to refresh yourself and I’ll make you something.” Loki stepped away toward the kitchenette area.
You scrambled from under the sheet, only pausing when you felt your energy drain at the sudden movement. “You don’t have to do that, Loki. I’m sure you’d rather be somewhere else right now.”
Loki paused in his steps, turning to address you directly. “I can promise you, my dear, there is nowhere I would rather be right now.” With a nod to the bathroom door, he continued, “Enjoy your shower. I’ll have a small meal ready by the time you’re done.”
The soft smile he sent with his words would have left you weak in the knees if you’d been standing. You knew Loki wouldn’t lie to you. He had promised you months ago that, regardless of his title of Silver Tongue or God of Lies, he would not lie to you. And you believed him. Knowing that Loki truly wanted to be nowhere else but here with you caused a warmth to blossom in your chest.
W ith a simple nod, you made your way to the bathroom, relishing the idea of feeling clean and refreshed after a miserable night of internal germ-warfare.
After showering and changing into a fresh set of pajamas, you made your way over to the small island in your kitchenette.
“Something smells fantastic.” You took a seat on one of the stools at the island, taking in a deep and clear breath. You had no doubt now that Loki had played a part in your healing, beyond simply lowering your temperature. There was no possible way you could feel so much recovered in such a short amount of time. A super-soldier you were not. Knowing Loki had done so much for you caused the love in your heart to grow that much more.
L oki set a bowl of steaming broth full of chicken and vegetable pieces on the counter in front of you.
The first bite was heavenly. Each bite after, if it was even possible, was even better than the last. “This is incredible, Loki. Thank you. Again. I don’t think I’ve ever tasted something so amazing.” You smiled widely at him.
“I’m glad you like it.” Loki smiled brightly at your praise before his smile softened into something more sorrowful. “It was my mother’s recipe. She would always make it for Thor and me whenever we got sick.”
You reached out and grasped Loki’s hand, squeezing his fingers fondly. “I’m honored that you would share it with me. And I know your mother would be proud of you.”
Loki turned his hand over, his fingers wrapping around yours as he gazed at you. “I believe you.”
Those three words meant everything to you. It wasn’t easy to gain the trust of someone who had been betrayed more times than they could count. To have Loki believe you, trust you, meant so much. And with those three words, something shifted between the two of you. It was felt in the air surrounding you. You were sure of it. It was something beautiful and warm. No matter what happened in your lives, you would always have each other.
“Come,” he said, taking your empty bowl and placing it in the sink to be cleaned later. He turned to you and held out a hand. “You may be on the upswing of recovery, but you still need more rest.”
You slipped your hand into his, the coolness of his skin sending goosebumps up your arms. It wasn’t an unpleasant feeling. On the contrary, the feeling of his cool skin against yours, his fingers moving to entwine with yours, had a fire rushing from the place of contact through your entire body.
“I’d rather stay with you,” you whispered out, looking up into his eyes. A small smile curled the corner of Loki’s lips.
“Very well,” he spoke softly before leading you over to the couch, grabbing the book of sonnets off the end table on the way. He released your hand to sit in the corner against the arm of the couch.
Surprising you, he held out one arm, encouraging you to curl up into his side. With an almost giddy smile, you did just that, curling your legs up before you, your knees leaning against his lap as you curled up into his side. With a wave of his hand, a warm blanket was draped over your body, Loki’s arm wrapping comfortably around you and holding you close.
Loki’s chest rumbled under your cheek as he began to read aloud, the hand not holding the book gently tracing patterns up and down your arm. You sat there, you know not how long, simply listening to Loki read his favorite sonnets to you.
As he read on, your breathing began to slow, to even out, as you slowly drifted back to sleep, completely content, happy, and safe in the arms of the man you loved.
Feeling your body relax, your weight falling fully against him, Loki paused in his reading to study your form. Never in his life had he dreamed he would find anyone like you, let alone fall in love with you. For in love with you, he had indeed fallen. He could allow himself to admit those feelings now that he was certain it was not an unrequited love.
Gingerly, he pulled the soft blanket up around your shoulders, his fingers drifting lightly through your hair. Snuggling down more into the couch, his arm pulling you carefully closer to him, he let his lips carefully rest against the top of your head, the scent of your shampoo filling his senses.
“Sweetest of dreams, my love,” Loki whispered as kissed you once more before resting his head against yours and drifting off into his own blissful sleep.