Work Text:
"Hi!" Hayley smiled as he opened the door.
"Good evening." Loki leaned against the doorframe with his arms and ankles crossed. "What do you have there?" He nodded to her arms.
"Wanna play a game?" She clutched a board game and two decks of cards against her chest.
"It's past midnight, you're supposed to be in bed, little mortal."
"I could say the same for you," she raised a brow. "Now, are you going to invite me in or not? It's quite chilly and dark in the hallway."
Loki stepped aside and allowed her in, shutting the door after her. "What games?" He peered over her shoulder as she set them on the bed.
"Monopoly for my young soul, chess for your old soul, and decks of cards to play anything with."
"I beg your pardon? Old soul?" He gasped lightly in offense.
"You like chess, no?"
"Yes..."
"And who do we see play chess in the park?"
"...Old souls..."
"Old souls," Hayley repeated with an affirmative nod. "Now, which first?"
"I guess we'll sate your needs first." Loki grabbed the monopoly box and brought it over in front of the fireplace. He sat down gracefully and he caught her surprised yet smug facial expression. He arched his brow in confusion. "What?"
"I half expected you to groan as you sat, you know, since you're such an old man."
"Just sit down," he rolled his eyes at her teasing and began setting up the game.
"Yes, your majesty," she exaggeratedly dipped into a deep curtsy, giggling to herself as she grabbed a blanket from the basket beside the couch.
"You are next to the fireplace. What is the need for a blanket?"
"It's very soft. And cozy. If you hadn't noticed, it is snowing outside. I need all the warmth I can get."
"I have noticed." Loki took the first turn. "And yes, it is soft. You gave it to me."
"Really? When?"
"You don't remember? It was the day I pranked Thor."
Hayley gave him a look. "You're gonna have to be more specific, Mischief."
He sighed. "I changed his room theme from red to a monstrous yellow, and he made us go with him to find a new wallpaper."
"Oh right!" She threw her hands up in remembrance. "That was hilarious." He looked up to find her laughing to herself, which caused him to smile. He liked to make her laugh.
"It was quite amusing, wasn't it?" Loki offered for her to roll the dice next and she moved her blue house to occupy a spot.
"Very," her quiet laughter died down. "We went to a home goods store and while your brother looked for curtains, we branched off into the bedding section." She wrapped the blanket more around herself. "I guess I've just given you so many gifts that I've lost count."
That was true. Hayley constantly gifted Loki something. Whether it was a piece of jewelry, a book, or a blanket, every week she gave him something new.
And he looked forward to it every time.
"Which reminds me..." She got up and opened his door, leaning down to grab a wrapped box with a bow from the outside. "Here is your weekly gift~" She smiled and kneeled next to him, gently handing him the hefty box.
"Hmm, whatever could it be?" He was about to shake it to see if he could hear anything when she quickly reached out to hold both her hands against his in order to stop him.
"It's fragile! Don't break it." She removed her hands and he moved the Monopoly board out of the way to make space for the gift.
He took the golden bow off the top and ripped the green wrapping paper to find a card. "Would you like me to open the gift first, or the card?"
"Card."
Loki delicately held the parchment in his hand, discarding the envelope somewhere. Her stationary smelled of her perfume and he inhaled her scent before reading the note.
You cannot undo the moves, but you can make the next step better. Ha, chess pun. This gift set is for you, you old soul. ;) You have made amazing progress throughout the year and a half you have been at the tower and I couldn't be prouder of you. Being alive can be so lonely sometimes, but I am glad to have met you and I am so happy you are here. - Love, Hayley.
He swallowed back the emotion that was caught in his throat upon reading the simple letter. He read it over and over in his mind, mainly the last sentence. I am glad to have met you and I am so happy you are here.
He smiled and set the card aside. "Oh, just open it already!" Hayley teetered side to side excitedly.
"Alright," he chuckled as he slowly took off the rest of the carefully taped wrapping paper. Inside he found a deep brown engraved wooden box. For my Mischief, from your little mortal.
His mouth parted in shock as he opened the wooden box and examined the contents. It was a hand-made glass chess set, made from clear and emerald colored glass. His name was expertly carved in fancy script letters along the bottom rim of the square checkerboard, and his title was carved into each side, including her own nickname for him.
Each chess piece was a carefully sculpted glass object that was placed delicately in its respective shape inside an emerald green felt box.
Hayley gauged his reaction and couldn't tell if he liked it or not. They sat in silence for a moment before she broke it. "I had to get a little help from Tony, but I found this glass blowing place outside of the city and requested they make this in your favorite color. It took them four tries, but I needed it to be absolutely perfect."
Loki slowly gazed up at her in what was classified as blissful shock.
Her nerves died down when he softly smiled."This is the best gift anyone has ever gotten me. Better yet, made me. You clearly put effort into this and you have my deepest gratitude."
He softly grabbed her hands and stood, helping her stand up as well, and she beamed when he opened his arms to offer an embrace. Hayley knew he doesn't like to be touched, so she treasured the little moments she was allowed.
If only she knew how wrong she was. He needed to be touched, the starvation due to his father's terrible parenting skills.
She threw her arms around him and placed one hand on the back of his head, bringing it down to rest in the crook of her neck.
He reciprocated the embrace and wrapped his arms around her small frame, pulling her closer to him. "Thank you."
"You're very welcome."
She waited until he let go first, not wanting to cut anything short.
"I was wondering where the chess board was when you said you brought it," he mumbled and ran his fingers over a glass pawn.
"So I take it, you like it?"
"I love it. Thank you," he repeated and she smiled.
"Alright, old soul. Let's see if you can beat me."