#ticklish!loki

[fluffyfantasticducky]

How to Cure Pains and Heartaches

☆ Pairing: Loki x Reader

☆ Synopsis: After such a bitter end, Loki has no choice but to fade away. To his surprise he awakens in bed where he will be taken care of. Why? What do they want of him? Who's that lovely mortal?

☆ Word Count: 6,266

☆ Notes: Loki being a swooning darling, he's recovering from injuries in a fix it AU where he survives the attack on the Statesman and he gets to live on earth.

☆ Warnings: Mention of Loki's trauma and torture courtesy of the Mad Titan, fuck you Thanos. Mention of gaining weight (but it isn't given a negative conotation).

No one could deny Loki had gone through a lot of stuff, simply his Asgardian nature and the amount of exposure he had had with war from a young age would (rightfully) horrify most Midgardians, plus the pressure of being royalty and the responsibility it demanded with him.

In retrospect, Loki always knew his amount of responsibility were no way near as high as Thor’s, which allowed Loki to get some relief by following his nature as God of Mischief. But still: meetings, war council, royal balls, and in general trying to keep an image of perfection to most of Asgard other than Thor’s group and his parents who truly knew of Loki’s more playful nature, it was quite draining.

And that was before the true horrors.

That one trip to Jotunheim had been the source of over a decade of disgrace. Knowing all that battle would cause, he never would’ve let those three other Jotuns into the vaults of Valaskjalf.

After that, it was tragedy after tragedy. And the worst of them happened in the Sanctuary II.

At first, he thought some bounty hunters had recognized him, given they seem to know who he was, and the only reason they spared his life was because it would be about a matter of time until they’d bargain his life with Odin.

But after several months where he was starved, and his only contact was to be tortured, where the Black Order tore his body apart bit by bit, breaking bones, tearing skin only to throw him back into an isolation cell, where all that kept him together was his pride and the thought that Heimdall could see him and start a rescue mission, thing he learned years later couldn’t be done.

And when he didn’t cave in, they shattered his mind as well, using the Mind Stone on his scepter, giving him no choice but to submit. Everything bad in his life prior to that point seemed to be blissful field trip.

And for many years later he thought he would spend the rest of his life suffering to atone to the horrors he unleashed onto Jotunheim and New York. And by the time the Sanctuary II intercepted the Asgardian escape ship on its way to Earth, and he felt himself fading from reality… nothing had proved him otherwise.

At least he had protected his brother…

…

Who would’ve thought that the next time he opened his eyes he would be laying in a hospital bed, flowers by his ankles and a cervical collar? He had a thousand questions. Where was he? Who brought him there? Why had he been saved? Why couldn’t they let him just die?

Just when he thought it was another round of the same type of torture the Black Order inflicted on him, the door opened… Only about a few hours after waking up, and just in time when his stomach started growling.

The first time he saw you, you felt like a vision. Beautiful and most of it all, kind.

“Loki how are you feeling?” you smiled at him, as you stepped inside the room with a tray of warm food. The smell made his mouth water. “Were you waiting for long? Sorry, I didn’t hear you wake up.”

Loki was quietly staring at you. Not only because his throat was dry, but because he had no idea who you were or what were your intentions.

But you didn’t seem bothered by his silence. You just let out a little chuckle.

“You seem more active today” you smiled, “Usually you can only stay awake for a few seconds. Are you hungry?”

Loki wanted to be proud and say nothing, but his body’s needs were stronger, and a rather loud growl of his stomach gave it away how hungry he was, making his cheeks flare up in embarrassment.

“Don’t worry, I would be hungry too if I hadn’t eaten anything in 5 years” you spoke compassionately, but with a hint of humor.

5 years?!?

“How long have I been here?” he finally spoke, his voice was hoarse beyond recognition, and it hurt to speak.

“Oh, you poor thing, you must be thirsty” you said as you reached his food tray and grabbed a cup of water with a straw and placed it just before his lips. “About your question, a few weeks, a Stark satellite detected a faint life signal and Thor went to find you.”

You spoke in such a humane manner that Loki couldn’t help but lower his guard a bit, and he opened his mouth as you helped him drink.

The water was cold and fresh, it felt so relieving that he couldn’t hold back a sigh when he finished drinking, that only happened when the cup was empty.

You let out a soft giggle at the sight of him. It was then that he recognized you, sort of.

He vaguely remembered your laugh, it was faint, but if he pushed himself to think about it, it was there. He never saw your face, but the sound was familiar, so he concluded it must have been previous visits while he was still unconscious.

It was a pretty sound… innocent, pure.

“You mentioned my brother…” Loki asked. “Is he…?”

As he made his question, you set a table before him and the tray on top of it. It was a huge bowl of soup, and one of mashed potatoes. His stomach growled once again.

“Thor has been visiting you every day practically without exception” you told him. “He talks to you, keeps you updated about his life. Last week he came with Doctor Foster, it seems they started seeing each other again. But we’ve notified him you’re finally awake.”

You sat beside him on the edge of the bed and grabbed the spoon on the tray and started feeding him the soup. It was so warm, and the flavor was rich, that his eyes started watering. What cruel trick was all this kindness? When would this all go South?

His forming tears didn’t go unnoticed, and you cupped his face, your soft fingers caressing his cheeks to clean his tears.

“You don’t have a fever, does it hurt anywhere?” you asked.

“No… I feel per—” he choked on his words, “I feel perfectly fine… all things considered.”

“I’ll monitor your reflex later, but first focus on eating” you said gently. “You need to regain your strength.”

You didn’t have to tell him twice, he was so hungry that if he had had more strength, he would just hold the bowl and chug it all down. By the time he was onto the mashed potatoes he was a lot stronger, the second meal was just as tasty, seasoned just right to make him want to keep eating until his stomach popped.

He even let out a soft little breathy burp, which made you giggle again.

“Don’t eat so fast!” you scolded him with a happy tone.

He found it in himself to laugh softly along with you.

“5 years without food, I remind you” he joked back. “I’ll eat as fast as I can.”

“You were blipped 5 years... you didn’t age a day.”

“Blipped?”

You spent the next few minutes filling him in what had happened. Thanos won, and half of the universal population vanished, for them it was only a few minutes at most… while the rest of the universe aged 5 years. Five years, where everyone thought he was dead, where he was dead.

Now, Loki wanted to cry. The amount of relief that washed over him made him rest back.

“Finally… I’m free…” he sighed. “It’s over… he’s gone…”

He tried covering his eyes when he noticed the sting coming from his left arm, he noticed a cast neatly wrapped around it.

“Your neck injury was the most concerning, but your arm and ankle were badly wounded as well” you explained, and he noticed another cast covering his foot from arch to his ankle. “Although your foot is mostly healed by now.”

He put some attention to his bandaged foot and wiggled his toes, which thank the gods responded perfectly.

“It’s a bit itchy” Loki pointed out.

“I’m pretty sure that’s normal” you chuckled and grabbed a pencil from your pocket, and sneaked it in his cast, and scratched his sole. “Here.”

But the touch, while it somewhat alleviated the itch, it had an unexpected tickly feeling that caused Loki to yelp and jerked his foot back.

“Hehe-hey!” he giggled.

“I’m sorry” you apologized with a soft chuckle.

“You’re lucky I’m too weakened to put a dagger to your throat” Loki spoke, but he noticed he couldn’t get rid of the amusement in his voice.

“Perhaps I should take the chance to really make you laugh then.” You smiled, twirling the pencil on your fingers. “Given you can’t do anything to stop me.”

“Don’t even think about it!” Loki blurted out, “If you even dare to… to…”

He felt his cheeks flush. It had been so long since he had been tickled, it felt silly, plus he was quite vulnerable right now.

“Don’t worry, I won’t do anything to upset you” you assured him, “…yet.”

You let out another soft laugh at the indignation in his face.

“Do you not know the consequences of crossing me?” Loki asked, “Are you that ignorant of the capabilities of the God of Mischief? I have terrorized this realm, Midgard bows before my power! I could finish you with a single hand.”

“What would you get out of it?” you asked bluntly. “You live here now; you would only lose.”

He looked at you and opened his mouth to speak, and then closed it again. Not only was he too weak right now to even keep that threat, but truly besides that little tickle you had been nothing to but kind to him, and even that had been with the intention to help him.

“Do you truly not fear me?” Loki asked after another moment of silence.

“Should I?” you asked with a happy smile.

Perhaps he found that little grin of yours to be too charming, it could be the fact that you had his food and water at your mercy, or it could be the fact that you were a purely friendly presence, which he hadn’t had in… he couldn’t remember for how long. But he truly didn’t want you to be scared of him.

“I suppose not” he finally said.

“Predictable.”

Loki let out a laugh.

“You’re a funny little one” Loki smiled.

Just then a loud noise came in as if something huge was stomping their way through the hall. Which proved to be not far off because soon a large blond figure tumbled onto the door frame.

“Brother…” both Asgardians said in unison.

The older brother’s eyes filled with tears as he rushed to the bed, and with the last self-control he possessed, Thor didn’t tackle the raven haired into a bear hug. Just… collapsed on his knees by the side of his bed.

“You’re awake…” the God of Thunder burst into messy sobs. “…Alive.”

In other times, Loki would’ve found Thor’s reaction ridiculous, mockable, or annoying… but after all they had been through and seeing the streak of his own hair tangled in one of Thor’s braids… he let out a soft sob as he gently reached to place his hand on Thor’s head.

“Ahem!” you cleared your throat to make yourself present. “As long as you’re careful with his neck, you two can hug.”

You smiled and left the room to give them space. Both brothers let out a laugh and Thor cradled his little brother in his arms, supporting his head as if he was a baby as his other hand was squeezing Loki.

“I told you the sun would shine on us again” Loki spoke softly.

“You idiotic, insincere, irresponsible, impulsive, inconsiderate fool!” Thor scolded him, sounding more relieved than anything.

“Oh, good, you ran out of insults that started with an I” Loki laughed.

“I beg you, brother. Never give me a scare like that again” Thor begged.

“In my defense, I didn’t fake it this time” he whispered.

There was an awkward silence as none of the princes knew what to say to each other, there was so much to say, but… where to start?

“I… heard you started seeing Doctor Foster again.”

That made Thor smile as started telling Loki what he had done with his life, how Asgard was doing, which was what finally broke Loki, hearing Asgard managed to live on was that finally burst into tears as he hugged his brother again.

The two brothers talked for hours, and for the first time in years, if not ever, Loki felt the conversation with his brother be purely lighthearted. He was so lost in the chat that it took him hours to notice…

“You’ve gained weight” Loki pointed out.

“Quiet, you imp…” Thor snorted. “It’s been tough these last 5 years.”

“I… did not mean to be judgmental” Loki assured him. “It just… I’ve been out for so long…”

“Well, don’t get used to this, I’m already exercising again, and I’m renouncing to beer… aside from social events” Thor said happily.

“Oh? I didn’t know you drank” Loki tilted his head. “But… good for you.”

Thor’s face darkened, making Loki immediately regret his comment.

“It was… Very rough five years…” Thor said again. “I suppose time wasn’t kind on me.”

Loki felt a pang of guilt settle on his chest, after Ragnarök he truly had no intention to pull another stunt like that. For once, he had every intention to stick by Thor’s side.

But at the time the Sanctuary II intercepted their ship, all Loki could think was protecting Thor. Because he knew that if anything happened to his brother, no one else would’ve had a fighting chance against the Mad Titan. But he had been reckless.

“I— I’m sorry brother…” Loki apologized, and Thor smiled at him. “How’s Asgard?”

“It’s been difficult as you may imagine… but, you know… us Asgardians are stubborn, we’ve managed.” Thor smile. “Little Asgard is thriving!”

“Oh, I’m painfully aware, you’re all a nightmare” Loki joked, making Thor laugh again.

Despite his sarcasm, something in the way Thor said us Asgardians made Loki smile, by now Thor knew very well his true nature, and yet he still treated him as one of his own, like his brother, maybe not bound by blood, but by something stronger.

The conversation kept going until Loki’s stomach growled in hunger, but by then the sun had set a while ago. And it didn’t take long after when you had stepped in the room with a tray of food and Thor excused himself for the night.

The meals were simple and soft for a good while, porridge, broths and soups, sauce-less pastas, yogurts, Jello, but having a pretty mortal such as yourself literally feeding him and tending to his every whim made his recovery quite pleasant. Especially when he started eating solid foods again and the meals were a lot tastier.

“You’re healing quite fast,” you told him as you checked monitored his ribs for any soreness. “I’ve heard injuries usually take maybe 3 or 4 times longer to heal. …In the best of circumstances, but Stephen said your bones are practically all healed now.”

“If someone can pull out a miracle like that, a god should be the right place to go” he joked as he kept holding his shirt up so you could.

“That’s fair, also having the best doctors and technology at our disposal helps, doesn’t it?” you quipped.

“Do not underestimate my divinity, mortal” he said dramatically.

“Oh, yes, forgive me, your godly-ness…” you bowed just as dramatically.

“You’ve been gaining weight” you said as you prodded your stomach.

He let out a yelp.

“Rude” he said cheekily.

“No, I mean, you were practically nothing but skin and bones when we found you” you assured him, “I mean you seem healthier now. You must be in your healthy weight again by now.”

“Do not flatter me” Loki smirked.

“Flatter you?” you gasped out a laugh. “Nonsense, it’s been my care the reason you no longer look like a malnourished cat!”

He did not expect you to start prodding and squeezing his belly, instantly causing him to burst out laughing. Curse his gut for being this vulnerable to your playful fingers.

“Nohohohoho! Don’t!” he whined between cackles. “Stohohohop!”

“Oh my god!” you laughed and gave him a small breather “I didn’t even have to do anything… But if you insist…”

“W-What…? Insist…?”

“I won’t stop…”

“W-What? N-No! PLEHEHEHEASE! NO! STOP!” Loki begged despite his pride, but the way you kept squeezing his belly, giving his skin soft pinches made him wheeze out shaky laughter was too much. “NOT MY— NOHOHOHOHOHO!”

You started focusing on the patch of skin around his belly button, which surprisingly enough was even more ticklish than his navel itself. He started digging his heels onto the mattress as he arched and squirmed on the bed.

“Okay, okay!” you squeaked out as you grabbed his ankle, forgetting your playful attack, to settle him back on bed. “Easy there… you’ll hurt your foot again.”

He was more focused on catching breath, but he still felt you helping him stretch and move his ankle to check if he hadn’t hurt himself in the middle of his squirming.

“You’re… huff… huff… the worst nurse…” he groaned.

“Ask for another nurse who can deal with you” you chuckled as you gently tickled his sole making him let out a giggle.

You weren’t exactly part of the medical team, but after everything that had happened, the Avengers were understaffed, and every task that Tony’s technology couldn’t fill in were done by the Avengers themselves, his brother and Maximoff twins helped with cleaning, Bruce and Clint cooked, Tony handled the finances (in more than just been the Compound’s sponsor), and so and so.

You were a lab assistant, although, not in the medical field. Yet, given your friendly nature and bond with the God of Thunder, Thor himself had entrusted you to look after his most precious thing, his little brother. But under normal circumstances, you’d be working with chemicals or mechanics by the side of your mentors and the Spiderling.

Although now, you had been tasked solely to look after Loki, given no one else was capacitated to deal with him and you seemed to understand each other, and Loki even had friendly interactions with you. Or well, friendly for Loki.

“Get up!” you whined pulling him by his healthy arm.

“I don’t want to” Loki protested.

“Why not?” you huffed defeatedly as you let go of him.

“I don’t exactly feel excited to be sat on a cold table to be prodded and squeezed and all to get stabbed.”

“Injections aren’t the same as getting stabbed, you big baby” you laughed, as you poked his sides, causing Loki to jump and swat your hand away.

“It’s a sharp metal piercing my skin, isn’t it?” he defended himself as he crossed his arm across his chest. “Call me a baby if you please, but it doesn’t excite me being pierced by your tiny blades.”

“L-Loki… are you afraid of needles?” you asked with an amused smile, he could tell by your tone that you were holding back laughter.

“I am not!” he scoffed.

“Oh! You are!” you smiled immensely.

“Is this funny to you?”

“N-No… Don’t worry, it’s cute. I used to fear needles too, you know, when I was five.” You grinned.

Loki’s ears perked up.

“That was a lie” he smiled cockily.

“What?”

“That’s a lie” he repeated himself. “You either still fear them or just recently stopped doing so.”

“Wha— that’s…” your cheeks turning pink were the last tell.

“God of Lies, don’t bother denying it. I can tell when some lies to me” he grinned triumphantly. “Don’t worry, it’s cute.”

You huffed as you smacked the back of his hand.

“And here I was going to tell you my trick to control my nerves” you huffed.

“Which is…?” Loki asked, partly to tease you, but deep down actually wanting to know.

You shuffled through your bag and pull-out headphones and handed them to him. Loki forced himself to ignore the way your hand brushed against his when you handed them to him.

“Just close your eyes and listen to some music” you smiled, “it helps with a lot of things. But if you need to you can hold my hand and squeeze it if you get scared.”

He smiled at you. “Thank you.”

“Tell you what, if you’re brave, I’ll make sure you have your favorite ice cream for dessert today. How does that sound?” you offered.

“I’m not a child you can’t bribe like that” Loki rolled his eyes, “… Two bowls.”

You nodded and helped him get up and walk to get his check up and vaccine. Given how long he had been in bed, he was still doing some rehab and needed help to walk longer distances.

And he did take your word and held your hand all the time, although he did notice it was you who squeezed his hand when the needle came out. He had even forgotten to put on the headphones by the time the needle was out. And you did keep your word of spoiling him with his favorite ice cream.

“The second bowl is gonna melt, so you might as well eat it with me…” he mumbled between bites.

In a few months Loki was practically fully recovered and soon he was starting his rehab trainings. And of course, he had already picked a sparring partner.

“Do not go easy on me” Loki stated the first time.

“Oh, you like it rough then?” you grinned as you two circled around each other on the sparring mat. “Duly noted.”

He was not one new to flirtatious exchanges. He had been alive for over a millennium, and he had had plenty lovers before. But for some reason your banter made him flustered and tied his tongue into a knot.

“If I wanted it rough, I’d pick literally anyone else, agent” Loki excused himself. “You couldn’t take me if you tried.”

“Couldn’t I?” you grinned, noticing his cheeks flare up.

Damn you, you tenacious and annoyingly perceptive little thing.

“In a fight, you pest” Loki huffed.

“Ah, bummer” you smiled cheekily.

And while it was true that your human strength wasn’t a match for his regular god-like standards, you actually provided an interesting challenge. Besides, he was still recovering so using his full strength wasn’t an option anyway. You were fast, and you jumped around him like a rabbit and landed the softest blows as he spun around you trying to follow or even read your patterns.

“What’s wrong, is the mighty God of Mischief unable to catch up?” you smiled as you poked his ribs lightly before sneaking away.

You didn’t expect Loki to yelp.

“D-Don’t!”

Your face was puzzled for just a second, but as soon as it had happened, you had put two and two together and grinned in an almost cartoonish way.

“I think this training just became more fun” you smile as you poked him again.

“Do not even think about it!” he huffed, as a nervous smile twitched its way into his lips.

“What happened to not go easy on you? I’m just obeying.” you grinned and started chasing him after.

The way you wiggled your fingers with a mischievous in his direction awoke something primally playful. And as a bright smile appeared on his face, he started running away from you.

“You will never catch me!” he called as he ran.

You laughed and ran after him.

He would never admit it out loud, but the way he felt in that moment was rejuvenating, he hadn’t done something so silly and non-transcendent purely for the sake that it was fun. But you were ditching training to chase him around under the threat of tickling him if you caught him. All for the sake of playing with him like a kid despite both of you being young adults. And even more surprising is that Loki found himself eager to play along, even if the idea of getting tickled made him nervous.

Which… eventually did happen, curse his weakened stamina and aching ankle. That day he also learned to fear when you threatened him with tickles, you were devastating when you wanted to be.

“Nohohoho!” he laughed as your fingers dug onto his stomach. “This is ehehehe cruel!”

By the time you had caught up with him you had already reached the living room and he had tumbled onto the couch.

“Oh my gosh, you’re so ticklish!” you giggle, your finger swirling around his navel.

“Ehehehehe! Get away from there!” he laughed.  “Oh Norns! Stop it!”

“C’mon, Loki, you’re a big guy, you can take it!” you giggled and kneaded his belly sides with your fingers with terrifying skill.

But you were kind enough to give him a break.

“Gods abohohohohove, I’m begging you, dove!” he whined. “Don’t torturehehehehe me like this!”

But it somehow served to strengthen your bond. Loki already had a good concept of you, you were a kind and generous person. You were one of the few people he could’ve called a friend. But seeing you weren’t completely disciplined and were willing to break schedule to have mindless fun was relieving. He feared that living in a S.H.I.E.L.D. building would mean they expected him to become a soldier.

So, he started looking for you out of the designated times you had together. He had come to really like to come and annoy you when you were working, playing with your pencils, hiding your stuff, and of course tickling you to distract you when he was craving your attention… which happened pretty often.

“Lohohohoki!” you whined. “I’m wohohorking!”

“I’m not saying you should stop” he grinned as he skittered his fingers along your ribs and sides, just gently scratching over your thin shirt. “Take this as a test of your focus.”

“Nohohohoho, Loki!” you wheezed. “Ihihihit’s so bahahahad! Stohohohop ihihit!”

“Mm~ I’m not sure” he purred in your ear, knowing damn well how much it made you curl up in a ball. “I kinda like hearing the noises you make, they’re… what’s the word? Cute~”

You screeched as you hid your face with your hands, muffling your laughter. Norns, you were so precious. He may have been teasing you when he said you were cute, but he meant it.

You were a lovely company, helping him heal by doing his routines and rehabilitation regimes, while he reviewed the files regarding New Asgard. You massaged his healing ankle while Loki read the documents that were handed to him.

“This is absolutely atrocious!” Loki scoffed smacking the files. “What is this, Infinity Conez? Who approved this? Look at this! Thanos getting the Infinity Stones is a universal tragedy, but to my people more than anyone!”

“Well, that’s why Thor created the New Asgard Council” you reminded him. “He gets help ruling Asgard, and Asgard gets a group of capable people leading them. You have voice and vote.”

“They will hear about this” Loki said firmly. “I will not allow my people to see that when they go to the market! That’s just disrespectful and heartless!”

“I agree with that” you nodded. “I’d be hurt to see something that traumatic turned into an attraction, there must be a better way to make an ice cream store. What about B-Ice Frost?”

“B-Ice Frost?” Loki asked.

“Yeah! A rainbow bridge themed ice cream store that actually gives a nod to your culture” you suggested. “The logo could an ice cream cone with rainbow sprinkles.”

“Hmm, I’ll notify that suggestion,” Loki nodded as he wrote it down. “Thank you.”

Months into knowing each other and spending a ridiculous amount of time together, and Loki started noticing how being around you boosted his mood, he couldn’t stop thinking about certain details about you, like the way you played with your hands when you were nervous, or how you scrunched up your nose slightly when you smiled at him, how your eyes sparkled when you were assigned a new project you had been excited for, the butterflies in his belly when you placed your hands on him even to greet him or help him stretch before training. And…

Oh Gods… he was falling in love with you.

For a while he didn’t know what to do with himself. He tried carrying himself normally. But it was overwhelming the way he felt about you, it took one look in your direction, and he felt his heart racing. Trying to avoid you didn’t work either, because his entire being craved being around you, so that didn’t last too long. So, at some point, he stopped fighting it. He knew there was no way a being as good as you would even look in his direction, he was a monster, who had done unforgivable things to your planet.

Surely, your kindness had a limit. Surely, once he was fully healed, you’d forget about him. In fact, Loki feared the day he’d be considered fully recovered and you’d abandon him.

“C’mon, lazybones. We’re late for training” you grinned as you pulled him from the couch.

“I do not feel like training today” Loki yawned as he stretched out his arms to you as an invitation to hug him. “Why don’t we watch a movie? You can choose.”

The way your resolve faltered was beyond endearing. Even if you two weren’t anything, it was common knowledge you were what they called a cuddle bug.

“Loki… it’s important you do your rehab exercises” you said softly.

“I am not in the mood for training” Loki repeated.

“Oh, is that how it is?” you said in a playful yet menacing tone. “I’ll have to persuade you then.”

“What? N-No! D-dohohon’t!” Loki burst out laughing when he felt your fingers over his belly. “Nohohoho! Not thehehehehere!”

“Get up!” you teased him as your fingers pinched the sides of his stomach.

“I don’t wahahahant to!” Loki laughed as he kicked the cushions with his heels. “I’m comfortable hehehehere!”

“It’s important you do your exercises, it’s part of your rehab!” you insisted. “C’mon, doctor’s orders.”

“I dohohohon’t follow a mortal’s— ahaha orders!” he wheezed when you found that damned spot below his navel.

“Then I’m not stopping, you’ll spend the evening as a giggly wiggly worm.”

He had to give you something, you knew exactly how to make him squirm. His hips were bucking trying to stop you and his hands were pushing your wrist, but he wasn’t used to dealing with a normal human’s strength, so he didn’t want to risk hurting you.

“Pleahahahase! Cut it— OW!”

Immediately you jolted and stop everything you were doing, cupping your hands over your mouth and looking at him horrified.

“Are you okay? Did I hurt you?” you asked.

“Yes, I’m quite alright. My back aches… that is all.” He assured you as he sat back up.

“I’m sorry, I should’ve been more careful, you’re still recovering.”

“Oh no, the back pain has been with me for quite a few years already” he said, wanting to ease your conscious.

“What…?”

“Well, yes. The Black Order aren’t exactly kind when they force you into their lines.” Loki said simply. “The pain comes back every so often.”

“I’m sorry…” you look at him. “Can I help?”

“Unfortunately, there’s nothing you could d—”  

You surprised him by sitting behind him and started rubbing his shoulders, softly at first, feeling him.

“No wonder you are sore, you’re stiff like a board” you said feeling around his spine, soon starting to add more pressure.

He let out a few groans, it hurt a bit at first as you undid the knots of stress of his shoulders. He sighed as he soon felt himself slipping away.

