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ikenbar · 3 years

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Mr. Love: Ike’s Choice CH4 PT10

The long over due ACTION SEQUENCE!! If you can’t handle action, go back to the last post for the fluff. Or... like... wait next week for some fluff ;)

Warnings: Action!, blood, guns, guns being fired, pain, slight torture, all the fun stuff!! Including cliffhangers!! :D

(In all seriousness it really isn’t as bad as it seems. Enjoy the story!! :D)

(Chapter Four (Victor and Gavin) Prologue, and part one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, and nine can be found here!)

Please read the author’s note (and the beginning of the story) on chapter one part one if you’re new here :D

And an additional note in a previous part of chapter four part three here! (I promise these notes are important)

Chapter four:

Part ten:

Adri’s arms returned around my waist just as the light finally turned green. I booked it to the right, the opposite way of my still blinking turn signal. The sedan shuddered slightly, obviously thrown off. It didn't take long until it lurched after me, screeching it’s wheels as it struggled to catch up with me. With the roads empty and my distance advantage, the odds of my escape were in my favor.

I turned down a street and was immediately met with another black SUV. They were driving down the wrong lane and coming right for me. I quickly swerved and avoided hitting them. As I drove past them, I looked into the car’s window. The driver’s window was rolled down and I was able to make out a mask that matched the two I saw in the other cars.

Montu wasn’t as easily outwitted as I had thought.

There was a fork in the road ahead of me, where a third and forth car sped into view. I glanced behind me as the second car turned to follow and the first car pulled in from the corner. A masked person popped their head out of the second car’s passenger window and pulled a gun on me. I grabbed Adri’s shirt from behind me and quickly pulled her into my lap.

The man fired, hitting me on the shoulder and causing me to swerve slightly on my bike. I cursed and held Adri close to me as I looked around. There was an alley between one of the buildings. If I could get through there, I could gain enough of a distance to lose them.

I moved to turn but another bullet hit my shoulder, throwing my arm forward further than I had wanted, sending me and my bike straight into the building instead of beside it. I quickly wrapped my arms around Adri and braced for impact.

The bike caught onto the edge of the curb and flipped forward, launching me straight into the window. The glass shattered easily on my impact. I tumbled cumbersomely into the building, tearing up my clothes on the broken shards of glass. The force of the impact sent my mind into a daze, making me release Adri from my arms unintentionally. After a few more rolls, I rocked onto my back.

I groaned and pushed my helmet off my head. A sharp pain pushed through my chest, one I was all too familiar with. I held my side and propped myself up on my elbow, taking this moment to scan my surroundings. The building seemed to be under construction. Tools and various supplies coated the floors of the room and unpainted dry walls surrounded us, giving the empty room a somewhat cluttered feel.

I looked to my side and my eyes landed on Adri. She was on her side, lying motionless on the ground next to me. “Adri!” I quickly sprung to my feet, only to immediately regret it as a twinge of pain protruded from my side. I hissed and stumbled in my steps. My heel caught on an uneven piece of flooring and I felt myself tumble backwards. I reached my arm out as I fell directly onto a pile of tools. A bitter pain spread through my forearm. I hissed and moved to look at the damage.

Loud shouting came from outside, as well as car doors opening and shutting. With no time to delay, I quickly brought myself back to my feet. Being careful of the flooring, I scooped Adri up from the ground, threw her helmet off, and held her close to me as I ran behind an unfinished piece of wall.

Ignoring my body’s scream for some rest, I waited with baited breath as I heard the men walk into the building. I heard a mechanical voice shout to the men. The same mechanical voice that I heard over the phone.

“Find her! We will search all night if we have to! We will not let her get away that easily, do I make myself clear?!” The men shouted their affirmatives as they walked around the room. I quickly looked around. The room was a mess from the construction being done there but there was virtually no place to hide. With hope for a way out looking grim, I looked up. The ceiling was open and full of boards and loose paneling. The construction must not have started there yet. And right under it was a large stack of sand.

That should work.

I rushed over the bags of sand, clutching Adri tightly as I moved. I shifted Adri to one side and used my other arm to lift myself up and through the roof. I lay Adri underneath me and cradled her as I tucked us further into the tight space, only leaving some room to watch the front door of the room. Adri groaned and shifted slightly underneath me. I shushed her, but I was praying for thanks that she was awake.

“W-what-” She began in a whisper, but quickly shut her mouth as gunned men started filing in the room. One by one they entered until at least twelve of them stood together, watching each other's backs as they used their flashlights to scan the small room. They held their guns up in front of them but, after seeing it was seemingly clear, they lowered their guns. One of the men started barking orders to the others. They nodded and all but three of them left, holding the guns back up in the air as they moved. The one who was seemingly in charge sighed and rubbed the back of his neck as he turned to the door.

“Montu, sir.” He shouted, “We lost her.”

“How could you have lost her?!” The mechanical voice boomed from outside the room. A figure strode into the room. They were dressed in a black suit, the same as the others, and wore a mask.

But this mask was different.

Instead of just covering their face, it covered their whole head. In the front was the face of a bull. Longhorns came through the top of it all, making them tower over the others, despite the fact they were already taller then most of them without the horns. A sort of Egyptian headdress draped down the back of it, dressing their aura in a way that made him seem like a god.

That was Montu.

It had to be.

“How could you have lost her?!” Montu repeated with more emphasis as they pushed aggressively against the head of the soldier that called them in, “There is literally no place she could run! This place is open spaced and she is wounded so I don’t see why all of you are DILLY DALLYING WHEN THAT MONSTER IS STILL SOMEWHERE IN THIS BUILDING!!! DYLAN!” Montu grabbed the collar to one of the men and pulled him away from the group and toward the opening to the room. Montu ripped off his mask so he could stare him directly in the eye, “GET TO THE ENTRANCE TO MAKE SURE SHE CAN’T ESCAPE! And you’d better not sCREW THIS UP LIKE YOU DID WITH THE INCINERARY BOMB!!”

“I knew it!” I spoke as quietly as I could without alarming anyone, “I knew he had something to do with this.”

“Who is he?” Adri asked, just as quietly.

“Dylan. An accountant I fired before this all started.” I sunk closer to Adri, holding her closer as I pondered everything over, “Why though? Why would me firing him cause him to want to hurt me? Or worse, kill me?”

My questions were left unanswered as Montu released Dylan. They shoved his mask back into his chest and turned from him, signaling his dismissal. Dylan glared at the back of their head but needlessly complied as pulled the mask back over his face. Montu signaled to the others to leave as well, which they did without question.

Montu walked further into the room, arms folded and mumbling incoherently to themself. I looked around for my options. It wouldn’t take long for them to go to the same conclusion that I did with this hiding spot. We had to find some way out of the ceiling and back onto the floor. Then to my bike. If it was still able to run from the crash, that is.

Something fell from my peripherals. I quickly looked down. There, on the sandbags, were droplets of blood that weren’t there before. A slight tickle came from my arm. I quickly looked down at my forearm. A large scrape slid across the bottom of it, taking up most of the skin I had there. Blood was seeping through various open cuts and threatened to fall.

“You ok?” Adri asked quickly as her eyes followed mine.

“Y-yeah. I’m fine.” I said, slightly dazed, “It’s… it’s just a cut.” I clutched at my arm to my side, stopping the flow of the blood from dripping further. How on earth did that happen?! I am bulletproof! What could have been sharp enough to break my skin?!

Montu growled in frustration, bringing both of our attention back down to them. “What’s taking so long?!” They asked angrily to themself. They stopped in the middle of the room. Not only that,

But right under us.

I held my breath, impulsively clenching my hand into a fist. Something warm trickled down my forearm and to my fist. I looked down just in time to see blood trailing down my arm and to my fist. A particularly large droplet pooled at the tip of my knuckle. I reached out to catch it but it was too late. The droplet fell from my fist, through the roof,

And right on top of Montu’s head.

They stopped pacing.

Their head slowly turned to look up…

“SIR!” A voice called from further into the building, “COME QUICKLY!!” Montu’s attention snapped to the direction of the voice. They cursed and rushed through the doorway, leaving Adri and me alone in the room.

Adri and I simultaneously sighed in relief. Unwilling to lose this opportunity, I quickly jumped onto the sandbags. The pain in my chest became more prominent but I didn’t have time to fix it. I grit my teeth and reached up, gesturing Adri to follow suit. She did, jumping into my outstretched arms gently. I set her down and motioned for her to follow my movements. She nodded. I stayed low and I walked to the entrance. Adri followed behind me, tucking close behind me as we stopped at the door. I motioned for her to stay. Adri nodded and mouthed, “Be careful.” I nodded. Slowly and carefully, I looked outside the room.

A clicking noise came from just behind my ear.

I cringed and slowly looked up. A masked man had a gun pointed to my head. “Don’t move.” Dylan demanded.

“Dylan-” I said calmly, stepping out of the room.

“I SAID DON’T MOVE!” He shouted, raising the gun to point between my eyes. I stopped. Dylan may have raised his voice but it was obvious that he was refraining from speaking in full volume, as if he didn’t want anyone except for the people within our vicinity to hear him.

He wanted me for himself.

I slowly raised my hands. “You know that doesn’t work on me.” I maintained my calm demeanor as I locked eyes with with him through his mask, “Why don’t we just put it down and-”

“Just because your skin is bullet proof, doesn’t mean your bones won’t break any less from the force.” Dylan snapped, shocking me into silence, “You probably broke a rib from how you crashed into the building.”

“Wh-”

“I can tell by how carefully you’re holding your arm up.”

My eyebrow twitched, “This isn’t right, Dylan. I know yo-”

“YOU KNOW NOTHING!!” Dylan’s shouting made me cringe, “If you knew me, you’d never have fired me.”

“Is this what this is really all about?! You getting fired!?” My composure wavered slightly, “You did bad at your job so you were let go. End of story.”

“End of story?! I needed that job!! I have mouths to feed!! I have bills that need to get paid!!”

“You should have thought of that before you took your job for granted! I gave you warnings that you blew off because you thought that your years working there would be enough of a life preserver. I-” I bit my tongue, “... Dylan, all of that aside, I know you are a good person. You shouldn’t be doing this! Do you realize you are putting innocent lives in danger?”

“Montu helped me see the truth.” Dylan’s voice quivered slightly, “He told me all about how everyone handed you all the power you have because you’re some sad sap with no regard for the people who actually work for their keep. Who grovel at the floor to survive. You had everything fed to you with a silver spoon. But now, now is the time to end your reign of power and pity. Once. And. For. All.” Dylan lowered his gun slightly and fired. Pain rushed through my arm as the bullet flew into my open wound. I yelped and hunched over, clutching tightly at my arm. “HERE!” Dylan’s shouts echoed through the building, “SHE’S HERE! I’VE FOU-”

Something shot out from the wall next to us. It grabbed Dylan’s shirt and wrenched him into the wall. With a dull thud, Dylan’s head slammed into the pillar next to him, successfully knocking him unconscious. I watched the scene, mouth agape and mind blank. But my expression straightened as my eyes fell on what was holding Dylan’s shirt.

A small, pale, hand clutched at his shirt.

Through the wall I could see the large floppy jacket sleeve down it’s arm but no body connected to it. Before I could fully grasp what was going on, the hand let go of Dylan and shot back behind the wall, leaving no trace of a hole or obstruction that it could have pushed through.

“What in the-” I began but was quickly stopped as a hand grabbed my arm. I looked up and caught Adri’s determined face as she whipped me around and pulled me to the window we crashed through.

“No time to explain!” Adri called back to me as we ran, “We need to get out of here!” I nodded and looked back behind me. Dylan lay motionless on the ground, his gun mere inches from his hand. I stopped.

