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just-another-blog-of-fluff · 2 years

Text

Swing

Word count: 10,600

Pairing: Loki x female reader (pre-dating romantic)

Warnings/Disclaimer: I have no formal dance training, so please accept my hodge-podge of knowledge from youtube and from my high school swing team days 😂 Also, do NOT try aerials at home, kids - take it from someone with experience, you need spotters and a soft place to land 😅

Here it is - the swing dance competition Prompt by 🩰 anon! I’ll admit, it was difficult to write out some of the swing dance aerials in words, so bear with me (and YouTube it if you want a visual 😉)

"Oof. I don't understand how anyone manages to wear these godforsaken torture devices."

You collapsed into your seat the moment you boarded the quinjet, practically ripping the stiletto high heels you'd been wearing off your aching feet. Nat sat down across from you, her eyes twinkling with amusement at your heaving sigh of relief as you finally planted your feet flat on the floor for the first time in three hours.

"You just haven't built up a tolerance yet," she quipped, crossing her legs daintily with her own heels still secured to her feet. "Maybe you should add that to your training regimen."

"Absolutely not," you groaned, letting your head fall back against the headrest behind you.

"Or - here's a thought - you could wear flat shoes," Clint countered teasingly, dropping into the seat beside Nat as Steve headed to the pilot's seat.

"No, that'd be a dead giveaway," Nat argued.

"Yeah, any villain would be able to tell I'm an undercover spy from a mile away."

"Are you sure villains are that up to date on their fashion?" Steve called back, firing up the engine for takeoff.

"I'm not taking my chances." You pulled your phone out of your purse and began to peruse through your email, reviewing the messages you'd missed while the four of you were gone. "Damn, we missed cupcakes for Bruce's lab intern's birthday today."

"Aww, what the hell," Clint whined. "All the good stuff happens while I'm out."

"Anything else that I should actually care about reading?" Nat asked sarcastically. You scrolled through a few junk mail messages, landing on one from Tony. Attached to the email was a flyer for the fundraiser he'd been trying to help Pepper plan for weeks.

"Looks like Stark finally picked a theme for the charity event," you announced, reading through the document. "It's going to be a dance."

"Like... prom sort of thing?" Clint asked quizzically.

"No... oh, interesting. They decided to hold a swing dance competition."

"Wait, really?" Nat pulled out her own phone, scrolling through the message herself. "Did you read the actual email? He wants us to sign up."

"I have some dance experience, actually," you noted. "Might be kind of fun."

"I call dibs on Mr. Roaring '20s over there," Nat declared, nodding her head toward Steve.

"Damn. Wait, I'll ask Bucky then." You began typing up a text to send to the metal-armed soldier:

Hey. Wanna be my dance partner? 😁

"I just know Laura is gonna make me do it," Clint grumbled as you typed.

"Not if you don't tell her about it," Nat suggested. He sighed, grinning defeatedly.

"She asked Tony to be added to his email list months ago. Said I was 'boring' and never told her about any of the fun stuff he planned."

Your phone buzzed, a text message response from Bucky flashing on the screen:

Sorry, Wanda beat you to it. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Scowling, you immediately began typing a message back:

What?? 😠 Why doesn't she dance with Vision??

"Ugh, Wanda already snagged the other swing era expert," you muttered sullenly. "Now who am I gonna ask?"

"There's plenty of other guys in the tower - just ask one of them," Clint suggested. You scoffed, lifting your phone to glance at the response from Bucky:

She says he's too robotic

You let out a huff of breath through your nose in annoyance as you responded back:

So she steals one of the only two people who actually swing danced back in the day?? 😒

"I can't just ask anyone," you responded to Clint's suggestion, rolling your eyes. "Not everyone will be able to learn how to dance."

"You should ask Bruce," Nat interjected.

"Why? Can he dance?"

"Not sure. But it'd be damn funny to see his reaction."

Your phone buzzed again - another message from Bucky:

Are you calling me old?? 😠 Now I'm glad I'm dancing with Wanda. 😝

Grunting, you tossed your phone onto the seat cushion beside you. Bucky wasn't getting any more responses from you now.

Through the remainder of the ride back, you ran through your options in your head. A few text messages later and you were still coming up short. Thor had asked Jane. Bruce said 'absolutely not' (which made Nat chuckle at least). Stephen had 'better things to do than participate in Stark's nonsense.' You were fast running out of options.

There was only one other person you could think of to ask. And you knew he wasn't going to be easy to convince.

You had to do this strategically. Loki was quite vocal about his distaste for the less elegant Midgardian dance formats. As a royal Prince of Asgard, he was well trained in the art of dance, but his style was very balletic and graceful. His movements were broad, polished, theatrical in nature. A flowing waltz might get him up on the dance floor, but it was doubtful that you'd ever find him willingly participating in a jaunty jive or a choppy cha-cha.

Fortunately, you had experience in such matters of persuasion. The key to convincing someone to do something you knew they wouldn't want to do was to elucidate their intrinsic motivation and exploit it to your advantage.

For example - with Tony, a surefire way to get him to do something was to stroke his ego. Flattery would get you anywhere with the overcaffeinated billionaire. Peter typically needed a bribe of some sort. Thor was satisfied by the simple notion that he was making someone happy by doing whatever it was you were requesting.

Loki was more of a challenge to sway. He saw right through adulation, the price of bribery was always far too high to pay, and he could care less about altruism. With Loki, you had to outwit him. Make him think it was his idea. Flaunt the potential benefits of the request without blatantly suggesting them out loud.

You had one shot at it. Better make it count.

Some time after arriving back at the tower, you stretched out on the sofa in the common room with your laptop perched atop your legs, setting the scene for Loki to stumble upon when he inevitably wandered in with a book that afternoon. Making no effort to hide the screen from prying eyes, you popped your headphones into your ears and began sifting through videos of swing dance routines on the internet. Loki was particularly nosy, and you knew you wouldn't need to say a word to bring up the subject with him - his own curiosity would land him right inside your trap.

A few others team members shuffled in and out of the common room while you waited for the trickster's appearance. One or two of them asked what you were up to, but most simply minded their own business when they saw the headphones, clearly recognizing you were engrossed in something. Growing tired of waiting, you began to actually pay attention to the videos, bobbing your head subconsciously to the music as you watched a lindy hop routine on the screen.

Then suddenly, someone tugged one of your earbuds out of your ear. With a startled yelp, you tilted your head back to look up at your antagonizer. The God of Mischief stood gazing down at you with a self-assured smirk on his face and a spark of curiosity in his eyes.

"You know, Loki - most people just tap someone on the shoulder or wave in front of their face or something when they need to get their attention while they're clearly listening to music," you chastised. He blatantly ignored your griping, gesturing toward your computer screen.

"What are you doing?"

Perfect. He took the bait.

"I'm looking at swing routines," you responded simply, returning your attention to the screen with an air of nonchalance.

"Why?"

Feigning exasperation, you paused the current video and removed your other earbud, shifting to sit up on the sofa so you could hold this conversation without craning your neck. "Stark's fundraiser."

Loki shot you a look of confusion, tilting his head. You let out a single breath of a laugh at his reaction.

"Do you ever read your email?"

"What for? It's mostly Stark rambling on about nonsense - parties, galas, fundraisers..." Loki rolled his eyes, seemingly unamused.

"Well, you can't pretend like nobody tells you anything if you won't read your email." He scowled at you. "Anyway... he's holding a swing dance competition as a fundraiser. Ever since we watched that movie the other day, he's been fixated on 'capturing the feel of a 1920s speakeasy' in one of his events. Really, I think he just wants to see Pepper wear a flapper dress."

"And you intend to participate?" He stepped past you to take a seat on the newly opened sofa cushion by your side, setting his book unopened on his lap and twisting to face you.

"Why not?" You shrugged, glancing at him through the corner of your eye. "I took dance lessons for years. I think I've got a pretty good shot at it. I just need to find a partner."

"Have you not asked Barnes and Rogers? They certainly must have first-hand experience with this sort of thing."

"Yeah, but they have partners already. Steve's taking Nat, and Wanda beat me to Bucky before I could ask him."

"And the others?"

"Tony obviously has a partner already, Bruce won't tell anyone if he can dance because he's already refused to join, and while I appreciate Peter's enthusiasm, he's too young to participate." You sighed, preparing to drop the bomb. "I'd have asked you, but I'm really hoping for a win, and I know you don't know how to dance anything but a waltz here on Midgard."

"Now hang on a moment."

Hook, line, and sinker.

"What made you discount my dancing abilities so quickly? I am a wealth of knowledge of various styles of dance. Far more than you could possibly have learned in your short lifetime."

"Do you know how to salsa?" you asked.

"Well, I-"

"Samba? Rumba? Tango-"

"Ah-ha!" He snapped his fingers, pointing. "I know that one!"

"Have you ever swing danced before?" you continued, ignoring his outburst. He folded his arms haughtily across his chest.

"I'm certain I'd be more than capable of learning any Midgardian dance style should the need arise."

"I don't know... there's a lot of tricky footwork. It's nothing like a waltz - you have to be three steps ahead to keep track of what you're doing."

Loki scoffed. "Darling, I am always three steps ahead. I would master any 'tricky footwork' in a heartbeat."

The irony in his statement was not lost on you.

You turned to face him more fully, shooting him an expectant look. "So you're saying you want to be my partner?"

He was silent for a moment. You watched the phases of realization play out on his face. Surprise, confusion, deep thought... finally ending in a narrow-eyed glare. He knew you had him backed into a corner of his own making. Say no, and risk being teased for being unwilling to put his money where his mouth was. Say yes, and he would be willingly offering to participate in an activity he had very little desire to do.

"You sly little fox," he growled, the corners of his mouth curling up into a grin. "I suppose I'm rather impressed that you managed to swindle me."

"Oh, I learned from the best," you hummed, flashing him a mischievous smirk. "So? What do you say?"

Loki let his head drop in defeat, chuckling self-depreciatingly. Then, he looked back up at you with a renewed intensity in his gaze.

"I certainly hope you are as excellent a dancer as you purport yourself to be. I expect nothing less than exceptional if we are to win this competition."

A giddy grin spread across your face. "Oh, don't worry. You won't be disappointed."

* * *

Not one to waste time, you scheduled Loki's first lesson for the following evening. Tony set up a sign-up schedule to use the training room in two-hour blocks. Not that it was his idea - it was Pepper who had the foresight to prevent the inevitable brawls that would occur with so many enhanced beings fighting for time in the only wide-open space in the tower. As the last pair to sign up, you were left with the latest time block. No matter - Loki preferred the later hours of the evening anyway.

Loki entered the training room behind you for your allotted time block and let the door close, causing a silence to fall over the normally bustling room, interrupted only by the nearly inaudible echoey hum of the fluorescent lights overhead. It occurred to you, then, that you'd never actually spent any time alone with the God of Mischief prior to this arrangement. Sure, you worked together frequently, and you often found yourself in one-on-one conversations with him in the back of the room during team gatherings, but there was always someone else around during those times.

You made your way toward the center of the room, stopping there and turning around to face the sullen and unamused-appearing god. He gazed at you with an expectant look on his face, wordlessly awaiting instructions. Clapping your hands together, you decided to fight his bored façade with your own enthusiasm and jumped right into the lesson.

"Ok, so - the first thing you need to learn is the basic footwork pattern." You pointed down at your feet to direct his attention to your movements. "Before moving anywhere, let's just go over the step. I assume you want to be the follower, yes?"

Loki shot you an indignant look. "I think not."

"Kidding! I was kidding!" you assured with a laugh. Under your breath but loudly enough for him to hear, you added, "Your ego is too big to be the follower anyway." Before he could open his mouth to retort, you plowed on. "SO - for leaders, you'll start with your left foot. It'll look like this."

You demonstrated the one-two-triple step count in place, glancing up from your own feet to get a read on Loki's expression. He was watching you with one eyebrow raised, his mouth drawn into a flat line. Pausing your demonstration, you motioned toward him.

"Now you try."

The god sighed with a roll of his eyes, repeating the step you'd shown him without looking down. "Ta-da."

"Great. Could use a bit more bounce."

"A god doesn't bounce."

"Well, this god is gonna have to if he wants to have a shot at winning this competition." You folded your arms sternly, nodding your head down toward his feet. "Again. With bounce."

Seemingly startled that you had the courage (or the audacity) to order him around, he nevertheless obliged, repeating the step and adding the jaunty bounce you were demanding of him. Nodding approvingly, you held up a hand to stop him.

"Now - same thing, except now with some forward and back movement." You demonstrated the change in step, and he followed without questioning, mimicking your movement. "Excellent."

"You say that as though you expected any less of me," he boasted.

"Still needs more bounce," you countered with a grin. "You know, you're gonna make yourself dizzy rolling your eyes like that."

"Let's move on, shall we?"

"Ohh, alright. We'll work on the bounce later." Ignoring his murmurings at your persistence, you continued on to demonstrate more of the basic steps he'd need to know.

Admittedly, he wasn't lying about being a fast learner. You barely had to demonstrate a full eight count before he'd picked up on each step, performing them in exact sync with your movements. It was the energy you'd need to work on. He was dreadfully regal and proper in his movements. For a waltz, his style fit perfectly. But for a lively lindy hop, it was really putting a damper on the overall spirit of the dance.

"Ok, Mr. Dancing Expert - let's see how you do with music," you declared, scrolling through your phone to find a good beginner's swing song. Pressing play, you set it down on the floor in the corner of the room and returned to join Loki. Swallowing the awkward anxious butterflies that bubbled up in your stomach, you boldly reached for his hand and pulled him into a closed partner hold. His brows leapt up his forehead, but he didn't say a word as he placed his free hand on your back. "Alright... one-two-three-"

"I beg your pardon - but am I leading or are you?"

Scoffing, you shook your head in defeat. "Go on, then. Lead away."

With a satisfied huff, he took over the count, pulling you into the basic step and rhythm you'd taught him. While the step was technically correct, the mismatch between your pep and his smooth elegance was painfully obvious now that you were dancing together. You found yourself tripping over his feet on occasion where he didn't lift enough or hop back out of the way of your intended path.

"Loki." You stopped and grasped his arms above the elbows after the fifth time you stepped on his toes, staring him straight in the eye. "You have to work with me here. This isn't a waltz. I need you to-"

"Don't tell me to 'bounce.'"

"I know, I know. Just... a little peppy energy might be nice?" He scowled. "Feel the music. No one cares about your regal posture - they want to see liveliness and vigor."

"Yes, yes, alright."

You glanced down at your watch. "We have enough time for one more run through tonight. Let's go through all the basic steps once more to the music."

You swore he was dragging his feet on purpose. Clearly this was punishment for tricking him into this.

"Alright... let's call it a night." Pinching the bridge of your nose in frustration, you turned the music off on your phone. "I'm assigning you homework tonight."

"Homework?"

"Yes. Go on the internet and look at videos of lindy hop dance. You're getting the footwork, but the technique is lacking." Loki scowled at you, eliciting an exasperated sigh. "Don't you want to win? You must want to beat Thor at the very least."

"Thor is participating?"

Why hadn't you thought of this before? If there was one surefire way to motivate Loki to do something, it was to make certain it was at the expense of his older brother.

"Yes. Thor and Jane signed up. Didn't he tell you?"

"He may have mentioned it during his ramblings over breakfast this morning. Honestly, I wasn't listening to a word."

"Nice." It was your turn to roll your eyes. "Well, now you know. Maybe that will motivate you to bounce a bit more, hmm? Thor certainly has that part down."

"Fine. I'll complete my assigned homework before our lesson tomorrow," he drawled.

"Thank you." You motioned for him to head toward the door ahead of you, following him out. "Same time tomorrow, then?"

"Looking forward to it," he responded, voice drenched in sarcasm.

"And here I was thinking you enjoyed hanging out with me," you teased, nudging him with your elbow. He let out a puff of air through his nose, but you were pleased to see his mouth twitch upwards into the beginnings of a grin.

* * *

The following evening, you arrived to find Loki standing outside of the training room ten minutes prior to your two-hour time block. He was gazing at something on his phone screen in his hand, seemingly so invested that he didn't notice you approaching.

"Bucky and Wanda still in there?" you asked, nodding at him in greeting when he glanced up. "Wait - are you doing your homework now?"

Loki gestured broadly around himself. "I do reside here. Is it not still 'homework' now?"

You rolled your eyes, shaking your head and trying to suppress a grin. "You know, when I was in school, if the teacher caught me doing my homework in the beginning of class, I got in trouble for it."

Chuckling deep in his throat, he took a few steps closer to you and brought himself to his full height in an intimidation gesture. "Are you suggesting that I am in trouble with my teacher?"

You tried to suppress a blush at the involuntary thoughts that ran through your mind at his phrasing - thoughts he surely hadn't intended to invoke. Rather than shrinking away, you stood up straighter and squared your shoulders, holding his gaze firmly.

"Are you suggesting you're not afraid of me?"

Loki began to genuinely laugh at that, though he clearly tried to recollect himself and regain his serious and intimidating façade. "Tell me - what exactly is the consequence for not completing my 'homework' on time?"

"I could make you run laps."

"Make me?"

You shrugged. "I found a way to make you join this competition with me, didn't I?"

He leaned closer to shorten the distance between your faces, narrowing his eyes. As he opened his mouth to speak, the door to the training room swung open, drawing both your attention and Loki's toward the open doorway. Bucky and Wanda emerged from inside the training room, appearing winded.

"All yours," Bucky offered, motioning to the now empty room. "Break a leg!"

"I hope you mean that figuratively," you jested, taking a casual step backward to put a respectable amount of distance between yourself and your dance partner.

"Oh, I wouldn't count on that," Wanda interjected with a teasing edge to her tone. "He nearly broke my leg trying to teach me how to do a backflip."

Bucky clicked his tongue at Wanda, shaking his head in disagreement. "Excuse me - I had control over your fall the entire time."

"Yeah, and that's why I twisted my ankle on the landing," she retorted sarcastically, shoving his shoulder playfully. He threw his head back in exasperation.

"Alright, we'll work on it on the sparring mats next time."

"Why in the name of Odin are you doing backflips during a ballroom dance?" Loki asked, clearly both confused and curious.

"It's one of the aerial moves we're doing in our routine," Wanda explained. "Here - Bucky, let's show them."

"I thought you said I was going to break your leg."

"Yeah, well I'll take my chances."

She snatched his hand up in hers, standing with their arms stretched straight between them before spinning inward. Bucky fell straight into step, pulling her into his side and shifting his arm to her waist before using his free arm to scoop up her legs and flip her backward, his outstretched arm at her waist serving as the fulcrum for her to pivot in a full backflip before landing gracefully on the floor.

You winced as you saw a spark of interest and amusement flash in Loki's eyes. You'd been hoping to avoid this aspect of the dance for many reasons - the primary being that you were dancing with a literal god who could likely throw you clear across the room if he used his full strength. Especially considering that god was the God of Mischief.

"That was much better," Wanda praised Bucky with a smile. Turning to you and Loki, she waved in parting. "Have fun you two!"

"And don't actually break a leg!" Bucky added as the two of them stepped past you and headed down the hallway and out of sight.

Bracing yourself, you turned to look at your partner, who suddenly appeared much more earnest to head into the training room and get started. You followed hot on his heels, shaking your head with an incredulous laugh before he could say a word.

"Oh-ho no, I know what you're thinking."

"Why have you not informed me of this aspect of swing dancing?" he demanded, spinning around to face you with a smirk playing on his lips as he continued to walk backward. "It would seem there are far more interesting moves to this style of ballroom dance than these choppy basic steps you've been teaching me."

"Why - because you'd get to throw me around?"

"What's not to enjoy about that?"

"First of all - the fact that you find that enjoyable makes me concerned for my own wellbeing." Loki shrugged, his smirk only growing wider. "Second of all - you can't do an entire routine of just aerials. You do need to know the basics. And third - I never learned how to do them myself."

"Perhaps you should be doing homework as well, then."

"Perhaps if you had done your homework on time, you'd have learned about aerials before Bucky and Wanda went and put crazy ideas in your head."

"If we are to win this competition as you suggested, should you not be thorough in your training?" he countered.

"'Thorough' as in... teach you how to swing me around and risk injury?" you laughed.

"Pfft. Please. I would never drop you."

"How do you know that?"

Loki held a hand to his chest over his heart, mocking offense. "Darling - do you not trust me as your dance partner?"

"As my dance partner? Maybe. As the God of Mischief? Absolutely not." You busied yourself getting the music set up on your phone as Loki sucked the back of his teeth in annoyance.

"Ooh, you're no fun," he griped. You glanced up from your phone and sighed defeatedly.

"Alright, here's the deal. You prove to me you're invested in this - learn the steps AND the technique - and then I'll consider learning a few aerial moves to appease your curiosity."

"I beg your pardon? You are interested in winning this competition, are you not? There's no reward without risk, darling."

"Oh-ho, we're using proverbs now? How about - 'you have to learn to walk before you can run?'" you retorted, setting your phone down on the floor as the music began to play so you could rejoin your partner. "Do we have a deal?"

Loki stared long and hard at you before extending his hand, offering it to you to shake on your bargain. "Deal."

"Wonderful. Maybe now you'll add a little bounce in your step, hmm?" You flashed him a sly smirk, to which he responded with his characteristic eye roll before taking your hand and pulling you into a closed partner hold.

Suddenly, Loki was a much more enthusiastic dance partner than he had been the evening prior. Not only did he repeat the basic steps, but his technique was damn near flawless. You were able to move on quickly to some intermediate steps - turns and kicks like the tandem Charleston.

You'd finally found a way to motivate the sullen god. But of course it would be at your own expense.

By the end of your two hour rehearsal, you were breathless and Loki was smug as ever. He'd left you no room to complain about his degree of effort this time. And while you weren't exactly excited about it, you weren't someone who went back on their word.

"Well then, teacher? Have I proven myself invested enough?" he gloated, smirking as you glowered at his suddenly upbeat demeanor.

"You were... passable, yes."

Loki folded his arms haughtily, undeterred by your indifference. "Then we'll be learning aerials tomorrow, yes?"

You groaned, massaging your temples with your fingers. "Yes, alright. But I reserve the right to veto any that I don't like."

"After we've at least attempted them once," he bartered. You glared at him through narrowed eyes, although you were beginning to find it difficult to maintain your irritated front with the spark of giddy excitement in his eyes.

"Fine. But if I get injured, I'm telling Tony he can sub you in on any missions I would have had to go on." You wandered over to collect your phone and turn off the music.

"I assure you, you'll remain completely unscathed."

"For your sake, I hope so." Phone in hand, you motioned for Loki to follow you out. "I do a lot of undercover missions, and I'm not sure you'd look quite as good as I do in a dress."

"Oh no?" With a shimmering green flash of light, you were suddenly walking beside an exact mirror image of yourself, wearing the little black dress you'd donned on your most recent assignment together. While you were naturally startled seeing your own clone smirking back at you, something about it made you blush furiously.

Perhaps it was the fact that he'd recalled every detail on that damned dress.

"Cut that out," you muttered, shoving his (your?) arm playfully. Snickering, Loki dropped the illusion, looking pleased with himself at your reaction.

As you parted ways, you promised you'd 'do your homework' and research some aerial swing dance moves for the following evening's lesson. Your muscles ached as you rinsed off under the steaming hot water in your shower, only marginally improved by the time you slid under the covers of your bed.

While lying there scrolling through videos on your phone, you were both surprised and a bit unnerved to find there was a lingering buzz of excitement in your chest at the thought of your next lesson. And you could say with certainty that it wasn't the prospect of learning the aerial stunts. You had a nagging feeling it was more about your student than the lesson itself.

* * *

"Alright - we're going to start with some easier ones first before moving on to anything crazy," you insisted sternly at the start of rehearsal the next evening.

"Makes no difference to me," Loki concurred, "I will have no difficulty lifting your mortal self off the ground."

"I'm... not sure if I should take that as a complement or an insult." You pulled up one of the videos you'd saved on your phone the night before. "Ok - this one was the easiest one I found. It's called a 'frog jump.'"

Loki's eyebrows bumped upward skeptically as he leaned over your shoulder to watch the video. "Why would you mortals name a dance move after an amphibian?"

You gestured to the screen as the follower jumped up with a boost from her partner. "Does that not look like a frog jumping to you?" He shrugged. "Alright, not important. Should we try this?"

"Seems rather simple."

"Exactly the point." You grabbed Loki's hand, pulling him into closed partner hold to prepare to try the move. As simple as this aerial was, you already felt butterflies in your stomach at the thought of executing it. "Ok - now... don't launch me to the ceiling, alright?"

"Nervous, agent?" he drawled with a smirk.

"Very. Now focus - I'll count us off."

With a four-count lead, you stepped back into the rock step shown in the video, then planted your feet and sprang upwards in a hop. Loki boosted your momentum, pushing upwards against your hand held in his. You let out an embarrassingly high-pitched squeak as your jump peaked at Loki's shoulder height, stomach somersaulting as you dropped back down and landed on your feet. True to his word, Loki stabilized you with his hand at your back, preventing you from falling over on landing.

"Whahat was that noise?!" he asked teasingly with a laugh. You scowled, releasing his hand and running your fingers through your hair to self-soothe.

"Don't laugh!”

“Don’t tell me you’re afraid of heights.”

“No! Just… well, only when I don’t have control over how high up I am.”