“C’mere” you spoke with utmost softness, as you helped Loki rest on his stomach just to keep massaging his back. “Hehe, you take up most of the couch, I kinda forget how tall you are sometimes.”

“Sorry…” he yawned no even filtering his thoughts.

“It’s okay” you said amusedly, “it’s not a bad thing.”

Your hands rubbed his back with gentle and caring touch. You were so kind and meticulous. Your skill might be up for debate, you were good, but someone much pickier could argue there were professional masseuse that were much better. Perhaps that was true, but no one else had touched him so lovingly, so selflessly. You took your time, and he even noticed every so often you stopped to stretch your fingers that grew tired, but you didn’t complain, you didn’t stop.

He didn’t know when or for how long, but when he woke up you were still massaging your back.

“You snore when you sleep” you spoke in the softest voice, he didn’t want to get his hopes up, but you seemed endeared. “Had a nice nap?”

“Probably the best nap I’ve had since I was maybe 150 years old.” He said, letting out a chuckle at your confusion. “I was still a toddler by then.”

“I’m glad… you really seemed like you needed it” you said softly. “Do you feel better?”

He let out a yawn and stretch, rolling over on his back to look at you.

“Much better, thank you” he smiled politely.

“No problem…” you said with a shyness that was unfamiliar for him, he even got to see the pleasure to see a lovely blush adorning your cheeks. “Um… w-well… I’ll go to… you know…”

“Ah, of course…” he muttered as he saw you run off.

He was a little bit disappointed, but he tried not to think too much about your attitude for the sake of his sanity. Of course, he failed. It was the only thing he could think about

It made him build up the courage to go out for town and buy a bouquet. He thought about red roses, but he saw a bouquet of violets and purple sweet peas and white roses, he just knew that was the one.

He even used his phone for a change to ask you to meet him in the compounds garden, he hated using his cellphone. He had asked Banner to let him use his therapy flower greenhouse. He calculated the hour for the prettiest sky colors to ensure a romantic setting for his love declarations.

Minutes earlier his heart was thumping so loud it was drumming in his ears. He felt his mouth dry, and he was sweaty.

“Loki?” he finally heard your voice as you walked in.

“Over here!” he called as he set his bouquet, behind him, barely hiding it behind himself. “H-Hi… Thanks for coming.”

“No problem” you smiled. “I didn’t know you wanted to try Bruce’s gardening therapy. That’s really good.”

“N-No… I— Uh… I just wanted to… have some privacy.”

“Oh?” you asked as you sat behind him.

“I just… wanted to uh, give you this… as a thank you” Loki said, handing you the bouquet. “You’ve been exceedingly kind to me for months, helping me heal, keeping me in check, and that massage the other day… it really helped me feel better.”

“It’s been my pleasure. You’ve been a lovely patient” you said sweetly as you smelled the flowers.

“T-That’s not the only reason why I wanted to… see you here…” Loki barely spoke out, his mouth felt dry, and he felt lightheaded. “You’ve been a delightful company and a wonderful friend… I can’t say that about a lot of people, and probably even less can say the same thing about myself…”

“That’s not true.” You cut him off. “You’re funny, well-mannered, smart, educated, charmingly stubborn, and a stimulating company. There’s not a boring moment with you around.”

Loki’s cheeks flushed at your sweet words, you weren’t even trying to, but his heart fluttered.

“T-That’s why I mean, you are… a— uh… this is ah— not easy to say… but you… um… I appreciate you.”

“I like you too, you’re a lovely friend” you said sweetly.

“N-No… I am not trying to be friendly” Loki said in a quick gasp of courage. “I-I would like to f-formally court you.”

“Court me…?”

“I think here on Midgard it’s addressed as dating…” Loki said, bracing himself for rejection.

“I’d love to.”

“What…?” Loki asked.

“I’d love to go out with you” you said, gently kissing his cheek.

Loki grinned happily.

“Tomorrow at 8?” Loki offered, “I— we could go to a nice restaurant, I’ll take you there. I could ask for a chauffeur to take us… we— we could…”

You surprised him with a little poke on the ribs, that cut him off with the urge to giggle.

“8 is perfect, I’ll drive us to wherever you like” you smiled, “Just pick a restaurant. But, how about tonight I take you for a nice dinner inside and a movie on the lounge room?”

“I’d like that, very much” Loki smiled softly as he pressed his forehead against yours.

He saw you intertwine your fingers with his own, causing him to smile. You lovely thing. It was a lovely sensation. As you pulled him up to his feet, so he’d follow you inside. Which he did with a bright smile.

What a lovely life he had found on Earth.

| MASTERPOST |

#marvel tickles #marvel fluff #loki laufeyson #ticklish!loki #lee!loki #ler!reader #loki x reader #loki tickle #loki fluff #ducky writes tickles

[supermarvel-fics]

Tickletober Day 25: Teasing

fandom: marvel

word count: 680

pairing: loki x reader (platonic)

summary: you tease Loki in the same way he teased you and he does NOT like it.

author's note: sorry this one's late, too. I've been so unmotivated lately.

“You do realize that escaping me in inevitable…” Loki stated in that deep, growling voice of his. It wasn’t a question. He was telling you how this was going to go. You’d be a fool not to feel intimidated by his words. “I will catch you one way or another.”

You backed away from him, elbows already glued to your sides at the mere thought of what he was threatening to do to you. “You know, this really isn’t fair. I’m a mortal and you’re a God. The playing field is not very level here!”

“Oh, so you have no problem mouthing off when we’re scheduled to spar, but then I find out you’re ticklish and all of a sudden my strength against yours isn’t fair?” Loki raised an eyebrow as he stalked closer to you, a smug grin on his face. He knew he had you.

“It’s different!” You shouted, wincing as your back hit the wall. Loki was on you in the milliseconds your guard had been down, swiftly pulling you forward and spinning you around so that your back was flush against his chest.

Loki splayed his fingers wide across your ribcage as he whispered in your ear, “I don’t think so.” Boisterous laughter ripped from your throat as Loki vibrated his fingers into your ribs. He chuckled darkly as you jolted and practically folded in half to block him. “You are quite ticklish for a mortal.”

“I-HI HATE YOHOHOU!”

Loki dug into the soft skin of your belly and you screeched, your legs failing to hold you up any longer. He gently guided you down to the floor, pinning you down with little to no effort. He pinched at your sides, smiling endearingly down at your bubbly giggles.

“Come now, I’m sure you can fight your way out of this,” Loki teased you. You shook your head, hiccupping for air through your laughter. Loki paused his attack immediately, grabbing your wrists in his hands and pinning them to the floor. “How adorable—just some wiggling of my fingers makes you lose all sense of coherency.”

You grunted, attempting to pull your arms out of his grip. After a few seconds, you relaxed, breathing deeply to evaluate the position you were in. The way he had you pinned was similar to a hold you were familiar with how to escape.

“Have you always been this ticklish, agent? I mean—”

As Loki got lost in his monologue, you swung your legs up, crossing them around his neck and pushing him down onto his back. He promptly let go of your wrists and you sat up to quickly pin him in the same way beneath you.

“All talk and no bite,” You taunted. “And what about you, Loki? Are you ticklish?”

Before he could even protest, you scratched at his belly, surprised to hear a surprised yelp and some giggles come from his mouth. You didn’t let up, only tickling him harder and faster, moving up to his ribs to get a better reaction.

“L-eheh-LET GO OF ME THIHIS INSTANT!”

Smirking, you responded with a fake accent, “You are quite ticklish… for a God.”

Loki’s cheeks grew red as he laughed, embarrassed that his own words were being used against him. “Yohou w-eheh-hill pahay for this, yohou insolent wrehehetch!”

“How adorable! A giggling God,” You chuckled, moving up and down his torso to evade his hands trying to grapple for yours. Loki growled at the reciprocation of your tease and twisted harshly underneath you to throw you off balance. You fell onto your side and it was only seconds before you felt ten fingers squeezing mercilessly at the side exposed to him.

“AHHHAHAH!” You screamed, curling into a ball. It did no good—Loki had you exactly where he wanted you.

“Regretting all those words now, I’m certain. Let’s see just how long you can last.”

Loki tickled you for what felt like hours, throwing in verbal teases every so often which unfortunately only made you laugh harder. But you filed them all away for future use. You’d be getting him back.

#marvel #marvel tickle #mcu #tickle prompts #tickle fic #lee!reader #ticklish!reader #ler!loki #lee!loki #ticklish!loki #loki tickle #loki laufeyson #loki #loki x reader #augtickletober2022 #tickletober prompts #tickletober2022

[tickle-bugs]

Hellooo! If prompts are still open can I request some ticklish loki? :) maybe the prompt “ you’re not ticklish? Really now? Lets see about that”

Or somethin, feel free to improvise :))) teehee

Thank you so much!

In Fond Memory

Summary: As an analyst, Mobius's knowledge of Loki comes from stale sets of data. He wants to know more about his partner. Loki decides to take them on a tour of his memories...to interesting results. Pre-relationship to confessing Lokius!

This got wildly out of hand. We're a little over 6k words. Not super happy with this fic, but I'd been sitting on it for too long to start over. Have the long-simmering origin story of Loki's eighth rib lmao.

The TVA cafeteria is chilled and reliably empty when Mobius and Loki take their lunch break. As usual, the break consists of Loki watching Mobius eat--both lamenting his agonizing pace and soaking in his company. 

“I know nothing about you.” Mobius takes a thoughtful bite of his salad. His non-sequiturs phase Loki less and less these days. They make an interesting pair, he thinks--a fallen god burdened with caring and a mustached auditor who speaks only in riddles. 

“I thought you knew everything about me.” Loki huffs. 

“More like bits and pieces. I know little factoids. What makes you tick.” Mobius points at Loki with his fork, a tomato skewered on the end. 

“So then you know what you need?” Loki plucks the tomato off the fork and pops it in his mouth. It crunches beautifully. 

“Well, I mean, I’d like to know more. If a certain someone would like to share with the class.” Mobius replaces the stolen tomato with a pointed stare. 

“You are terrible at asking for what you want.” Loki steals a crouton from Mobius’s salad. 

“Yeah? Pot, meet kettle,” Mobius chuckles, wiping his hands. Loki smiles, but the thought rattles around in his brain. Mobius makes so much noise, truly. Noise about morals and fixing things, about proving himself better than the TVA believes him to be--useless, frivolous noise. 

Compelling noise.

“Fine.” Loki sniffs. He holds out his open hand. 

“Fine…What?” Mobius raises his eyebrows. 

“Your TemPad.” Loki wiggles his fingers insistently. Mobius stares at him, clearly calculating the risk, and then slides his TemPad into the waiting palm. Loki balances the weight of his past smoothly in one hand--he’d expected the TemPad to fall heavier with a sense of occasion. He frowns at it.

These little reminders that he’s not special—significant, really…they start to grate on him after a while. 

“You don’t have to do this, Loki.” Mobius’s voice is worn smooth by something like fondness. It’s compelling to the cowardice still within him, but Mobius will stop looking at him like that if he doesn’t at least try. 

Loki fiddles with the device until the clock hands on Ms. Minutes’s digital face spin rapidly backwards. A portal of orange light opens beside the table. 

“Shall we?” Loki gestures. He can’t quite make eye contact. 

…….

They stride through the door to Old Asgard’s throne room in all its glittering glory, when its majesty seemed untouchable by the whims of war and time. Mobius gapes at the high ceilings and intricate stonework with a wide grin. It’s cute, stupidly so, but then the grand doors open yet again and Loki’s hackles raise.

He pulls Mobius behind one of the grand pillars and puts his finger to his lips. 

“They can’t see us, Loki. It’s a memory—“

Loki clamps a hand over Mobius’s mouth. Mobius rolls his eyes. He’s right, of course he is, but the survivalist in him can’t take the risk. Not with Odin. 

A younger Loki, toothy and tiny, races up to Asgard’s great throne. He stops before the giant steps, cradling something in a bright red cloth. Odin heaves a great sigh. 

“Father, look! I got my spell to work!” Young Loki carefully holds up the bundle. The fabric falls away to reveal a bulbous little frog with stark blue eyes. It blinks each eye separately.

“What is this?” Odin looks down upon the creature with disdain. 

“It’s Thor.” Young Loki beams. The frog leaps onto his shoulder, then his head, and ribbits triumphantly. He laughs. 

“Bring my son back to me at once!” Odin hisses fiercely. 

“But—“

“Now!” Odin’s shout still tears something open in Loki all these years later. He flinches back into Mobius. The younger Loki does the same, but there’s no one to hold him. 

With a shaky voice, he murmurs an incantation and folds Frog Thor back into the fabric. He tosses the bundle ahead of him and, in a flash of green, a young and shiny Thor stumbles on newly human legs. He’s shorter--still taller than Loki, as he always was--and rounder in the cheeks, but he’s the unmistakable spitting image of his father. His cape, no longer frog-sized, unfurls to brush his ankles. 

“Woo! Loki, that was awesome!” Thor cheers. He pulls young Loki in for a sweeping, spinning hug. His boyish giggles are infectious--soon young Loki joins in, clinging to his brother to keep from falling. 

“Get out.” Odin seethes. The throne room doors slam open, echoing his command. 

“Father--” Thor tries, but one icy look from Odin silences him. He immediately bends the knee, so small that his cape nearly swallows him whole. Young Loki looks at him in disbelief, but when he reaches for his brother, Odin clasps his gloved hand around the shaft of Gungnir, the Spear of Heaven. 

Young Loki stumbles backwards, then flees, scrambling right by his older self without a thought. Loki turns his eye to Odin, the golden sack of shit, and scowls. 

“Come,” Loki says hollowly, following himself outside. He doesn’t look back. He knows Mobius is with him. 

He walks the familiar grounds but the stone doesn’t remember him. The sky is too bright, the torches too warm--this is a childhood preserved in amber. It’s too clear to be real. He passes his hand through the braziers, bitterly amused by the way the flame clings to his fingers. It’s not hot. 

Loki finds his younger self exactly where he expects him to be—no amount of years could erase that instinct to hide, to wait, to be forgotten until he could emerge again. The child is tucked between a pillar and one of the giant braziers, his dark clothes lending themselves as camouflage. 

Young Loki didn’t have that fire in him, yet. The scorn of being lesser. He was still naive, still thought Odin’s love was a real, attainable thing. 

“Loki?” Frigga approaches. Loki looks up at his mother’s face for the first time in years, but she peers directly through him. He steps aside as she approaches his younger self. When the child doesn’t answer, she crouches in front of him. It’s unbecoming of a Queen, but she’d never cared much about that. 

“What’s wrong, darling?” Frigga takes his younger copy’s face into her hands. She wipes away his tears with her thumbs and his skin briefly shimmers its natural blue. 

“Father, he…” Young Loki shakes his head, retreats further. “I upset him.”

“Oh.” She swipes more tears from his face. “Let us spend the day together, hm? I have new tricks to show you.”

The child allows his mother to lead him away, down onto the giant lawn beneath the terrace. Loki watches them go, the bitter sting of grief still raw, even after all this time. 

“My mother was…is everything to me.” Loki sniffs. He can’t tear his eyes away from her. It’s selfish to miss her, but he’s a selfish wretch. 

“She seems like a wonderful woman.” Mobius’s hand is warm on Loki’s shoulder. He leans into it. 

“Extraordinary. There’s no one like her.” He leads them over to a bench on the terrace, one that overlooks the most spectacular view of the palace lawns and waters beyond. He watches his younger self fling bursts of magic back and forth with his mother. 

“Can I ask you a silly question?” Mobius turns to face Loki better. Loki raises his brow. 

“Are you still…blue? Under here?” Mobius gestures at Loki’s face. “I’m not too sure about how this magic stuff works. It’s fascinating.”

Loki barks out an embarrassing laugh and does his best to rein it in, but surprise still leaves him chuckling. Mobius looks at him like…well, he’s not entirely sure what that look is. No one’s looked at him so softly before. 

“I was raised Asgardian, but the nature of changing forms is…fickle. Do it too much and you lose sight of where you start.” He turns his hand over, back and forth, and his skin glimmers blue. Mobius takes his hand, wrinkling his nose slightly at the cold. 

“That’s awful wise of you.” Mobius squeezes his fingers. 

“I like to think I have my moments.” Loki smiles. Mobius holds out the TemPad to him. Loki pushes a few things on it, opening another portal. They step through it with lighter hearts. 

…

What greets them is not the stale brutalism and dizzying expanse of the TVA cafeteria, but the very same terrace, gleaming in summer sun.

“Okay, so this…isn’t headquarters.” Mobius gestures. Loki scowls. He presses a bunch of buttons at random. The machine beeps at him. The animated Ms. Minutes icon sticks her tongue out at him. He scoffs. 

“I noticed.” He slaps the TemPad into Mobius’s hands. Mobius stares at him, plainly amused, and Loki scowls harder. 

“Well? Fix it.” Loki turns towards the lawn to lessen the weight of Mobius’s gaze.

A great shout rings out across the green, utterly unmistakeable, and Loki runs up to the terrace railing. Sif and the Warriors Three mill about on the lawn, their chatting only perceptible by Volstagg’s loud and grating laughter. 

“Brothers, please. I need some help!” Thor’s voice cuts clear and desperate through the air. He can’t be far past coming of age--he’s taken on all those distinctive features that won’t budge as he grows. His hair sweeps his shoulders the same way his cape sweeps his ankles. He supports a drooping teenage Loki as they stumble towards the trio. 

On the terrace, Loki’s eyes widen. He squints at where Thor is hauling his younger self--yep, the little shit is definitely alive and well. Which means only one thing. 

“What’s all the commotion?” Mobius shades his eyes from the sun and looks out towards the fields. 

“Did you fix it?” Loki snaps impatiently, gesturing for the TemPad. 

“Hm?” Mobius blinks. “Yeah. What’s happenin’ down there, though?”

Loki snatches the TemPad and punches in whatever he can. A wave of orange energy ripples over and through them with a loud woosh. Loki opens his eyes to….

The same field. The same day. He’s actually managed to put them forward in time. Just splendid. 

“Get help!” Thor spins and launches his Loki like a shotput. He barrels straight through Sif and Fandral. Their mingled screams of surprise and displeasure ring out. Thor cackles, doubling over, as Sif chases Loki around the field. 

On the terrace, Loki buries his rapidly heating face in his hands. Mobius snickers up a storm beside him. He leans into him for support. 

“Get help?” Mobius wheezes, eyes wet with mirth. Loki’s chest flutters and his face progresses into full redness. 

“It was…a phase. An ill-advised distraction--”

“Seems to me like you used it plenty. One of your variants did that with Thor on Sakaar.” Mobius wipes his eyes and flicks the tears away, grin still splitting his face in two. 

“Shut up.” Loki groans into his hands until silence falls. He can feel Mobius’s keen eyes on the side of his face. He hopes for a random bolt of lightning to put him out of his misery. 

“You’ve changed, y’know.” Mobius bumps their shoulders together. 

“Have I?” Loki drawls, mostly unamused. The sincerity on Mobius’s face makes it hard to keep up the act. 

“You willingly showed me an embarrassing memory! You’ve changed plenty.” 

“I wouldn’t say…willingly,” Loki grumbles, rolling his eyes. 

“You and I both know you can fight a lot harder than that. This is growth, Loki. It’s good for ya.” Mobius pats his shoulder. Loki hums in acknowledgment.

“Careful, Mobius. I might start to think you’re fond of me.” Loki smiles teasingly. 

“Well, we can’t have that, can we?” Mobius chuckles and squeezes his shoulder. “Let’s get outta here.”

…

Another flash of orange, another failure to return to the TVA. Loki contains the urge to scream. 

“Where are we now?” Mobius puts his hands on his hips. 

“…I don’t know.” Loki frowns, turning in place. 

“That’s generally not good.” Mobius quips. Loki makes a snarky, incoherent noise at him as he takes in their surroundings.

Vaulted wood ceilings, immaculate stone walls, and green silks welcome them. Atop a giant fireplace, a regal painting of Loki leers at them, foxlike and empty-eyed. He cringes and turns away from it. He briefly considers throwing himself down on the green velvet divan and smothering himself in the throw pillows. 

“We’re on Asgard, certainly, and this is my room, but….” 

The doors fly open of their own accord and the hearth flares. A brunette with a strong build strides through the doors, their fingertips dripping with red motes of light. They’re clad in reds reminiscent of the magic--flowing fabrics gathered neatly under bits of strong leather armor. With a twist of their wrist, the leather breastplate falls away and arranges itself on a stand, right next to a stand with his own armor on it. 

“Who is this handsome devil?” Mobius raises his eyebrows and elbows Loki, but he is far too windswept at the sight of them. 

“Signy,” Loki breathes. 

“Who?” Mobius furrows his brow. 

The doors fly open yet again. A past version of Loki enters in similar dramatic fashion. It’s uncanny to see himself like this. Signy turns their gaze sharply towards him. The fire once again flares in the hearth. 

“Hello, darling.” Signy purrs, pulling Past Loki in for a kiss. They drink him in possessively, as if he’s going to evaporate without their claiming touch. He leans into it as much as he can without drowning. When they pull apart, they murmur to one another, low enough for the fire to swallow their words. 

“Ah, I see.” The bitterness in Mobius’s tone pushes Loki to clarify. 

“They were wonderful, but their jealousy often got to them. For all our happiness, we made each other worse over time.” Loki whispers conspiratorially, but Mobius doesn’t seem entertained. 

Signy and his past self begin to raise their voices, yelling at each other in an incomprehensible tumble of Asgardian. Mobius’s brow knits in concern. 

“Were you always this…loud?” Mobius frowns. Loki swallows the joke he wants to make.

“Like I said, we made each other worse. Much worse. We were betrothed all of two months before they tried to assassinate me.” Loki pulls back his shirt collar to reveal a thin, curved scar on his neck. 

“Assassinate—what?” Mobius touches it and Loki shivers. 

“It’s fine, Mobius. My Signy had naught but poison in their soul. This one seems…kinder.” Loki watches as they take his past self’s hands to stop him from wringing his tunic. 

“How is that fine—“ 

Their voices escalate into a tumble of shouting. Concern morphs into frustration and confusion. Why does Mobius even care? It happened, he survived, whatever—

A flash of movement out of the corner of his eye. His past self is…staring at him.

Loki squints at his past self and he squints back. Loki looks over his shoulder, then back at his past self, who is suddenly beginning to behave less like a memory and more like a—

“Variant,” Loki breathes. He opens his mouth to shout, but—

The variant disappears in a gentle flash of green light. Fuck.

“I think you just got outsmarted by yourself.” Mobius hums. Loki whips around, panic starting to bubble in his chest. 

“You said this was a memory.”

“It’s supposed to be.” Mobius rubs his chin. “With all the buttons you pushed, it’s possible that you sent us to a branch instead of a projection of your history. I’ll take a look at it.”

“Loki.” Signy eyes him carefully. They take him in with warm, red eyes that crackle with the hearth. 

“Heyyy…Signy.” Loki gestures awkwardly. Mobius snorts. 

“Darling, I apologize. You’re under much pressure.  I shouldn’t add to it.” Signy wraps their arms around Loki’s shoulders and pulls him close. He knows he should derive some comfort from it—he hasn’t been hugged in years—but it feels more like a creature pulling him into its clutches. Their fingers glide over the scar and Loki snatches their hand. 

“I’m…also sorry.” Loki pats their arm awkwardly and tries to worm out of their grip. 

“No need, my blade.” Signy presses in closer, cradling his cheek. Mobius snickers at the nickname off to the side.

“Don’t.” Loki, blushing, points an accusatory finger at Mobius. He holds his hands up, the perfect picture of innocence. 

“I think you’re lovely, but I’m not…your Loki.” He puts his hand over theirs. Their face pinches sharply. The fire kicks up. 

“You are beyond ungrateful. You are mine. I made you.” Signy grips his chin and forces him to look at them. Loki presses his lips into a line. 

“Signy—“

“Perhaps you need a reminder.” They press their hand to Loki’s side, right over the ribs on his right side. He panics and grabs for their hand. A tiny green spark jumps from his fingers, but it cannot stop the pulse of scarlet magic that wriggles deep into his skin. The magic snaps into cords, winding like puppet strings around one of his ribs. 

A strangled sound slips from him before he can stop himself. A terrible, toe-curling tickle—a powerful scritching like the blunt end of a quill over the bone—sends him clutching at Signy’s shoulders for dear life. 

“We are each other’s undoing. There is no you without me.” Signy pulls sharply on the threads of red light and Loki yelps.

“Oh.”

“Mobius—“

“Oh my god.” Mobius makes a noise that can only be described as a squeak of delight. Loki flips him off. 

“Even when I’m right in front of you, you cast your attention elsewhere.” Signy turns Loki’s jaw toward them, eyes darkening possessively, but their lips curl up in that damn smile that had drawn Loki back in over and over. 

There was a time when he’d daydreamed about Signy by his side on the throne. Now, he can’t fathom it. 

“You’re mine, Loki.” Signy tweaks their fingers, manipulating their magic, and Loki chokes down a screech. He laces his fingers into theirs and the magic blissfully vanishes. 

“Yes, yours. Mobius, help.” Loki casts a frantic look in his direction, gesturing at Signy. Mobius makes a ‘stall’ motion, then starts fiddling with the TemPad. 

“Look at me.” Signy pulls sharply on his tie. They sigh deeply, and their edge begins to wane. 

“Thanos has you dreaming of more, my love. I want more for you. But have you not enough here? Am I not enough?” Signy smooths their hands down Loki’s chest. He freezes.

“Thanos?” He asks quietly. Dread sinks into his gut. Signy’s expression softens.

“I know that you crave what you are owed. Your family has robbed you of your birthright. You are meant for greatness, Loki, but not at the cost of his greed. Asgard is yours for the taking. By my hand, you shall have it.” Signy leans their foreheads together. He squirrels away as much of this momentary comfort that he can. 

“Why would you help me?”

“Have you contracted your brother’s oafishness?” Signy playfully holds their hand to his forehead as if checking for fever. “I love you, you fool.” 

“Oh.” He blinks. He looks towards Mobius and finds him with a haunting expression, like some sort of ache had burrowed forth into his face. A suffocating hollowness crawls through Loki’s chest. He swallows thickly. 