“Get to the bike.” I instructed, pulling Adri’s hand from me.

“But-”

“Go!” I rushed over to Dylan, giving no more thought to Adri. I quickly scooped up the gun and turned back around, only to find that I was too late. A line of men had blocked the window as more rushed into the room, guns pointing straight at me. Two men had a hold of Adri, gripping her arms firmly as she struggled in their grasp. Soon I was surrounded by masked men with no way of escape.

The sound of a tongue clicking came from beside me. I looked over in time to see Montu walked into the room, pushing past their line of men until he stood a few feet in front of me. “Did you really think you could get away?” Their mechanical voice had become somewhat smooth compared to how harsh it had sounded before when they yelled at their men, “After all of this running, did you really think you could get away?” I furrowed my brows and looked over to Adri. She had stopped struggling and was looking at Montu as well. She had a look of annoyance and distaste as she looked them up and down.

“What do you want?” I asked through gritted teeth as I turned back to Montu.

“Don’t tell me you have already forgotten our phone call earlier.” They said, holding their hands behind their back as they leaned forward slightly. I kept quiet, biting the harsh words snaking their way onto my tongue.

“You know,” Adri spoke up from behind Montu, making everyone’s attention latch onto her, “You are a lot taller than I expected. I mean sure, I pictured someone tall and buff but, I mean, you’re body mass doesn’t even match your height. You just seem kinda disproportionate. It’s like you’re compensating for something.” The room went quiet. Montu looked back over to me.

“You dragged a little girl into this?!” They nearly shouted, almost as if they were scolding me.

“Correction.” Adri said, holding up a finger. The man holding her hand looked down in shock, as if he couldn’t believe he wasn’t holding her anymore., “I dragged myself into this. Ike just so happened to be driving me.”

“Would you shut her up?!” Montu boomed, making the men holding Adri snap to attention. The one who had somehow lost his hold of Adri’s wrist, quickly regained his grip and raised the butt of his gun over her, prepared to strike. I quickly whipped the gun in my hand up to him, steadily pointing it at his head as I cocked the bullet into place. The sounds of many other guns being cocked filled the room as the men prepared for a fight.

“Touch her and I blow your head off.” My voice was steady, showing just how much I really meant what I said. Montu held up a hand, causing the men around me to freeze. Montu inspected me closely. Then, without a word, walked over to Adri. Adri’s once chilled face hardened as they approached her. I snapped my gun to Montu’s head, causing the men’s guns to readjust on me.

“Now, now, Ms. Bikira.” Montu chimed, actions as cool as ever as they faced Adri, “We don’t want any bullet’s flying, would we? You may be able to take the attack, but,” Montu picked up a lock of Adri’s hair and ran it through their palm, “She wouldn’t.”

I froze, the gun still held at their head. A familiar heat toiled in my stomach. One I wasn’t happy to have back again. I cursed to myself as my hands began shaking slightly. I tightened my grip around my gun.

“Let her go.” I boomed, “She has nothing to do with this.” Montu hummed, making the voice modulator glitch in a way that sent shivers up my spine.

“Is that so?” They asked, letting Adri’s hair fall back to the side of her head. Adri’s shoulders eased slightly.

In one swift motion, Montu grabbed Adri’s arm, pulled her forward, and wrapped it behind her back. Montu faced her towards me, pressing her arm against her back. Adri fell into his, grunting in pain. I quickly adjusted my gun so it was pointing right between Montu’s eyes. The fire burning in my stomach raged uncomfortably.

“Now.” Montu continued, pulling Adri closer to their face as they pressed her arm into her back, “Why don’t we drop that gun, huh?” I gritted my teeth as the gun in my hand began to shake even harder. Montu moved Adri’s arm a little farther. A popping noise could be heard. Adri yelped and cursed, writhing against Montu’s hands.

“Alright!” I dropped the gun and kicked it forward, “You win! Just… just let her go.” Montu watched me silently, obviously indulging in my anxiety.

Eventually they let go of Adri’s arm. She fell onto her knees, clutching her shoulder tightly and breathing unsteadily. I looked at her with worry but stayed put. I didn’t know what Montu would do if I moved in a way he didn’t want me to.

I bragged my eyes back to Montu. My stomach screamed in protest as I watched them adjust themself, as if nothing had just happened. They brushed the wrinkles on their shirt and put their hands around their back as he looked back up at me. “Now, was that so hard?” Montu’s voice hadn’t wavered at all, as if torturing little girls was their favorite pastime. I bore my teeth and balled my hands into tight fists, trying to stop my hands from shaking too much.

“Uh uh uh!” Montu reached out their foot and stepped on Adri’s calf, pressing down on it firmly and causing Adri to yelp in pain once more, “Don’t you go thinking you’re off the hook.”

“What the hell do you want from me?!” I growled through my teeth.

Montu sighed, “I suppose our conversation over the phone really did go over your head.” Montu shook their head and clicked their tongue again, making my hands shake nearly out of control, “Ikamara Bikira, I want you to come clean about your wrong doings and put an end to the lies you have spread to the world.”

“What lies?!” I snapped, throwing my hands up in frustration, “I haven’t lied about anything! I’ve worked hard to get to where I-”

“NO YOU HAVEN'T!!”

Montu’s cool tone snapped like a twig to my words, causing everyone one in the room to jump in response. I watched their chest rise and fall unsteadily as they struggled to catch their breath.

“Geez.” Adri chuckled weakly from under Montu, “For someone who nearly broke my arm, you sure act like a child.”

“Sh-SHUT UP!” Montu shouted through their teeth as their already staggered breaths became more hurried.

“Seriously.” Adri turned and locked eyes with me. A strange emotion swam in her violet eyes, “I feel like I should be telling him that this is all just a phase.”

Adri winked.

I shook my head slightly, not really catching on...

Then something clicked.

Something that, admittedly, took a ridiculously long time to realize.

I looked back up at Montu. The fury in my stomach was replaced with something new.

Determination.

“She’s right.” I said, folding my arms and arching my eyebrows, “Only a child would see my success and immediately think it was handed to me. Especially one that knows exactly what it’s like to have everything handed to them.”

“WATCH IT BIKIRA!” Montu screamed. The foot on Adri’s calf buried itself further in her skin. Adri yelped but, from one quick reassuring glance, I knew she was alright and could take a little more. I smirked

“What? Did daddy not give you everything you asked for?”

Montu paused a moment, clearly taken aback. Then, they let out a loud and painful screech as they raised their foot high in the air. They threw it straight down onto Adri’s calf but, to nearly everyone’s surprise, it went straight through it. Montu’s balance failed them as they staggered forward, heading face first into the ground. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Focusing on the energy in my stomach, I pushed it through my legs, down to my knees, and through my toes. I opened my eyes and relaxed my body.

Then leapt forward.

The ground underneath me gave way as I rocketed into Montu’s stomach, throwing him backwards and into the wall just under the window pane. The men blocking it dove just in the nick of time for me to shove his head into it, breaking one of the horns clean in half from his mask. Montu collapsed underneath me, knocked unconscious.

Guns fired from behind me. I frantically looked around, just in time to see Adri rushing past me and leaping seamlessly out the window. I moved to follow, but froze. I looked down at Montu. There he was. The man who wanted me dead and would stop at nothing to make it happen.

He was vulnerable.

His mask was within arms length…

“Ike!!”

I looked up. Adri was struggling to lift my bike with one hand as the other lay limply by her side. She was looking at me with fever. “What the hell are you doing?!” She asked, gesturing to me uselessly. Angry grunts came from behind me. I turned and saw the men reloading their guns hurriedly. My eyes strayed to the ground. Dylan’s gun still lay on the ground untouched. I whipped my head back around. My eyes landed on the row of black sedans behind Adri.

An idea flashed in my mind.

Before the men could understand what was going on, I scooped up the gun and vaulted myself over Montu and through the window. I landed safely on the ground and pulled the guns in front of my eyes. “Get down!” I shouted to Adri. She quickly obeyed.

With one quick motion, I fired at the front tire of the first car. The bullet hit it directly, causing the tire to flatten almost immediately. I moved the gun smoothly and hit the other cars as well, only shooting the first tire of each one to save time. I heard the men exclaim from behind me as more shots fired from their guns. Some of them whizzed past me while I felt the others hit my back. I pushed the gun into the back of my pants as I ran to my bike. I picked Adri up and twisted her into my chest as I lifted the bike of the ground easily. I surveyed it quickly. Other than a slightly deflated front tire, it was still suitable for driving. I twisted the bike around and, moving Adri so her legs were over my knee, I leapt onto the bike.

Just before pushing off, I caught sight of Montu in my mirror. They had pushed their way over the window pane to the front of the group. A crack slid down his mask where their eye would be. I couldn’t make out any of their face but I could feel them as they stared at me, breathing heavily, fists tightly clenched at their side. Not willing to find out what they would do if I stayed, I sped off, leaving the men there to rot.

I felt the breeze tickling the cut in my arm as I drove, cooling it down and easing the pain somewhat. That night had been long but now I had some intel about Montu and why they were after me. Not to mention the fact that Dylan really was behind the bombing. Gavin would be pleased to hear it… but how I was going to tell him about it without letting it slip that I was being targeted would be an issue for a different day.

Adri shifted in my lap. I quickly looked down at her. “Adri are you-” I began, but I was quickly interrupted by a slap to my chest.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were an evolver!” Adri said behind deep breaths and a large grin.

“I could ask you the same thing!” I said, a smile relaxing on my face, “You knocked Dylan clean out!”

“I know!” Adri laughed, “He didn’t see it coming!”

“No one did!” I hit Adri playfully with my shoulder. Adri laughed giddily.

A buzzing came from inside Adri’s jacket. She pulled out my phone and checked the caller ID. She smirked and held the phone up to me. “It’s for you.” Adri said, her grin curving into a teasing smile.

It was Victor.

I sighed and took the phone, being sure to keep my bike steady with the other. "Now, before you say anything," I said immediately after answering the call, "Technically it wasn't the bike that hurt me."

(Next)

#hehehehehheheh #take that you dEMON #now you dont have a hostage oR a car #take THATTTTT #stay tuned for fluff!#:D #mr love #mr love a queens choice #mlqc #mlqc fanfiction #mr love fanfic #fanfiction #ikenbarproductions #ike n bar productions #mr love ikes choice #action writing #action #the long awaited

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tarithenurse · 4 years

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Stolen - 10

Pairing: Loki Laufeyson &/x fem!gifted!reader Content: Angst. Feels. Plot. Regerts. Fluffy inclinations. Mentions of torture. References to past MCU events. A/N: *radiates love to everyone* *begins singing Tina Turner’s “You’re simply the best”* Ask or reblog if you want a tag.

10. Leave a Scar

… Reader …

Two days later and you’re still praying that Loki has no idea what you’ve heard even if the chances seem remote. He’s grown quiet. Brooding. Most of the time he’s off somewhere without you but when he returns he finds a secluded corner and a carafe of wine to wash down his gloominess with.

He’s plotting how to kill me. It makes sense – haven’t you done what he wanted you to? The talk about keeping you safe must have been nothing but a ruse to eventually break your spirit completely before delivering the final blow. On the other hand, it seems like an awful lot of trouble to go to if he was just going to waste the effort by being emo. Plotting to kill someone else? Now, that would make sense considering his track record.

On and on your thoughts run in circles and not even the beautiful view from the balcony can provide enough of a distraction today.

“Tell me, mortal.” His voice startles you, coming from right behind you. “What’s plaguing your mind, hmm?”

There’s nowhere to run to, nowhere to hide from those piercing, green eyes boring into the back of your skull. Pulling at the sleeves of the purple dress (kindly lend to you by the Älfir), you consider how to out-lie a liar.

“What...what is going to happen now?” you manage to ask, forcing your voice past a lump in your throat.

The sigh that fans your shoulder is chilling. “It seems I have to change my plans.”

Unsure of anything, this isn’t what you had expected. Turning towards him, the somberness clings to his face and cuts his already sharp features from ice. Only now do you realize that there had been a spring in his step and a softness to his gaze a short week ago but since then something has extinguished the light.

Your hand twitches as you restrain yourself from reaching out to stroke his cheek. “What’s happened?” Did he see that?

If he did, nothing in his demeanour divulges anything as Loki steps as close as he can without the mossy greens of his clothing brushing against purple. A thousand worlds could come and go that second and you would never have noticed because the Asgardian’s presence is all-encompassing, sucking you into his personal vortex of pride and pain, stubbornness and deference.

“Why would you care what has happened?” His words are cold like blades of ice, but this time you see through it and wait him out. He resigns. “The Älfir’s magic is not strong enough. They cannot restore Jotunheim.” Deflated.

“If they could’ve then they would’ve healed the Priestess too.” Biting your tongue off suddenly feels like a really good idea.

The silence is oppressing, drawing out the seconds as the man looks you over as if you just dropped from the moon. Like he’s seeing me for the first time. The sensation is far from comforting, something that’s enhanced as the thin lips begin to curve into a crooked smile revealing white teeth.

“You did that.” Man, you hate the way he practically purrs.

“Barely.” You step backwards, bumping into a pillar.

Even now, you can’t help but notice how smoothly he moves as he follows in your footsteps. “But you did.”

Somehow managing to sidestep the god, you make it two steps into the shade of the room before his hands have gotten hold and you’re twirled, forced against the cold wall.

“Don’t -”

“Shush.” He places a cold finger on your lips, making you comply automatically. “We all have sacrifices to make.”

A smidgen of logic in the back of your skull is screaming at you to shut up, to let him have this victory while you figure out a way to get out of the situation. Of course you don’t listen to it, deciding instead to pull yourself up to your full height (as unimpressive as it may be compared to Loki) and glare at him. There’s even a moment there where you impress yourself by how calm your voice is when you answer.

“No. I won’t be your puppet anymore.” Black eyebrows shoot upwards at your words. “And if you kill me, at least I know you’ll still be crying every night.”

That’s the instant the sense of heroic pride dies.

The emerald eyes you secretly admire change into a sea of blood while a flood of blue, broken by ridges and lines cover what skin you can see and causes you to gasp, drawing in air so cold you can feel the lungs crackle in complaint. If at least Loki would snarl or growl, then it would somehow make sense, but he just smiles, the white teeth suddenly similar to the fangs of a predator. A wolf...and I’m the lamb.

“Mortal. Pet.” A claw traces along your cheekbone before scraping down your throat. “I thought we were coming to an understanding? You would obey my every wish in return for the life of those you love?” Nodding is the only option. “Tsk tsk. Perhaps I have underestimated you, wench, thinking you had a soul, a heart. Hoping you would recognize real evil when held up against the light of truth.”

Well...I’m already doomed. “You told a story -!”

“A story?!” This time he does snarl. “I’ll show you story!”

The cold of his hands burn the skin on your forehead, wrist, and palm as he slams your hand against his brow and mirrors the movement.

... Loki ...

The first glimpses are simple until the events fully unfold. Falling – he will hate the sensation forever. Falling through nothingness for half an eternity until he lands more dead than alive...except this time he’s watching it from the outside. We’re watching it. Though the Jotun can’t see it, he knows that [Y/N] is there with him, a spectator without the option to look away when the actor is found and brought to the Titan.

What were months or maybe years at the mercy of Thanos and his Children flash by in a few minutes, perhaps. Torture, mind games, hatred twisted and turned until it points back to the outcast prince and penetrates his soul, leaving it to fester before he finally succumbs to the touch of a sceptre. From there the events unfold in a blur only occasionally brought into focus when a part of the fallen god tries to rebel against the shackles.

It’s only when the Loki they watch is lying at the feet of the Avengers that clarity is fully restored, though one kind of shackles is replaced by another. Then: a speck of blue grants an opportunity impossible to dismiss.

A vision. A memory. A nightmare.

Loki’s hands fall to his sides. It’s over. The wall in the Älfir temple looks less real than what [Y/N] and the Jotun have just witnessed, but the wide eyes staring up at him brings reality back like a kick in the balls. She knows. Everyone knows when they witness the recollections of someone else – no amount of so called rational thinking can convince them they have hallucinated because they feel it as if they lived it themselves.

“[Y/N]...”

Tears are welling in her eyes, lips quivering as she tries to root herself in the present. “He...y-you...” What I wouldn’t do to take away your pain. “That was -” A sniffle interrupts her.

He hates it. Hates the despair she’s drowning in at his hands. Truly, he has proven to be the monster he claimed not to be. Losing control and forcing [Y/N] through this nightmare serves no purpose at all.

“I will...I will ensure your safety and then you will never hear from me again,” he promises shamefully, “now...get some rest.”

...

Flat on his back and with the hands behind his head, Loki’s gaze is fixed on a point far beyond the ceiling above. Dawn is nearing yet sleep has evaded him, chased away by memories and guilt. It served no purpose. Priding himself of his logic, the turmoil raging inside his heart is has pushed the Jotun to act rashly and he hates it because he wishes to be more than a beast that simply lashes out when cornered. He doesn’t want to be the monster he behaved like. No, the man in him has to find a way to -

“Loki?” The whisper is hesitant, almost too quiet to hear. “Are you...are you awake?”

He sits up, bare feet on the stone floor as if to ground himself. The covers slides from his chest, revealing the pale skin in the darkness but [Y/N] probably can’t see it with her human eyes as she stands in the doorway.

Draped in the soft-flowing silk from a borrowed shift, she could almost pass for one of the ghosts from the fanciful tales children enjoy to fear. Loki can see her better than that. He can see her face straining as she tries to find him in the dark, and her arms wrapped tightly around the ribs below her bosom perhaps to find some comfort.

“Yeah...I’m awake,” the god rasps softly in return. Is that regret or relief in your sigh?

Sitting there, waiting for the unknown, a tension begins to permeate the air and send tendrils to every nerve ending of Loki’s body. A coil tightens in his chest and it becomes nearly unbearable when [Y/N] tentatively walks towards him, her feet careful as they seek out the right path. A few steps before the goal, her hands reach out to locate the Jotun and he has taken them before thinking to stop himself.

Steeling herself with a deep breath, the mortal braves the silence. “This doesn’t mean we’re okay, but...I believe you now.”

“[Y/N] -”

“Shut up.” He does. “I’m trying to say that...that I get it a-and I trust you.”

Loki has no answer. Gaping slightly at her, he tries to come to terms with the woman’s foolishness. Once or twice a sentence nearly forms in his mind only to dissolve before it can be uttered and the task increases in difficulty as she shyly shifts her weight from one leg to the other, toes intertwining as best they can while she bites her lip.

He obviously startles her as he stands. Yet you don’t run, my dear? A shiver rolls through her the moment he embraces the lithe form.

“Oh! Oh, we’re...hugging? Okay, we can hug,” she babbles, unknowingly making the god smile into her hair.

It’s impossible to say how long they stand like this or when [Y/N]’s warm fingertips start a slow dance across his naked back. Then again, time hardly matters as the Jotun pulls back enough to study her face, smelling her hectic breath that fans against his skin.

“Thank you,” he says, but means I think I love you, “you should rest.”

Her hands retreat, and right away Loki misses the scalding touch and the heat of her body as she navigates the darkness to find her own bed.

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