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"Where are you going, angel?"
Amelia jumped as she strolled into the kitchen, not thinking anyone was up yet. She still wasn't used to the new nickname Loki had given her from their last mission together.
"Good morning," she smiled at him and grabbed a bottle of water, pointing to the towel in her arms. "Tony gave me the day off today, and I'm going swimming."
"Swimming? It's pouring rain outside."
She shrugged. "I can swim in the rain, unless there's lightning."
Moments later a record breaking thunder boom clapped, along with a streak or two of lightning.
She frowned at the window.
"There's your lightning," he mused, blowing steam off the top of his tea mug.
"Yeah, I see that," she muttered, sitting down heavily in the chair beside him.
Loki heard her groan and saw her rest her head on the table. "Oh, poor little mortal," he cooed. "Whatever will you do?" He placed his hand on her back and tried to soothe her by rubbing in circles.
She huffed and looked at her phone, checking the weather. "Oh!" Amelia sprung up in delight. "The rain is stopping in the next hour! I can still swim!" She pumped her fist and he chuckled at her reaction.
"An hour, you say?" He stood up and offered his arm to her. "I'll wait out the rain with you."
"Really? You'd do that?" She asked with a blooming grin.
"Of course. Come on," he jutted his head towards the elevator.
"All right, Mischief. Let's go!" She replied after looping her arm through his.
Loki allowed himself to be pulled towards the elevator, laughing as she removed her arm to impatiently click the call button repeatedly as if the metal box would be here any faster. "You are going to break it." He tutted, and, without thinking, grabbed her hand and laced their fingers together.
She looked down in surprise at their connected hands, while he continued to watch the arrow above the elevator till it landed on the floor they were on.
The doors opened and Amelia shook out of her daze, excitedly pulling him in and pressing the button to the floor just before the rooftop pool.
She popped her hip and mindlessly scrolled through her phone, while he stared at their warped reflections in the aluminum, mainly at their hands that were sitting comfortably in each others'.
Loki knew it was a bold move, but he was attempting to muster up enough courage to finally ask her out. The weeks of back and forth subtle flirting were driving him and the team insane.
Tony had nicknamed them 'the lovebirds' because they did everything together, from reading in the library to playing the part of a couple for a mission.
The one thing that he longed to do, was to kiss her. On missions, the only places he would place a featherlight kiss was on her hand, cheek, forehead, or if they dared, her neck. Never on the lips.
Which was all he found himself dreaming about recently, that and having her wake up in his bed. He knew that probably wouldn't happen, but a man can dream.
The elevator ding brought him out of his thoughts and Amelia put her phone away, tugging on their hands to pull him into the room.
This was their special floor where they spent the most time together. It was half a library, half a common room. Floor to ceiling windows on one wall, another adorned books upon books, another held paintings, drawings, and sketches that they worked on together that she hung up in frames, and the last had a large floating flatscreen. There was a mini kitchenette where they made snacks for movie nights, there was a fluffy rug and the room included furniture scattered around in unique precision to give it an 'open space' concept.
The button was unmarked, and since she was another scientist of Tony's, she programmed it as thumbprint accessible for the only two people who were allowed to use it.
Amelia set her water, towel, and phone down on the counter, and stood in front of the windows to watch the gloomy gray sky and wet city below.
She had her arms wrapped around herself comfortably as she heard the constant sounds of New York swirl into an annoying orchestra of yelling, car horns, tire screeches and sirens.
"What do you have to do today?" She asked as she saw his reflection come up behind her.
Loki shrugged with his hands in his pockets. "Stark wants me to do some 'PR,' whatever that means." He did air quotes and rolled his eyes.
"Public relations," she answered, looking back over her shoulder to give him a smile.
"Yeah, that."
"He wants you to get a good reputation here. Even if you already have a good rep with me."
He huffed a laugh out through his nose. "Sure." He peered down the many floors and cringed, remembering what he had done a year ago. "I'm not sure many people like me."
"I like you," she said, then immediately back tracked. "I mean not like like you, that's not what I mean. I meant I just like you. Like, singular." She spun around and rambled, starting to twirl a stand of hair around her finger. That was a tic he noticed she does when she's embarrassed or nervous.
He watched her in amusement and she clamped her mouth shut turning around to face the glass again.
"Relax, angel," he gently set his hand on her shoulder. "I know what you meant."
She blew out a breath which fogged up the glass and she drew a smiley face into the condensation.