“Yes, ‘oh’.” Signy curls their fingers beneath his chin. He laughs softly, involuntarily, and flinches away. Mischief and embers dance in Signy’s eyes. 

“My, you are…handsier than I remember.” Loki twists out of their grip. 

“Can you blame me?” They appear behind him in a scattering of red sparks. Warm hands wrap around his waist, tracing feather-light shapes that seem to burrow into his skin. He chokes on a quiet, suspiciously giggly sound and they light up.

Mobius scoffs and clears his throat loudly. His scowl seems baked into his face, a chilling force against the fireplace. 

“Okay, so I’ve got good news and bad news. Which one do you wanna hear?”

“Bad news first.” Loki wrestles with Signy’s roaming hands. Signy trips and tumbles backward onto the divan, scattering the pillows. They start tugging at Loki to try and get him to follow. 

“Your collar is broken. Kaput. S’probably why your variant was able to escape. TemPad can’t get a read on which one of you is real. You also MemLocked us, which is fascinating—“

“I’m sure it is,” Loki huffs, fighting to leverage Signy under him. Mobius barrels on. 

“MemLock allows us to manipulate a branch as if it were a memory, but the tech is volatile, so we rarely use it. It is neat though. Lets us walk right through as if we were invisible. Shame it ain’t workin’ on you.” Mobius snaps his fingers next to Signy’s face. They don’t seem to notice. 

“And the good news?” 

“I can probably fix it.” Mobius smacks the back of the TemPad and a panel pops out the side of it. He starts fiddling with the components. 

“Probably?” Loki’s voice cracks. 

“Well, I don’t wanna take the wrong Loki back with me. That’d be a fiasco. Though Signy—“ Mobius draws out their name with disdain— “probably wouldn’t even notice.” 

“Jealousy is unbecoming, Mobius.” Loki’s joking, but Mobius’s eyes don’t light up the way they usually do. 

“Y’know, far as I recall, you got yourself stuck in this mess. You should be thanking me for helping you.” Mobius puts his hands in his pockets. He tilts his head with a smile, easy and mischievous. Loki lobs a throw pillow at him.

Mobius punches something into the TemPad and, with a glorious beep, Loki’s collar disengages and clatters to the floor. Mobius scoops up the collar gently, letting the straps dangle between his fingers. 

“I’m keeping track of what you owe me.” His half-smile is somewhat dim. 

“I’d expect nothing less,” Loki breathes. Mobius nods sharply and turns towards the door. 

It’s an unfortunate distraction, one that lets Signy discover they can buckle his knees if they tickle him there, but Loki can think of nothing else but the reflection of the firelight on Mobius’s cheek. 

…

Mobius ducks quietly into the hall, shutting the chamber door behind him. The stone floors eagerly amplify his footsteps, tired of its own quiet. 

It’s unsettling, this place. People don’t seem to live here as much as they haunt it. Mobius can see how Loki turned out the way he did. It sets loose an ache in him. 

“Stop.” 

Mobius turns around with his hands raised. The variant twirls a dagger in his hands. He’s clad only in a green shirt and soft pants, his feet bare against the cool stone floors. This Loki is duller—he’s exhausted around the eyes in a way Mobius’s Loki isn’t. 

His Loki. Hm.

“Who are you?” 

“I’m afraid that doesn’t concern you, Your Highness,” Mobius says calmly. Loki disappears in a flash of green and reappears behind Mobius. 

“I could have you executed.” Loki’s dagger materializes across the plane of Mobius’s throat. Mobius tips his head back slightly to avoid the sharp edge. 

“I’m not scared of you, Loki.” He says it firmly, even as his skin prickles at the kiss of the blade. 

“Maybe you should be,” he snarls lowly, his lips brushing Mobius’s ear. Mobius flinches away. He kicks himself for it--Loki follows him easily with morbid interest. 

“Aren’t you curious about what I know?” Mobius hums. Silence stretches down the long hall. There’s a suspicious lack of guards in this wing. Is Loki’s chamber not worth protecting?

“You have a…clone of me. Why?” The blade presses in again. Mobius takes a careful, measured breath. 

“He’s my companion. We took a bit of a tumble, ended up in the wrong place.” A smile quirks at Mobius’s lips. Loki doesn’t look as confused as he thought he might—more…thoughtful. 

“Wrong place being?”

“That I can’t tell you. I can tell you that we’re trying to leave. If you don’t mind.” Mobius puts two fingers on the dagger and gently pushes it away from his throat. Loki releases Mobius but keeps his blade leveled at him. He’s tired, so tired, Mobius can see it in his bones. His eyes, dark-rimmed, seem frightened of closing. 

“You, uh…” Mobius pauses, taking in Loki’s twitchiness-- “I noticed you tryin’ to escape your beau in there. Signy, right?”

Loki stiffens at the utterance of their name. The blade remains steadfastly pointed at Mobius’s throat. 

“They ever hurt you?” Mobius clenches his jaw. Loki eyes him warily. 

“No. Never. Never.” The blade wavers with Loki’s voice. “But we don’t…agree on many things.”

“Well, I think you could do better. For the record.” Mobius steps forward—how could he not? But Loki’s knife and hackles meet him. He stops. 

“I’ll be sure to tell them you said so.” The fingers on Loki’s other hand twitch, glowing the faintest green. 

“You fancy making a deal, Your Highness?” Mobius sticks his hands in his pockets. He tries to keep his demeanor light, but he clasps his hand around the collar where it’s hidden. 

“I’m listening.” Loki shifts his fingers on the dagger’s hilt. 

“My Loki and I will distract Signy for you if you stay with us long enough for us to secure an exit.” Mobius jerks a thumb in the direction he came from. Loki follows the movement with his eyes. 

“All you require is my presence?”

“That and preferably that you refrain from using that toothpick of yours. Rather fond of my Loki.” Mobius inclines his head towards the knife. A wealth of emotions flickers across Loki’s face--he’s always been terrible at hiding his feelings, it seems. He tries to steel himself back into something sharp, but it just turns…sad. 

Loki lowers his blade. He loosens his fingers and it falls, but it vanishes before it hits the ground. 

“I agree to your terms.” Loki sniffs sharply, once again locating his arrogance.

“Excellent. Shall we?” Mobius gestures. Loki nods. They stroll back towards the bedchamber, relishing in the quiet comfort of their footsteps falling in line. 

“What are you to him? To me?” Loki’s voice goes soft. Mobius is usually quite adept at compartmentalizing, but it escapes him at this moment. 

“I’m not sure.” Mobius swallows. It’s easier not to think about it. 

“But you’re fond of him, as you said.” Loki sweeps closer, a familiar teasing grin playing across his lips. 

“I am.” Mobius huffs. “Don’t let it go to your head.”

“The honor’s all yours, mortal.” Loki tilts his head, his smile growing wider. Mobius rolls his eyes. 

…

Mobius opens the door for the variant and they’re greeted by a wall of noise. Loki screams bloody murder and Signy yells over him in Asgardian, their sharp fingernails plucking at his ribs. They’ve switched positions, with Signy expertly pinning and tickling Loki down into the divan. 

The variant snickers, covering his mouth to hide it, but Mobius’s ears have long-since been tuned to his partner’s laugh. Interestingly enough, Signy looks up too. They furrow their brow as if searching for something, eyes glazing right past their variant, and then return to taking Loki apart.

An idea prickles at the back of Mobius’s mind. 

“You.” Loki shouts from the tip of his toes. His hair is a frizzy, disheveled mess. The variant goes to run, but Mobius scruffs him by the collar.

“You okay over there?” Mobius calls. Loki’s red face grows redder. He points angrily at the variant. 

“Come take your place, you sniveling little brat—“ Loki hisses, but he’s cut off by Signy tickling his waist. The most hysterical little giggles slip free and he buckles under them. 

“I’m afraid I can’t help you. That weakness is your plague to bear, not mine.” The variant’s regret is all mocking. 

It’s a stupid idea, but it’s an insistent one—the longer Mobius gazes at this variant, the more he finds that he can’t let it go.

“Sorry, just to clarify—you’re not ticklish?” Mobius doesn’t bother to hide his amusement. The variant eyes him stubbornly. 

“No. I’m not a child.” Oh, but like with every Loki, his eyes betray him. 

“Well, that’s a shame.” Mobius regards him thoughtfully. The variant turns a lovely pink. “Then, would you mind asking Signy to release my friend? Seeing as they pose no threat to you.”

Mobius crowds in closer. The variant pulls his dagger. Mobius tuts at him and pushes it away. The dagger’s point makes gentle, insistent contact with his stomach.

“This wasn’t part of the deal,” the variant snaps, but Mobius stands before him un-stabbed. 

“Sure it was. I said we would distract Signy.” Mobius smirks. “Just never said that you were part of the distraction.”

God, Loki is really rubbing off on him. 

“I’ve been told I’m quite stabbable, if you’re not amenable.” Mobius gestures to the dagger between them. The variant shifts his fingers on the hilt. 

“D-Don’t you dare touch him!” Loki pipes up through gritted teeth. He’s managed to pin Signy underneath him, but judging by his twitching, they’re not quite done with him.

Mobius grins at him. Loki makes an endearing little pinchy face and refuses to meet his eyes. The variant takes the chance to try and slink away, but Mobius grabs his wrist. The dagger disappears in a flare of green sparks. 

In a slick maneuver, Mobius loops the collar around the variant’s neck and it magnetically fastens. It beeps in confirmation of acquiring its target. 

“What is this?” He hisses, tugging at it. He flexes his fingers, calling for the dagger, and nothing happens.

“Just a bit of insurance. Now, would you like to deal with them—“ Mobius gestures to where Signy is wreaking havoc— “or me?” 

“I’m sure there’s a third option.” The variant chuckles almost nervously. His eyes dart around for an escape. 

“Oh, no. I don’t think so.” Mobius sighs deeply, as if it pains him. The variant’s eyes widen, and—

There it is. A flicker of thrill. 

“If you think you can stand to a god, I welcome you to try.” The variant spreads his arms wide. Mobius puts his hands on his hips. He’s never considered himself a particularly great fighter, but he prides himself on knowing his targets well. For example, he knows that nearly every Loki lacks small-scale patience. If he just waits…

The variant snarls and charges. Mobius ducks past him and loops his arms around his torso. 

Any Loki is deadly with or without their magic, but thankfully Mobius doesn’t have to worry about killing him. Or harming him at all, for that matter.

The variant lets out a confused, almost-offended squeak, like a kitten being bested. Before he can speak, Mobius starts clumsily tickling him. The resulting stilted laughter is interspersed with threats he can’t understand--both for being peppered with giggles and incoherent Asgardian. The variant tries to headbutt him in a way that doesn’t seem entirely on purpose. Mobius dodges predictable flying elbows and waits.

Over on the divan, Loki’s mostly given up. He’s wheezing more than anything, more focused on hiding himself from view than doing anything helpful. The quiet allows for the variant’s patchwork laughter to carry, just as Mobius hoped. He folds on a particularly powerful guffaw and Mobius follows him with a snort. S’cute, sometimes, the ways in which they’re the same. 

Signy’s gaze snaps up. Loki squirms out from underneath them and darts to the other side of the room, clutching his side. He makes eye contact with Mobius. His gaze is so full of sheer fondness that Mobius has to look away. 

“Why are you looking at me like that?” The variant tries to back up. Mobius squeezes his side and he yelps.  

“How’d you get over there?” Signy narrows their eyes. 

“Suppose I’m quicker than you.” The variant falls immediately into his role, ever the Loki. Mobius curls his finger into the collar and it disengages. The variant whirls on him, but then Signy starts to stalk across the room. 

“We’ll see about that, love.” Signy’s tongue curls sharply around the word. The variant bolts for the door. Signy laughs and chases after them. Their footsteps echo down the empty hall and carry them both from sight. 

A wave of green magic slams the door shut so hard that it rattles in its frame. Loki hefts a bookshelf in front of the door, then a heavy chest, then about every piece of furniture he’s capable of moving in the room. He slumps down onto the divan with a heavy sigh. Mobius hovers by his side, shoving his hand in his pocket so he doesn’t start fiddling with the disheveled bits of Loki’s appearance. 

“Well, come on then.” Loki bares his throat with an impatient gesture. There’s an imprinted red line where the collar usually sits. Mobius runs his thumb over it, gently, and Loki scrunches his nose with a smile. The sight is so lovely that Mobius spaces out a bit. 

“You are cruel and terrible, you know that?” Loki grumbles. Mobius remembers himself and tries not to savor the brush of Loki’s jaw against his fingers. He holds the transmitter box of the collar to Loki’s throat, scooting it around a bit in search of a signal. Loki twitches. 

“Mmm, just the worst. Stay still, will ya?” He huffs. Something in Loki’s collar clicks and the TemPad chirps a jolly tune. Both of them sigh in relief. 

Mobius punches in a few things and the familiar orange door opens up before them. He looks down at the collar in his hand, then shoves it deep into his pocket. Loki makes a soft noise. 

“Why?” He blinks almost innocently. Mobius swallows. 

“You wanna go back or not?” He juts his thumb towards the portal. Loki pulls him through as if it’s going to disappear. 

…

They have duties to complete, but living so many years in a day has thoroughly eroded what tiny sense of duty Loki has. His mind is abuzz with various iterations of he trusts me--a new and exciting thought--and it leaves him with zero desire to do anything but sit in Mobius’s presence like a flower in the sun. 

So, when Mobius heads for the library, Loki hooks their arms together and drags them towards the cafeteria. Responsible grumbling turns into fond chuckles, and soon enough, they’re assembling God's mistake: frozen yogurt.

They enjoy their spoils on a bench deep in the massive sprawl of the TVA. The complex sprawls out infinitely before them, twinkling in the abyss. It’s a prettier sight than this place deserves, but Loki can only pay attention to the unnatural strawberry hue of Mobius’s lips. 

“This is awful,” Mobius laughs, cringing through a spoonful of frozen-solid chocolate chips. 

“It’s perfect. Completely mediocre in every way. Humanity’s only worthwhile creation.” Loki bites a gummy worm in half with a smile. He offers the other half to Mobius and he takes it.

Loki thinks of Signy, of the look of muddled pain on Mobius’s face through the entire back half of their misadventure, and he cringes. Mobius pauses in picking at his froyo. 

“Brainfreeze?” 

“No, not quite. I want to…apologize, Mobius.” Loki fiddles with his fingers. He looks up just in time for the back of Mobius’s hand to gently slap against his forehead, as if checking for fever. 

“You? Apologize? Maybe I did bring back the wrong Loki.”

“Hilarious, you bastard.” Loki rolls his eyes and bats away the hand. 

“Well, don’t let me get in the way of history. Say your piece.” Mobius sweeps his hands out. Loki turns to straddle the bench, facing him fully. He leans his back against the wall. The cold of the concrete leeches through his shirt. 

“Earlier, things got…out of hand. I hoped if I showed you my past, you might find some detail, some tiny minutiae that would set me apart from the other variants. But, I suppose nothing you saw surprised you.” Loki runs his fingers over his throat, right where the collar usually sat. He felt lighter without it and, strangely, more exposed. 

“I wouldn’t say that.” Mobius mumbles around a strawberry piece. 

“I spent my life chasing after destiny. Everyone in my family had a grand purpose to fulfill, and I believed mine would be the greatest of all. Now I know that my destiny is to be disposable. The only significant thing I’m part of is the time I’ve spent here with you.” Loki pokes at his froyo with the spoon. Mobius swings to also straddle the bench, grumbling as he does, but it gets Loki’s attention. 

“I’ve got my own confession to make.” Mobius chuckles. “I don’t actually know everything about you.”

“We established this.” Loki scoops up an Oreo piece and pops it in his mouth. 

“Well, yeah, but—“ Mobius makes a series of grand gestures— “I mean, I don’t know everything about you, Loki.”

“Now you’ve said the same thing twice.” Loki frowns. Mobius makes a frustrated little noise.

“Look, you’re different. Sure, your story starts the same as the others, but you overwrote my expectations the moment we met. You are unique. You’re a unique pain in my ass, really, but…you’re a good partner. A great one.” Mobius gestures more with his spoon. 

“Go on.” Loki takes the cherry into his mouth, stem and all. A few moments later, he pulls out the stem—tied in a perfect knot. He smiles at his handiwork. 

“I’m trying to compliment you.” Mobius huffs. 

“I’m aware.” Loki grins teasingly, but the mischief caves easily under a wave of genuine joy. 

“Alright, wise guy.” Mobius narrows his eyes. A flutter of thrill picks up in Loki’s stomach, but no chase ensues. He tries not to be disappointed. 

“What I’m trying to get at—“ Mobius huffs dramatically— “is that it’s not your past that makes you. I’ve always studied you guys in patterns and matrixes. I thought a flip would switch and I’d understand how you fell into my lap instead of any other Loki. But…you defy sense. Turns out, you can bake some drastically different cakes with the same core ingredients.” 

“Careful, Mobius,” Loki says softly, so his traitorous heart doesn’t hear. “I might start to think you’re fond of me.”

“Well, we can’t have that, can we?” Mobius smiles. 

“No, we can’t.” Loki’s eyes flit to Mobius’s lips. The air between them pulls taut. Loki scoots forward, bringing their knees to touch. 

“You have something on your face, right here. Terribly distracting.” Loki gestures to his lips. Mobius furrows his brow and pats his face with a TVA-branded napkin. Loki bats his hand aside and kisses him. It’s shorter and tamer than what his heart screams for, but he can’t dive into untested waters. Not yet. Not with something so important. 

Mobius, wide-eyed, follows Loki’s every move. He swallows once, thickly, then clears his throat. Not a single coherent word comes out of his mouth. His eyebrows move in nearly every direction as he tries to string some words together. Loki tips his chin up, catching his eyes. Mobius quiets, succumbing to a lovestruck smile.

“Did you get it?” Mobius gestures to his face. Loki laughs, knocking his head into the wall behind him. Mobius scrambles forward to catch him far too late, but they’re close. Close enough for Loki to see the pink froyo flecks actually hiding in his mustache. He smirks. 

“Hm, only one way to be sure.” He pulls Mobius in by his tie and kisses him like it's the end of times.

#my fics #loki #lokius #ticklish!loki #*sigh* #much like with my other loki fics this didn't turn out at all how i wanted. and its way too long. but i hope ppl still like it. #i love writing them so much but i struggle to write tk stuff around them. #just UGH posting it and moving on. writing is hard :( #sorry to be a downer in the tags lmao

[just-another-blog-of-fluff]

Denial

Word count: 1,900

Pairing: Loki x reader (platonic)

Reader pronouns: none used (gender neutral)

Warnings: fluff; mostly tickles. Softer Loki (though he tries to hide it)

I know @duckynugget and @crimson25 are looking forward to this one being posted - so, here it is!

This request Prompt asked for a fic where Loki is ticklish but reader is not. I also made the reader gender neutral by request. I kept this one on the shorter side as well, since the next prompt will likely lead to a lengthy story.

"I'll remind you, mortal - I reserve the right to change my mind about consenting to this at any moment."

"Yeah, yeah. Now sit."

Loki rolled his eyes dramatically, sitting down on the floor in front of you with a huff. You grinned behind his back as you shifted your seat forward a bit on the sofa. After being friends for so long, you knew Loki well enough to understand that his outward annoyance at any sort of physical or verbal affection was all a ruse. As tough as he was on the outside, you knew deep down he secretly enjoyed being cared for.

"Ok - now sit still. I need to concentrate on what I'm doing."

"Have you ever done this before?"

"I already told you - I tried it on Natasha, but she wouldn't sit still for longer than five minutes. Always has to be doing something..." You grasped his shoulders and turned his upper body to sit straighter against the front of the sofa.

"Well - do heed caution. My hair is not to be trifled with," he muttered.

"You Asgardians have such a thing about your hair. It's so funny."

"We simply care about how we present ourselves. Unlike many of you mortals on this planet." Loki twitched in surprise as you began to separate a section of his hair, your finger dragging along the back of his head.

"Hey! I like to think I put an adequate amount of effort into my appearance."

"Well - I wasn't referring to you, obviously."

You smiled. Loki wasn't the most forthcoming with complements, but you knew he had a soft spot for you. He held you on a higher pedestal than he did other humans, though he'd never straight out admit it.

His posture slowly relaxed as you ran your fingers through his hair, meticulously measuring out equal sections of his dark locks before twisting them together into a braid. You were silent as you devoted your full concentration to the task at hand, and Loki seemed content with the lack of conversation.

“Doing alright there, Loki?” you asked after the silence had persisted for a few minutes, leaning forward to see his face. You just caught sight of his eyes closed before he startled, opening them to glare at you.

“Shouldn’t you be focusing on not tying knots in my hair?” he muttered.

“Were you falling asleep? That’s cute.”

Loki opened his mouth to respond, no doubt with some indignant denial of the truth, but you silenced him by running your fingers through his hair. “Hmph,” was all he could seem to muster. You chuckled as you sat back, returning to focusing on weaving braids into his dark locks, taking your time with each twist now that you knew he was enjoying the attention.

After pausing, undoing and restarting the first braid multiple times to really get it right, you were finally nearly finished completing one. Suddenly, Loki flinched, tugging the braid from between your fingers.

“What was that for?? Now I have to start it over again,” you whined as the strands of the braid unwound a bit at the bottom.

“My apologies - you were taking so damned long I thought perhaps you’d finished that one already,” he grumbled in response. There was an unusual finality in his tone, as though he didn’t want you to keep asking about it.

“So you just twist your head and pull it out of my hands? I thought you were concerned about how I was making your hair look. Why risk messing me up?”

“Just… go back and start it over again. I’ll hold still.”

“Hmm. Fine. But this time I’ll tell you when you can move, ok?”

You knew something odd was going on. Loki had previously been melting against the sofa as you manipulated his hair, but suddenly he seemed to have a steel rod in his back, sitting perfectly straight and stiff. Had you hurt him by tugging too hard? That was certainly something he wouldn’t want to admit. Then again, he wouldn’t have passed up the chance to scold you and pretend as though he wasn’t enjoying every second of this. In any case, you were careful not to pull as you re-wove the braid.

As you twisted the last couple inches into place, Loki suddenly flinched once again. This time, he shrugged his shoulder up toward his ear in the process.

And suddenly, it clicked.

“Loki! You messed it up again!” you whined, fluttering your fingertips along the side of his neck more intentionally. He let out a breathy laugh through his nose this time, leaning away from your fingers. “I didn’t know gods were so ticklish!”

“Mortal… I suggest you tread carefully with this information,” he growled ominously, turning his head to look at you.

“Ooh, calling me ‘mortal’ now, are you? I must be in trouble.” You reached around with your other hand to dust your fingers just below his other ear.

“I-hi’m warning you!” He reached up to grasp the wrist of the offending hand, holding it away from his neck. You smirked, swiftly reaching down to pinch his ribs and earning a yelp of surprise. “Alright, that’s it.”

“What are you gonna do?” you sassed. He rose to his feet and spun around in one quick motion, grasping hold of your other wrist and pushing you down against the sofa.

“Still think it was wise to antagonize me?” Loki hovered over you, pinning your wrists to the sofa beside your head. Unfazed, you grinned up at the looming god.

“Go ahead. I’m not ticklish.”

He squinted down at you, leaning closer to your face for dramatic effect.

“I don’t believe you.”

With that, he released both wrists and latched his hands to your sides, kneading rapidly. You stared up at him with the sly smirk still drawn across your face, not reacting in any way to his touch. His brow furrowed as his hands ascended your ribcage, prodding into the crevices, testing every space for a reaction.

“Told you,” you taunted, lacing your fingers behind your head.

“You… I still don’t believe you! You must be ticklish somewhere!”

“Go ahead and try. I won’t stop you.”

His frustration bloomed on his face as he scribbled under your arms, clawed at your belly, grazed his fingertips along your neck… anything he could think of to make you flinch and laugh. You even allowed him to take your foot in his lap and scratch at the fabric of your sock unhindered, sighing tediously as he wriggled his fingers under your toes and dusted them along the arches.

“It’s not possible. I don’t believe you.”

“What more proof do you need?” you laughed, carefully removing your foot from his lap to avoid him thinking it was reflex. “What I don’t believe is how ticklish you are.” You reached out and pinched his side rapidly to emphasize. He barked out a laugh, leaning involuntarily away from you.

“You… you are infuriating!” he griped, making no move to stand from his seat.

“Oh, stop complaining, grumpy. You’re just mad that I finally have something I can hold over you.” You shifted to kneel closer to him, diving in with both hands latched to his ribcage. This really got him laughing, so you couldn’t bear to stop, digging gently in between the bones as he squirmed under your touch.

“M-eheh-MORTAL!”

“Yes?” You gave him an innocent, questioning look as you continued to torment his ribs. His muscles seemed to weaken as you neared the softer space under his arms. He certainly wasn’t fighting you very hard, considering he was an almighty god.

“Dohon’t you DAHARE even c-eheh-CONSIDER moving ahany higher,” he demanded through bright laughter.

“Why not? Too ticklish?” You slotted your hands beneath his arms - a surprisingly simple task considering how concerned he seemed to be about you tickling him there. He threw his head back, overcome by hysterics. Laughing yourself at his reaction, you wriggled your fingers into the soft skin through his shirt without relenting. His hands clasped around your wrists, weakly pushing at them but without nearly enough force to actually succeed in moving your hands. There was a redness blossoming in his cheeks, lighting up his face more than you’d ever seen in the sullen god.

It was then you realized - he didn’t actually mind this. In fact, he seemed to welcome it.

It made sense in a way, you supposed. Deep down, you knew your friend craved physical interaction despite the fact he pretended not to want anyone to so much as touch him. His prickly outer shell prevented him from getting close enough to anyone that they would want to try to initiate physical contact. It just so happened that you had been stubborn enough to stick around long enough to break through his protective shell.

You also knew he’d be mortified if you even suggested that he may be enjoying your tickle attack. So, you filed it away in your memory and kept it to yourself, not wanting to spoil this playful little game between you and your best friend.

As his face turned redder, you shifted to claw into his belly. His laughter decreased in volume, spilling out in uncharacteristic, adorable giggles.