Loki placed both his hands on your shoulders, ducking to capture your gaze. He was still grinning, but he had a serious look in his eyes. “I swear to you, I won’t allow any harm to come to you.”

You gave him a hard look. “… promise?”

“I promise.”

“Ohh… alright, let’s try again.” You stepped back from Loki, pacing around a moment and shaking out the nervous tremors in your hands as you let out a heavy breath. Then, returning to your place in front of your partner, you nodded to confirm you were prepared. “Ready. Ok.”

“Ok.” His blue-green irises shimmered with amusement, earning him a scorning look.

You allowed him to count off this time, executing the lift once again, sans squeaking. You were pleased with yourself on that, although the same embarrassing sound had nearly burst out of your throat once again as your momentum peaked at the top of the jump and gravity took hold. Once again, you landed safely with Loki’s hand on your back to steady you.

“That went quite well, I’d say,” he praised with a grin, his eyes still dancing with the unspoken teases he surely was suppressing. “Shall we try another?”

“Ugh, alright.” You searched your video files to find another seemingly simple lift. None of them seemed nearly as easy as the one you’d just learned, and even that was a struggle. After grappling with yourself internally for a few moments, you showed Loki another lift you were willing to try. “This one is called an A-frame jump. It sets the framework for additional, more complex lifts later on.”

“Alright then. Let’s give it a try.”

You turned your back to your partner, heartbeat ticking up in anticipation of the lift. As demonstrated in the video, Loki placed his hands firmly on either side of your waist, and you clasped your own hands around his wrists. You allowed him to count off once again, preparing to spring straight upwards so Loki could boost your jump height by lifting you at the waist.

At the end of the count off, you bent your knees to jump as Loki’s fingers dug into your sides to get a firmer grip. The suddenness of it made you splutter and laugh and fold in on yourself at the ticklish touch, all efforts to jump into the lift forgotten. You knew before he’d even said anything that there was no way to spin a lie around what just happened.

"Oh dear. A bit ticklish, are we?"

"N-no... Lo-KI!" You squeaked as his fingertips contracted into your sides just once. Squeezing his wrists in protest, you twisted to free your waist of his hands, but he held fast. "Nohoho! Thi-HIS" - another jab at your sides - "Loki this isn't h-HA-helping!"

"On the contrary - you appear much less tense," he argued teasingly, shifting his hands forward a bit and scratching gently at the sides of your belly where his fingertips rested.

"Ohokay I'm relAHAXED damnit!" you squealed, knees buckling a bit underneath you. "LOKI! We hahave to practice!"

"Ohh alright." He relented, allowing his hands to rest more firmly on your sides while you recollected yourself and straightened your posture. "Shall I count off again, then?"

"Yes, go on."

"Are you going to burst into giggles this time?" You whined, throwing your hands over your burning cheeks. A rumble of a laugh escaped your dance partner. "I've never seen you this flustered, agent. I'm learning such interesting facts about you this evening."

"Sh-AHAH-shut up!" you growled, jolting as he threw in one last squeeze for emphasis. "Now count off before I change my mind."

He obliged finally, careful this time not to dig his fingertips into your waist so much as he hoisted you up in tandem with your jump. But the God of Mischief couldn't simply let this slide. At the peak of the lift, he began tickling your sides once again, causing you to jerk and involuntarily slam your heel into his stomach. With a grunt of pain, he lowered you back down to the ground, still careful to place you steady on your feet before doubling over with his arms wrapped around his abdomen.

"Sorry! I'm sorry!" you gasped, throwing your hand over your mouth as you turned to face him. You did feel badly, of course, but you mostly wanted to hide the self-righteous smirk that spread across your face. "Are you ok?"

"Mmhmm." His voice was a bit strained. "Darling, I'm a god, you can't possibly injure me that badly."

"Well you sure sound like it hurts." Folding your arms across your chest, you gave him a chastising look. "Maybe that will teach you not to tickle me, hmm?" He didn't respond as he recovered from the sting of the blow, slowly lowering his arms from around his torso as the pain ebbed away. "Can we try the lift for real this time?"

He conceded, setting himself up behind you to attempt the aerial once more. This time around, you successfully executed the move, testing it out once more after that for good measure. You were beginning to feel more at ease. Loki's hands were steady, his arms strong. Safe, even. Familiar.

When did that happen?

"A-alright, let's try another one," you suggested, fumbling to hide the feeling of the sudden burst of butterflies in your stomach. You selected a more complicated lift this time, now that you were feeling more comfortable with the notion that he, indeed, wasn't going to launch you across the room with his godly strength. Avoiding his gaze, you passed your phone to him to view the video instruction for the move.

"Are you certain you're ready for this one?" he asked, an air of surprise in his tone.

"Yup. I'm just gonna rip the band-aid off and give it a shot."

"You know..." The wary edge to his voice drew your gaze up to meet his. "... you have to trust me completely if we are to do a lift this complicated."

"I know. I... I trust you."

"Are you certain?" he pressured. You nodded, taking your phone back to place it off to the side in a safe corner. "Alright, then. On your count."

You stepped out beside Loki with your hand held in his, arms outstretched between the pair of you. The lift required you to leap into his arms, where he would catch you in a cradle hold position. Following this, he would have to swing your legs around and catch them behind himself across the back of your knees. The final, most challenging piece was when he'd need to maintain his hold at your legs and swing your upper body back around to catch you in a cradle hold once again. The move was aptly titled 'around the world.'

After counting off, you turned and kicked your legs up so Loki could catch you in his arms. You wrapped your own arms around his neck and braced your core muscles for the next part, but he simply held you there a moment.

"You know... you really shouldn't put such trust in the God of Mischief," he hummed, a smirk breaking out across his face. As you opened your mouth to ask what he was playing at, you felt his fingers scratching at your uppermost ribs under your arm where his hand rested. You screeched, kicking frantically as you were consumed by ticklish laughter.

"LOHOKI!! YOU JEHEHERK!!" you cried, bringing your arm down from around his neck to block your side with your bicep. Undeterred, he continued wriggling his fingers rapidly in the shrinking space between your arm and your ribs, adding a gentle scribbling of his fingers on his other hand where they rested against the side of your leg. "PUHUT ME DOHOWN!"

"Mm, no, I think not. We haven't yet addressed the fact that you kicked me."

"Ihit wahas YOHOUR FAULT!" You were squirming harder now, twisting in your best attempt to get him to let your legs drop to the ground. He paused to toss you up a bit and adjust his grip, then re-initiated his efforts, digging his thumbs each into the back of your thigh and the back of your ribs.

"Care to say that again?" Your thrashing was clearly beginning to make him nervous about dropping you, so he slowly lowered you down to lay on the floor where he could safely continue his ticklish assault, latching both hands onto your lower ribs.

"I-hi... LOHOKI! IHI APOHOLOGIZED!!"

"Yes, but your heart wasn't in it, I think." His deft fingers kneaded and pinched their way up your ribcage. "Especially considering you are still blaming me for the incident."

"I STAHAND BY IHIT!"

Loki cocked his head to the side with a pitying click of his tongue. "You're just begging for me to tickle you senseless."

Heat rushed to your cheeks at his teasing remark, eyes widening as his tickling fingers shifted to a particularly sensitive spot on your belly just below your ribcage. "No-no-nohoho - OHOKAY I'M SOHORRY!!" You hooked your fingers underneath his in a desperate effort to block his access to this newfound spot, only serving to make him increase his efforts, scribbling rapidly with all ten fingers against the fabric overlaying the soft skin. Giving up, you threw your head back and beat your heels against the floor in desperation. And at last, he ceased his attack, grinning impishly down at your disheveled state.

"Perhaps now you'll find the aerials less stressful?" he suggested tauntingly, offering you a hand to sit up as the residual giggles escaped your lips. "Now that I've discovered a foolproof method to make you laugh."

"Yohou are the wohorst," you grumbled, hardly sounding annoyed with that silly grin still plastered to your face. "Can we please rehearse now? You've wasted like ten minutes of our rehearsal block."

He feigned offense at your statement. "I believe you know as well as I that we are far beyond where you anticipated we would be in terms of learning the steps. As I understand it, we still have a week remaining before the competition, is that right?"

"Well... technically, I suppose..."

"Then you've got nothing to worry about," he assured.

"Yes, but we still have to finish learning these aerials, and then I need to choreograph a routine, and we'll need time to practice it-"

"Darling, if you don't relax, I'll be forced to make you."

Heat prickled in your cheeks at the implication. "Ok, ok. I'm fine. I'm relaxed. Let's try it again, but for real this time."

You refused to admit to him that you were more relaxed after he'd tormented you into a fit of giggles. It took a couple of attempts to get the lift completely right, but you succeeded eventually. With each new move you attempted, you felt less and less nervous. Loki - a powerful, sometimes vengeful being - was so uncharacteristically careful and delicate in the way he swept you up in his arms or lifted you up off the ground. And while he was persistent in his teasing, he always kept things light-hearted - never causing you to feel inadequate, even when you accidentally elbowed him in the face or stepped on his foot.

"I think next rehearsal we're ready to start building a routine!" you declared enthusiastically as your two hour time block came to a close. "We really could have a shot at winning this."

"Did you ever have any doubts?" Loki asked haughtily.

"Well..."

He raised his eyebrows, tilting his chin down to gaze at you warningly. "Consider your answer carefully."

"Nope! No doubts," you spat quickly, eyeing his hands at his sides warily. A teasing smirk spread across his face. "Same time tomorrow then?"

"Looking forward to it."

That night, you found your mind drifting blissfully to the feeling of being cradled in Loki's arms.

* * *

As the days passed and time drew closer and closer to the night of the competition, your thoughts strayed to your dance partner more and more often between rehearsals. Now that Loki had stopped being so sullen and cranky about having to participate, your practice time was productive and, dare you say, enjoyable. You'd always been personable with Loki, but outside of any group gatherings or team missions, he didn't otherwise occupy much space in your brain. But now, having grown accustomed to the teasing and playful banter between the pair of you each evening throughout your rehearsals, you found your heart aching at the notion that this was all going to end in just a few days.

You couldn't help but wonder if he'd miss your rehearsals as well. Not that you'd ever ask.

The evening of the competition arrived far too soon for your liking. The anxious, excited energy was palpable in the tower throughout the entirety of the morning. With the training room off limits, couples were finding anywhere they could to practice - the hallways, the kitchen, the common room... Tony even dragged Pepper outside to practice on the sidewalk in front of the tower at one point. Fortunately for her, the city of New York already knew of Tony Stark's eclectic tendencies.

Gradually, the participants began to disappear into their rooms to get dressed and ready for the event. Tony had hired a limousine to transport the attendees to the venue from the tower, and so you had a deadline to meet to catch your ride. You pulled out the vintage-styled dress you'd chosen for the occasion and slipped it on, smoothing out the wide-flared skirt against your legs as you gazed at your reflection in the mirror. With your hair and makeup done up to fit the theme, you looked like you were straight out of the 1950s.

A quiet knocking at your door pulled your attention from the mirror.

"Door's open," you called, turning around. The door opened to reveal your Asgardian dance partner for the evening, already donning his own swing dance outfit.

Maybe it was the dress shirt, vest, and tie combination. Or, perhaps it was the black fedora he had settled upon his dark locks with the brim tilted slightly downward in the front. Either way - damn he made retro look good.

With a debonair grin, Loki crossed the room to close the distance between the pair of you, scooping up your hand and lifting it over your head to twirl you around. The skirt of your dress flared around you, settling back against your legs as he caught you in his arms and dipped you backwards. A giggly squeak of surprise burst from your throat.

"Loki! You're supposed to warn me when you're going to dip me," you scolded half-heartedly, trying to give him a hard look but failing miserably at hiding your grin.

"Ah, yes, you mentioned that. But where would the fun in that be?" He pulled you to stand upright once again just as you were beginning to lose control of the blush forming in your cheeks. "Are you ready to depart?"

"Lead the way."

He offered you his arm, and you slipped your hand around the crook of his elbow. Together, you headed down to the lobby of the tower where the limousine would be waiting outside to pick up the group.

Seeing everyone in their swing attire really began to set the scene for the evening's soiree. The guys were all dressed in various degrees of formality, ranging from a simple dress shirt, suspenders, and tie that Clint sported all the way to a full fledged zoot suit worn by none other than Tony Stark himself. For the ladies, various flouncy dresses and shirt-skirt combinations, all with brightly-colored fabrics and bold patterns.

The venue itself, though, was what really tied everything together.

Tony had rented out a dinner theater hall, complete with a broad platform stage and show lighting. The room was brightly lit for the wait staff to begin serving the donors and ticket holders as people gradually filtered in and found their tables. Outfits ranged across decades, including attire as early as the flapper dresses from the 1920s to the wide-skirted shirt dresses and poodle skirts of the 1950s. The décor was reminiscent mainly of the 20s era, with glittering golds, blacks, and whites throughout the tables and the walls.

Tables had been reserved for the dancers toward the front by the edge of the stage to allow couples to watch one another's performances (and, also, eat their own dinner of course). Tony directed your group toward the corner table, where twelve chairs had been set around a circular table set with black and white place cards and a feathery centerpiece in a vase. As you took your seats, a waiter stopped by to hand out champagne flutes filled with sparkling wine.

"Shall we toast to a fun and friendly competition, then?" Thor declared, holding up his glass.

"Friendly? Who said anything about friendly?" Tony jested. Pepper nudged him hard in the ribs with her elbow. "Ouch, alright I'm kidding!"

"Cheers to our fine-looking band of misfits," Bucky toasted, tapping his glass against Wanda's before turning to meet Steve's glass next. You laughed, joining in the clinking of glasses before taking a long sip of the bubbling liquid.

As the salad course began to come out, Tony took the stage to provide his characteristic grand welcome speech and to thank all the generous donors for providing to the charity fund. He then turned the evening over to Happy, the emcee for the evening, and ducked backstage to prepare for his and Pepper's dance.

The nerves began to set in as the lights dimmed overhead and the stage lights brightened, spotlighting Pepper and Tony on the stage. You barely ate a bite of your salad, pushing a tomato around your plate with your fork as you watched their near flawless dance routine. Who knew Tony could actually dance?

A hand suddenly rested atop your knee beneath the table, startling you. Whipping your head around, you shot Loki an annoyed look.

"Nervous?" he asked over the round of applause erupting throughout the room.

"N-no, of course not. What made you think that?"

"Your knee has been bouncing for the last ten minutes."

It was only then that you noticed you'd been anxiously bouncing your leg under the table, even despite Loki's hand pressing down against your knee in efforts to make it stop. Now that you were conscious of it, you allowed yourself to relax and try to sit still.

"I'm fine. Not nervous at all."

"Good, because we're up next."

"What??" You nearly leapt out of your seat, much to Loki's amusement. He laughed, shaking his head teasingly.

"It was a joke. But I'd say that proves my point."

"I'm not nervous."

"Darling, you can't lie to me," he whispered, pinching the muscle above your knee ticklishly to emphasize the word. With a squeak, your hand shot out involuntarily to grab his wrist under the table as you shot daggers at him with your eyes.

"Don't you dare."

"Don't I dare... what? Do this?" He squeezed your knee rapidly a few times, making you giggle and squirm to escape his touch.

"Yes. That- Lohoki!" You shrieked as he released your leg to slide his hand around to the underside of your knee, scratching gently at the bare skin just below where the hem of your skirt rested. A playful swat to his arm made him stop and retract his hand, smirking as he gazed at you out of the corner of his eye. "You're flustering me right before we're supposed to dance."

"Perhaps I enjoy flustering you, agent." His hand latched onto your side and pinched swiftly, just enough to make you double over sideways to arch away from his touch.

"Not before we dance."

"After, then? Is that explicit permission?"

"... No." Your face was white hot. Luckily he couldn't see you well in the dim overhead lighting. Glancing up to find anywhere else to divert your attention to while Clint and Laura got set up on stage to dance, your eyes met Natasha's across the table. Her eyebrows bumped upward as her eyes flitted down to the table where clearly she'd elucidated something was going on underneath. You shook your head wildly when you realized what she must be thinking, covering your face in your hands much to her amusement.

One by one, each couple was called up to dance, each outdoing the previous couple before them with their skill and artistry. There were a few other couples from outside of the Avengers who'd signed up to compete, but none could hold a candle to Bucky and Wanda's amazing and technically challenging routine.

And then, Happy was calling you and Loki to the stage.

You couldn't recall the last time you'd felt this nervous about something. All the dangerous and terrifying stunts you'd had to pull on missions, and yet this was what did you in. Although, in all fairness, there weren't hundreds of people watching when you performed your crazy moves on missions.

The white stage lights were blinding when you reached the center of the stage and gazed out into the crowd. At least you couldn't really see the sea of faces with such bright bulbs shining down in your eyes. You turned toward Loki to prepare to start the dance, and he took your hand in his and gave it a squeeze.

"You'll be wonderful," he whispered honestly, no hint of a smirk on his face for once.

"Thanks," you breathed in response. You took your starting position then, waiting patiently for the music to start.

And then, you began to dance.

The rhythm of the song was infectious, with a bold brassy melody and a syncopated drumbeat driving the percussion section. Loki had complete control as he led you twirling across the dance floor, executing every step in perfect synchronization with yours. All the nagging about adding 'bounce' to his step had really paid off - his technique was near flawless. The nervous butterflies in your stomach slowly ebbed away as you lost yourself in the dance. The buzz of the crowd swelled with each lift you performed, but you barely paid any mind - you were too focused on the strong, safe, confident grip of your partner as he effortlessly swept you up in his arms.

As the song came to an end, Loki tugged to spin you inward toward himself and whisked you into a dip, one arm securely wrapped around your waist. The radiant applause filled your ears as you smiled giddily up at him, breathless from the energy of the dance.

"You were amazing!" you praised, throwing your arms around Loki the moment he'd stood you upright without giving it much thought. Hesitating only a moment, he returned your embrace, squeezing you tight. You took your bows before stepping off stage to head back to your table.

"Did you expect any less of me?" Loki asked teasingly. "Though, I suppose I must admit, your lessons helped some."

"Oh, did they? Just 'some' you say?"

"Yes, I already possessed the natural prowess for the art of dance, even before your lessons."

You snorted. "Without my help, you'd have been as robotic as Vision."

"Brother!" Thor's booming voice captured your attention as you reached your table in front of the stage. "I'd no idea you had it in you!"

"Oh, believe me, it took quite a bit of practice," you muttered, earning a pinch to the side from your partner.

"Ah, yes - you should win an award of your own for putting up with Loki's mischief for so long, agent," Thor bellowed, patting you on the shoulder heavily as you took your seat between the brothers.

"Heh. Yeah," you concurred with a half-hearted chuckle. In the back of your mind, you wondered if it was really all that tedious. The reminder that you would no longer have these evening dance rehearsals together made your heart sink.

With the dancing part of the evening over, you were much more relaxed as you chatted and ate dinner with your fellow teammates. You were acutely aware of the fact that Loki had reached over and draped his arm across the back of your chair casually as he engaged in conversation. Secretly, you wished he'd have just wrapped it around your shoulders to pull you closer.

"Alright everyone - the results of your votes are in!" Happy declared as the wait staff cleared dinner plates from the tables. "I'd like to call our lovely couples to the stage for one last round of applause."

The room erupted with cheers as you stood with the other dancers of the evening. Loki took your hand in his without a word, lifting it to usher you up the stairs to the stage as he trailed behind. Happy was making some dig at Tony's suit as you and Loki took your place between Thor and Jane and Steve and Nat. Loki released your hand in favor of sliding his arm around your waist, resting his hand at your hip.

"Our third place couple this evening is..." Happy glanced down at the paper in his hands, chuckling. "Obviously Pepper did the heavy lifting here - Tony and Pepper!"

"You're just jealous you don't have moves like I do," Tony retorted, nudging Happy with his elbow as he and Pepper stepped forward to claim their title.

"Oh I don't have moves like you do, but jealous might not be the right word for it," Happy countered with a grin. "Anyway - our second place couple is... Wanda and Barnes!"

"Wow. I'm surprised they didn't win it after executing that crazy aerial," you mumbled, applauding with the others as Bucky and Wanda took their bows.

"And now... our first place winners of the competition this evening..."

Loki's grip on your waist tightened, tugging you closer to his side in anticipation. You'd resolved yourself to the fact that you hadn't placed this evening. Steve and Nat had a flawless routine, and Thor and Jane were bubbly and bouncy enough to draw raging applause from the crowd. One of them had clearly won the competition.

When Happy announced the winner, your ears were ringing too loudly to catch the names. It was only when Loki suddenly turned toward you with the most excited expression you'd ever seen grace his features that you realized it was your own name Happy had announced.

"We won?" you asked, wide-eyed. Loki laughed at your dumbfounded expression, grasping your waist with both hands.

"Yes, darling - we won!"

An excited shriek burst from your throat at his confirmation, and you threw your arms around his neck. Loki used your momentum to wrap his arms around your waist and lift you off the floor, twirling you around once in his hold. The pair of you stepped forth to take a bow, overwhelmed by the loud applause of the crowd - the loudest coming from your teammates behind you.

The remainder of the evening was a whirlwind of congratulatory wishes from your friends and colleagues as the fundraiser wrapped up. Tony closed by announcing he'd be matching the total amount donated for the evening before submitting the funds to charity, earning himself a roaring round of applause. By the time you'd all climbed in the limo to head home, the exhaustion was evident on every one of your teammate's faces. The steady rumbling of the tires rolling down the road and the scrolling of the streetlights shining through the window lulled you to sleep, awaking to find you'd slumped over onto Loki's shoulder once you'd arrived home. You muttered sleep-rasped apologies as you sat up and exited the limo to head inside, to which Loki insisted you needn't worry about it.

Collectively, everyone opted to retire to bed for the evening. Loki continued to be the gentleman he'd been all night, walking you to your room. For someone who had taken so much pleasure in pushing your buttons, he'd been behaving quite out of character for most of the evening. You certainly weren't complaining.

As you approached your bedroom door, the reality of this being the end of your one-on-one time together weighed on your heart. Of course you'd see him around the tower as you always did, but it just didn't feel like enough.

"So... was it really all that terrible doing this competition?" you asked teasingly as you paused in front of your door.

"While I'm still a bit resentful that you found a way to trick me, I'll admit... it was... enjoyable."

"Well, thanks for earning me a win."

"The credit goes to you, darling."

You were silent a moment, trying to decide what to say. Resting your hand on your doorknob, you smiled weakly up at Loki. "Well... I'll see you around?"

"Yes, I suppose you will." His expression was blank, unreadable. With a nod, he turned and began to head down the hallway to retire to his own room. Your heart was pounding in your chest as you watched him recede, battling internally between the desire to call out to him and the innate instinct to hide your feelings. The end result was somewhere in between.

"Loki!"

He turned at the sound of his name, those fiercely blue-green eyes of his capturing yours and trapping the words in your throat. His head tilted slightly, urging you to continue.

"I... uh..."

"Yes, agent?" he asked, the corners of his mouth curling up into a devilish grin as he realized you were stammering.

"I just thought maybe... er..." You choked on your words as he took a few steps towards you.

"You seem rather flustered again, darling. What is it you're trying to tell me?"

"Oh, shut it, you."

"That's rather rude of you. I am merely trying to be polite and listen to whatever it is you have to say." His grin broadened as your eyes narrowed and your cheeks began to burn. "Go on, then."

"You know what? Never mind," you stated with a huff, folding your arms across your chest.

"But now you have me curious, agent. Tell me what it was."

"Nope. You're out of luck - no-no, don't you dahare Loki!" You shrank backwards as he reached out suddenly and grabbed your waist, gently kneading his fingers into your sides. "Nohoho! Noho, that's nohot fair!"

"Then spit it out, darling." His fingers darted up your ribs and you grasped his wrists, giggling helplessly and squirming away from his ticklish touch.

"I-hi... Lohoki! I juhust... HEHEY!" You squeaked as he slotted his fingers up under your arms, doubling over and squeezing his forearms in protest. "I JUHUST WANTED TOHO... LOHOKI I CAHAN'T!"

He tickled his way bad down to your sides to allow you the wherewithal to speak. "Well?"

"I-hi wanted toho ask if you w-aha-wanted to doho something tomorrow."

Loki's fingers stilled at your sides, hands resting firmly against your waist. "Do something?"

"Y-yeah, like... I don't know... hang out?"

A fond grin broke out on his face. "Agent - have you taken a liking to me?"

"Pshh... I-I just figured that you'd miss me now that you're done with my lessons."

"Oh-ho, did you?" He gently pushed against your waist and you stepped backward, your back hitting the wall behind you. You held Loki's gaze, noting how his expression softened.

"Well... wouldn't you?"

He chuckled deep in his throat. "Yes, darling. I would."

With that, he ducked down and captured your lips with his. You melted into his kiss, wrapping your arms around his neck as his slid around your waist.

As it turned out - you hadn't tricked Loki into doing anything. If you'd simply asked him to dance in the competition with you, he'd have said yes in a heartbeat. Because, when it came to finding Loki's intrinsic motivation, there was one surefire thing that could get him to do most anything:

You.

#loki fluff #loki x female reader #loki x reader #ticklish!reader #tickle fluff #loki tickle #tickle fic #marvel tickle #dancing with Loki #swing dance with Loki #loki x you #marvel fluff

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