"I'll make breakfast while we watch something. You pick," she hummed and went to the cupboards and fridge, pulling things out for pancakes and bacon.
During the next hour they ate breakfast together while watching a Disney movie, which was Amelia's favorite.
Loki stood up and took her plate, discarding leftover bits of food into the trash bin, before running their plates under some water.
"Hey, look." He caught her attention and pointed outside. "The rain stopped."
She gasped and jumped up, immediately running towards the window. "Yay!" She squealed and bounced up and down on her toes. "Come on!"
They went up to the rooftop and were immediately hit with a wave of humid air. The rain did not cool down the natural heated temperature of New York, much to her annoyance.
But she dipped her hand in the water and sighed at the coolness.
"Is it to your liking?" Loki asked and set her things on one of the dry chairs which was under a covered sitting area.
"The water is nice and cool, so it will be refreshing." Amelia grinned and squinted as soon as the sun came out. "I wish I brought my sunnies," she frowned and shielded her eyes with her hand.
The God made her sunglasses appear and he held them up, putting them over her eyes. "Done."
"I also need sunscreen. Please," she added with a dazzling smile that he couldn't say no to.
Two bottles appeared in his hand and she went to grab one, but he held it out of her reach. "Allow me."
She agreed and took her oversized shirt off, showing her swimsuit underneath. "I'll get my arms and legs, then you can get my shoulders and back. Deal?"
He nodded and she took the can, spraying her arms and then leaning down to spray her legs until they glistened in the sunbeams. He let her give confirmation before he poured some of the lotion into his hands and started rubbing it into her skin.
He gently lifted one strap of her top to get under it, then repeated the action on the other side. He seemed to take his time, enjoying the feeling of his hands on her warm and soft skin. Her lower back was all that was left, and he held her waist as he massaged the sunblock into her skin.
He wanted to potentially 'test the waters,' so to speak, and decided to let his forefingers dip past the seam of her suit bottoms. She froze and let her head drop to stare at his left hand, watching as he kneaded the skin just below her hip.
She swallowed the sound that was about to escape from her lips, liking the feel of his hands on her body. This was different than when they went on missions, since she was usually clothed. His hand would rest on her waist or lower back, which was covered by the material of the dress. Now, there is nothing in between them besides her swimsuit.
He slowly removed his fingers and let the suit snap back into place against her skin, patting her hip twice. "All done," she saw him give her a cheeky grin, which made her shake her head.
"Are you going to join me?"
"PR, remember?"
She nodded in understanding. "Okay. I will be here."
"I will be back later tonight. Does that sound good?"
"Can you bring back food?"
He chuckled. "You may text me what you want."
She grinned and gave him a hug around his torso, which wasn't alien to the two of them. He returned the gesture and she realized the second she could feel the heat from his skin through his shirt, she let go, forgetting she was in a partially revealing bikini.
He brushed his finger under her jaw and softly smiled. "See you tonight."
With that, he left her to her own abilities.
—
As Loki did PR stunts, Amelia switched back and forth between diving, floating, tanning, reading, taking a power nap, and snacking.
As promised, Loki brought her back her favorite meal after seeing the text she sent, saying how she wanted Mexican food. All she wanted was tacos, rice, beans, and churros.
He pressed the button to their floor and watched the red LED numbers go until they stopped at 92. He found the floor empty.
He decided to go to the rooftop, where his suspicions were confirmed. Amelia was floating on her back in the lit up aqua colored pool, staring at the stars above.
"Have you been out here all day?"
She turned her head and sat upright when she heard his voice, smiling at him from afar. "Yep!" She explained her day's activities from the ledge, watching as he set the food down on the table.
He activated the fire feature and moved the food closer to the edge so the styrofoam boxes wouldn't burn.
"Sounds like you had a very interesting day. Why don't you come eat your dinner, angel." He stood by the steps and held her towel out wide for her, setting it on her shoulders and letting her wrap it against her body.
"Thank you for the food," she leaned up and kissed his cheek. It seems as if she was getting bolder as well.
"My pleasure."
Amelia warmed up by the fire and happily ate her tacos, rice and beans. Once she was finished, she hesitantly caught his attention. "Did you get my—,"
"Churro?"
Loki took the foot-long cinnamon and sugar churro out of the to-go bag and handed it to her.
"And were you able to get—,"
"Two?" He finished her sentence again and smiled, taking the other one out and setting it on the table.
She beamed at him as she got her sweet snack, and the look on her face made his heart beat faster. He loves to make her genuinely smile.
"Can I swim now?" She asked thirty minutes later since he made her wait.
"Is your food settled?" He asked without looking up from his book.
"Yep!" She chirped, ready to get back in the water.
"Then you may go." He heard a splash in the next five seconds, from her diving in.
"Come swim with me." Amelia came up and rested her chin on her folded arms that were on the ledge.
He peered over his book to see her staring at him and he sighed, setting the book aside and standing in front of her. "I can't."
"What if I ask nicely?"
Loki knelt in front of her, eyeing her for a moment before looking at her jewelry. He always wonders why she wears jewelry in the pool, and he allowed his hand to gently fiddle with her dangly earrings. "I do not have proper swimming attire."
She pouted and huffed. "Fine. Can you at least help me out?" She held her hand up.
He obliged and stood, taking her hand to help her out. The second she grabbed his hand, she pressed her feet against the wall and pushed. With that amount of force, she dragged him in with a big splash.
The second she did, she ran out of the pool, afraid to face his wrath.
He stood up and glared at her, holding his arms out to let water drip from his now soaking wet shirt. "You will regret that."
She laughed and turned around, yelping once she ran into someone. Her annoyed friend's clone. "Oh no..." she muttered and turned to run but he easily hauled her into his arms. Kicking and flailing, she tried to get out of his strong grip but the clone grinned at her and tossed her into the deep end of the pool. "I'm going to kill you," she grumbled as she pushed her hair back.
"I could say the same for you. My suit is ruined." He had previously taken the jacket off before they ate dinner, which left him in slacks and a white dress shirt. A see-through white dress shirt.
Amelia refrained from gawking at the man and shrugged. "Buy another."
He took offense to that. "What if this was my favorite?"
"It's not. Your full black suit combo is. You wear it non-stop." Not that I'm complaining, she mumbled the thought to herself.
They swam, well Amelia did, while Loki merely stayed in one spot for a solid five minutes.
"This is stupid," he expressed his annoyance clearly, and she came closer to him.
"It's because you're supposed to move around, Mischief." She held her hands out to him and he shook his head, holding his hands behind his back.
"No way. I fell for that trick once, I won't again."
She shook her hand gently, urging him to take it. "No tricks. I promise." He hesitantly placed his in hers, and she softly pulled him forward. "See? Aren't you having fun?" She asked after walking a couple laps with him.
"Loads," he responded dryly.
"You know what, I don't need your negativity." She dropped his hands and pulled away from him. "I'm going to have fun."
She got out of the water and went to the black storage bin off the side, which held floats and toys. She grabbed a handful of toys and got back in the water, handing them to him. "Throw these, please."
He tossed each ring and torpedo into the deep end, watching her dive in after them.
Moments later she splashed back up to the surface and thrust the toys back into his arms. "Time me!" He repeated his actions and waited for her to come back. "How fast was I?"
"32 seconds," he mused and she frowned.
"I can do better than that. Again!"
They repeated the process, Loki throwing toys and Amelia diving for them as fast as she could, with her best time being 19 seconds.
Now she was lounging on her back, floating around in the water. He came up next to her and dropped under the water until it covered his shoulders and placed his hands on the bare skin of her back.
She let her eyes drop from the night sky to his eyes. "What are you doing?"
"Helping you float," he hummed, really just wanting a reason to be close to her, and/or put his hands on her.
Amelia knew that he knew she didn't need help floating, but she didn't say anything or move away, since she wanted to be just as close.
"I don't feel like swimming anymore," she said, feeling a bit bold now. She went behind him and wrapped her arms around his neck, attaching herself to his back. "Your turn."
She couldn't see his facial expressions from this angle but she wished she could so she could know what he's thinking.
She thought he would reach behind himself and grab her legs to wrap around his waist, but instead he twisted in her hold so she was now in front of him.
He guided her legs around his waist and held them there, and she was frozen in shock. His hands were warm against her skin, but there was now a slight chill in the air which caused goosebumps to arise.
She was next to his neck and had a million thoughts running through her mind, but there was one that was too overwhelming of a need.
She slowly leaned down to place a featherlight kiss on his neck.
His eyes fluttered close at the feeling and his grip faltered for barely a second before he regained consciousness.
She wanted to experiment again, and this time she left another kiss a little bit higher, right under his ear.
She heard his throat work and his grip tightened ever so slightly. "This alright?" She murmured against his throat, feeling the pleased vibration of a groan against her lips.
His hands settled on her hips and he allowed his thumbs to brush over her lower stomach, feeling the muscles tighten against his touch.
Amelia let out a breathy giggle and so he did it again, which made her squirm.
"Are you ticklish?" He mused quietly in her ear, softly brushing his fingertips against her side and she tried to lean away from his wandering hand.
"No, that's ridiculous." Her mouth said one thing, yet her body said another.
She laughed a little more as his hands roamed across her abdomen and she tried to pull away and unwrap her legs but he used his arm to hold her tight.
"Can't escape that easily, little angel," he whispered.
His attack didn't stop and she was now laughing and trying to push him away, harder this time. "Stop!" She shrieked in laughter and his hands faltered, giving her a chance to catch her breath.
She panted heavily and grinned at him, and now he had other thoughts running through his head. Loki imagined what she would look like after a night together, would she still smile at him everyday?
His eyes bore into each of hers before dropping to her mouth and back. She noticed how he was silently asking for permission to kiss her.
She knew how much he wanted it, and she knew how much she wanted it, and she was able to say something when he leaned back a little.
"This may not be the right time, but I have to ask otherwise I will never have enough courage to ask again." He took a deep breath. "Amelia, will you have dinner with me?"
She decided to tease him a bit. "We did have dinner together," she gestured to where they sat eating tacos an hour and a half ago.
"I mean in a nice establishment, away from here," he tried again and the way she was looking at him in confusion made something settle deep in his chest.
"Oh...I'm sorry, I have feelings for someone." She was trying to hold in the chuckle that was threatening to show.
Hear that? That was the sound of his heart shattering. Amelia was rejecting him. He should've kept his own feelings to himself, now he lost his best friend.
"Very well. I apologize if I made it uncomfortable." He detached himself from her and put space in between them, which caused her to frown. Maybe she went too far. "I think I will turn in for the night. Have a lovely rest of your evening," he offered her a kind smile but she could tell he was masking disappointment.
He turned to leave but she caught his hand. "I thought you were able to detect lies." Loki looked back at her in surprise.
"What?" He asked in shock, the sliver of hope now resurrecting.
"I was pranking you. To see how you'd react. With all these missions and spending time together, how can you not expect me to feel something?" She now stood so close that their chests touched. "I like you, you big idiot. I have for a while."
Hope flourished in his chest and he couldn't take it anymore. His hands shot out from the water to cup her face and he poured every ounce of joy he had into a kiss.
Loki was in a reality that he had only dreamt about, he never expected to live it.
She groaned in pleasure at the force and he pulled them closer together if that was possible.
After a few moments she broke away, leaning her head back to take in some much needed air. Her pants were music to his ears, along with that little groan she made.
He stared at the skin she had so graciously blessed his eyes with, and he leaned forward to place another kiss above her throat. "I like you too," he whispered.
Amelia tilted her head down with a smirk. "After that kiss? You don't say..."
He chuckled and crouched to lift her around his waist again. This time she settled her arms around his neck. "You said that you thought I was able to detect lies. I couldn't because your statement was true. You did have feelings for someone. Me," he gave her a cheesy grin and she rolled her eyes with a smile.
"Whatever." Amelia initiated the kiss this time and used her hands to push his head forward. His arms entwined under her in order to push her up and deepen the kiss.
Without breaking away, he walked them towards the side and lifted her out of the water, setting her atop the ledge. He stood in between her legs and set one hand on the back of her head, while the other pushed her torso against his chest.
He released her lips and traveled down her jaw, tilting her head to the side to bare her neck to him. "Now will you go to dinner with me?" He whispered against her skin, letting his lips linger against the thrum of her pulse point.
"Yes, you silly God. I'll go on a date with you." He raised his head and beamed at her. She doesn't think she's ever seen him this happy and hopeful before. "But," she started and his expression wavered into one of worry. "We can do that tomorrow. Tonight I want you to take me to your room..." She walked her fingers across his shoulder.
"And?" Loki let out a shuddering breath when Amelia's hand gently gripped his jaw and turned it to the side.
"And we can..." she whispered in his ear and let her hand wander.
He blinked and lightly gasped when she pulled away with an innocent look on her face.
"You naughty little thing..."
Face of an angel, thoughts of a devil.
"So...?" She leaned forward and spoke a hair's breadth away from his lips. "What do you say, my sweet trickster?"
He hummed. "You don't know what you're in for, little angel."