“Now that’s cute,” you cooed, ghosting your fingers along the sides of his belly.

“Hohow dare yohou i-hi-insult me-hee!” he retorted.

“It’s not an insult, it’s just facts!” you teased, spidering your fingers outward to his sides. His laughter died down as you slowed your torment, with only the occasional twitch of his abdomen and accompanying breathy laugh. When you finally ceased, he sat motionless for a moment, gasping to catch his breath.

“I will get revenge for this,” he growled threateningly through his persistent ticklish smile. “Somehow.”

“Good luck with that,” you shrugged, patting him on the knee. “You gonna let me finish practicing my braiding now?”

“After you just tortured me?? You think I will allow you to continue messing with my hair?”

You folded your arms across your chest, sitting back as you gazed firmly at your companion. “Hey - in all fairness, you messed up my braids twice. I was technically getting my revenge by tickling you senseless.”

An unmistakable pink hue tinted his cheeks. “You… I… fine. But be more careful this time.”

“Sure, yeah, yeah. Now sit on the floor again.”

Mumbling incomprehensible threats under his breath, Loki slid off the sofa and took his seat on the floor in front of you once again. You chuckled to yourself, knowing very well that Loki - God of Mischief - never does anything he doesn’t want to do. And the fact that he leaned more heavily against your shins as you began lacing your fingers through his hair once again only served to prove what you already knew.

Someday, perhaps, he would be willing to admit he actually appreciates physical affection. Until then, you’d just have to ‘convince’ him to allow it from time to time, as though he was appeasing you.

And when you snuck in little squeezes to his sides or flutters behind his ears as you continued to braid his hair, he certainly wasn’t trying very hard to stop you.

#ticklish!loki #loki tickle #tickle fluff #marvel tickle #sfw tickle fluff #tickle fic #lee!loki #ler!reader

[ashes-escapism]

Overcoming

Word Count: ~7,400 words of tickle fluff (SFW)

Pairings: Loki x reader, brief Peter Parker x reader (both platonic)

Pronouns: she/her

Summary: Noticing that the reader struggles with overthinking, Loki wants to help.

CW: Self-doubt, overthinking, anxiety. Brief description of fearful reaction to a horror movie, though the scene of the movie is not described.

There are some heavier moments written from a more metaphorical perspective, but lots of fluff and (silly attempts at) humor as well!

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Note: Hi! I'm Ash, I've been lurking on here for yearssss reading other's fics, and decided to write one of my own!

I had full intentions of finishing this before Halloween (as you will see, it has some Halloween themes), but... that did not happen LOL. I didn't want to wait until next October to post it, so I hope someone is still able to enjoy it :)

Scrolling through the different movie options in the Halloween section, you abruptly stopped when you heard Peter dramatically gasp. 

“STOP! We have to see this one! Please tell me you’ve seen this before- it’s a classic!”

You chuckled at Peter’s enthusiasm, then answered, “Peter, I told you I don’t like horror movies. Honestly, I don’t even think I’ve heard of, like, any of these movies.”

“Okay, well, we have to see it then! I promise it isn’t that scary!” Peter assured.

“Yeah, yeah. That’s what they all say,” you countered. “Until I have enough adrenaline rushing through my body to singlehandedly power the electricity in this whole compound-“

“That isn’t even possib-“

“-and then I’m not able to sleep for the next month- not to mention the horrific images scarred to my brain, and-”

“Pleaseee,” Peter cut you off and looked over to you with wide, glistening eyes. “You said you would get in the Halloween spirit with me…”

“Oh… alright. But if you’re lying, we’re changing it to Hocus Pocus. All I’m saying is that I happen to value my sleep and peace of mind.”

“YES!” Peter exclaimed. “Wait, before you start it, I’ll grab us some blankets! A-and some snacks!” Scrambling out of the common room, he wasted no time before returning with some snacks, setting them down on the glass coffee table in front of you. He tossed you a cozy white throw blanket, then threw himself down on the opposite end of the couch, with a blanket of his own.

“Thanks,” you smiled softly at Peter, grabbing a bag of popcorn mix from the table, then wrapping yourself in the blanket and snuggling into the cushions.

While most of the Avengers were out today on different missions and errands, you had remained in the compound to work in the lab earlier. As one of Bruce’s lab assistants, you were thankful that your line of work didn’t require you to go into the field all that often; your strengths were more so in your research and analytical skills, rather than through physical combat or espionage. 

When you moved into the compound earlier this year, you and Peter had become friends fairly quickly, given that you were the second-youngest member of the team, you both shared a love for science, and you saw each other quite often. You had a tendency to be shy around new people, so you appreciated how Peter immediately made you feel welcome on the team, and how he always had a kind and optimistic presence. Sure, the kid could be a handful at times, but his youthful energy was a refreshing change in pace to your day at work, so you were thankful to spend time with him. 

You tossed a handful of salted caramel and cheddar popcorn in your mouth, a burst of sweetness and saltiness deluging your taste buds. After swallowing, you turned to Peter.

“You know, when you asked me to get in the Halloween spirit with you, I was thinking of something more along the lines of carving pumpkins or jumping into a pile of leaves. I didn’t really picture you as someone who enjoys scary movies.”

“Oh, those are next on the list! I already got us some pumpkins,” Peter responded with a big smile on his face. “And, well, I like to say that I enjoy watching scary movies, but sometimes I get too scared watching them, especially by myself. L-like this one time, which may or may not have been yesterday, I tried watching one of the Insidious movies, and I had to turn it off because I got too scared. Kind of embarrassing,” He chuckled awkwardly and rubbed the back of his neck. “But anyways, it’s still fun! I think it’s better to watch them with friends because, in the end, it brings you closer.”

“That’s totally fair.” It meant a lot to you that Peter wanted to grow closer to you, so you supposed you could sacrifice your dignity and watch the movie. Or, start it, at least. You’d see how it goes.

You pressed play on the movie. From the opening scene, the energy of the room shifted to a caliginous and eerie ambiance. Your eyebrows instinctively raised and drew together, and you absentmindedly bit your fingernails in fearful anticipation.

Peter glanced over to you, then shifted towards you on the couch. “Hey, it’s okay. I’m right here. If you get scared, you can grab on to me, or whatever you need, okay? My Spidey senses can detect a jump scare from a mile away, so I can let you know when one’s about to happen, i-if that makes you feel better.”

You couldn’t help but feel a little sheepish, somewhat childish for having such a strong fear of horror. But, you met his eyes and smiled softly. “Thanks, Pete.”

“Hey, I’ll always make sure you are safe.”

Taking a deep breath, you lowered your tense shoulders as you returned your attention to the movie and continued snacking on the popcorn. Twenty minutes passed, and honestly, you were lasting longer than you’d expected.

A few minutes later, the suspense began to climb. Your breath hitched. Your heart pounded. The excellent acting and thrilling music entranced you, cast a spell on you to believe that you were experiencing everything directly through the lens of the characters themselves. As he leaned forward on the edge of the couch and rested his elbows on his knees, Peter, too, held his breath as his unwavering wide eyes glued to the screen. You instinctively sat up next to and leaned into Peter, wrapping your arms tightly around him as if your life depended on it. Peter returned his arm around you and rested it on your waist. 

Peter’s embrace lulled you into a sense of security, and the suspenseful music diminished as the characters escaped to a safe haven. You let your guard down, relaxing into him and releasing the breath you’d been holding. 

“AHH!” 

Peter screamed. You also screamed.

He yelled right next to your ear, jumping at the jump scare that suddenly occurred and squeezing his fingers into your waist. 

A millisecond after Peter began screaming, you screamed with him. A reaction not only to the jump scare, but also to Peter’s scream and his fingers digging into your skin. With your senses heightened from the movie, feeling Peter squeeze into your waist tickled way more than it should have. Adrenaline shot through your body and you launched away from Peter. The popcorn flew off of your lap, some pieces spilling onto the floor as you accidentally rolled off the couch with a thud. Rolling over onto your back, you clutched your hands over your chest as you caught your breath, and began to laugh in both amusement and mild embarrassment.

“Oh my gosh, are you okay??” Peter asked with a concerned look on his face as he knelt beside you, before noticing that you were laughing. “You scared me!”

“Oh, I scared you?? You were the one who scared me first, after you screamed at the jump scare!” you chastised, albeit with a slight smile as you came down from your adrenaline rush.

“Ok, I guess that’s a fair point,” he shrugged. “I guess my Spidey senses were a little off because I did not see that jump scare coming. I totally forgot about that one.”

“Yeah, no kidding! So much for keeping me safe!” you joked. You sat up, started picking up the popcorn off the floor, and threw a piece at Peter.

“Sorry! But hey, in my defense, I really did not expect you to fall from a jump scare.” He finished helping you pick up the remainder of the popcorn. “A-are you sure you’re okay? I’m so sorry for scaring you. I wasn’t trying to, I promise. You’re okay, right?? I feel so bad, I really didn’t mean to scare you-” 

“Hey, it’s alright, Peter, I know you didn’t mean to scare me, I’m completely fine,” you reassured him, looking him dead in the eyes to show you were telling the truth. 

“O-Oh, thank goodness you’re okay,” Peter exhaled, though you could see he still felt guilty.  

“I didn’t fall just because I was scared,” you elaborated, and he tilted his head thoughtfully. “When you jumped, you squeezed your hand on my waist and it tickled me. Which, really, you should know better to be careful!” You poked him on his stomach.

“H-hey!” He flinched. “I didn’t mean to! But you’re right, I should’ve known better. How could I forget how ticklish you are?” He smirked and quickly squeezed his hands on your sides, before standing up and offering you his hand.

You playfully rolled your eyes, then took his hand. Peter had found out you were ticklish a few months into your friendship as you were working in the lab. While trying to write a report, you had zoned out and hadn't heard him trying to get your attention, so he decided to poke you on your side to draw you out of your trance-like state. You jolted dramatically, giving a bigger reaction than he was expecting. Truthfully, you were just as surprised because you hadn't been tickled since you were a child and had forgotten what it felt like. You both laughed in amusement before you apologized to Peter for not hearing him.

Since his discovery, Peter never hesitated to poke you on your sides or ribs, or scribble his fingers briefly on your stomach when he could sense you were too stressed, or could use a little help getting out of your head. He observed that you had a tendency to overthink, and how you would often get lost in thought, especially when working. He also noticed that you weren’t truly bothered by his playful distraction.

“How are you feeling? Should we keep watching the movie?” Peter asked.

“How about we take a break? Maybe we could carve pumpkins now? That jump scare sent me overboard, metaphorically and literally speaking. I think I need some time to recover,” you laughed.

“Absolutely! A break sounds great. Carving pumpkins sounds amazing. Let’s do it, I think we need something fun after that jump scare.” He took the remote and paused the movie. “I’ll go grab the pumpkins from outside, I’ll meet you in the kitchen!”

Heading into the kitchen, you cleared off the table, covered it with newspaper, and set out some utensils for carving. A few minutes later, Peter returned, holding two large and two smaller pumpkins in his arms. “I wasn’t sure if you wanted a small pumpkin or a really big pumpkin, so I brought both!” He exclaimed, placing them on the table.

“Wow, I’m impressed you were able to carry all of those,” you chuckled. “I’ll take a big one first, I feel like it might be easier to carve.”

“Alrighty, here you go!” He set a big pumpkin in front of you, then grabbed a big one for himself and set it down next to yours. “This is going to be so much fun, we are going to carve the best pumpkins ever!”

“I agree! I haven’t done this in so long.” You each picked up a knife and started carving a hole in the top of your pumpkins. Removing the top and reaching inside the pumpkin, you pantomimed gagging as your hand became swallowed by the slimy innards. “This is so gross!”

He glanced over at you and laughed. “Eww! Yes I forgot how nasty pumpkins are before you carve them.” Now digging out the guts of his own pumpkin, a look of disgust emerged on his face as he gripped the slippery orange goop and slapped it onto the newspaper. “It won’t be so bad once we get past this part.” 

As you and Peter continued working, you looked up as you heard footsteps enter into the room, belonging to Tony, Thor, and Loki. The three of them were recently in Iceland on their latest attempt at searching for a dangerous fugitive. While they were on the quinjet on the way home, Tony had sent everyone an update letting you know that the fugitive managed to elude them, but they gathered more intel on their identity and potential next moves.

“Hello, there, young ones!” Thor greeted you and Peter as he made his way past you to the fridge. After heating up some leftovers, he found a seat at the table away from where you and Peter were stationed. Loki had crept over to the stove, turning on the burner beneath the kettle.

“Ooh, carving pumpkins?” Tony set down his briefcase and walked in between you and Peter, crossing his arms and observing your work as you finished removing the pumpkin guts. “I haven’t done that in ages. I’d join in on your little Halloween party, but right now I’ve gotta finish up this paperwork. Pepper will be upset with me again if I don’t do it right away,” Tony said. “Speaking of Halloween parties, I’ll see you all Saturday, right? I’d wish you all good luck in the costume contest, but Pepper and I are definitely winning this year.” He confidently pointed towards everyone around the table before picking up his briefcase and exiting towards his office.

“Nuh-uh! My costume is gonna be way cooler than yours, Mr. Stark!” Peter exclaimed loud enough for Tony to hear as he walked down the hall. You listened on as Peter continued to tell stories about the “epic” Halloween costumes he’d had over the years and further emphasized how serious he was about winning the costume contest this year.

Glancing across the table to Thor, your mind wandered as you were curious as to whether or not he, or Loki, would be in attendance. You wondered, had they ever participated in celebrating Halloween or attended a costume party here on Midgard? You could see Thor good-naturedly joining in on the annual festivities, but Loki would probably take some convincing to participate. Although, perhaps he would enjoy a Halloween party, given the mischievous and chaotic activity it might entail. 

You looked over at Peter’s pumpkin and back to yours. Your face dropped as you sighed at the realization that while his was nearly complete, yours remained a blank canvas. You’d been staring at your pumpkin for the last few minutes, hesitant to take action out of fear of messing it up.

Up until this point, you were doing perfectly fine. After all, it didn’t matter how the inside of your pumpkin looked. But now that you were done removing the guts, your overthinking suddenly kicked in as you came the part that truly mattered: carving the actual design.

Your brow furrowed as you tried visualizing and calculating the best distance and angle to carve the eyes, nose, and mouth. A barrage of thoughts swirled through your mind. Yes, you came to realize that only you would overthink even when it came to carving a pumpkin, but you couldn’t help yourself from wanting it to be perfect. That’s just the way you lived; everything you did had to be done to be best of your ability, or you wouldn’t do it at all.

Lost in concentration and indecision, you bit the corner of your lower lip and narrowed your eyes to map out the best course of action. Maybe you could start it here? No, that would be too-

“Hey!” You jumped at the sensation of someone poking your side, pulling you out of your thoughts by ticklish shock waves travelling up your spine. You accusingly looked over to Peter, who wore a guilty half-grin. Heat rose to your cheeks at the realization that the three of them had been looking at you, in an almost expectant manner.

“Ah, the young maiden is ticklish!” Thor chuckled heartily.

“Yes, the spider child does seem to provide some valuable intel about her,” Loki stated flatly, pretending as if he wasn’t interested. Though, it didn’t escape him that your face appeared to slightly relax, and your demeanor seemed to shift from one of melancholy to liveliness after Peter had tickled you.

“Peter! What was that for?!” you exclaimed indignantly, but you smiled despite yourself.

“Oh, Thor asked you a question, a-and we tried getting your attention, but you were really zoned out again, so I wanted to show them the best way I learned how to get your attention whenever you do that,” Peter explained.

You swiftly covered your face, your voice slightly muffled by your hands. “Oh my gosh, that’s so embarrassing.”

“I really don’t think she minds it as much as she lets on,” Peter whispered loudly to the Asgardians. 

Your face flushed traitorously. (Though, Peter was arguably the bigger traitor, since he was the one to sell you out in the first place.)

But, he wasn’t wrong; Peter’s playfulness did help you relax a bit. Playfully engaging with someone wasn't all that common for you, so it felt kind of nice to let loose sometimes. Not that you really wanted that information casually spoken aloud, especially in the presence of the boisterous God of Thunder and the tall, dark, and handsome God of Mischief. You couldn’t say that it would truly bother you if either of the gods exploited this piece of knowledge, but you weren’t expecting Peter to just call you out like that. You planned on keeping at least some of your self-dignity intact today. 

Desperate for a diversion, you asked, “Anyways, what did you ask me, Thor?”

 “Ah, yes! As I was saying, what costume might you be wearing to the Halloween party?”

“Hmm, I’m not sure yet! What will you be going as? And have you celebrated Halloween before, or is it not really a thing on Asgard?”

“This will be my first time, actually! This mortal holiday is quite intriguing to me, I’m looking forward to seeing how you humans celebrate the evening. I went shopping just yesterday for a cool costume to wear. I’m a bit excited, I’ve never done this before!” Thor beamed as he stood up from the table and made his way to the sink, rinsing off his empty plate. “I picked out a vampire costume for myself, and I even bought a werewolf costume for Loki!”

Pfft. You and Peter let snickers escape you as you fought hard to not laugh at the thought of Loki in a werewolf costume.

“Now, hang on a second! I have agreed to no such thing!” Loki retorted. “I have not seen this costume in my life, but I can guarantee you I will most certainly not be caught dead wearing such poor quality, cheaply manufactured pieces of fabric.”

“Come now, brother! Have some fun!”

“You are a fool to think I would ever partake in that. If I truly wanted some fun, I could simply shape-shift myself into an authentic werewolf and scare all of the mortals in the area. Not to mention, that is the most basic, unoriginal idea you could think of. Honestly, brother, you have such poverty of imagination.”  

“Really? I thought I was onto something there,” Thor admitted sheepishly. 

Peter added, "Yeah, come on, Mr. Loki! It would be fun! Are you sure you don't-"

"No." Loki deadpanned as you bit your lip to hold back a smile.

The conversation was diverted by the kettle as it began to whistle, its tune fading into a soft hiss as Loki turned off the burner, then searched through the cabinets for a mug.

Peter turned to the Asgardians, looking up from his pumpkin for a moment and pausing from shaping the final details into his jack-o-lantern. “Do either of you guys want carve pumpkins with us? There’s a couple small ones here, and we have some more outside, too!” 

Loki declined, while Thor said, “I’d love to join you! It sounds like a good way to de-stress after a long mission. How about we grab some more from outside?”

“Sure! More pumpkins will help us with decorating for Tony’s party, too!” Peter set down his carving knife on the table. “We’ll be right back, ok?” 

You gave Peter a small smile. Peter and Thor left through the backdoor of the compound, the door shutting behind them with an enthusiastic thump. Unenthusiastically, you turned back to your pumpkin, your face falling once again as you were slightly upset with yourself for having yet to carve anything.

Unbeknownst to you, Loki observed your demeanor shift back again to one of frustration. “Would you like some tea, Agent?"

Absentmindedly and politely, you declined his offer, maintaining your hyper-focus and concentration on thinking through the best possible strategy for your task at hand. Loki shrugged, finding it a little unusual that you would turn down tea, then poured some steaming water into a mug for himself.

“You know, Agent, I can’t say that I have any experience carving pumpkins, because I’d never touch my hands to pumpkin guts. That would be disgusting, and I am a god, after all.” He placed a tea bag in his mug, letting it steep. “However, from what I’ve gathered from you mortals, I’m fairly certain it’s supposed to be fun. It appears to me that this is not the case for you.”

“What do you mean? I am having fun,” you said. It would be silly of you, you thought, to get upset over something as simple as a pumpkin. Plus, it wasn’t entirely a lie; despite your frustrations with yourself, you were enjoying the company of your teammates. 

“Do you plan to carve your jack-o-lantern, then? Or are you going to keep staring at it, with hopes it will carve itself?” Loki asked gently with an equally teasing and amicable tone. 

“Well…” You looked down sheepishly at your pumpkin, fidgeting your thumb on the handle of your carving knife, then placing it on the table. “I would like to do it, but I’m afraid I’ll mess it up.” 

He lifted the porcelain mug to his lips, taking a sip of his steaming tea. “I must admit, fear has gotten the best of me many times, as well. But once you start, you’ll fall into a nice rhythm. I understand your concerns, but pumpkins are plentiful and if you ‘mess up’, then that simply means you have room to grow and learn how to avoid any errors next time.”

“Thanks, Loki. I hear you,” you sighed. “But what if it’s ugly?”

“That’s impossible, darling. Nothing that you touch could ever be ugly. I’m sure whatever you create will be lovely.”

Heat crept to your cheeks at his compliment. “But-“

“Ah-ah. No more of that,” Loki cut you off. “It seems to me that you are in need of some confidence. I do not think there is any shame in not being instantly or perfectly good at something.”

“Yeah…” Your shoulders slumped. “I know, I just… don’t know how to change it,” you said to your pumpkin.

“I can understand that. Perhaps there is something I could do to convince you to at least begin carving the pumpkin? To convince how little risk there is?”

“I don’t know… I know it’s silly, but I’m so nervous about messing up. I just want it to be perfect.” You were thankful that Loki was trying to help you. Truly, you knew how ridiculous you were being and wished you could just carve the damned pumpkin. You hated your anxiety for turning something you should find fun into something that you feared.

Loki thought that you were too hard on yourself; you had a kind, calming and gentle presence to everyone around you, so why couldn’t you give yourself the same grace you give to others? Over the past year, he had noticed your proclivity for self-doubt on several occasions as you lived and worked at the compound. It was odd to him that you would doubt yourself and your abilities, given that you were an incredibly competent scientist, which you had proven time and time again.

He wished there was a way for him to help you not hold yourself to such unrealistic standards. You had just admitted to him that your fears were stopping you from doing something that you wanted to engage in; he believed there must be something he could do to provide encouragement in overcoming your insecurities, even with something as harmless as carving a pumpkin. Clearly, offering words of wisdom alone wasn’t enough, so he racked his brain for another strategy.

One idea came to his mind, though he wasn’t entirely certain it would work. Based on Peter’s playful engagement with you earlier, you appeared more relaxed, as though a weight was lifted off of your shoulders when he tickled you. Loki couldn’t say that his observation was a fact, after all, it was only a single, brief interaction that he saw. And who was to say you would be equally comfortable with him as you were with Peter? He had no intentions of making you uncomfortable in the slightest.

But, perhaps he could test his theory. There was no harm in testing the waters to see if you’d take his bait. And who knew? Maybe it could be a win-win situation. He could potentially assist you in overcoming your self-doubt, while proving himself to be right at the same time. He’d never pass up that opportunity.

“Well, Agent…” He set his mug on the countertop and clapped his hands. “I can’t stand seeing you in that little melancholic state any longer. So, I’m going to propose an offer.” He raised his eyebrows subtly, making sure to lace his demeanor with mischief to see how you’d react. “Since you’ve told me that you want to do it, either you can willingly at least begin to carve the pumpkin, or… I will be forced to provide you a little motivation. Some coercion, if you will.”

You perked up a bit at the glint of playfulness in his voice, then tried to hide your inquisitiveness just as quickly as it appeared.

“Coercion, hm?” you hummed flatly, though Loki saw right through your attempt to masquerade the sudden glimmer of curiosity in your eyes.

The corner of his lip pulled upwards as he gained some assurance in his speculation. “Oh, most certainly. As the God of Mischief, I must say I’ve gathered some rather effective strategies over the years. I am well versed at using a person’s fear as leverage to manipulate them to do what I want,” he said in a low drawl.

“Ih-is that a threat?” you stammered. Loki carefully studied your body language to check for any signs of unease, but he failed to notice any. If anything, he might’ve said you were intrigued.

“Perhaps it is,” he offered casually. He crossed his arms, flaunting a little intimidation and a little more confidence.

“I’m not afraid of you, Loki. I know you’d never do anything to hurt me,” you taunted, a cheeky smile tugging at your lips. 

Your response further confirmed his suspicions; if you were going to be playful with him, Loki presumed you wouldn’t mind if he dished it right back. Maybe Peter was onto something; perhaps you needed some playfulness to provide a little distraction. To help alleviate the voices in your mind from telling you nothing you did could fall short of being perfect.

He tilted his head. “Mm, perhaps you should be afraid. Especially after your spider friend recently provided me with such valuable information of you.” He exuded a calm, yet slightly unnerving confidence as he stepped towards you.

“What are you-“ Oh. Oh. (As if you didn’t know what you were getting yourself into.)

The wheels in your brain abruptly screeched to a halt as you froze. Your legs glued to the ground as if they were anchored in place. Your heartbeat quickened, and nervous, (who were you kidding?) excited giggles spluttered from your lips. Weakly, you held up your hands, pretending as though you wanted to maintain distance between you. Though absolutely everything else in you was provoking him, your final brain cell seemed to have a sense of self-preservation as it fought for you. “Waihait-“ 

Before you had any time to react, he grasped his fingers around your wrists, quickly spinning you around, pressing your back flush against his chest. A crimson haze seeped over your cheeks at the realization of how trapped you were in his strong arms. He gathered your wrists, pinning them against your chest with one hand, then used his other hand to lightly scribble his fingers on the side of your stomach just above your waist. Instantly, giggles left your mouth and you squirmed at his delicate touch.

 “I’ll show you mercy if you promise me one thing,” he said, casting chills down your spine. He paused his fingers, resting them on your sides as if waiting for definite permission.  

“W-What?” you squeaked.

He gently turned you to the side and gazed at you softly. Bringing your eyes up to his, you could see that the glimmers of mischief had been replaced with genuine care. “Promise you’ll attempt to carve the pumpkin, and give it your all.” 

Being well and fully aware that you were digging your own grave, you flashed back a defiant grin and responded: 

“I can’t promise that.”

“A shame,” he sighed as if it pained him, but secretly took delight in being right. “The offer was genuine, too.” He released your wrists and latched his hands onto both sides of your ribcage, expertly digging into the crevices of your lower ribs. You squeaked and squealed and fell into laughter, doubling over as you tried to evade his ticklish touch.   

“AHAH Loki wa-HAIT- NO“  You shrieked and writhed uselessly against him as his nimble fingers relentlessly clawed up and down your ribcage. Electricity rapidly trickled through you in every direction, down to your feet and up your spine to the base of your neck. Zapped of your power, your legs lost their strength as you quickly fell weak in his arms. Gently, he laid you down on the kitchen floor, throwing one of his legs across your body and straddling your upper legs.

“I’m afraid it’s too late now, Agent. I did offer you an out; you simply chose not to take it,” he hummed. “My offer does still stand, however. Though, perhaps you don’t truly want this to stop.” He winked, continuing his ticklish onslaught and scribbling his fingertips into your belly, equidistant between your bellybutton and sides. 

Fireworks exploded across your cheeks and laughter flowed from your lips. He chuckled endearingly, amused as his deft fingertips made quick work of sending you into hysterics. Alternating between well-placed pokes and clawing around your stomach, and pulsing his hands up your sides and ribcage, he dodged your hands with ease as you attempted to push his away, never letting you get used to one sensation.

Loki paused as he noticed your eyes widen and blush deepen when he found a particularly sensitive spot on the middle of your ribcage.

“Oh, my,” Loki drawled, his eyes lighting up as though he’d discovered a valuable treasure on a deserted island. “You should really be thankful you don’t work out on the field, with how little control you have of your face.”

 “UGH I kno-OHO-w,” you whipped your hands up to your cheeks to conceal your impossibly increasing flushing face. You were sure that in any second the heat radiating off of your face would burst into flames, emitting smoke signals to any potential rescuers to help you off of said island.

Speaking of rescuers, how long does it take for someone to simply go outside and grab some pumpkins?!

(On second thought, maybe you were thankful they were taking so long.) 

“There’s a r-EAHA-soHON I work behind the sc-EHENES AHAHA NO” you managed to say in between your laughter. You all but screamed as Loki unexpectedly latched his fingers onto your hips, drilling into the soft skin next to the bone. Throwing your head back, your eyes squeezed shut, you lightly snorted, and then fell into silent laughter. Your entire body became inundated with ticklish shock waves as his thumbs rhythmically and steadily pulsed into the dip of your hips, his fingers simultaneously digging into the back of your sides. Persistent, unrelenting, unyielding, he targeted your hips, eventually slowing down to lightly scribble at the sides as he noticed tears forming in your eyes.

He stared down at you with an amused grin, allowing you a moment to catch your breath. “Ready to yield, yet, Agent?”

“Lokihihi,” you said as your giggles audibly returned. You had to admit, the sensation was entirely overwhelming, but at the same time, it was kind of fun. Only Peter had really tickled you before, but it was never more than a couple seconds; the extent of his playfulness seemed completely mild compared to how Loki was taking you apart with his hands. You couldn’t remember the last time you truly laughed and let loose like this. You would never admit to enjoying yourself out loud, but you had a feeling didn’t need to; your traitorous face spoke for itself.

“Yes, darling?” Smirking, he exuded mischief and amusement as his fingertips ghosted around the soft skin on the inside of your hipbones. He wondered how much of his playful tormenting you were willing to subject yourself to.

“I cahahn’t-” You batted weakly at his hands. Loki had been observing you closely, and even through your disheveled state, he noticed a genuine smile still remained behind your eyes. Reaching behind him with his left hand, he lightly scratched the skin on the back of your thigh, just above the back of your knee. Frantically, you kicked your legs and your shoulders shook as he simultaneously engaged his right hand, continuing to squeeze your hip. “I caHAHn’t take iHIit AHA-“

He grinned, “You know how to make this stop.” Picking up the pace of his tickling fingers, he elicited more of your melodic laughter as you became nearly powerless under his playful touch.

In a half-hearted attempt to protect yourself, you somehow managed to slip one of your hands in between your left hip and Loki’s hand, to which he quickly grabbed both of your wrists and pinned them above your head. Using his free hand, he rapidly pinched up and down one of your exposed and vulnerable sides, from your hip bone to the top of your ribcage. You jolted and laughed underneath him, your laughter interlaced with squeaks and squeals as Loki found especially sensitive spots.

Curiously, he wiggled his index finger deep into the center of your underarm. Much to Loki’s delight, your eyes glittered with liveliness as you shrieked and squirmed under his touch. He couldn’t help but find it adorable that you were enjoying yourself so much, and how much it was seeming to help you relax.

“OK, okahAHy,” you uttered. He relented, though he remained seated on your legs and maintained his grip on your wrists, in case you changed your mind. Euphoric giggles continued to spill from your lips; you were feeling almost giddy from the endorphin rush. Impatient, he pinched your side once, then glared at you expectantly. Taking a moment to collect yourself, you took a deep breath and said, “I-hi promise to carve the pumpkin…” You giggled, hesitantly adding,” … if you do one thing.”

“What is it?” He raised an eyebrow with fake indignance, but he couldn’t help but be a little amused. “Need I remind you, Agent, you really aren’t in any position to be making ultimatums.”

“I’ll carve the pumpkin… if you wear Thor’s werewolf costume to the Halloween party,” you jokingly proposed. You knew that Loki would never wear it, but that didn’t mean you couldn’t tease him about it. And honestly, you weren’t quite ready for your playful interaction to end just yet.

He looked at you with a blank, emotionless expression, letting the taut silence linger between you for a few seconds. Your giggles slipped out again, partially from nerves, partly from delirium. Loki found himself both charmed that you were provoking him to continue and amazed at your resilience.

“You’ve got some nerve,” he growled and glared at you, though with lightheartedness in his pale emerald eyes. “Too much nerve for someone as ticklish as you.”

With that, he let go of your wrists and found your triggering middle rib, drilling his middle fingers deep into the bone on each side. You strongly jolted, laughing uncontrollably as you kicked your legs helplessly from underneath him. Eventually giving up on your halfhearted attempts to protect yourself, you relaxed as you succumbed to your torment. Loki continued his relentless, playful attack on your sensitive spot, digging in ruthlessly as you once again fell into bright laughter. In this moment, you felt the weakest and most flustered you had ever felt in your life, your entire body dissolving like Jell-O on the floor. At the same time, you somehow felt entirely carefree, unable to think about anything else except for how bad it tickled, as the endorphins flitted around your brain.

His heart glowed with endearment as he heard the bubbly giggles pour from your lips and saw a big grin across on your face. He felt quite satisfied with himself on his newfound effective strategy to help you let loose and relieve some stress.

Your face was now an overripe tomato, your laughter soon becoming breathless, so Loki stopped, sensing that you’d had enough. Catching your breath, you sputtered out a surrender through your laughter. 

He climbed off of you, and the two of you sat in comfortable silence, aside from your occasional residual giggles as you recovered from your delirious state.

After a few moments, Loki turned towards you. “Darling, I would never force you to do something that makes you uncomfortable. But I truly think it would be good for you to at least try.” He paused, gazing at you gently. “I understand that you don’t want to mess up, that you want to do things perfectly, and I can respect that. Perfection is a noble goal, though it is unachievable. It pains me to see that your pursuit of perfection sometimes paralyzes you in beginning something, for fear of messing up.”

You met his eyes softly, listening intently.

“You are incredibly competent and gifted with a brilliant mind, but even the most brilliant minds in the world will continue to fall short of perfection. Even Odin himself has flaws. But he is one of the most powerful and wisest gods out there. Thor isn’t perfect, even as a mighty warrior. His ego is massive. Yet he is still a powerful warrior, a noble brother.

I only want to give you some confidence and reassurance that it is entirely okay to mess up. It is a natural part of our life’s journey, that we are capable of growing from our mistakes.”

Feeling slightly taken aback by his compassionate and understanding words, and at a loss of words to match his kind sentiment, you gently smiled and said, “Thanks, Loki.”

He offered you a sincere, tight-lipped smile in return. “I only wish you could see the value in yourself that everyone else does. You would do well to give yourself a little grace.”

“That’s very kind of you to say,” you breathed. 

“It is all the truth, Agent.” 

You had never realized how attentive he was towards you, or how much he cared about you. You were so used to fighting your battles on your own, the thought of receiving help was almost foreign to you, especially from Loki.

Perhaps your fear of appearing incompetent was keeping you from letting anyone in, and you’d blinded yourself to the reality that others might want to be there for you. But now, here you were, seated side-by-side in a vulnerable moment with the God of Mischief, his kindness coming as a welcome surprise, comforting you like a warm embrace when you needed it the most. 

Your heart swelled at the thought that Loki cared so much about you, feeling honored that he was comfortable enough opening up to you in a way he really hadn't with others. It meant so much to you that he was willing to risk being vulnerable himself in order to help you, to show that it is okay to allow people to see behind your mask of perfection. He reminded you that you were more than competent, and even when you did make a mistake, you were still loved.

Learning to be more forgiving of yourself and your mistakes would be a process; that much, you knew. It wasn't something that would completely change overnight, but you decided it was something worth working towards. Especially now that you knew you had your teammates to support you.

"Shall I let you get back to your pumpkin now?" he asked.

Nodding genuinely, you gave him a soft smile.

Loki beamed with an uncharacteristic warmth, recognizing that the traces of downheartedness in your disposition had faded, replaced with a glow of hope and promise.

“Excellent! I’m proud of you, Agent. Perhaps this is what you need to overcome your fears. A victory, even if it’s simply over a pumpkin.” He stood up, offering you his hand.

“So… does this mean you’ll wear the werewolf costume? If not, I totally get it- I think the vampire costume would suit you better anyway,” you deadpanned, giving him a wink as you took his hand.

Feigning menace, he held your hand firmly and stared down at you before helping you up. “Ask about the costume one more time, and I will pin you to the ground and tickle you until you are on your last breath. And next time, I won’t show any mercy.” He winked right back and gave you a sly grin.

You squeaked and blushed furiously at his threat, causing Loki to smirk at your flustered reaction. Although, now that he was aware you truly didn’t mind his playful antics, he knew he would follow up with that one day, anyways. Perhaps on a day when you were extra hard on yourself, if only to make you smile.

“We’re back! Sorry it took longer than-“ Peter, pumpkins in hand, stopped in his tracks as he saw Loki helping you up. “You fell again? Wow, and I thought that I was a klutz,” Peter remarked with a smile.

You lightheartedly laughed at the coincidence, while Loki looked a little bemused and returned to his tea. You decided you’d be fine with keeping both of them in the blue about your embarrassing moments you’d had with the other. 

As you began working on your pumpkin again, in the company of your teammates, you couldn’t help but be thankful for them.

Perhaps you could be a little less hard on yourself. You made a promise to yourself that one day you would learn to be more forgiving of yourself and your mistakes. To believe that you were good enough, and that you were worthy of the same love and grace you gave so freely to everyone else.

#loki tickle #tickle fluff #tickle fic #ler!loki #ticklish!reader #marvel tickle #loki fluff #marvel fluff

[berrys-hide-out]

Run

A/N; YO! Another fun lil Drabble while I decide on how on earth the next tiny story will play out! I really wanted to do something with a pair I haven’t seen all that often yet and soooo bam Loki and Pete! ✨

Summary; Peter plays a prank on the god of mischief, Loki remembers a little quirk the young hero possesses thanks to an involuntary squeak. Not that either of them really minded

—————————————

“Run.”

Peter did not have to get told twice as he immediately stormed off with anticipating and panicked giggles. He wasn’t sure why he decided to play daredevil and prank the god of mischief himself— well actually it was because he was bored. Hella so, with the avengers on a mission and only left behind with Loki who seemed to be engrossed by his books… boredom was inevitable.

Now what did he do you might ask; simple! He filled a bowl with pink glitter and put it at the top of the door and ultimately forgot about it until an hour later when he walked by just as the god fell into his trap.

Did he regret doing this? No. Not at all in fact as he literally snorted at the sight and told FRIDAY to take a picture.

Was he regretting it now? Probably not but his thoughts were running miles as he quickly rushed into the lounge, then the kitchen and around the counter. What would the god do when he caught him?! The avengers weren’t home until midnight! Sure he wouldn’t hurt him but it is the god of mischief after all!

Loki’s grin made goosebumps spread all over his arms and neck and a giddy smile forced its way onto his features. “Y-you know pink fihits you well.” He tried- and failed to choke back the giggle, his hand coming up to cover his mouth half heartedly. It was a sight to behold— the god of mischief hair and outfit full of shiny pink glitter.

Loki shook his head and tutted “tsk, tsk, tsk, you need to learn one thing kid; you don’t play mischief on the god of mischief.”

Peter squeaked and moved around the isle as Loki moved. “Why don’t we drop this and ohorder pizza?” The god grinned “my are we nervous Petey?” The teen gave him a small tiny whine as a reply which ripped a deep chuckle from the god.

Just that made Pete suddenly bolt for the lounge again— only to collide with something strong… or someone as he was suddenly thrown over the gods shoulder and they turned around. The decoy vanished, only further proving that he was on the gods shoulder “WAIT- wait wait NOHonononono! Loki cohome on it was a harmless prank! It’ll wash out I Promihise! UhUHUsing magic is Unfahair!” Peter tried- and failed to flail enough to get out of the gods hold, resulting in him hitting the man’s back.

Loki huffed and adjusted the boy. Peter yelped and his hands shot down Lokis back to prevent himself from falling over, only hearing the god chuckle at his reaction. They continued down the hall…. At least until the god subtly dug a little deeper into Peter’s back thigh and he squeaked out a protest “NOHo! StoHop that!yoHOu’re tickling mEHe!” Peter yelped and kicked out, one hand shooting off of the gods back to try and grapple at Lokis hands.

Loki stopped “this just got a whole lot more amusing.” The playful and mischief in the gods voice made Peter sputter and his escape efforts suddenly spiked- legs kicked out, hands flailed and a long protest of giggly “NO!”’s followed as they made their way back to the lounge. The anticipation made his already heightened sensitivity so so much worse.

“Cohohome on! It was just a lihittle glitter! I’m sorry!” Loki chuckled and threw the boy onto the couch in the empty lounge which he bounced off once or twice and immediately tried to get away “don’t lie to the god of mischief boy, you’re not sorry in the slightest” he warned before his hands latched onto Peter’s sides. It was true— Peter wasn’t sorry the apology just flew out of his mouth.

The girly squeal that emitted from the boy only fed the gods growing soft spot for the boy.

Peter immediately squeezed his eyes shut, turned and started wiggling around, his hands flying down to Lokis to try and catch them without much luck. The god’s hands practically flew through the boys defences, even with the Peter-tingle which only made this so much more fun — I mean worse!

“This’ll teach you not to lie or use mischief against the god of it.” Loki chuckled as he watched Peter’s cheeks heat up “NEhEhehehe IHihe- I wa- ahaHAha WaHas BoHohored!” Peter whined through hysterical giggles.

Loki hummed “I don’t see what makes you think that that qualifies playing tricks on me” he said and slowly moved over the boys stomach enlightened to hear his giggles become bubbly and childlike “now this is just sweet~” the god cooed.

Peter’s struggling lessened a little and his blush deepened. “nOHohoHO ihIHIhihi— Ihits NOhOhohot! AHAHA- LOHOKI!” Peter suddenly screeched when one of Lokis hands caught one of the flailing ankles and trailed a few scribbling fingers up his sole.

Peters enhanced strength proved to be helpful enough to yank his foot back but the attack to his hips made him recoil and shake his head, hands finally latching onto the offending fingers that drilled into the hipbones on both sides simultaneously.

“NAHAA! THiHIHis iHIs UnFaHAH- uNFahAHAir!” Loki chuckled “actually this is plenty fair.. this however..” Peter gasped when one of his hands was suddenly held up above his head and the second hand hovered just above his outstretched ribs and armpit.

“This is unfair.” The god grinned darkly. Peter spluttered and the ongoing giggles stopped him from forming a coherent word— a sentence right now was impossible.

“Are you regretting having pulled a trick on the god of mischief?”

An out. If he really wanted to he could’ve had this dropped now but at this point Peter was having way too much fun with the god and shook his head with a wobbly grin and an overall giddy expression.

Loki shook his head at the playfulness the Midgardian child had. He also wasn’t quite sure where all of that energy came from but he was more than happy to let their little game continue for awhile. “Wrong answer~”

Peter squeaked and practically jumped when Lokis hand faked out.

The boy opened one eye then the other. Loki grinned down at him, emitting a low giggly whine from the teen. “See.. I’m starting to think you enjoy this” he said and traced along the boys ribs. Gently enough not to dig in but definitely rough enough to get a sweet reaction out of the kid.

Peter giggled hysterically and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to cover his burning face as he shook it ‘no’. Though at this point his face wasn’t the only part that shimmered in a light crimson. His ears and neck joined his blistering cheeks beautifully.

Loki grinned “if you close your eyes you won’t see the attack Petey” that got him back the boys attention. The anticipating gleam in the boys eyes, the disheveled hair, the bright red hue that covered him it was a sight practically to coo over but Loki needed to prove a point and so scribbled over the boys armpit. He needed a good reaction, as far as the avengers Mission-times go they were never exactly accurate— but ho boy did he get a reaction when his fingers hit the skin.

Peter snorted, threw his head back with loud and boisterous cackles while his legs kicked out. Loki’s fingers drove the poor kid up the wall, somehow he knew exactly what spot and technique would get the kid to wither under his touch

“NAHAHA! IHIHI’M SAHA- SHOHORRYHEHEE! LOHOHOHKIHEHE- HEEE!”

With a chortle Loki let up and instead moved to tracing the kids belly “so what are you sorry for?” “Fohor pranking thehe god of mischiehehef!”

Loki hummed and squeezed his thigh where it had more or less all begun “and?” “LYHYING!” Peter squeaked out. “Lying what Pete?” The god grinned cheekily. “Don’t liehe to the god of mischief!”

Loki hummed happily “glad you came around.” He said and Peter chuckled, curling up to face the couch cushions.

“Naw don’t go hiding on me now” Peter’s squeaky giggles escaped his mouth quicker then he could cover it when the god scribbled over his back. He didn’t even know his back was ticklish!

The boy quickly turned back around and was about to say something before-

“Pete has a ticklish back?!” Came from the doorway making both, spider-child and the God of Mischief look up in utter bewilderment.

In the doorway, Sam, Bucky and Tony.

They didn’t even hear them come in.

“I’m so using that next time.” Tony chuckled. Peter whined “mister staaahaaark!” Loki gave a low chuckle. “And someone’s gone soft” Tony continued making the god flush bright red “he just needed an attitude adjustment and I happened to find out a rather interesting fact about our spider” He said and eyed Peter who immediately started giggling his little heart out.

“You should probably wash out the glitter before it gets everywhere.” The captain said as they walked in.

Peter chuckled. “I got him good though” he said before noticing the warning and menacing grin that spread on Loki’s features.

The boy squeaked and rushed out, incoherent words spilling all over the place with giggles prepped in. Probably leaving a trail of “nohooo”‘s and “I’m sorry”’s

Loki chuckled and shook his head.

The boy really has a weird thing for getting in trouble.

“You too reindeer games” Tony called from the kitchen which earned an eye roll. But Loki didn’t protest any further. The glitter had to leave.

Once out of earshot Tony grinned “FRI!”

#berry talks #tickle fic #Lee!peter #Lee!spiderman #ticklish!peter Parker #ler!Loki #lee!peter parker #berry’s hideout

[valiantphantomangel]

The Party

You slowly opened your bedroom door, cringing as it made a low creaking sound, you looked around to see if anyone would come out of their room and sighed in relief when that wasn't the case.

Shoes and bag in your hand as you sneaked through the halls in your best clothes, hair up and light make up on, trying your best to stay as quiet as possible.

The ding of the elevator alerted you that someone was coming and you quickly ducked behind a corner, hoping that it was someone who wouldn't recognize you.

But low and behold, there stepped out of the elevator the three people you didn't want to see the most, The God Of mischief, The Winter Soldier and Captain America. Aka the three people who would never let you go to a party like the overprotective guys they were.

"Are you sure she's here?" Bucky asked as he looked around the hall.

"Yeah, Stark said he saw her on the camera's looking all dressed up" Steve answered as he put his hands on his hips.

You slowly started to sneak out, trying to remain as quiet as possible as you tip toe into the opposite direction.

"Did you really think I wouldn't notice you Y/N?" Loki chuckled as he turned around to face you.

Your eyes widen as you come to a hold, turning around to see them looking at you.

"Go back to bed and you'll only get a lecture" Steve suggested.

"Never" you grinned before sprinting away.

You heard the thundering of footsteps behind you as you ran like your social life depends on it, luckily you also had a gift and that was a mutated super soldier serum that you got as a child, the team was aware of it but never tested it to its full ability.

"God damnit she's fast"! Bucky exclaimed behind you as he nearly ran into Steve who shouted "Language"!! at him.

Your 'ahhhhhhh' echoed through the halls, stopping for a second and then continuing loudly, making it almost look like a chase scene from a Disney movie.

You quickly rounded a corner before running straight into a brick wall, well it felt like a brick wall but was instead Loki waiting there for you.

He immediately trapped you a bear hug before throwing you over his shoulder "Hey put me down!!" You yelled with a laugh as you punched his back.

"Now now darling no need to be so aggressive" Loki smirked as he carried you back to the other two who were waiting there with wicked grins on their face.

"You are in big trouble young lady" Steve chuckled as Loki carried you to the couch and threw you on to it gently, immediately straddling your waist with a mischief smirk on his face.

"Wipe that stupid smirk off of your face" You said accusingly as you squirmed underneath him.

"How about no?" He grinned before tasering your sides and blowing a raspberry on your neck.

You let out a squeak before laughing your head off, suddenly feeling a pair of fingers scribbling on the soles of your feet.

"God Damnit AHHHHAHAHAHHA" you screamed with laughter as you wiggle around now also feeling someone squeezing your knees.

"Steve she said a bad language word" Bucky said with a faux gasp as he continued to trace your soles.

"I'm never going to escape that" Steve muttered before laughing and squeezing your thighs.

It was God Damm torture, Loki obviously knew what he was doing as he expertly digged into your ribs.

"I'm actually quite hungry" he said with a grin before leaning down and blowing a good raspberry on your tummy right next to your belly button.

"GHAHHAHAHHAHA" you screamed in hysterical laughter as you trashed around.

"Have you learned your lesson doll?" Bucky asked as he wiggled his fingers on your toes.

"YESHAHAHAH"!!!!

"And what is it?"

"DONT SNEAK OUTHIHIHIHI" you laughed breathless as your face turned a little red.

Loki chuckled fondly and let up, same for the other two and helped you sit up as the remaining giggles left your lips.

"You know you are absolutely beautiful and adorable right darling" Loki said with a smile as he pulled you to his chest with Steve and Bucky sitting nearby with fond smiles.

You just nodded with a blush as he kissed your forehead "Now how about a movie night and when there is a party anytime soon you'll tell and you can go?" He suggested.

"Really?" You jumped up excited and Loki nodded.

"thank you thank you thank you" you giggled as you gave all of them a hug before running off to your room to change into comfortable clothes and spent the rest of the night eating snacks, watching movies and joking around with Loki, Steve and Bucky.

Honestly it was better then any party could be.

#tickle fic #marvel tickle #lee!reader #ticklish!reader #ticklish ribs #bucky barnes #request #tickle punishment #steve rogers #ler!bucky #ler!steve #ler!loki #loki god of mischief #party #sneaking out

[tickles-in-ficland]

BOREDOM

Summary: Y/N tries to avoid getting homework done by bugging two Demigods. It doesn’t go in her favor…or does it 😉

Word Count: 2,088

Pairings: Ler!Thor Ler!Loki Lee!Reader

You were bored. With everyone on missions or spending time with their families, you needed some entertainment. Being the youngest on the team along with Parker, Stark was making you stay home this weekend and finish homework. Even being an Avenger, school was still important. You argued and insisted that you attend the mission but Stark had the final word.

You’d been “working” on your homework for an hour and decided to take a break and wander the compound. You thought, minus maybe Pepper who was usually in her office you’d be alone. Much to your surprise you saw two demigods sitting in the lounge area. Your lips curled up into a smile. They hadn’t seen you enter the room and you figured you’d sneak up and spook the brothers.

Before you could take a step, without looking up from his book you heard Loki speak.

“There’s no use in trying to sneak up on us Y/N. I know you’re behind me.”

“Ugh! No fair Loki.” you pouted crossing your arms. “How’d you even know I was there?”

“Darling.” Loki scoffed as he closed his book and turned his head to look at you. “You’re talking to the God of Mischief. You can’t get anything past me.”

Your eyebrows furrowed as you looked over at Thor who wore an amused smirk on his face.

“He is unfortunately right young Y/N. Even as kids, I could never best him.” Thor chucked. “But it matters not because you shouldn’t even be down here. Didn’t Stark order you to finish your school work?”

“I uh, decided to take a break.” you said clearing your throat. “Needed to get some air and all that.”

“Ah.” Thor nodded, not entirely convinced by your answer. “Well my brother and I will be here should you need us. Back to it.”

Your eyes widened in realization. “Wait a minute! Stark kept you guys from the mission to be my BABYSITTERS?”

“I wouldn’t put it that way exactly…” Thor started but glancing over at Loki who was clearly amused by your reaction, spoke up.

"Oh I would." he said with a deep chuckle. “Yes. Stark asked us to make sure you did as you were told. Seeing as last time you were left unattended you did not finish your school work and failed an assignment.”

Your pout only furthered more at Loki’s words. “I’m not a baby. I don’t need to be watched.” you said with a stomp of your foot, digging your metaphorical hole deeper.

The brothers both raised an eyebrow in amusement. You huffed, knowing you’d proven their point.

“Okay fine. But I do need a break. I’m bored up there. Can I hang out with you guys for a little while. Pleeeeease?” you asked looking between the two with the biggest puppy dog eyes you could muster.

Going over to Thor, who you knew was the softie of the two, you wrapped your arms around his big torso and looked up at him. “Please Thor? We don’t hang out enough. We are always off doing missions or you guys go back to Asgard and I miss you.”

Thor looked down at you with a soft smile as he stroked your hair gently. The brothers had grown quite fond of you since you’d joined the team. Being the youngest of them, they felt protective of you like big brothers. The world was harsh and it didn’t hurt to have two demigods on your side. You knew Thor was a pushover, it would be Loki that would be the tough one to crack.

“Brother.” Thor said putting his arm around you affectionately. “Why don’t we let the young maiden take a break from her studies? Surely it won’t hurt to take some time to enjoy the company.”

Loki’s eyes narrowed you, his hands on his hips. He pinched the bridge of his nose before letting out a sigh of defeat. “Fine. But only for a short while. I don’t want to deal with Stark when he comes home and Y/N has yet to finish her school work.”

“YAY!” you cheered throwing your arms around Loki.

Not expecting the sudden impact, Loki stumbled a bit but gave you a small pat on the shoulder. He wasn’t much for affection like his brother, but you knew he cared for you nevertheless.

“I mean it Y/N.” he chastised. “Only a short break and then you are to return to your studies. Understood?”

“Yeah yeah sure.” you said with a dismissive wave of your hand.

Sure enough, you break went by entirely too quick. You were curled up on the couch, watching tv with your head on Thor’s shoulder when suddenly the tv clicked off.

“Hey!” you shouted looking over at Loki who shrugged. “What gives?”

“Breaks over. As agreed, it is time to go back upstairs. Should you need assistance with your work, you may call one of us and we will do what we can. We are fairly well versed in Midgardian studies. But until then, off you go.”

“No.” you said confidently crossing your arms.

“I’m sorry. What did you say?” Loki asked closing his book and looking at you incredulously.

“You heard me.” you snarked back, folding your arms once again in defiance. “I said no. N-O spells no.”

You heard Thor snort laugh behind you. He knew how this was going to end but you were digging your own grave and he was enjoying himself.

Loki scoffed a laugh before standing up and approaching the couch, where you and Thor sat.

“Y/N….” Loki said in a warning tone. “This isn’t going to end well for you darling. I’d stop while you’re ahead.”

“I don’t want to do my school work today. Maybe tomorrow.” you said reaching for the remote only to have it disappear in a green flash.

“Hey! Not fair. You can’t use magic to hide things.”

“Oh well.” he shrugged while a smile tugged at his lips. “Off you go.” he said reaching for your hand only for you to shake your head.

“I said no Loki.”

Loki sighed. “Then you leave me no choice.” he said with a fake pained expression on his face.

“For whAT?” you let out a squeak as Loki tackled you to the couch and with little effort had pinned your hands to your sides.

“Lohoki! What the hehell?!” you said nervous giggles building in your chest.

“I’m going to make you regret telling me no. Stark said to use whatever method we needed, to make sure you were not going to skip your schooling. This seems like a great way to do so.”

Opening your mouth to protest was cut short as you felt ten fingers find purchase on your sides. Sporadic giggles began to escape your lips as you tried to twist and turn away from the tickly feeling.

“Lohohoki!” you squealed as his nimble fingers worked their way up your sides.

Loki’s dark chuckle told you that he wasn’t stopping anytime soon.

“Brother, if you wouldn’t mind I could use some assistance.” Loki chided. “The young maiden is quite squirmy.”

“Certainly, dear brother.” you heard Thor chuckle behind you.

You felt slight weight in your shoulders and looked up to see the flowy blonde hair hair dangling above your face, Thor grinning at you through it.

“Thohohor! Hehelp!”

Thor smiled affectionately at you. “I would count myself a fool to challenge my brother. A lesson you dear Y/N have yet to learn.” He chuckled before fluttering his fingers along your neck, eliciting more squeals as you shook your head trying to evade his fingers.

Loki leaned forward toward your face. “Now darling. Are we going to behave now and do as Stark has requested or shall we continue this?” he asked halting his fingers for a few moments.

You took in deep breaths at the momentary reprieve. Truthfully you didn’t hate it. No one really knew but you had a feeling the Asgardian was catching on.

You smirked at the God of Mischief, playfulness dancing in your eyes. The twinkle in your eye caught Loki’s attention and a full grin spread across his face.

“You like this. Don’t you, young one? It’s why you’re being so defiant. You wanted this to happen.” he said starting to snake his fingers up your rib cage, bubbly giggles once again pouring from your lips.

“I do not understand.” You heard Thor question behind you.

As if you weren’t apart of the conversation, Loki continued his tickle attack. Your infectious laughter ringing through the room as you weakly batted at his hands.

“Have you not noticed, that our young friend here has not asked me to stop once? She has been given opportunity to yield and yet she responds with words she knows will get her in trouble?” Loki asked. “She LIKES this. She WANTED this. Isn’t that right little one?” Loki questioned you, his nimble fingers now reaching under your arms, arguably your worse spot.

“LOHOHOKIHIHI!” your hard belly laughter raising several octaves. Pushing on his hands did nothing. He was a God after all and his strength was no match for yours. “PLEHEHEASE! GAHAHAH!” your legs kicked wildly behind him.

Thor smirked as he too realized. “Ah. I see now. She’s yet to ask either of us to stop. Is that right Y/N? You enjoy the tickles, do you not?” Thor chuckled as his fingers made contact with your neck once again, a scream of laughter erupting from you.

Your cheeks a bright crimson color as you turned your head trying to avoid eye contact as the two Asgardians tickled you mercilessly.

“Come on darling. Just admit it. You like this.” Loki teased.

“NEHEVER!”

“Very well.” Thor sighed jokingly. “Brother, if you will.” he said gesturing for Loki to step aside. “Hold her please.”

“Nonono! Thohohor!” you squealed your eyes pleading.

In an instant, the two brothers had switched places with Loki now holding you down with little effort as Thor positioned himself at your waist.

“Now then.” Thor continued “Is my brother correct in his assumptions?”

You bit your lip to bite back a giggle. “Mahahaybe.” you admitted closing your eyes in embarrassment.

“Hehey!” Thor’s deep laugh rang through the room. “Look at me Y/N.”

When your eyes remained shut, Thor dug his fingers deep in your hip, causing a boisterous laughter to come out. You peaked at him with one eye and saw him looking at you with a gentle smile.

“It is nothing to be embarrassed by. Actually, it is adorable. Don’t you agree brother?” he asked looking at Loki who remained sitting at your head, occasionally fluttering his fingers in your neck.

“Indeed it is brother. What I don’t understand is why she shields her enjoyment of it.”

You sighed but a small smile played on your lips. Thor and Loki had released their hold on you, allowing you to sit up.

“Because. It’s not something most people enjoy. I grew up an only child. My parents worked all the time. I wasn’t given affection much as a child. And then…” you continued. “The…thing happened to me and I became a part of this team, this…family and for the first time I felt like I had brothers and sisters and… friends.” you stopped for a moment wiping your eyes.

“Heyyy.” Thor said pulling you to his chest and rubbing your shoulder. “It’s okay. It’s okay to want affection. As a young child you were deprived of what you craved most. It is natural to want that.”

“I hate to agree with my brother.” Loki chimed in which made you let out a muffled laugh in the crook of Thor’s shoulder. “But he is right. And if you need us to step in and be your big brothers, then that is what we shall be.”

You sighed in relief this time, a smile, a real smile this time gracing your face. “Thank you both. I really was bored though.”

“Well then.” Loki chuckled as he patted your shoulder. “We have been distraction enough. As agreed it’s time to return to your studies.”

You looked at him with a slight pout, twiddling your thumbs. “Would um…could you…” you asked embarrassed still.

“She wants us to continue brother.”

Thor grinned at you. “And what kind of big brothers would we be if we said no?” he asked before tackling you on the couch again, your deep laughter once again echoing through the room, your honorary big brothers tickling you to pieces.

Your homework long forgotten.

#mcu tickle #avengers tickle #marvel tickle #ticklish reader #tickle fluff #avengers tickle fic #lee!reader #ler!loki #ler!thor #loki tickle #thor tickle #thor x reader #loki x reader

[redderthanatomato]

hi!! so i rly wanna start writing tk fanfics but i am. a wee bit embarrassed so i’ve been lurking for the past two years on this silly little blog 💔💔💔 BUT IM HERE NOW‼️

idk where to start with writing to be completely honest! last time i wrote fanfiction was in.. middle school. we don’t talk about it.

but now it’s time for introductions: hi!! I’m Red :)) or Tomato. or whatever you wanna call me, i don’t have a preference! the username is definitely inspired by the fact that. i. get. flustered. way. too. easily. like it’s lowkey a problem but ANYWAYZ

like i said i’ve been lurking in the tickle community for a while but i’ve never actually talked about it? I’ve literally told two people about it ever- and they were my past partners 🤡 they just thought it was weird though, so i’ve been quiet about it ever since. but i’m so glad that there’s a community of people like me :)

i’ll probably be writing for mostly marvel characters! i recently watched all of the marvel films starting in 2022 (late i know) and i’ve fallen in love with them all. my autism goes CRAZY with these silly traumatized characters <3 I specifically love Bucky Barnes and Loki, so those two will probably be the main targets. I also will probably write mostly X Reader fanfics, purely because.. self insert (cries)

but yeah! hope i can make some friends on here!!

#marvel tickle fic #tickle fanfic #bucky barnes x ticklish!reader #ler!loki #lee!reader #dheifvekhfkebfkr

[smolknismofox]

I hope you like my throne Loki~

#tickling art #tickle art #ticklish #tickles #tickle #tickling community #tickle commuinty #my art #loki #lee!loki #ticklish loki #loki laufeyson #marvel

[fluffyfantasticducky]

Focus on the Good

☆ Pairing: Loki x Reader

☆ Synopsis: Loki is overwhelmed dealing with being accused as a traitor, although this time he's innocent. But this time, he is not the man he used to be, and he has you by his side.

☆ Word Count: 5,110

☆ Notes: The relatively awaited part two of Smile for me. Sorry I took so long to post this, I had a creative block and had trouble deciding what to focus on. The traitor plot twist is anticlimatic but I chose to focus more on Loki and his feelings.

☆ Warnings: Loki dealing with self hatred, insinuations and caresses that aren't spicy per se but are a bit more intimate and flirty but it's all sfw.

Frustrating. How else could he call it?

His first mission as a leader was a complete disaster. You had gotten hurt due to his own incompetence. And add some insult to this pathetic situation, now he was being investigated for treason to S.H.I.E.L.D. despite that he was completely innocent.

It must have been some sick twisted joke of fate. He spent years playing with Asgard like a fiddle, getting away with so much, to the point that where he committed treason everyone realized only when it was too late. And now that he had a reason to make things right, be transparent and honest, now he was investigated as if he was some traitor.

The most offensive thing of those implications was that it suggested that Loki was either using you or lying to you. When in reality he would die for you, he’d walk through fire if you asked him. Or that you were complicit of his ‘crimes.’ You, you who were the kindest, sweetest, most righteous person he had ever met.

Every day or two days at most they come to either interrogate you, him, or inspect your shared room which always left them a mess to clean up.

At least the people he cared about knew he was innocent. Thor was constantly arguing with Fury, going over and over about how this was nonsensical and even offering Loki to flee to New Asgard for a few days until things calmed down. Valkyrie had offered him an extra room if he needed. Bruce, while he wasn’t as passionate about defending Loki, agreed that it made very little sense that Loki would betray them now with all he had accomplished. Even the great Tony Stark agreed between sarcastic jokes that he would’ve believed if he hadn’t seen how down bad, he was for you.

You… what would he do without you? You not only got into mad arguments and made abundantly clear your distaste for this decision, but you were his biggest source of support and peace after all the draining routine he was being put through during the suspension from missions. You were a risk taker by disobeying direct orders from Fury by asking Thor, Bruce, Nat, Clint to trade with you during missions as to make a strike until they decided to reintegrate Loki to his normal duties. And for the first week of interrogations, whenever it was your turn… Norns, he felt a bit bad for the director. You were quite loud and fierce when you wanted to be.

But most importantly, all the support he got from you after all the interrogations and room inspections that hurt him more than he’d ever admit.

“I’m sorry…” he sighed, resting his head on your lap.

In between the inspections to your shared bedroom one of the agents had broken a little figurine you collected.

“It’s just a toy, I’ll get another one…” you assured him.

Loki could sense a lie. But he also remembered how excited you had been when you got it, saying it was rare and it had taken you a huge effort to get it.

“You darling prince…” you spoke softly, running your fingers through his hair. “It’s okay. We know you’re innocent, soon all of S.H.I.E.L.D. will see it too. Everything else doesn’t matter.”

“What did I do so right to deserve such a pretty angel such as you?” he chuckled. “You are unfairly good to me.”

“You keep saying that baby.” You spoke gently, tucking a few strands of hair behind his ear. “You sound like a broken record.”

“I might be one” he shrugged, closing his eyes.

“Yeah?” you giggled. “Then I’ll just have to fix you.”

“I thought you said the I can fix him was a toxic mentality in romance” he said cheekily.

“Oh, now you remember my movie rants” you laughed. “But the I can fix him trope is toxic when—”

“…It is used by the abuser who manipulates them into staying as a rehabilitation center. A partner should be part of your support group but never the responsible to fix you, but a motivation and helping hand while you fix yourself.” He opened his eyes to look up at you as he finished repeating your old rant word by word. “I always remember the things you say.”

“Is that so? When is our anniversary?”

“June 9” Loki smiled and noticed you opening your mouth to retort. “And our 1,000 days together is on March 5th year. And yes, I knew you were going to ask that.”

“Smart pants” you smiled.

“You love me like that.”

“I do” you smiled and kissed his lips softly. “Guess you don’t need fixing after all.”

“Glad we agree, I am the most perfect man” he grinned, relishing the way you cringed and smiled at the silly joke.

“I don’t know about that.” You smiled, “But you are perfect for me.”

You pecked his lips and made him smile.

“I don’t deserve you…” he smiled.

“Oh, that’s it!” you laughed and soon your hands where all over his sides.

And sooner than that Loki was laughing his head off.

“Hehe- hey!” he protested between laughs.

You had an annoying charm. Tickling him silly as a pseudo-punishment. It was your shared secret how much Loki enjoyed being tickled. You stopped soon enough, smiling at him, caressing your thumb across his cheek.

“It’ll pass before you notice…” you whisper. “They will see exactly what you truly are. Just like I do.”

Loki chuckled softly.

“I hope not, you are a handful already” he smirked at the offended look on your face due to his comment.

“Oh, you want to talk about a handful…” you growled as you flipped to straddle him. “Let’s see how much of a handful I can be…”

Loki gulped, unable to fight a smile.

“Ahah…” he huffed, “darling, d-don’t… d-dohohohon’t!”

But your hands were already attacking his sides, your fingers skillfully scribbling along his skin, prodding his ribs, drilling along each crevice in the most maddening way.

“Is that enough handful for you, huh?” you asked in a faux anger. “Eh? Is it?”

“Thihihihihihis is cruel!” Loki protested. “And thahahahat doesn’t mahahake sehehense!”

“Mmm, it might have just been excuse to get my hands on this hot bod of yours” you smiled.

Being tickled was already a vulnerable moment for Loki. To the point where only you could tickle him without any resistance. Anyone else would need to overpower him physically or just restrain him. You, on the other side, he would barely fight back. He’d simply squirm in his place, rolling over to the side or on his stomach. Which it gave you more of a sensation that he just wanted you to focus on other spots. Not that he'd ever admit… you had tried.

“Ehehehe! You ahahahaha— wait no!” he protested as your fingers reached his stomach, giving it little pinches and pokes. “Lohohohove, stop!”

“Alright, alright.” You smiled and kissed his forehead as you stopped the tickling. “Is your mood better?”

“Ihi— if I say yes will you stop torturing my stomach?” he smiled at you, holding onto your hips. “You know I can’t take it there.”

The way you leaned against his chest to kiss his lips never failed to drive him wild. And this wasn’t the exception.

“I am aware” you hummed against his lips. “That’s why it’s my favorite spot to tickle.”

“I am, unfortunately, also aware of that” he chuckled.

“If you really minded it, you’d actually do something to stop me instead of just laughing your heart out.”

“I love it when a beautiful mortal has their hands all over me, is that something to be ashamed about?” he grinned cheekily at you.

You rolled your eyes and smiled. “It wouldn’t be if you were still single. But you are stuck with me now and forgive me if I’m not good at sharing my boyfriend. Unless you’d share me with others.”

“That is out of the question. You are mine, and mine alone.” He said solemnly as he held you in his arms. You lifted your eyebrows, expectantly as he felt his cheeks warm up under your gaze. “As… I am yours; I suppose.”

“Was that so hard to say?” you smiled.

“Terribly so” Loki smiled. But then, his face adopted a serious, melancholic expression. “I’m sorry… I should not be dragging you into this disaster. You deserve better, and I fear you will realize that. It would be best for you, but… I don’t know what I would do without you.”

“Lucky for you, that’s not something you have to worry about” you assured him, pressing a soft kiss on his cheek. “I’m not going anywhere. I am perfectly happy with you.”

One thing that Loki loved about your relationship was that despite knowing you said stuff to made him feel better, it never came off as dishonest, as if those two concepts weren’t mutually exclusive. You said the kindest, most loving things, and he could tell you honestly felt every single one.

It made his heart soar. That honest and kind heart of yours was exactly what he had been craving for. You were what he had been looking for.

It made him want to open his heart to you. You were kind and listened to him without judging or thinking the worst of him.

“What am I going to do?” he sighed. “If I can’t go on missions, soon I will not be allowed to go outside, and then I will be going back to being a high-class prisoner.”

“Actually… you can’t leave the building given you’re under investigation” you said apologetically. “Sorry.”

“Lovely…” he groaned, throwing his head back, rubbing his face with his palms. “I am back to being a prisoner. Might as well get inside a cell.”

“Yes, we could tie you up, and torture you until you confess” you purred, trailing kisses along his jawline, as your hands made their way to play with his hair.

“You’re making it sound appealing” he hummed, relishing the feeling of your lips against his skin. “Mmm~ Keep touching me like that and I’ll do anything you ask.”

“Mm, what a good boy” you giggled, kissing his lips.

He laughed along with you, but mostly because your hands had found his ears and were tickling behind them.

“W-Whahahat are you doing? T-That tickles!” he laughed.

“I told you I would torture an answer out of you” you giggled, tickling the back of his ears. “Now confess, you war criminal!”

“Nohohoho, stohop it!” he squirmed underneath you. “How is thahahat spot so bahahad?”

“Right?” you chuckled, pressing loving kisses along his face. “I found out the other day while we were kissing.”

He grabbed your wrists. “Oh really?” he smirked, and trapped your wrists in one of his hands as he began tickling your ear shell and behind it. It took absolutely nothing to have you giggling like a kid.

“Ehehehe! L-Loki!” you giggled. “Hehehe! I-It tickles!”

“It does, does it not?” he chuckled.

He traced along the outline of your ear. He relished the way you laughed against him, you never tried to get away nor asked him to stop. You loved that closeness as much as Loki did.

“Mmm, that laugh of yours is so lovely~” he hummed as he stopped, tucking a few streaks of hair behind your ear. “It’s my favorite sound in the whole world, you make me so happy.”

“Cheesy” you chuckled, kissing his lips.

“I mean that, darling” he smiled. “Without you I would have gone mad by now. Or worse, I would be a prisoner.”

“You can’t believe that…” you spoke softly.

“What else am I supposed to believe?” he sighed, “what I did to New York is unforgivable. I should be locked up for life, I was going to be… It’s what I deserve. It took me too long to understand it.”

It broke your heart to hear him talk like that. It was a shame that he still punished himself so badly. You appreciated that he recognized his error, but the fact that it haunted him was painful to watch. He was already working on getting better.

“Loki… Your beef with Earth had its particular and complicated circumstances, it wasn’t 100% your fault.” You assured him. “But even if that was, there are other ways to atone for your mistakes… Punishing yourself but you were helping Earth, compensation is another way of redemption. Being an Avenger is a way to redeem yourself.”

“How do you do it?” he chuckled, “How do you manage to look at all the awful things I have done and still somehow see the best in me?”

“Because I’ve also seen how much you regret it, and I’ve seen you trying to prove to everyone, prove to yourself that you are doing better.” you spoke lovingly. “That means a lot, to me, to Thor, to everyone.”

“But why?” he asked. “What I did is…”

“Fucked up, yes. Tony and Bruce created a genocidal robot, Clint was an international criminal prisoner and retook as an assassin, Steve and Natasha were literal war criminals, your brother before you nearly started a war—”

“That I provoked him into.”

“Would you do it again?” you asked.

“For the sake of entertainment—” Loki pondered.

“Loki!” you giggled.

“I’m jesting, love!” he laughed. “Earth is no good in wars like Asgard, we fight to settle disagreements, make alliances, or get respect. But never to destroy.”

“We’re not so bad…” you smiled.

“Not all of you, no.” Loki agreed. “You for once are a wonderful mor— human. Smart, beautiful, funny, kind… It’s the people on the higher power that worry me.”

“It’s as they say, absolute power corrupts absolutely” you shrugged. “That’s what we fight for. For those without power, and against those who abuse it.”

“You say that as I remain locked in here, simply training and withering away” Loki sighed.

“Well… we can find something interesting to keep you occupied—”

“Reindeer games, out now!” Tony banged on the door.

“Not now Stark!” Loki called annoyed.

“You’ll want to see this.” Tony spoke through the other side of the door.

You stood up and Loki followed right after. Everyone was headed to the meeting room so that’s where you went to.

Bruce and Thor had one of the younger cadets, Philip. He was struggling against the two. His blonde hair was a mess and he looked like he had lost a fight.

“We found our traitor, brother.” Thor said firmly, even a bit prideful. “The little rat sabotaged our missions.”

“A double agent?” Steve asked.

“Self-sabotage” Bruce clarified. “He informed the base you were going. Who and when. And exactly how to take down a god. We found a report of the mission sent to an unknown address.”

“I found it.” Natasha stated.

“You?” Clint raised an eyebrow.

“We” she corrected herself.

“With my technology, that is.” Tony added. “In case anyone was wondering.”

“No one was wondering that, Tony” Steve smiled lightly, amused by the genius’ ego.

“But why? You were the only non-Avenger agent Loki chose personally” Thor asked. “My brother trusted you. And it was a wonderful opportunity for you.”

Fury looked… well, furious.

“Philip Crowe, you’re immediately and effectively removed from all S.H.I.E.L.D. work and installations, permanently for treason, espionage, and sabotage to an elite strike agent.” Fury said firmly.

“Elite?! He’s a monster!” the young man protested, struggling to break free from the arm lock. “It’s a time bomb! It’s in his nature! You’ve seen what he’s capable of! It’s a matter of time before we have New York part two! You’ve read myths, what guarantees that there won’t be a Ragnarök on Earth?! He—”

SMACK! He had been cut off by a slap in the face by you. If the stinging in his cheek was not enough to silence him, your cold glare silenced him.

“Take him away.” You said. “I want him rotting in a cell for a really long time…”

“Oh, he will be locked in the dark for a very long time” Fury agreed, “for espionage, and sabotage… And being an asshole as a whole.”

Thor was about to take him away. He was struggling to break free.

“Don’t.” Loki spoke up. “I’ll use a spell to delete his memories, about S.H.I.E.L.D. about the Avengers. Everything will be gone from his mind. He can live a normal life not remembering being an agent.”

Loki walked and looked down at him. Placed his hand on his forehead as the blond struggled. Loki let his Seidr flow and Philip’s body went limp.

“When he wakes up, he’ll be normal, he can have a normal life, he won’t be a risk for S.H.I.E.L.D.” he sighed and left the room.

Flowers bloomed under him as he sat by the lake. Just enjoying the familiar view. But not even that brought him any joy.

“Loki, there you are, honey.”

“Hello mother” Loki smiled. “I was just… thinking.”

“I thought you would be happy to get your naming” Frigga said. “You were excited this morning to receive your title.”

“God of Mischief, mother?” he asked. “Does that mean I’m supposed to cause trouble?”

“Is that so bad?”

“Will father get upset at me?” Loki asked. “Besides, you like annoying your brother.”

“Pranking Thor is different. Why could I be the God of rain, wind, or something, then Thor and I could be gods together.”

“You can’t revolve your personality around Thor. Your godly title is meant to reflect your personality, not your brother’s” Frigga smiled at him gently. “Your father gave you a title that would fit you.”

“Does father think I’m a bad son?” he asked.

“I think your father thinks you’re creative, smart, with good abilities to get away with what you want” Frigga assured him. “All qualities you do have. And you are quite cheeky.”

Loki chuckled weakly. Frigga smiled and picked up a purple flower and wiggled it against Loki’s face. Causing the young god to scrunch up his nose and swat the pretty flower away.

“You know, son. I think it’s time for you to start learning magic” Frigga said.

“But you said I had to wait until I was 500 years old” Loki asked.

“I think you’re ready” Frigga said, “You’re 250 years old already, and you just got your title. You are a big boy now.”

With a few elegant movements the violet on Frigga’s hands turned into a purple frog that jumped out of hands and into the pond. Loki giggled as his mother’s arms trapped him into a hug as she tickled his sides.

“Pretty memory” you looked at him as you sat next to him. “Your mom is pretty.”

“Most beautiful woman in all of Asgard” Loki agreed. “Do you know what Orvokki means?”

“Uhh, it’s a violet, right?” you said looking at the flowers around the lake.

“It can also be interpreted as little orphan. How ironic that it was my favorite flower as a child…” Loki grumbled.

He flicked his wrist and the illusion of his memory vanished. He was no longer in Asgard, he was sitting on the rooftop of the compound’s main building. He wasn’t with his mother. And his eyes were red from crying.

“That was really nice thing you did back there” you congratulated him as you rubbed circles across his back.

“Not bad for a monster, huh?” Loki huffed out, in a failed attempt to fake out a laugh. “Did you see the way he looked at me? The fear in his eyes…?”

“Don’t listen to him…” you said resting your head against his shoulder. “He never gave you a chance to prove how good you really are. That’s his problem, not yours.”

“I can’t blame him… I would not trust me either… I am a monster, I was a monster to my people, to my home…” he sighed.

“What? No, Loki…”

“My birth father abandoned me to die, I was raced by a kingdom that thought my kind were monsters…” Loki sighed, “and I caused so much pain and death to a Realm that could’ve seen me as something quite literally divine.”

You looked at him and squeezed his hand.

“I thought… I hoped I had a second chance, I wanted to believe people were already accepting me. I thought that if I could have at least one agent to trust me… How foolish of me…”

“Stop that…” you scolded him, giving his hand a gentle and loving squeeze. “You’re not a monster. No one sees you as a monster.”

Loki laughed bitterly. While you weren’t lying in the literal sense, you were being too kind, blinded by your affection for the young Asgardian to acknowledge the recent events.

“I mean it!” you said. “You’re so focused on one person thinking you’re a monster, that you fail to see what everyone else did because they believed in you. They all helped in their own way to prove you were innocent. Either tracking conversation, providing resources… Gosh, even director Fury trusted you were innocent.”

“I…” Loki recapped the events from earlier. You weren’t wrong.

“Besides, you know how picky I am when it comes to dating” you smiled, “I wouldn’t date just anyone. Is that not enough for you?”

Loki was silent for a moment, for once he didn’t even have a smart reply for that.

He had seen you turn down a couple of agents or staff members before the two of you started dating. Philip among the lines of the rejected. In fact, he remembered that during that time where the other Avengers noticed his feelings for you, some of them tried to discourage him from courting you, because “you didn’t date.” In fact, they had brought it up, on his face to prove it so. You were, in fact, very picky when it came to dating. Which just made him value your relationship even more. It gave him a huge confidence boost, and the security of not being replaced or overshadowed he so desperately had been needing.

And once again, you were that source of comfort and security. You were his sweet little balm.

“I… um…” he stuttered.

You chuckled and kissed his cheek.

“Tongue tied?” you teased him, making him groan in frustration as his cheeks turned a light shade of pink. “Just… don’t give him power over you, if he didn’t bother knowing you, he shouldn’t deserve such a space in your mind.”

“Thanks, love” he smiled softly. “For… looking after me. And… helping me see that others look after me.”

“Heh… I’m glad I helped” you spoke lovingly as you rubbed your nose against his neck.

He chuckled rested his cheek against the top of your head.

“Should we head inside?” you asked, rubbing your own arms, as you stood up “it’s a bit chilly out here.”

“You can go inside, love” Loki offered. “I need some time alone.”

You looked at him worried, but a gust of cold wind made you shiver, making the idea of going inside more and more appealing. But he saw the hesitation in your eyes, the way you didn’t want to leave him alone made him smile.

“I promise I’ll meet you inside later” he assured you. But you didn’t look too convinced “Make some tea for us, and I’ll meet you in our room before you’re done putting on your pajamas.”

You gave him a look he couldn’t quite decipher but you nodded and made your way inside.

He relished the fresh air. But as he mentally prepared to be burdened with his failure, he surprised himself smiling. His mind wasn’t clouded with the young spy that betrayed him.

All he could think was that all the original Avengers, those he had cursed himself for unintentionally helping assemble to defeat him… now had stood up for him. And it didn’t stop there.

His mind was filled with happy memories.

All the times he had gotten a pat in the back from Tony and being called his new favorite for teasing Steve’s righteous stiffness and the way Bucky and Sam snickered at it. As well as his training contests with the super soldiers to test their serum with Loki and Thor’s godly nature. How he beamed with pride at the blond’s praise after a mission. The way Natasha and her little sister acknowledge his ability to infiltrate and swoon targets and even required him specifically. How Clint and his little new protegee had gotten really happy when Loki gifted them his old Asgardian bows for them, despite the teasing when they saw right through his “I don’t even use them” excuse and treated for dinner after. Bruce acknowledging his observation capabilities during some of his experiments. Thor… who despite all the awful things they had gone through never abandoned him, and still saw Loki as his baby brother, and despite they refused to admit it, both still adored each other.

And you. You had stolen his heart from minute one. He had been hopeless before the first kiss or even a declaration. Your eyes brought him to his knees, and he had sworn to be at your mercy for the rest of his existence when he saw you smile. And with that power you had over him done nothing but nourish him. Your payback when he pestered you was always fun and harmless. You made him laugh. You listened to everything he said and always encouraged him to keep talking until he was hoarse. You gave him the attention he had been craving for so many years. You treated him as the most important being of the universe.

Honestly, he didn’t realize when his thoughts had set him in motion. But by the time he was aware of his actions, he was already turning the doorknob of your shared bedroom.

“Liar” you scoffed, throwing a teddy bear to his face as soon as he set foot inside the room. “You said you’d be here before I was done putting on my jammies, but it’s been 5 minutes since I got in bed, and you weren’t here.”

Loki couldn’t help but smile. For a secret agent, you were terrible at hiding your feelings… at least from him.

“I apologize for not keeping my word, love” he apologized as he took off his shirt and searched through his drawer for the pajama he wanted to wear. “I lost track of time.”

“Did you drink?” you asked him.

“I did not. I trusted my favorite thing to make me tea” he responded with an innocent look as he put on his pajama shirt.

“It’s on your night table” you responded with the slightest pout, knowing you it was because he saw right through you.

He walked to the warm mug and took a sip. Of course, you had prepared his favorite tea… and with extra honey, just the way he liked. Everyone always complained there would never be enough for everyone if you kept spoiling Loki with his favorite all the time. You always got more, but it just meant starting the cycle again.

“Thank you, dear” he smiled as he kneeled on the bed to reach and cup your face to kiss your cheek.

Oh, how he wanted to tackle you and cover you in kisses at the way you fought and lost against the smile that appeared on your lovely face along with a light shade of pink.

“So adorable…” he chuckled.

As he was taking off his pants, he saw the way your blush turned even darked. He rushed to put on the pajama pants and dove in the bed, wrapping his arms around you in a loving embrace with his chest against your back.

“You’re in a lovely mood” you smiled as you reached to caress his cheek. “What gives?”

“I just thought about a lovely little mortal” he hummed pressing soft kisses on your nape, “that makes my darkest days bright and cozy.”

“Do you have a fever or something?” you touched his forehead.

“No, I mean it!” he laughed. “I stayed back to think… and all I could think about was your love, your kindness, and this hot body of yours…”

As he spoke that last bit, he reached to caress your sides, making you giggle.

“Loki…!” you giggle swatting his hand away. “You’re asking for trouble.”

“You know I am” he whispered, resting his face against your shoulder. Taking in your scent, closing his eyes as he relaxed. “Norns, what would I do without you?”

“Probably snuggle your pillow tonight” you smiled. “But you’d be fine.”

“I would not…” Loki choked up, as he felt tears forming in his eyes. “I would be lost; I would be absolutely nothing without you. A monster…”

“No, no, baby…” you spoke softly, turning around to face him. “You’ve worked really hard to be better… That’s all you, you are utterly and undoubtedly wonderful…”

The way you always made him feel better was almost scary. Your word was law. If you said he was so good, then… perhaps he wasn’t as bad as he thought.

“I love you…” he whispered. “Thank you…”

“What for?”

“For being my second chance… For believing I was more than the man that caused so much pain to your people…”

“Second chances are earned, Loki” you said. “You’ve earned it.”

He laughed softly when you rose up to sit on his waist, straddling him with your legs as you gave him a pseudo-menacing look.

“Now speak poorly of my sweet cuddly honeybun and you will be sorry…” you said in the worse threatening tone he had ever heard.

He cringed and laughed softly at the overly cheesy pet name.

“Oh gods…” he muttered with a shaky smile as his lips twitched upwards, amused by the situation. “You goofball.”

You let out an offended gasp and started tickling his sides, immediately making him giggle like a child.

“W-Wait! Dahahaharling! I’m sohohohohohrry!” he whined between laughs.

“Nope! Sorry ain’t gonna cut it this time, you insult me, you insult my prince… you deserve being chastised” you said playfully as you tickled his belly, which always made him hysterical.

“NAHAHAHA! STOP! STOP! PLEHEHEHEHEASE!” he cackled, soon wheezing. He was so ridiculously ticklish that had had no chance fighting back or think about anything else but the tingles that made him howl with laughter.

But he wouldn’t change this kind of silly fun with his darling for the world. And if he was honest with himself, this was a great thing to focus on.

| MASTERPOST |

#marvel tickles #marvel fluff #loki laufeyson #ticklish!loki #ler!loki #lee!loki #ticklish!reader #ler!reader #lee!reader #loki x reader #loki tickle #loki fluff #ducky writes tickles

[supermarvel-fics]

Maybeeee “I finally got you!” with lee!Loki platonic if that’s okay?? Love ur writing btw!! <33

"I finally got you..." You stalked around Loki's body. He was pinned to the floor, hands above his head thanks to the help of a little hammer. "...right where I want you."

Loki, true to his nature, scoffed to cover up his true emotions. "Darling, if you wanted me at your mercy, all you had to do was ask."

You rolled your eyes, then got down on your knees next to the God. "I cannot wait to give you a taste of your own medicine. You'll begging for it to stop by the time I'm done with you."

"A God doesn't beg."

"You will," You whispered, swinging a leg over his hips to restrain him further. "Thor gave me the go ahead to keep you here as long as I'd like and I don't think anyone else will be coming to save you any time soon."

You poised your hands at Loki's ribs, watching in amazement as he sucked in a breath.

"A-Anything you do to me, I will rain down tenfold on you once I get out of this," He threatened you, strain apparent in his voice.

"Yeah, yeah, nothing I haven't been through before. Why do you think you're in this predicament?"

And with that, your fingers sprung into action, prodding into his ribcage with fervor. You had no plans to start easy. Loki jolted, letting a single laugh slip through his lips before he clamped them shut.

You adopted his signature smirk, sliding up to his upper ribs, just below his underarms. You pinched and kneaded and dug around to find the one spot that would make him-

"AHAH"

"Ooh, there it is," You teased as Loki's eyes squeezed shut and he broke into childish laughter. "I have to admit, Loki, I love the way you giggle."

"I-hi do nohohot giggle, yohou insuhufferable creheature!" Loki replied back, legs kicking out to distract from the ticklish feeling. You preyed upon his trigger rib near his shoulder blade for a bit longer before shooting down to spider your fingers across his belly. "DON'T!"

You retracted your hands out of instinct, your ears not quite believe the desperation you heard in Loki's tone of voice, but quickly settled them back onto his stomach. "Don't? But don't you remember all the times I said the same thing and you clearly didn't listen?"

Fluttering your fingers again, you giggled along with Loki's deep belly-laughter. It was lovely to finally watch him let go and you were sure you'd never seen anything more endearing.

————————————————————————

put loki in front of me and i will tickle him no questions about it. he is so ticklish. thank you and goodnight

#marvel #marvel tickle #mcu #ler!reader #lee!loki #ticklish!loki #loki tickle #loki laufeyson #loki x reader #tickle prompts #sentence prompts #tickle drabble

[amour-de-ma-lee]

Ticklish beach day

Y/N is the sister of Loki and Thor, her powers are about the same as Wanda’s (who doesn’t exist in this story). The avengers have had a lot off missions in the past few months so Tony suggests a day off at the beach. Y/N is only a teen so the avengers all see her as like a younger sister and are very protective off her. Because of how big the group is they are split into 3 cars:

1. Y/N, Steve, Nat, Clint

2. Tony, Bruce, Peter

3. Loki, Thor, Sam, Bucky

During the car ride, Y/N gets the aux after nearly fighting Clint for it. She starts playing Taylor Swift on full blast, Nat sings along happily and after pouting a little over not getting the aux, Clint does too. Steve gives Y/N a confused look, Y/N takes a second to realize he has no idea who Taylor Swift is. “Oh my god, I forgot you don’t know who she is! I keep forgetting you’re actually THAT old.” Y/N giggles as Steve gives her an offended look, “what did you say?”. Y/N giggles more, “you need a hearing device too, grandpa?” She’s very lucky that Steve sitting in the front seat and she’s in the back or else he would’ve gotten her back immediately, “just wait, darling, I’ll get you back.”

Time skip till they are at the beach, they are the last ones to arrive so everyone is already sitting on those lounge chairs they have there. When they come closer Loki realizes she’s wearing his favorite sweater, which he specifically told her not to wear.

“Well hello there, Y/N. What’s that you’re wearing? It seems familiar”, he smirks.

She laughs softly, “do you want it back, brother?”, the teasing tone in her voice apparent.

“Well yes. And I do insist.” “Okay fine, as you wish” She grins and takes off the sweater and gives it to him, leaving her in just a quite revealing baby pink bikini top and her short denim skirt.

“Little sister, careful now. You know you aren’t allowed to wear things like that.” Loki says as he raises his eyebrows, she just rolls her eyes in response.

“He’s right, Y/N. You are far too young to be wearing such revealing clothing, you’re still our baby sister.” Thor decides to come into the conversation.

She sticks out her tongue at him, “blah, blah, blah”, she laughs.

Loki laughs in response, “well now I know you won’t listen to words, so I’ll have to teach you a lesson an other way.”

“Oh my god, im so scared” the sarcasm is dripping off her voice. “Oh you should be.” He takes a hold of her wrists and holds them above her head, he then holds her so that she’s trapped with her back against his chest.

“Well now, don’t you look cute. Do you know what comes next?”

“Don’t you d-AHAHHA” Loki doesn’t even let her finish her sentence before he digs into her sides. The avengers hadn’t seen this ticklish side of her yet, but it’s adorable, her high pitched laughter and squealing when he hits a bad spot.

“AHAHHALOKIHAHAHAPLEAHAHAHAH” she can barely form words because of how much she’s laughing. “Sorry, what was that? I couldn’t hear you, darling.” As he starts digging into her hips and blowing raspberries in her neck her legs give in and she slowly slides against him to the ground, but he follows her there. And now Steve seems to be getting his revenge, because he grabs her feet and locks her ankles in an arm lock and starts taking off her flip flops, then scribbling all over her soles.

“NOHOHAHASTEVEHAHAICANT” “You cant what? Stop being so ticklish?” Steve laughs, the other avengers are all quietly laughing at the scene in front of them.

“HAHHAIMSORRYHAHAHPLEASE” Steve and Loki slowly stop tickling her. She’s completely out of breath, “you guys are both jerks”. Steve smirks, “you want to go for round 2?”. “No no I’m sorry, she softly lets herself fall into Steve’s open arms and they enjoy the rest of their beach day.

#ler!steve #ler!loki #lee!reader #ticklish!reader #avengertickle #tickle story #amour-de-ma-lee

[just-another-blog-of-fluff]

The Skill of a Valkyrie - Part 2

Word count: 13,000

Pairing: Loki x reader (new relationship)

Reader pronouns: she/her

Warnings: gets steamy at times (never anything explicit as usual), some angst, self-doubt

Phew, this took me an eternity to write, but it's finally complete! I loved writing part 1 so much that I wanted part 2 to measure up to the first. Hopefully I've been able to manage it!

This part incorporates a Prompt where the reader helps Loki to rebuild his strength after his injury. I also sort of ran along with my own plot ideas... hence the length 😅😅 I hope you enjoy!!

And also - happy birthday @duckynugget!! 🎂

Read Part 1 first

"Come on... it's been over two months since we've sparred!"

"With good reason! The healers have asked you to take it easy!"

The look Loki shot you was reminiscent of that of a child trying to guilt someone into getting their way. It was difficult to maintain your firm façade when an amused grin was fighting its way across your face.

"Loki - I am your instructor, and as such, I know what's best for you. And that means no sparring until you're fully healed. We're here to stretch and run through some light exercises - nothing more."

"Perhaps I should request a more lenient instructor, then," he pouted.

"You know as well as I that your mother would never allow it. She cares for your well being just as much as I do." You smirked. "And you and I are both aware that you'd miss me far too much."

"Ah - but it's you who would be lost without my devilish wit and charm."

Loki stepped closer to you, his hand falling on your waist while the other slipped around the back of your neck. You felt your knees weaken under the sultry sensation of his touch, the weight of his adoring gaze. The corner of his mouth twitched upward in a half smirk, one that was maddeningly handsome despite the fact that you knew he knew his teasing was getting to you.

It had been six weeks since the Allfather, Loki, and the Einherjar had returned from Muspelheim. Six weeks since the day you thought you'd lost the man you'd grown to love before you'd even come to terms with it yourself. The day you'd kept vigil at his bedside as he lay unconscious. The day you declared your love for him, and he reciprocated. What a whirlwind of a day it had been.

While your feelings for one another were out in the open, you hadn't been exceedingly physical with one another. It was difficult to find an appropriate time, considering the two of you were hardly ever alone together. Loki had healers fussing over him constantly, on top of his princely duties. It would be improper for the two of you to be seen kissing one another senseless in the company of the royal court. As a result, when you did find a moment alone, the simplest act of caressing your cheek or lacing his fingers through yours sent your heart reeling.

Loki had been quick to recover emotionally from the wound. Unfortunately for him, the physical part of the recovery had been slower. Certainly, being a demigod, his healing time was faster than most. But it simply wasn't fast enough for the young, mischievous prince. He was eager to return to his training at his full, former strength, and so being bedridden for any more than a day was not an option.

Originally, Loki was to rejoin his brother and train with the Einherjar after his return from Muspelheim. You were only too pleased to accept Frigga's request to continue to work with the brash prince. If there was anyone in the realm who could keep his ego in check and prevent him from overtraining, the Allmother knew it was you.

And, if there were ever a reason to spend some time alone together, this was the perfect excuse.

"Loki - are you trying to seduce me into getting your way?" you asked with a grin.

"Mm... is it working?" The prince ducked down slowly to close the distance between you, pressing his soft lips against yours. You let your eyes flutter closed, drinking in the taste of him for just a moment. Then, you recalled the little game he was playing.

"Mmpf - n-no, it is most certainly not working, you imp!" you scolded teasingly, gently pulling away from his kiss. "I can't have you believing you can simply kiss me to have your way. You'll become even more spoiled than you already are."

"I am most certainly not spoiled!" He scowled, making you laugh.

"Alright - how about this?" You grasped his wrists and pushed them away, instead lacing your fingers through his. "If you can find it in you to behave yourself and listen to your instructor, then I will allow you to spar with me in a week's time."

"I... suppose that would be reasonable."

"Excellent. Now then - let's begin your recovery routine."

You led the reluctant prince through his stretches and exercises. It was clear that Loki was trying to appear bored with these low-physicality training regimens, but every once in a while you'd catch him wincing and stiffening his left shoulder when he thought you weren't looking. It only reaffirmed your decision not to concede to his wheedling - surely he'd only injure himself if you'd allowed him to spar. If you hadn't already promised him, you might have told him he should wait another week. You'd simply have to go easy on him.

Too soon, you were wrapping up his training session for the day. You knew Loki had a gathering of the royal court to attend, and you had work to do at the Valkyrie training facility yourself. It would be another couple of days before you'd have this time together again.

"How are you feeling, Loki? Is that shoulder troubling you at all?" you asked, gesturing toward the location of the former spear wound.

"Not one bit. You're truly a miracle worker, Valkyrie," he responded proudly, rolling his shoulder a couple of times as though to prove his point.

"Heed caution, Loki. Overconfidence is what got you into this mess in the first place."

"I'm not being overconfident." He took a few strides closer to you, that characteristic smirk overtaking his features. "If anything, I'm singing you praises. Don't let it go to your head, now, love."

"Come, now. You know I know better than that." Loki lifted his hands to cup your jaw on either side, tilting your face up toward himself as he leaned closer, your noses nearly touching. "Loki... you have duties to attend to," you warned half-heartedly, melting into his touch all the same.

"Mm, indeed I do." He closed the few inches of space remaining between you, capturing your lips with his. You instinctively wrapped your arms around his waist, hands coming to rest against the small of his back. He hummed in approval, one of his own hands falling from your neck to your waist so he could tug you impossibly closer. Gods, he was intoxicating. Your willpower to resist his charms and keep him on task crumbled so easily with the gentlest touch.

Regretfully, you pulled away, resting your forehead against his. "Loki, I'm serious! You must not shirk your duties as prince just to spend the afternoon kissing me."

"Why ever not?" He tilted his head slightly to steal another swift kiss. "Kissing you is far better than any council gathering. They shall barely notice my absence."

"No, no. I won't allow it." You leaned back slightly to evade his advances. With a guttural growl, Loki tightened his arm around your waist to pull you closer once again, his lips finding yours despite your protests. You couldn't help but laugh against his mouth. Cheekily, you slipped your hands from his back to his waist, pinching rapidly at his sides for just a moment.

"Mm-hm-hehey!" he spluttered, breaking apart from your lips as his hands shot down to capture yours.

"Attend your council meeting, or I'll tickle you senseless," you threatened with a smirk, digging your fingertips into his sides once for emphasis. His grip on your hands tightened in an effort to still your tickling fingers.

"This is entirely unfair, you know. Holding this over my head in such a way."

"I never said I was playing fair." You wriggled your fingertips into his skin as best you could given the limited range of motion he was providing you. A ticklish grin overtook his face as he attempted to pry your hands away. "Yield to me, Loki."

"Oh, alright, alright! I yield!" He released your hands as you stepped back, a haughty smirk on your face. "You are infuriating, you are."

"I'm simply doing my duty as your instructor to keep you on task. By any means necessary." You reached out to prod his stomach and he swatted your hand away with a scowl.

"You wouldn't prefer to remain here with me?"

You sighed. "Of course I would, Loki. We simply can't at the moment."

"Perhaps we require a more opportune moment, then."

"Perhaps we do."

He gazed at you thoughtfully for a moment. Then, with his charming smile, he scooped up one of your hands in his and lifted it to his lips. "Until next time, then." He pressed a feather-light kiss to the back of your hand, his grin widening as he watched your knees falter slightly. Then, he turned and strode up the gold-flecked stairs to the palace, disappearing around a corner on his way to the council room.

* * *

True to his word, Loki continued to follow your instructions during each of the sessions that followed that week. Gradually, you were beginning to notice he would grimace less frequently while performing his exercises. You knew he'd never admit it to you, but this training regimen was rebuilding his strength in that injured shoulder. He'd have been far worse off had he dove back into his original routine straight away.

"Today we spar, yes?" he called down to you as he descended the stairs into the courtyard for his training session the following week.

"Eager, are we?" you called in response. That handsome smirk of his was etched across his features as always as he approached you, sweeping you up into his arms and kissing you. You whined in weak protest as he lifted your feet off the ground for just a moment.

"Yes, I'm eager, of course! It's been months since we've had a proper match. I'm simply itching to defeat you," he boasted, releasing you from his hold with a bright spark in his eyes.

"Are you certain you're ready? I don't want to reinjure that shoulder."

"I'm more than ready. The real question is, are you?"

You sighed, shaking your head in defeat. "Alright, we shall spar, then. But I've no choice but to go easy on you until you've fully regained your strength. It would do you no good to take on the full skill of a Valkyrie before you've completely healed."

Loki scoffed. "I'm quite capable of opposing you at your full strength."

"There's no arguing your way out of it. I'm taking it easy, as should you." You gave him a firm look, to which he merely smirked.

"You simply want an out when you lose to me."

"If that is what you'd like to believe, then yes." You motioned for him to stand facing you. "Shall we?"

“After you, Valkyrie.”

You knew you had to be cautious not to cause strain to that injured pectoral muscle of his, so you opted to aim low. Feigning a lunge forward as if to punch toward his face, you halted your momentum at the last moment and instead shifted your weight to your back foot, striking out with a roundhouse kick toward his knees. Loki skillfully caught hold of your ankle before you could connect with your target, jerking it upward to throw you off balance. Stumbling backward, you allowed yourself to fall and tucked into a backward somersault, leaping straight back to your feet.

“Come, now. Is that the best you can do?” Loki goaded with a sly grin.

“You won’t be seeing my best today, I’ve already told you.”

You charged forward while his guard was down, aiming a punch toward his uninjured right shoulder. He knocked your fist aside with his forearm, swiftly striking back with a swipe toward your gut. You caught hold of his fist, tugging his arm out straight and leaning your weight into an elbow lock against your side.

“Seems that you can’t beat me even at partial strength,” you teased. With a grunt, he tugged his hand free of your grasp, twisting his body in the process to strike with his heel against your ankle. You weren’t anticipating the low blow, losing your balance and falling onto your back. Quickly, you rolled onto your front to pick yourself up off the ground. A sudden weight against the backs of your legs told you Loki had been anticipating this move. Before you could react, he’d snatched up your wrists and gathered them to pin against the small of your back with one of his larger hands.

"Ah... how I've missed this," Loki sighed wistfully, as though reminiscing about a favorite hobby and not pinning you face-down against the ground. You grunted and bucked your hips in effort to throw him off. He didn't budge, merely pressing his weight further against your wrists at the small of your back.

"Alright, let up, Loki," you demanded.

"You've gotten yourself out of such predicaments many times in the past," he countered, the smirk evident in his tone. "Go on and fight your way out."

"I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't."

"Loki! You can't strong-arm me into fighting you full force!" you groaned, shifting under his weight.

"Oh, no?"

Suddenly, the fingers on his free hand found purchase on your side, worming their way underneath you to dig into the soft spot by your hipbone. You knew you should have seen this coming but it startled you all the same, drawing a burst of frantic laughter forth from your chest. You heard Loki chuckle fondly at your outburst, only encouraging him to wriggle his fingers deeper into the pliant skin.

"LOHOKI! Yohou play DIHIRTY!" you scolded.

"Mm... God of Mischief, darling. Now, then - is this incentive enough to fight your way out? Or must I motivate you further?"

"I wihill NOT - NOHO!" You shrieked as his tickling fingers worked rapidly up your side, scratching at the hypersensitive spot just below your ribcage where your stomach met your side.

"I could do this all day, love. You simply need to fight back." Loki's tone was laced with amusement as he teased you. You knew very well that half the reason he missed sparring with you so much was the playful banter that came along with it. Even if he couldn't convince you to fight him off, you knew he was happy just to hear your desperate laughter.

But gods if he wasn't far too skilled at breaking your resolve.

"L-ahah-LOHOKI WAHAIT! WAIT!" you pleaded, sighing with relief when his fingers stilled against your side.

"I'm listening," he urged mischievously.

"I..." You sucked in air, trying desperately to formulate a solid argument while Loki's fingers remained unmoving, pressed tormentingly, threateningly against your lowest ribs. "This... this is no way to treat your instructor!"

"Oh-ho, is that all you have to say?" He pinched rapidly at your side, throwing you back into rapid giggles. "You and I are both aware you are more than capable of escaping. So - will you fight? Or shall I force your hand?"

"Whahat - n-no, Lohoki, dohon't you DAHARE!" You tensed reflexively as his fingers crawled their way up to your ribcage, pausing to splay wide between the bones.

"Some fight in you, Valkyrie?"

You turned your head enough to glare at the mischievous god over your shoulder. He thought he had you cornered. But there was no way you were risking causing him any harm by fighting him off. Not to mention, this was the brightest you'd seen him acting in weeks.

"Do your worst."

Loki barked out an incredulous laugh at your tenacity. "Brazen for someone in your position. But, if you insist."

Swiftly, he released your wrists and dug into your ribcage on both sides before you had the wherewithal to impede his access with your newly freed arms. With a screech, you dissolved into hysterics, pounding your feet against the ground in helpless protest. The young prince was only too pleased with himself, chuckling heartily as he probed in search of the weak spot he'd discovered before. It was a matter of seconds before he discovered it.

"OHOKAHAY!! GOHODS, I YIEHELD, LOKI!!" you pleaded, tapping the ground with your palm in surrender. As mischievous as he was, the prince wasn't cruel - he relented in his ruthless attack as he noticed you weakening. You rolled onto your back as he removed his weight from your legs, shooting him the most serious glare you could muster despite your persistent grin.

“You could have easily escaped that hold,” Loki chastised with a click of his tongue.

“Yes, and risk tearing your shoulder muscle in the process!” You took the hand Loki offered to help you sit up, smoothing your hair down.

“I’m not fragile, you know.”

“No, but you aren’t fully recovered either, Loki.” You sighed. “I need you to understand how important it is to take this slowly. To overwork yourself too soon is to risk permanent injury, and I… I can't bear to see you in pain. Please."

Loki's expression softened. "I shall try to heed my instructor's warnings, then." You smiled appreciatively, relieved. "But I still believe you simply wanted an excuse for your staggering loss in that sparring match." He shot you a wink. You laughed, shaking your head as you allowed him to help you to your feet.

"If you'd humor me, Prince Loki, I'd like to move on to your recovery regimen now."

"Yes, perhaps a rematch might be too much for you to handle."

"Hold your tongue, Loki - I could easily have you running laps around the courtyard for mouthing off to your instructor."

He grinned cheekily. "My apologies, taskmaster. What are your orders?"

You led the knavish prince through his exercises, keeping the routine a bit lighter today after already having exerted yourselves sparring. He was surprisingly obedient despite his mischievous attitude throughout the beginning of the session. Perhaps he was feeling a bit of remorse for making you worry for him.

"We'll meet again in two days' time," you directed as you wrapped up the session. "I expect you to be practicing your stretches in the meantime on your own."

"Mm... two days is far too long for me to wait," Loki lamented, gazing at you with adoration.

"I know." You approached the prince, slipping your arms around his waist and leaning your forehead against his shoulder. He returned your embrace, resting his chin atop your head. "You know as well as I it would be improper for the two of us to be seen frolicking around the kingdom together while we both have duties to attend to."

"Then we shall remain here in the courtyard," he urged, leaning back a bit and pressing his lips to your forehead. You tilted your head to look at him, met with the handsome mischievous smirk you'd grown to love. "No one should bother us here, I think."

"Here? In the palace courtyard?" You laughed incredulously. "No, I can't imagine anyone passing through the palace."

"No one of consequence," he countered facetiously.

"No - only the royal court... or your father..."

He cut you off with his lips against yours. You knew you should scold him, but you couldn't help but melt into his kiss. After a few moments, he pulled away to look at you.

"My mother adores you. Anyone who feels differently about our relationship would need to answer to her. And to me." Loki's brow furrowed. "You aren't... embarrassed to be courted by the God of Mischief, are you?"

"Of course not!" You pressed a chaste kiss to his frowning lips. "I am honored to have earned the affections of the chaotic Prince of Asgard," you teased. He growled and pinched your side ticklishly, his frown swiftly brightening back into that characteristic grin.

"Then what worries you?"

What did worry you? It was difficult to explain.

Despite being a warrior in service of the royal family for centuries, you'd never found yourself in the inner circles of the court. You were fierce, respected. A force to be reckoned with, should anyone be so unfortunate as to attempt to attack the kingdom.

What you were not was royalty material. You'd never imagined yourself dressed in extravagant gowns and gemstones, attending royal gatherings, dining at royal feasts. The mere idea of it all terrified you. How could you adapt to such a lifestyle when your entire life had been devoted to combat training, self-defense, and weaponry? How would you ever manage to fit in without humiliating yourself? Humiliating the prince?

"I... simply want to ease the royal court into our relationship," you explained. "And shirking our other duties would be a poor way to start out, would it not?"

Loki nodded slowly, a thoughtful expression crossing his face. "What about after we've attended to our other responsibilities?"

"You have courtly duties late into the evening, do you not?"

"Then we will meet after that. Come to the palace gates an hour after sunset. I know of the perfect place we can go to spend time together - away from those prying eyes you're so worried about. Please." He gazed at you earnestly, pleading with his eyes. An involuntary grin spread across your face.

"I suppose I can arrange for that."

* * *

The pair of you treaded quietly through the forest trails just beyond the palace walls after dark that evening. Loki led you by the hand along the time-worn path, navigating the way by the light of the moon flickering between the swaying branches of the trees overhead. You'd have easily gotten lost in these woods on your own, but the prince was obviously intimately familiar with the route, never once pausing to ponder which direction to take.

Gradually, the trees began to thin along the edges of the path. The two of you emerged from the forest into a broad clearing, the sight of which took your breath away.

A vast lake sat ahead, surrounded by lush grass and boulders smoothed by centuries of rainfall. The still surface of the water sparkled with the reflections of the moon and stars overhead. Around the far side of the lake stood a cliff with a slight overhang above the water, casting shadow over a rocky alcove beside the water's edge.

"Do you like it?" Loki asked eagerly, the contours of his face bathed in an array of moonlight and shadow.

"It's beautiful," you breathed, gazing around at the scene before you. "Do you come here often?"

"Only when I'm seeking time alone. Very few are familiar with this clearing." He sounded proud, boastful almost, to show you such a gorgeous setting. "Come. Swim with me."

"I haven't brought swimming attire."

"No need. I always swim in the nude."

"Loki!" you gasped, covering your mouth to stifle a nervous giggle. He grinned, winking mischievously at you.

"I only jest. Perhaps another time." He stepped ahead of you, proceeding to strip down to his underclothes and tossing his other garments aside by the lake's edge. You found yourself captivated at the sight of the toned muscles rippling over his shoulders and back, his fair skin illuminated by the pale moonlight. He turned to you, grin broadening as he caught you staring and drawing a wave of heat to your cheeks. "Come. The water is divine."

Glancing around nervously, despite knowing the two of you were definitively alone, you finally let out a nervous breath and paced to the water's edge. Loki had already submerged himself completely, surfacing with a contented sigh. His normally wavy dark locks were slicked back, dripping with the clear water of the lake. He wiped the water from his eyes, glancing back to where you stood in the grass beside his pile of clothing.

"If you aren't going to get in the water, I'll need to bring the water to you," he threatened teasingly, splashing a light flick of water in your direction as a warning. You took a compensatory step backwards with a laugh.

"Don't you dare dampen my clothes, you imp!"

The prince laughed, leaning backward to float casually on his back as he watched you. The crystal-clear water rippled around him. It did look refreshing...

"What's wrong, darling? Regretting all the fun you're missing?" Loki pestered with a sly grin.

"Alright..." you sighed. "You've convinced me."

"You won't be disappointed. The water is invigorating."

You could feel his eyes on you as you disrobed down to your own undergarments. It wasn't much different than you'd have been wearing had you brought along proper swimming attire, but something about the intimacy of the moment made you feel somewhat uncharacteristically shy.

Gingerly, you dipped your bare foot into the water. Loki wasn't wrong - it was quite refreshing. Satisfied, you waded your way out to the deeper water with Loki's blue-green eyes fixed on you.

"Do you admit that I was right?" he asked teasingly as you approached.

“It is a wonderful little oasis, I will give you that.”

You ducked down beneath the water’s surface to fully submerge yourself, slicking your wet hair back as you resurfaced. Loki had allowed his lower half to sink down so he could stand upright, the water coming to just above his navel. Your gaze was drawn to the contours of his bare abdomen, traveling upward over his chest until your eyes landed on his scar.

A faint line, still slightly reddened and raised above the level of the surrounding uninjured skin, stretched about six inches across the left side of his chest a few inches from his sternum. A stark reminder of what may have never been, had that spear struck only slightly closer to his heart. Seeing it for the first time took your breath away, feeling as if someone had a vice grip around your windpipe.

Almost involuntarily, you raised your hand to his chest and smoothed your palm over the mark, as though you could wipe it away and make it disappear. Loki slipped his hand into your other hand where it rested by your side, allowing you to touch the healing wound while still grounding you in the present.

"It doesn't hurt, you know," he assured gently, squeezing your hand. "It will fade away over time."

"I know." You released a slow, steady breath. "It just... it makes it so much more real."

"It was real. And I survived." He smiled half-heartedly. "I am rather difficult to strike down. I'm stubborn in that way."

You laughed, blinking away the tears brimming in your eyes. "You always have been rather stubborn."

"And yet you still fell for me."

You lifted your gaze from the scar to meet his eye. He reached up to cup your face with his unoccupied hand, delicately brushing a stray tear from your cheek with his thumb.

"What can I say? You're rather charming. It was difficult not to."

A soft laugh resonated from deep in his throat at your response. Wordlessly, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against yours. You kissed him back fervently, the stinging taste of salt on your tongue from the few stray tears that had escaped.

When you pulled away after a few moments, your eyes fell to the scar once again, just beside where your palm rested on his chest.

"I think it's rather becoming, actually. Don't you?" he asked teasingly.

"Hmm. Rather rugged for a prince, don't you think?" You absently traced your fingers along the thickened skin. Loki let out a breathy laugh through his nose, his hand suddenly landing on the back of yours and pressing your palm more firmly to his chest. You looked up at his face with a spark of amusement in your eyes. "Don't tell me you're ticklish here, too."

"Of course not. That would be absurd," he denied quickly, removing his hand from yours. You dusted your fingers along the smooth skin just below his collarbone, drawing a slight giggle from the prince.

"Yes you are!" you argued with a chuckle. Growling playfully, he grasped his hand around your fingers to cease your tickling, suddenly wrapping an arm around your waist and dipping you backward. You let out a squeak of surprise, quickly dissolving into a stream of giggles as he ducked down and nibbled gently at your collarbone. "Okahay, okay! I gehet it!"

"Mm. I thought as much." Loki stood you upright, that infectious smile etched across his face. "Are you afraid of heights, Valkyrie?"

"What? No, of course not. Why do you ask?"

He laced his fingers through yours, tugging gently to lead you back to the water's edge. "Come. I've yet to show you my favorite part about this place."

The evening breeze brought a wave of goosebumps to your dampened skin as the two of you emerged from the lake. Loki led you along the water's edge toward the adjacent cliff, pausing at the base of it.

"Are you up to a bit of climbing?"

"Certainly - but to what purpose?"

Loki gestured to the top of the cliff, about fifteen feet up. "Ever since I was a child, I've always enjoyed climbing to the top of this cliff. It's the perfect spot to dive into the lake - the water below is much deeper." He glanced at you with a mischievous grin. “Unless you’re too frightened of the jump.”

“Loki - I am a Valkyrie,” you tutted. “The Valkyrie are fearless, as you may recall.”

“Alright - after you, then.”

You found a solid foothold in the rocky surface and began to ascend the cliff, with Loki close behind. It wasn’t a terribly lengthy climb, and the two of you made quick work of it, reaching the top in minutes. Standing at the edge overlooking the water below, you could understand why feebler-willed beings might find the drop to be scary. But you were being truthful when you said you weren’t afraid.

“Shall we go together, then?” you suggested. Loki slid his hand into yours, and the two of you leapt off the edge, plummeting to the water below.

The rush of water surrounding your nearly-dried skin actually felt warm against the night chill. Loki held tight to your hand even as the pair of you surfaced and took in a gasping breath of air. He was laughing from the adrenaline of the fall. The sound was infectious, and you began to laugh as well.

“When I was a child, that leap used to terrify me,” Loki admitted sheepishly. “You truly are fearless.”

“Did you doubt me?” You shot him a playfully indignant look.

“I simply needed proof.”

The two of you swam to the edge of the rocky alcove beneath the cliff you’d just dove from, hoisting yourselves out of the water to dry off once again in the evening breeze. You took a seat by the edge of the water, gazing quietly out over the sparkling lake as it gradually stilled once again.

Conversation came so easily with Loki. There were still so many things you didn’t know about each other. And yet, the intermittent moments of silence felt calm and peaceful, rather than awkward as one might anticipate. It was so serene, just sitting together by the lake without being plagued by other more pressing responsibilities.

Reluctantly, as late evening became night, you insisted it would be best for you both to return home. You scooped up your pile of clothes, pulling your tunic on over your head.

“I’ll admit - I did have another reason for asking you to join me here tonight,” Loki explained as he, too, redressed himself over his dry underclothes.

“Oh? And what might that be? Besides convincing me to undress in front of you?”

“That was just an added perk,” Loki chuckled. He seemed uncharacteristically nervous, fidgeting with the fabric of the hem of his own tunic. “Well, you see… there is a grand ball to be held at the palace in two weeks time. The annual celebration of Odin’s reign over Asgard.”

Your heart began pounding faster in your chest as you realized where this was headed. Loki stepped closer to you, scooping up your hand in his. There was an earnest, hopeful look in his eyes. It only served to pique your anxiety further.

“Please - would you do me the honor of joining me?”

“I…” Your mind faltered as you tried to come up with the right words. This was exactly the sort of scenario that worried you most about being courted by the royal young Prince of Asgard. A grand ball - sure to be teeming with members of the royal court, and perhaps even royalty from other realms as well. The extravagant gowns, the expensive jewels, the hearty feast, the elegant dancing… it all sounded wonderful in theory.

But you were not royalty. You lived your life in combat armor and simple tunics and pants. It had been over a century since you’d even worn a dress of any sort, when you’d attended your brother’s wedding. Being the prince, Loki needed someone who could keep up appearances and fit in with the other ball guests. You would just stand out for the wrong reasons. Or worse - you’d make some terrible blunder that would embarrass the entire royal family.

Loki’s eyebrows furrowed as he watched you wordlessly opening and closing your mouth in flustered silence. The hopeful spark in his eye began to fade as he observed your reaction to his request. It made your heart squeeze uncomfortably inside your chest.

“Loki, I… do you really think that I’m the best person to be accompanying you to such grand events?” you stammered, gazing down at your feet.

“Who else would I ask to accompany me?”

“I just mean… it’s not that I don’t want to go… it’s simply…”

“You are embarrassed at the idea of being seen with me.”

Loki’s sharp tone drew your eyes from the ground to meet his. His face was clouded with anger and betrayal. He'd never looked upon you with such fire in his eyes.

"No, of course not! I-"

"It all makes sense now - why you've refused to spend time with me outside the palace walls!" He began pacing in frustration, his hands balled into fists. "Why you won't even allow yourself to remain in my company within the palace beyond our training sessions! You're ashamed to be seen with me!"

"Loki! That isn't at all how I feel! If you'll just listen-"

"Spare me the lies, Valkyrie." He spat the words like venom. "I've been through this before. I'm simply a stepping stone to get to the the almighty God of Thunder."

"Thor?? Why in Valhalla would I use you to get to Thor?" you asked incredulously. "Loki - please listen. I-"

"NO! I won't hear another word! Your words are meaningless! Your actions have already spoken for themselves!" Loki's voice faltered slightly, and he swallowed to hide the raw emotion behind his blind rage. "I'm going home. I trust you can find your own way back."

You were speechless as he stormed past you, rooted to the spot in shock as he crossed the tree line and vanished from sight. Tears stung behind your eyes, and you bit down on your tongue to prevent them from falling. No - you would not allow yourself to cry over this unreasonable man.

The chill of the night felt so much colder now that you were walking home alone. It seeped into your skin, chilling you to the bone with every gust of wind that blew through the forest. You hadn't noticed the cold until Loki was no longer beside you to hold your hand in his, to hold you close in his arms.

Suddenly, you felt hopelessly alone.

* * *

Loki didn't attend his next session with you two days later. It wasn't entirely surprising to you, but it stung all the same. You knew the prince could be irrational at times, but he had never been so unreasonable with you.

You were furious with him for his stubbornness. What had you ever done to lead him to believe you'd wrong him in such a way? And for him to even dare insinuate that you would use him to get to his brother?? How could he even suggest such a deplorable thing?

As the days passed, and your outrage cooled, your heart began to ache for him. Once the tempestuous anger cleared from your mind, you began to think more clearly. Realization struck that there must be an underlying reason for Loki to believe those horrific things of you. What turmoil had he suffered in his past to make him so guarded? Behind the blind rage he wore as a shield, you feared there was a harrowing history of hurt and deception driving his fear and mistrust. Loki had always been skilled at concealing his true emotions.

More than anything, you wanted to have the opportunity to speak to him and make things right. But as time wore on, and Loki missed yet another session with you a few days later, the chances of that were beginning to seem dismal.

Uncertain what to do with yourself in the hour of freedom that had suddenly opened in your schedule due to Loki's avoidance, you decided to spend some time in the palace library. Frigga had assured you on more than one occasion that you were welcome to it any time you liked. There was a sense of calm and peacefulness that accompanied your time in the library, and more than ever you needed that feeling. Not to mention, there was a solid chance that Loki may be hiding there himself.

Disappointment flooded through you when you arrived at the vast library to find it devoid of any other readers. Still, you perused the shelves of literature, selecting a book that seemed somewhat lighthearted by the title. You took a seat on the bench nearest to one of the windows, closing your eyes as a refreshing breeze caressed your cheeks.

It was difficult to say how much time had passed when a familiar voice echoed from the entrance to the library, calling to you.

"I see my dear son has shirked his lessons once again."

You set the book down beside you and stood out of habit upon hearing the queen's melodic tone, bowing your head respectfully as she approached. Frigga smiled warmly, motioning for you to take a seat on the bench once again.

"How many times will I have to remind you that there is no need for such formalities? You are practically family by now."

"My apologies, Frigga. I shall grow accustomed to it eventually," you assured, moving the book to your lap as she lowered herself to sit beside you. "Yes, Loki missed his lesson again today, I'm afraid. I believe he may be upset with me."

"That would certainly explain his dour demeanor over the last few days," she responded with a gentle laugh. "How could my son possibly be angry with you?"

"I fear the fault is mine," you explained sullenly. "You see, he invited me to the upcoming grand ball at the palace, and I... well, I was perhaps not as thrilled at the idea as he might have hoped."

"Ah. I see." Frigga gazed pensively at you, her smile never wavering. "I don't intend to pry into your relationship with my son, of course. But, if you are seeking council, know that I am happy to listen."

"Thank you." Her warmth and presence put you at ease. Perhaps she could provide you with some advice on how to get through to Loki. "I wish to speak to him and make things right, but he has been avoiding me for nearly a week."

"My son is rather stubborn. Both of them, actually. I suspect they get it from their father." Frigga turned her gaze toward the window, observing the bustling streets beyond the palace walls.

"I'm well acquainted with Loki's obstinacy, yes," you laughed half-heartedly. "I fear I may never have the opportunity to explain myself to him. He misunderstands my hesitancy toward attending the ball as hesitance toward attending with him."

"And you simply fear the idea of attending the ball itself."

"Well..." You glanced up at Frigga, taken aback by her insight. "Yes."

The benevolent queen turned to face you more fully, a motherly concern clouding her eyes. "Tell me, dear. What is it that troubles you about attending the ball?"

"I... truthfully, I fear that I am not royalty material." You took a deep breath, surprised to find that you were relieved to finally get the thought off your chest. "I am but a warrior, not an elegant woman. For Loki to be seen with someone such as myself on his arm, in his position..."

"We would be honored to have someone like you accompanying our son." Frigga reached out and placed her hand gently on your knee, offering you a reassuring smile. "A woman can be both elegant and fierce. I assure you, you are both. Whether you see it in yourself or not."

"That is gracious of you to say, Frigga. Thank you."

"But you do not believe me."

You were beginning to understand where Loki received his talent of perception.

"Forgive me. It is difficult to envision myself in a poised and beautiful dress, dancing the evening away with the Prince of Asgard. In fact, I'm not even certain I know how to dance!"

A spark of amusement flashed in the queen's eyes as she leaned in closer to you, speaking in a hushed voice. "The truth is - most of the royal court doesn't either. They simply mimic the ones that do."

You laughed at her revelation, feeling a bit more at ease. "Then I suppose the most pressing issue is that I don't own a dress suitable for such an event. And with the ball being mere days away, I'll never find a seamstress who can prepare something for me in time." A sigh left your lips. "That, and Loki is far too stubborn to speak with me."

"My son is quite skilled at concealing himself when he does not wish to be found. However - I believe I can at least assist with one of your troubles."

"You know of a seamstress?"

Frigga merely shook her head, smiling as she stood from the bench and motioned for you to rise as well. "Come with me. I'll show you what I'm speaking of."

You followed Frigga through the winding halls of the palace, ascending a few staircases along the way. The last time you'd been this deep inside the palace walls was when you'd visited Loki in the infirmary the day he returned from Muspelheim. The thought made your heart ache within your chest.

Eventually, Frigga led you to a set of grandiose wooden double doors adorned with intricate gold detail work along the frame. Inside was what you could only guess was her living quarters. The two of you emerged into a lavishly decorated sitting room, with sofas set around a low table set with a beautiful vase of white lilies. Beyond the sitting room, another door along the back wall opened into what you determined to be her sleeping chambers, as the corner of a gorgeous four-poster bed was visible through the small opening between the door and its frame.

You barely knew what to say as you gazed awestricken at the opulent room around you. Frigga, meanwhile, glided swiftly across the room and vanished suddenly through the door to her chambers. She re-emerged moments later with a garment draped in her arms.

"You and I appear to be of a similar build and height," she pondered aloud as her eyes skimmed over your form from head to toe. "If this doesn't fit you perfectly, I'm certain we can arrange for the royal seamstress to make a few adjustments before the ball."

"Oh! Frigga, this is far too kind of you. I couldn't possibly-"

"Not another word," she interjected, holding up a hand with a warm grin on her face. She carefully passed the gown into your arms before you could continue to protest. "Go on," she urged, motioning toward the privacy dressing screen along the far wall of the room. "Let us see how it fits you."

Conceding to her kindness, you carefully carried the gown across the room and ducked behind the screen to change into it. The dress was a deep shade of juniper green, which you suspected Frigga had chosen purposefully, knowing how much Loki appreciated the color. The bodice was fitted, with delicate lace detailing flecked with tiny golden gemstones. It cinched at the waist before flowing outward from your body a bit in the skirt, the satin material draped fashionably over your lower half with the hem skimming the floor.

Bashfully, you stepped out from behind the screen dressed in the ornate gown. Frigga's eyes sparkled as she gazed upon you, observing the entire look of the gown on your form.

"Absolutely beautiful," she hummed with a smile. "Turn around - I want to ensure the gown fits you completely."

Heat rose to your face at the queen's kind complement as you slowly twirled in place to show her the entirety of the dress. Her warm smile had only broadened when you turned to face her once again.

"It appears as though the gown was made for you," she admired. "Would you like to see yourself?"

"Yes. Please."

Frigga swept across the room to stand beside you, grasping your shoulders and turning you gently to face the elegant full-length mirror beside the dressing screen. Seeing your own reflection dressed in that gorgeous gown nearly made your jaw drop. It fit you perfectly - hugging your body in all the right places. The gold detail shimmered against the dark green hue of the bodice.

"Do you believe me now, my dear?" she asked, gazing at the mirror's reflection beside you.

"I... it is breathtaking," you breathed, running your hands along the satin skirt.

"As is the elegant woman wearing it." She grinned knowingly at you through the mirror. You found yourself unable to answer, so you merely smiled appreciatively in return. "I'd wager that my son will be entirely enraptured, seeing you in this gown."

"If he sees me in this gown," you corrected reluctantly, your smile faltering. "I've yet to find an opportunity to speak with him. Even if I do, there's no telling whether he'll be willing to listen."

Frigga sighed, turning to face you. "My son has experienced a significant amount of emotional pain in his past. He struggles to make friends, living in the shadow of his elder brother. Many have attempted to befriend him or romance him simply as a ruse to get to Thor. It has left his heart bruised and brittle."

"I promise you, Frigga - I truly love and care for Loki," you asserted. "I can't even fathom doing such a thing."

"I know, dear. I see it in the way you look at him. You are different than his past courtships."

"How do I get him to believe that?"

The queen smiled. "For someone purported to have a silver tongue, my son is absolutely terrible with words when it comes to matters of the heart." She grasped your forearms, looking you in the eye. "You must show him."

"Show him." You pondered for a moment, trying to decide how you could possibly prove to him through your actions that you cared for him. "Frigga... does one require a formal invitation to the ball to attend?"

She beamed at you, a knowing spark in her eyes. "I would be honored to provide you with a formal invitation. You shall attend as a guest of the queen."

"Thank you. For everything." You grasped her hands and squeezed gently in a gesture of appreciation.

"Anytime, dear. As I said - you're practically family."

Frigga offered to keep the dress in the palace for you where it would be safe from wear. She insisted that you arrive early and allow the handmaidens to help prepare you for the ball, despite your protesting that she'd done enough for you already. You were starting to wonder if the princes gained some of their stubbornness from their mother as well.

Now, all that remained was to wait until the day of the grand ball.

* * *

You were not used to having so many people fussing over you in such a way.

The moment you met Frigga in the palace foyer, you were whisked away by three of the palace handmaidens. They were buzzing with talk of the task at hand as they brought you to one of the many spare accommodation rooms of the palace, seating you in front of a vanity mirror and beginning their efforts to turn you into grand ball material. Erlene quickly got to work pinning up your hair, weaving in intricate braids. She was making it difficult to sit still for Oula, who was hovering in front of you applying an array of cosmetics to your face. All the while, