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little-kitten-mittens-fic · 2 years

Text

movie night

pairing: caregiver!loki & regressor!reader

summary: After a hard mission, Loki helps you to wind down.

content warnings: none

word count: ~900

You collapsed dramatically onto the bed in a heap, laying your head back. The blinds behind had been shut tight this morning, now having fluttered open just enough for a patch of sun to shine right in your face.

After a few seconds, you opened your eyes, squinting as you sat up against the headboard you were still slouched against.

Loki’s expression softened at the sight of your antics. “Are you small?”

You mumbled unintelligibly in response, which was plenty answer enough.

Loki came closer, and you started to fold your arms, playing with your sleeves and automatically bringing a hand up towards your mouth.

Loki tutted and quickly took your hands in his to deter you, green seidr flicking over the surface, cleaning your hands of dirt and grime.

“Hey bug, you’re all dirty.”

Your eyes lit up at the sight of the green energy, instantly distracted. You were always enamored by Loki’s seidr, the awe you felt only increasing exponentially when you were regressed like now.

You knew he made it sparkle brightly more than necessary just because you liked it.

Said (now clean) hand went into your mouth this time, your thumb slipping in and the rest of your fingers curling to the side to rest them comfortably. You looked up at him, blinking and hiding a yawn behind your hand.

“Tired, little one?”

You nodded emphatically, knowing he meant to imply a nap, which always meant cuddles (if you wanted them). You were exhausted, though in no mood to actually sleep.

Loki hummed. “We should get you cleaned up first.”

You whined, shaking your head. You lifted up your hands slightly, well hand singular, because one was staying in your mouth.

Loki’s only response was to raise an eyebrow.

You look pointedly at your hands again. “Seether.” You frowned at the mispronunciation, further muffled by your fingers, then pouted as Loki’s expression remained unchanged despite the fact that he clearly understood your meaning.

You wanted him to use his seidr instead of taking an actual bath.

“It’s not the same; don’t you want that oil and slime out of your hair?”

“Nu uh. Water feel icky.” You shook your head, feeling tears well up in your eyes. You weren’t trying to be dramatic, and you didn’t want to cry, but the thought of getting water in your hair and by your ears was too much to bear at that moment.

Loki looked at you carefully, seeing your expression. After thinking for a moment, he seemed to come to a decision.

“How about we watch a movie instead? And you can finish cleaning up after a nap, hm?”

You sniffed. “Okay…”

You agreed easily, feeling confident because you knew a movie was even better than a nap– you would get to cuddle and you knew you wouldn't fall asleep while the television was on.

You sat up fully, pushing yourself up with one hand to shift off of the bed. You were still in your work clothes, so you immediately turned back around, tugging at your button-up shirt. The pout and the pleading in your expression told Loki all he needed to know.

Loki chuckled almost silently, more of a fond smile, but he still granted your request, a quick flash of seidr washing over you to change your wrinkled and stained work clothes to soft pajamas.

Kneeling on the ground by the television, you struggled to pull out from underneath the television set a heavy wooden chest. With one hand, it was difficult, but it felt lighter than normal…

You stopped, and saw it shift without your hand touching it and you looked back at Loki to see him looking away in an exaggerated nonchalant way. It made you grin, having caught him.

Your mood immediately brightened further at the sight that greeted you as you opened the lid. Inside were rows and rows of brightly colored VHS tapes, with several more stacked sideways on top, along with a few DVDs mixed in.

It only took you a few seconds to make your choice, picking one of your favorites.

When you turned around, Loki had your favorite stuffed toy in hand, a bright orange plush tiger, and several pillows and blankets arranged on the floor. He moved down to the floor, in front of the television, patting the space beside him.

You held out the plastic case so he could see the movie with smiling dinosaurs on the cover, before you plopped down beside him. Loki accepted it and the case clicked as he opened it and he pulled the tape out.

The routine was familiar as he got up to load the tape into the video player, with this movie in particular even, having watched it again and again with you without complaint.

Soon the movie was playing and Loki sat back down.

“Alright, c’here bug.”

You happily snuggled into him sideways, pulling your blanket and tiger plush with you. The blanket bunched up, but Loki pulled it, ruffling it out until it laid smoothly over you.

You murmured a ‘thank you’ from behind your hand, settling in comfortably, and Loki rested an arm around your back.

Before long you were enthralled by the television, the world around you melting away until the only sensations you focused on were the bright color and sounds of the movie, the soft fur of your plushie, and the warm steadiness of your caregiver.

#loki x little!reader #caregiver loki #regressor reader #agere fic #fandom agere #sfw age regression #fluff #cuddling & snuggling #cg!loki

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little-kitten-mittens-fic · 2 years

Text

the hairbrush

pairing: regressor!loki & caregiver!tesseract (aka space)

summary: Loki could be surprisingly shy. The hairbrush had become a sort of secret signal between them, an unspoken rule that if he needed her, he didn’t have to say a word. All he had to do was bring her the brush, and she would be there.

content warnings: light angst, food/baking

word count: 2k

read it on ao3 here! 💚💚💚

Loki came up to her quietly, feet hardly making a sound. His steps were quiet and unrushed, muffled by his socked feet, though not as quiet as they could be if he were truly attempting to sneak up on her.

Space set down her notebook immediately, attention turning to him.

The hairbrush was in his hand.

Loki could be surprisingly shy. In that moment he stood straight and stiff, the clear sign of adult headspace in contrast to his simultaneously unsure demeanor.

His body stayed still even as he shifted the brush partially behind him.

Loki hadn’t slipped into his younger headspace intentionally in a while. He still needed help slipping, but he had the tendency to constantly ignore his needs, preferring to put it off until he absolutely had to. He would wait until his body forced him to drop into headspace and the cycle would repeat. He had only come to her before that point a few times now, and she preferred it to happen on his terms, but he rarely allowed himself to.

Space couldn't help worrying.

In this inbetween headspace, Loki tended to struggle for words. Space wasn’t sure why he hated being at a loss for words with such vigor, though she had suspicions as to what had occurred in the past to hurt him. She was not sure who was to blame for this particular struggle of his, but she was sure it was not a habit that would develop on its own.

She knew his moniker was Silvertongue for good reason; Loki was clever and could talk his way out of anything.

Perhaps therein laid the problem- this was new and unfamiliar territory for him (or worse, it was a familiar feeling for him and with it brought back memories).

She preferred to know who it was she should direct her anger, though now was not the time. She didn't know what she was doing or how to help him.

The hairbrush had become a sort of secret signal between them, an unspoken rule that if he needed her, he didn’t have to say a word. All he had to do was bring her the brush.

And he had brought it to her.

The look in his eyes was plenty indication of what he wanted, what he knew he was asking for. And yet there was an edge to his nervous pleading gaze, something more than vulnerability bleeding through his air of false-confidence.

Fear . Like he knew what the result would be and he was afraid to show his feelings. He was afraid of asking for help and being sent away.

Being sent away, as he was evidently used to.

Space smiled despite herself, not wanting her anger to show in her expression. Because despite that fear he still came to her.

Still, the fact that she could see it, the fact that she knew Loki allowing her to see it was less a show of trust, and more an indication that Loki had gotten to the point of desperation.

Space hoped there would come a day when Loki felt he could come to her before he got to this point. A day when that fear was no longer even present, he could ask for help and know it would always be given to him.

She tried to ignore her thoughts and focus on the current.

Space beckoned him and Loki stepped closer, crouching to sit on the floor, somehow in a graceful manner, where she had motioned.

Space silently took the brush from his hand, pausing when she caught sight of his hair. What had previously been hidden by a glamor was the fact that his hair was knotted in thick tangles, like he had not brushed it in days.

Space sighed. She swore he did this on purpose sometimes.

“Would you get the comb for me, Loki?”

Loki stood quickly, darting off around the corner in the direction of the bathroom vanity. She grabbed the hair oil from her bedside table, sitting back down as Loki returned with the comb.

Loki paused in the doorway and made a face at the sight of the bottle in her hands.

“Don’t start; I will wash it out later,” she said teasingly. She patted the space in front of her, and after a moment's hesitation he sat down.

She started to separate his hair, gradually applying the oil to the worst of the strands and gently picking out tangles. It took several minutes, and a bit of her own seidr energy, before it was detangled enough to brush. By this point Loki’s rigid form was beginning to ease.

In a rhythmic motion, Space continued to glide the brush across his strands.

Loki’s fingers fell from his lap and he started pressing his fingers against his knees, bunching up the fabric of his pant legs.

She paused, an idea forming in her mind. She continued to comb his hair into separate sections, pulling back a portion of his hair.

Space started to braid his hair so the strands would be out of the way. Loki began to go completely lax against her, humming in contentment, and by the time she was finished, she was holding him up almost entirely.

She winced, and tugged gently on the braids in an unsuccessful attempt to straighten them. The two small plaits were a bit lopsided, and Loki would probably hate it if he looked in the mirror. The first time she had attempted to do Loki’s hair, he had started crying, and though that was not the only reason for his upset, Space had no desire to repeat the experience.

She didn’t think she had to worry about that for a while though. Loki’s eyes were mostly shut as he blinked slowly. She brushed her fingers against the lines of his forehead, his eyelashes fluttering as his face scrunched at the touch. He blinked before opening his eyes fully. He looked unfairly adorable for being half-asleep.

“You ready to get up?”

“Mm mm,” he hummed in disagreement. Space decided to carry him instead, and easily lifted him up from under his arms, scooping him up until he was settled against her. He nuzzled against her neck, arms folded as he leaned closer.

She carried him to the kitchen as he clung to her tunic. Loki made a soft noise.

“What is it?”

“Sleepy.”

Space huffed to hold back a laugh. “Are you now? You can nap later, sweetheart.”

She nudged a chair out with her foot and went to set Loki down on it. He clung to her for a moment before letting himself be put down. He rubbed at his face with his knuckles and started kicking his sock-covered feet.

Space summoned his favorite bat toy and handed it to him before he ended up scratching his eyes with his sharp fingernails. (She really did not want a repeat of that experience either).

Immediately he started playing with one of the soft toy’s wings, the other wing gradually making its way into his mouth.

“How about we make something sweet, hm? I’m sure we can figure out how to bake something…”

He miraculously perked up at the idea of sweets, suddenly more awake.

Space searched for a recipe on her tablet, having learned by this point it was far easier to follow a video than a book with printed instructions. As she pulled up a video that seemed promising, she heard the bat toy crinkling as Loki toyed with the wings.

She pushed the chair Loki was on across the slight distance to the shorter countertop. She scanned the recipe again and started pulling out the ingredients they needed.

She kept a close eye on Loki, though he was sufficiently distracted by watching her with rapt attention and fiddling with his soft toy.

As she closed the cupboard door, she heard a loud rustling noise.

“No wait- don't!”

Space winced at the sight of Loki ripping open the sack of flour with overeager fingers. The after effects led to the lower part of Loki’s face and his shirt covered entirely in flour, and Space had to hide a smile at Loki’s disgruntled look.

“Ew.” Loki stuck out his tongue, leading him to taste more flour.

“Most of it’s on your shirt.” She nearly laughed when Loki grimaced and then glared at her. “And that’s why we need to add sugar. I think.” She took the bag of flour from Loki and placed it beside him on the counter.

“That’s what we need next anyhow. Why don’t you help me measure it?” she said absently, turning away and starting to add more ingredients to the bowl. She should have known he would notice the inattentiveness in her tone.

Space turned back to Loki and her eyes widened, but it was too late. Loki had his hand in the bag again and threw flour right in her face. Space spluttered.

“Erg.” She blew a raspberry to blow some of the flour off. “That is gross.” She wiped her face with her hands and looked down at the white powder on them. Space didn’t really understand how baking worked, but how could it taste good if it started off like that?

Space kept an eye on him this time as she wet a small washcloth and started cleaning off Loki’s face. He scrunched his nose and she almost let herself be distracted by his expression. Were his eyes always that big?

She pulled his wrist gently away to stop his wandering hands from finding the bag of flour and tutted. Loki pouted, but let her clean off his hands as well.

Space looked down at the recipe again. She already had that thick oily substance in a bowl, which also tasted gross (she really needed to stop tasting the ingredients). She handed Loki the measuring cup and guided his hand to scoop up the sugar and pour it into the bowl.

“Great job bug.” Space smiled at Loki’s grin, and he held up his hand. Space copied the Midgardian gesture and gave him a ‘high five’.

“I’m going to scoop up the flour. Can you make your hand flat for me?” Loki copied her hand shape with a look of intense concentration. “Good; like that. Now could you brush off the extra stuff please?”

Space continued measuring and mixing ingredients into their proper bowls, following the directions closely. Now for the eggs…

Loki had his tongue poking out as he stared at the egg carton intently, probably trying to open it with his seidr. She helped him open the carton, the safer way without seidr, and pushed a small glass bowl in front of him. Loki eagerly grabbed an egg without waiting for instruction and proceeded to crack it open with both hands, but got most of the shell pieces into the bowl and the actual egg on the counter.

Space snorted. “Like this.” And she tried to crack an egg, but ended up spilling worse than Loki. She frowned; this looked a lot easier in the online tutorial videos. Loki giggled at the dejected look on her face.

“S’ok,” Loki said, “We can separate ‘em.” His words jumbled together slightly as he spoke quickly, emphasizing his accent, which always became more apparent when he was feeling smaller.

Eventually, they had a bowl of completed cookie dough, sans egg shells (mostly). Loki still had flour in his hair and on his shirt, somehow there was a piece of egg shell on his face and there was melted chocolate on his hands from swiping chocolate chips. Space wasn’t in much better condition, although her hair was pulled back into a low bun, which kept that part clean at least.

Space put her hands on her hips. “Do we have to scoop these? This was already too much work.”

“Nuh uh.”

Space huffed, barely holding back a smile at his wide-eyed, serious look. “You sure?”

“Have'ta bake!” he said. He pointed at the oven.

“Hmm. If we have to…”

***

They ended up with misshapen and slightly burnt cookies, and the concoction tasted strange to her. She was a bit suspicious of the foreign texture, but Loki seemed to think they tasted fine, so she counted it as a win.

Although magic would need to be involved in the clean up, because Space wasn’t sure how she kept stepping in sugar, and somehow bits and smears of butter were everywhere and… was that an eggshell on the ceiling?

#fandom agere #marvel agere #regressor loki #little loki #tesseroki #agere fic #sfw age regression #agere boy

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little-kitten-mittens-fic · 2 years

Text

snippet: a distraction

pairing: regressor!loki & caregiver!tesseract

summary: In-between his headspace, Loki is extremely shy when he needs to be changed. But he still needs help, so Tess is there to help distract him.

word count: ~300

A/N: a deleted snippet from my fic mein mausbar. but i think it's cute so i'm posting it here :)

***

Tess laid him down on the bed gently, the cover crinkling softly, and Loki immediately tensed when they let go.

“Are you alright sweetheart?”

Loki was frowning, body curled up turned away as he refused to make eye contact. His ears were beet red and the blush was quickly inching further down his neck.

Now Tess saw the problem. It was glaringly obvious Loki was embarrassed at this. Tess had changed him before, but he had been so deep in headspace then he probably hadn’t even thought about it. Now Loki laid there, head tilted away and fingers digging into his tiny stuffie, a deep frown still etched on his face, all clear signs of anxiety.

Tess hummed to get his attention, and they saw his shining eyes flicker around the room as he shifted uncomfortably.

They poked at the sliver of skin on his tummy from where his shirt had ridden up, but Loki only whined, not one to make it too easy for them.

Tess wriggled their finger, and Loki gasped, not quite the giggle they were hoping for, but close enough. After several moments of lightly teasing him, Loki finally cracked a smile as he looked up at them.

“My little mausbär,” Tess said softly, the familiar nickname making Loki giggle. They smoothed down his shirt. He was successfully distracted for a moment, but when they reached for him again, Loki looked away and his blush and discomfort renewed.

Tess had a better idea. “Here, little one.”

They handed him a small pillow, which he hesitated to take for a moment, green eyes blinking in confusion. He held it tight to his chest with both hands, still clutching his bat plush in one hand.

Immediately, Loki hid his face in the pillow. Tess worked quickly so, even with his squirming, in a few moments he was clean and dry, and they redressed him quickly.

“Now, how about a game?”

#fic snippet #sfw age regression #fandom agere #little loki #regressor loki #agere fic #tess is really inexperienced so they're just like 'okay he's uncomfortable why dont i poke him!'

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little-kitten-mittens-fic · 2 years

Text

No End to Joy

pairing: regressor!loki & caregiver!tesseract

Summary: Loki vent regresses and Tess struggles to help him cope.

content warnings: vent regression, implied / past trauma

word count: 3.9k

read it on ao3 here! 💚💚💚

“Do you need to be little?” Tess breaks the silence warily.

“No,” Loki replies softly, though he still winces at the crack in his voice.

He’s leaning against the wall in the kitchen, hand pressed on the counter, body curled down. Tess isn’t sure what triggered this. He had been fine that morning, though Tess spends only a few minutes in the room with him and it quickly becomes apparent something was off.

Memories from Loki’s past still haunt him and some days old feelings crop up, there being many experiences to choose from. Tess being aware of most of them does not give them the ability to prevent the strain it causes him, though they deeply wish they could.

Loki is frowning, eyes half-closed as he looks off to the side, seeming both listless and intently thinking.

“May I hug you?” Tess asks gently, tone serious. They’re aware of the fact that Loki doesn’t always like to be touched, and it is difficult for them to tell if or when Loki wants it.

He nods sharply, turning his head away though shifting his body toward them in silent invitation.

Tess wraps their arms around him, hugging him tight for a brief moment.

As they start to pull away, Loki whines unintentionally, gripping at Tess’ robes and yanking them back.

Tess holds back a startled noise, hesitating before reaching to wrap their arms around him fully again. They pull him firmly against them this time, Loki’s face pressed flush against their torso.

His breath hitches as he partially collapses against Tess, fists resting against their chest as he loosens his hold on their robes. His fingers curl into Tess’ shoulder as he returns the hug, still leaning into them. Tess feels a burst of his seidr at the contact, a warm twisting in their chest as Loki’s seidr coils around their energy. This close, they can feel that Loki’s seidr is still turbulent, though comparatively calmer and soothed at the contact.

“Love you,” Tess whispers into Loki’s hair, before they can stop themself, overwhelmed at the well of emotion overflowing in their chest.

Tess is running their fingers along his back, tucking their chin over his head. Loki doesn’t respond verbally, though his fingers tighten around them, tucking his arms back towards his chest.

Tess pulls away as Loki starts to stand straight again, feeling their face heat as they hold their hand in a fist against their chest, as if the feeling of seidr could be held in it.

Their face is flushed at the intimacy of the situation, but now Loki’s seidr is back to coiling in on itself with an unsettled air of anxiety.

“Are you sure you don’t want… maybe for a short time?”

Loki shakes his head, arms crossed over his chest in displeasure. He brings one hand away from himself to sign, ‘Not little.’

“Okay.” Tess concedes, not wanting to force him. It is true, Loki would communicate in non-verbal methods often enough, and that in and of itself is not a sign that he needs to be little. Though combined with his other behavior, that is clearly not the case now.

Still, Tess can see him, the look in his eyes as he is struggling, teetering over a precipice. They understand, in theory, his desire to delay fully regressing until he’s in a better mindset, though they can already see his attempts to stay big are failing.

And Tess worries the delay will only make the fall harder.

Tess wishes they could help him better, but pressuring him is not an option. Loki was clearly well on his way to an unintentional drop, but Tess didn’t want to go against his wishes and encourage him to regress further when Loki didn’t want to.

It felt manipulative to help him and Tess felt stuck in limbo, wanting to comfort him, yet knowing the care would encourage Loki to slip from half regressed, to further into his smaller headspace.

“Do you want to be alone?”

Loki shrugs, then shakes his head.

Tess nods, resisting the urge to grab for Loki’s hand, and walks quietly into the living room. As Tess sits down on the couch, Loki pushes off from the counter and follows after them.

“Let me know if you change your mind,” Tess adds, turning towards him, “just tap me.”

After a moment of silence, Tess shifts awkwardly in their seat. They would normally be content to leave him be, let him have his time ‘alone’ and be his quiet company, but instinct is telling them it is not enough .

“Want a snack?”

Loki aims a disgruntled glare in their general direction, waving his hand in a ‘cut it out’ motion. Tess lifts their hands in a mock defensive gesture.

“I know, s-” Tess nearly bites their tongue in an effort to cut off their words, a nickname nearly slipping out reflexively.

Seeing Loki like this is lighting up all their senses, the urge to care for him strong and difficult to resist, almost itching under their skin in its effort to escape. Their hands want to move, to do something for him, but helping him in the way he needs at the moment means doing nothing .

Tess intentionally relaxes their posture, leaning into the couch cushion behind them and flitting their hands across their legs. They ignore the energy pulsing under their skin, not wanting their frazzled nerves to influence Loki’s own mood.

Tess is suddenly grateful for Loki’s inability to sense their seidr with the same nuance as they are able to sense his.

“Alright, well I’m hungry,” Tess says, mainly to fill the silence. It is more of a figure of speech, considering the fact that they can’t actually get hungry.

Tess summons a bag of sugary… something. They aren’t sure what it is, some kind of candy they cannot recall the name of.

Tess kicks their legs out onto the low table in front of them, slouching as they use a foot to push to one side the various boxes atop the table.

Loki barely seems to notice their movement, and he shows no interest in reading the books in front of him, or doing a puzzle.

He has options in front of him, though he is reaching for none of it and making no further attempt to distract himself, looking at nothing and seeming to be stuck in his mind.

Loki digs his hands into the blanket beside him. His form stays tense even as he begins to fidget again, and body swaying.

Tess is not sure what to do, and attempts to leave Loki to it, hoping Loki is successful in soothing himself. They watch him out of the corner of their eye, opening their package of sweets and shoving several pieces in their mouth at once, eating them slowly. They barely taste the candies, their attempt to distract themself failing.

Tess’ attention snaps back to him the moment Loki’s breathing changes.

Loki sniffs, bringing his hands to his face, the sleeves of his sweater rubbing against the skin under his eyes. His breathing is constricted and shoulders heaving as he continues to bury his head in his hands.

Tess waits a few seconds, then sifts through the drawer of the low table, finding pads of paper and crayons. They hope it will make it easier for him to express his thoughts, so they grab one of the pads and a crayon, handing Loki both.

“Would you write down how you feel, for me?”

Loki’s hands are shaking too much to write, and he drops the crayon, expression falling at the slip-up.

“It’s alright.” Tess scoots closer to him, still not touching, though their hand rests in the empty space between them.

“Do you want your stuffie? A fidget?” Tess starts listing various comfort objects slowly, but Loki rejects each one.

“How about a cartoon?”

Loki whimpers, his next breath hitching. His breathing is hoarse, like a wheeze and he shakes his head again rapidly, though he communicates nothing further.

Tess is panicking internally, though they keep their demeanor and expression still, hoping they are succeeding in exuding calm. They are not even sure what they’re saying, but Loki has said previously that it helped to hear them talking, and they hope this is true.

They startle as he cries out softly, the noise sounding as if stuck in his throat.

Loki being upset quietly is never a good thing, as he has a constant habit of holding himself back until he is so overwhelmed that he can't express it. Tess wants to turn this unpleasant regression into something positive for him, but they have exhausted their ideas, out of all the options that usually alleviate his stress.

Without warning, Loki is suddenly moving, jumping towards them and burying his face against their chest. Loki’s tears are cool against their skin, and Tess brings their hands up, cradling the back of his head.

Loki cries harder and his seidr lashes out like a scream, harming nothing but twisting angrily in his chest, the metaphorical tendrils crackling in his distress.

Tess runs their hands through his hair and down his back. They say nothing as he cries, mouth open as he heaves and sobs, still barely audible. His hands are by his face, and Tess gently pulls them down to dissuade him from scratching at the salty tears.

They urge a tissue box closer without moving, and once it is in hand they pull several out and offer them to Loki.

His sobs slowly turning to silent tears as he calms and his breathing returns to normal. After several minutes, Tess realizes Loki has no intention of moving, his seidr calmer and curled in on itself.

Loki huffs, and Tess abruptly realizes he has fallen asleep against their chest, his breathing even now, softly brushing against their skin. They tuck a strand of hair behind Loki’s ear, his face slack now, eyes closed and eyelashes dark against the light of his skin.

Tess feels their heart beat quicken, Loki is so close they can feel his seidr right in his core, the strands reaching out tentatively. Tess’ own seidr stays still, though Loki’s continues to prod experimentally at their core.

As Tess loosens a thread of their seidr, Loki’s intertwines with it immediately, the strands weaving and wrapping around each other.

Tess’ eyes go wide at the feeling, at the trust Loki has for them, their face all of a sudden feeling overwhelmingly warm.

They pull the blanket beside them closer, tucking it around him. Tess leans back into the couch, intending to stay awake, but the quiet lull of Loki’s breathing and the warmth in their chest is impossible to fight.

***

Tess wakes slowly, just over an hour later, cracking their eyes open to find Loki still asleep on them. His mouth is partially open, leaving a small patch of drool on their robes that has Tess cracking a smile. They find it awfully endearing.

They shift their torso, sitting up and moving the rest of their limbs carefully in order to prevent jostling Loki awake.

Despite their best efforts, Loki mumbles something, face twitching as he becomes partially awake.

Tess brushes the hair from where it has become stuck to Loki’s forehead from sweat, Loki making a low noise in response. He blinks, turning his head from the awkward angle it’s positioned, butting up against Tess’ hand.

Tess pets his hair again automatically, hand following as Loki sits up in front of them. He hums, still partially asleep, tired enough to accept the affection without embarrassment.

He rubs the sleep from his eyes, making an unhappy noise at the uncomfortable feeling of his clammy skin.

Loki appears smaller than normal and worn out, clearly little but not regressed to a happy state. The hour is late, and it is nearly time for him to sleep for real. Tess knows a full night's sleep will be beneficial for him, if it is at all possible.

They ask him in a soft tone if he is feeling better, and Loki’s response is distorted as he opens his mouth but no actual words come out. That, and the look on his face is answer enough.

He tugs on his trousers, fidgeting his hands. He pulls up the blanket, rubbing it against his face.

Tess waits for a few minutes as he wakes up further, before asking if he wants a snack, or some fruit. He declines by screwing up his face at what is evidently an unpleasant concept at the moment.

Tess frowns, before smoothing their expression.

“How does a bath sound?”

Loki shrugs noncommittally, gaze down though clearly listening.

He stays quiet, looking around and sticking his fingers in his mouth, starting to chew at his fingernails. Tess sighs, knowing they would usually try to dissuade him from such behavior, but can’t bring themself to.

His eyes are half-lidded, dark circles ringing around them and exhaustion obvious.

Tess pulls out a green soother from the low table’s drawer, offering it instead. He drops his hand and takes it in his mouth immediately without complaint, the soother starting to bob up and down.

Loki does not usually like the soother, preferring a teether or fidget, because while his headspace fluctuates, it is rarely this young. Tess pushes away their anxiety, and tries to enjoy the moment as they smile softly when Loki looks at them, and his pleased hum as he brings his hands back up to his face.

They lift Loki up from under his arms and he automatically wraps his legs around their waist and leans his head on their shoulder. Tess carries him into the kitchen, walking carefully.

Tess shifts him in their arms so they can use their hands to open the fridge and cabinets, Loki making a noise of protest at the loss of full contact. He wriggles, his arms folded in between them and pressing his face against their neck.

Tess wraps supporting ribbons of energy around him, the blue-tinted light morphing to an extended physical form in order to pull him securely against them, Loki making a pleased snuffing noise.

They fill an open bottle with milk, humming as they quickly add a scoop of protein powder and swirl it around. They add a bit of honey, and with that sweetness and the strawberry flavor of the powder, Loki will hopefully not protest the addition.

Tess attaches the lid to the sippy cup, gripping it by the handle in one hand and bending their knees as they wrap an arm under Loki and lift him higher as he starts to dip. They run the cup under warm water until the milk is no longer completely cold and dry it off.

They carry him into the bathroom, setting the cup down on the counter.

Tess turns on the tap, letting the warm water run and fill into the bathtub. The temperature is only slightly warm, the way Loki likes it. They set Loki down, him protesting only a little this time at the loss of contact. He looks up at them as if betrayed, eyes big as he pouts behind his soother.

Tess huffs a laugh, brushing their thumb against his cheek before turning to finish preparing the bath.

They pull out a towel, hanging it on the nearby hook, and find the jar of bath powder, sprinkling it into the water.

After Loki is undressed, Tess helps him into the tub where Loki immediately sits down and splashes the water with his hands.

They hand him the sippy cup of strawberry milk, and Loki’s eyes widen, apparently only noticing the drink now. Loki pulls out his soother and offers it to them, eager to ‘trade’.

He takes the cup by both handles and drinks it happily, keeping his attention as Tess pockets the soother and fills a cup to wash his hair.

Loki finishes the drink by the time they are done and Tess takes the cup from him, setting it to the side.

Once Loki is clean, they drain the water and help him out, wrapping the large fluffy towel around him. Tess pulls up the hood, revealing the triangular cat ears attached to the top.

They fluff his hair, Loki scrunching his nose at the contact as wet strands of hair get into his face. He seems slightly more alert now, though still tired.

Tess ruffles his hair, slowly this time to dry it, tucking it away from his face and squeezing out excess water with the hood of the towel. Loki yawns, proving Tess’ suspicion.

They take Loki’s hand, though as they step away, Loki doesn’t follow. Tess turns to see him pouting, his head tilted forward in a way that exaggerates his eyes as he peers through his eyelashes.

Tess raises an eyebrow, Loki silently raising his arms high and they resist the urge to laugh at the adorably exaggerated plea. It has never been clear to them whether or not Loki was consciously making himself appear cuter and innocent to get what he wanted, though it seemed so automatic they could never be sure.

They lift him up, resting him against their side, and pull his soother from their pocket. They hand it back to him, Loki taking it in both hands. He gurgles behind it, soother nearly falling out as he smiles and hums in contentment.

Once they are in Tess’ bedroom, they set Loki down beside their bed, and find clothes for him in one of the organizers below the bed. Tess helps him step into a pull-up and a pajama jumpsuit covered in a glowing star print, tucking his arms into the soft fabric sleeves and zipping it up. The pajamas are long sleeved, though cut off at the feet, as otherwise the material is too warm for him, even in his Aesir form.

“C'mere,” Tess says as they lift Loki onto the bed and sit against the headboard. They pat the space in front of them, Loki shifting closer until he is sitting on the edge in front of them.

Tess has everything in the bedside table for this purpose, easily pulling out the comb, brush and spray. They also summon Loki’s tablet from his room, and ask Loki which program he wants to watch.

Loki scrunches his face in deep thought before perking up and cupping his hands on top of his head in his own sign for ‘bear’ and refusing to elaborate, leaving Tess to guess which show he means.

As the episode queues, Tess evidently having chosen correctly, they spray on the detangler and run their fingers through his hair. The cheery voices play from the tablet’s speakers as Tess combs and frees the tangles easily.

They switch to the brush, then after a moment part and separate his hair to braid it.

Loki starts to gain more energy, sounding happier as he is humming along to the theme song behind his soother, and kicking his legs that hang off the bed.

Tess smiles, quickly plaiting his hair in a neat braid as he moves and ties it off. As they finish, the same episode is still playing, though Loki sets the tablet on the bed and pushes it off to the side without pausing it. He turns around and sits with his knees folded at his sides, looking up at them with wide eyes.

Loki pulls out his soother, attempts to say something though it comes out garbled. His face is eager, eyes bright as he clarifies by pointing to their hair.

Tess laughs, understanding his meaning. “That’s sweet of you little bug but my hair doesn't need to be brushed.”

Their hair stays neat with seidr, and though they could brush it manually, while dry it is easy to break it, and the activity would be far too much hassle. If Loki asked to play with their hair they would let them, but it is nearing his bedtime anyhow.

Loki sticks out his lower lip, soother almost slipping from his mouth. He grumbles something nonsensical that sounds like a disagreement.

“Would you like me to read you a story?”

Hair forgotten, he nods eagerly, already ambling off the bed, and taking off to his room. Tess stops to pause the episode still playing on the tablet, and steps once, teleporting directly into his room instead of running after him.

Loki is already on his knees in front of the bookcase, leaning over to run his eager fingers across the spines. He hums a tune to himself as he pulls out several books, eventually making his choice.

Loki turns and holds up a book excitedly.

It’s a new board book based on a study in the Keystone Quadrant, though the information it contains was originally an extensive, though miscellaneous, collection of astrogeology notes.

They had visited one of the planets in the quadrant once before, where information is not normally stored in such a familiar format. Though series of journals are common, they are hardly collated in a coherent manner.

Fictional stories are not the norm even in the books on Asgard (not presented as fiction, at least), more frequently tales of wars and real-life adventures and exploits often told orally, though many were also written down. Of course, there were fictional tales in the libraries, but they were not in abundance.

Still, certain types of stories remind Loki of parts of his childhood that he does not look back on with fondness, and when regressed, Loki often prefers the topics to be completely different from the stories he might have heard during his childhood.

Loki had found the notes and studies fascinating, and knowing his preference for books, Tess had made it for him. The notes were adapted into a more organized manner, with correlating pictures and the occasional handwritten note arranged like a scrapbook. This particular book is part of a set, each one discussing the various planets, meteorites and moons of the quadrant.

Although it is still relatively new, the detailed information inside was familiar. Loki had read the book cover to cover many times over when he first got it, and they have read it together multiple times since then.

The bumpy surface on the cover glints as he holds it up, his arms moving side to side and wide pleading eyes appearing to mirror the shimmer.

“Of course we can read that one, my star,” Tess says, tapping him lightly on the nose. Loki wrinkles his face automatically at the touch.

Tess takes Loki’s hand in theirs, Loki confidently holding onto the large book in one hand and tucking it under his arm.

Back in their room, he drops the book onto the bed, and struggles to climb up, so Tess lifts him from behind to boost him up.

Tess sits after him, moving until they are sitting against the headboard. They summon Loki’s wolf stuffie from his room, realizing they had forgotten it, and knowing he will want it. Loki lights up, immediately reaching for it with both hands.

“C'mere baby.” Tess pats the space beside them and Loki shifts closer, until his back is against their chest. He curls down to make himself smaller so he fits in their lap, and crosses his legs. Tess brings the book round so it’s in front of Loki and he reaches out so can feel its surface.

Loki glances up at them as Tess cracks the book open, wriggling in his spot and hugging his stuffie against his chest.

The soothing cadence of Tess’ voice washes over Loki as they read, and he sinks deeper against their chest. Within a few pages, his blinks come slower and his eyes droop closed as he falls asleep.

23 notes · View notes

little-kitten-mittens-fic · 2 years

Text

snippet: lullaby

pairing: regressor!loki & caregiver!tesseract

word count: 180

***

“I need you to communicate, baby. What’s wrong?”

Loki shook his head, eyes cloudy with tears. His lip trembled as he opened his mouth to speak, shutting it after a moment, the only sound coming out a muffled whimper.

“You’re alright… c'mere little one.”

Tess sighed, pulling Loki close to their chest as he cried softly, a low whine his only response as they rubbed at his back. His breathing hitched, gasping in between sobs.

Tess hummed in what they hoped was a comforting way, ignoring their rising panic as Loki’s cries increased. Their shirt was rapidly dampening, and they continued to hum.

Their humming gradually transitioned into an upbeat tune, a lullaby Tess is unsure exactly from where they had first heard it.

Slowly, Loki’s cries quiet into sniffles, as he listened to Tess' voice continue to gain confidence. Tess ran their fingers through his hair, pushing it back behind his ears.

They wiped his face with a cool cloth as Loki continued to cry silently, sobs muffled from behind his thumb.

Tess continued their gentle ministrations. "You're okay."

34 notes · View notes

little-kitten-mittens-fic · 2 years

Text

snippet: a gift

characters: regressor!loki, thor & the tesseract

summary: Loki regresses around Tess for the first time, but Tess isn’t aware that this is what’s happening. Somehow, Thor seems familiar with this “new” behavior…

word count: ~700

A/N: a (for now) deleted scene from of an as-of-yet untitled fic

Loki came into the room with clear excitement, feet moving quickly in a tumble-like run.

“Thor!”

His exclamation catches Thor’s attention, and he grins, pausing the game he had been yelling at the television about for the past hour and a half.

Tess watches from their position, perching on the chair in the corner, where they have been amusing themself with Thor’s dramatics, a wooden 3-dimensional puzzle, and attempts to send Mind memes without the use of their tablet (the latter so far unsuccessful, though that might be because he is purposefully ignoring them).

Loki is holding something, a brown rectangular box, a gift of some sort. Tess cannot tell from this angle what is on the label, though they know it is a gift (from Thor, evidently) because they can see Loki holding the cloth it must have been wrapped in previously in his other hand.

“That is not all, brother.” Thor stands, and pulls out a lumpy rounded package, cinched with a tie at the top, from in between the couch cushions (how long has he been waiting, having that hidden there?).

Tess watches the curious interaction. Thor bringing Loki a gift back from Asgard is not out of the ordinary, but Loki’s reaction of pure excitement is.

Loki gasps, hands starting to grab the mystery item before he seems to restrain himself and pull back, and instead he throws his arms around his brother. Thor lets out a dramatic “oof,” as if Loki managed to knock the wind out of him.

Their hugging seems to last for ages.

It is only the three of them in the room– Thor, Loki and Tess. As time has passed, Loki has gotten more comfortable around them, both as he got to know Tess and he reconnected and gradually rebuilt his relationship with his brother Thor.

Loki has the second package in his hands now, having pulled away from Thor to grab it, and is staring down at it, turning it around and around.

Loki is still not nearly so close with the Avengers as he is with Thor and Tess, which is hardly surprising. Tess has to admit while they themself are fond of the group of mortals, they are not yet among their favorites. Well, favorite, considering that title belongs mostly to Loki.

Thor is still on thin ice, but they continue to hope Thor will not give them a reason to change their opinion in the future.

Still, even when comfortable, Loki is usually so calm, standing straight, almost uptight in his regal posture. He is hardly even so open with his emotions.

He is far from uptight as he mumbles unintelligibly to himself, still turning the package around in his hands, and plopping down to sit on the floor.

This is the first time his mood has been so… perky.

“I cannot claim full credit- it’s from Mother’s collection.” Loki does not appear to be listening as Thor speaks, transfixed by the cloth pouch, which he is now attempting to untie. Though it seems he is only managing to tighten the knot.

“You, sneaking to steal a priceless delicacy from his own mother while she isn't looking?” Tess asks, lightly teasing though their tone sounds mostly serious.

“How did you guess? And for my little brother, don't forget that part. And it was two- two of them.”

“Of course, only the most valiant missions for the mighty Thor.”

Thor seems proud at hearing this statement. Tess resists the urge to roll their eyes, even if the look is oddly endearing.

“What is that anyways?” Tess asks. They had never seen anything like it, though of course something from Asgard would be packaged differently from the items they had seen and gotten used to on Midgard.

“It is a flour made from a grain which grows only in Alfheim, though it is naturally sweet and used for soft breads– like pancakes.”

“No Thor, not like pancakes” –Loki pipes up, loudly, from where he sits on the floor evidently having been listening– “how could you compare it.”

“I apologize brother, I was not thinking.”

Loki huffs, hardly mollified, though he does not bother to berate him further.

His behavior was… peculiar. Loki has been excited around them before, but this is somehow different, in a way Tess is unable to pinpoint. But, Thor does not seem to think anything is amiss and Tess is afraid if they point out the difference, it will break the spell of calm in the air, or worse, the joy on Loki’s face.

“Shall we make some sweets?”

“Okay,” Loki replies to his brother, hesitant at first and then with more confidence, “but no touching my flour.”

42 notes · View notes

little-kitten-mittens-fic · 2 years

Text

snippet: a gift

characters: regressor!loki, thor & the tesseract

summary: Loki regresses around Tess for the first time, but Tess isn’t aware that this is what’s happening. Somehow, Thor seems familiar with this “new” behavior…

word count: ~700

A/N: a (for now) deleted scene from of an as-of-yet untitled fic

Loki came into the room with clear excitement, feet moving quickly in a tumble-like run.

“Thor!”

His exclamation catches Thor’s attention, and he grins, pausing the game he had been yelling at the television about for the past hour and a half.

Tess watches the curious interaction. Thor bringing Loki a gift back from Asgard is not out of the ordinary, but Loki’s reaction of pure excitement is.

Their hugging seems to last for ages.

Loki has the second package in his hands now, having pulled away from Thor to grab it, and is staring down at it, turning it around and around.

Thor is still on thin ice, but they continue to hope Thor will not give them a reason to change their opinion in the future.

Still, even when comfortable, Loki is usually so calm, standing straight, almost uptight in his regal posture. He is hardly even so open with his emotions.

He is far from uptight as he mumbles unintelligibly to himself, still turning the package around in his hands, and plopping down to sit on the floor.

This is the first time his mood has been so… perky.

“You, sneaking to steal a priceless delicacy from his own mother while she isn't looking?” Tess asks, lightly teasing though their tone sounds mostly serious.

“How did you guess? And for my little brother, don't forget that part. And it was two- two of them.”

“Of course, only the most valiant missions for the mighty Thor.”

Thor seems proud at hearing this statement. Tess resists the urge to roll their eyes, even if the look is oddly endearing.

“It is a flour made from a grain which grows only in Alfheim, though it is naturally sweet and used for soft breads– like pancakes.”

“No Thor, not like pancakes” –Loki pipes up, loudly, from where he sits on the floor evidently having been listening– “how could you compare it.”

“I apologize brother, I was not thinking.”

Loki huffs, hardly mollified, though he does not bother to berate him further.

“Shall we make some sweets?”

“Okay,” Loki replies to his brother, hesitant at first and then with more confidence, “but no touching my flour.”

#marvel agere #fandom agere #regressor loki #sfw age regression #agere boy #agere fic #little loki #fic snippet #brodinsons

42 notes · View notes

little-kitten-mittens-fic · 2 years

Text

snippet: lullaby

pairing: regressor!loki & caregiver!tesseract

word count: 180

***

“I need you to communicate, baby. What’s wrong?”

Loki shook his head, eyes cloudy with tears. His lip trembled as he opened his mouth to speak, shutting it after a moment, the only sound coming out a muffled whimper.

“You’re alright… c'mere little one.”

Tess sighed, pulling Loki close to their chest as he cried softly, a low whine his only response as they rubbed at his back. His breathing hitched, gasping in between sobs.

Tess hummed in what they hoped was a comforting way, ignoring their rising panic as Loki’s cries increased. Their shirt was rapidly dampening, and they continued to hum.

Their humming gradually transitioned into an upbeat tune, a lullaby Tess is unsure exactly from where they had first heard it.

Slowly, Loki’s cries quiet into sniffles, as he listened to Tess' voice continue to gain confidence. Tess ran their fingers through his hair, pushing it back behind his ears.

They wiped his face with a cool cloth as Loki continued to cry silently, sobs muffled from behind his thumb.

Tess continued their gentle ministrations. "You're okay."

#marvel agere #sfw age regression #agere boy #fic snippet #fandom agere #little loki #regressor loki #agere fic #agere drabble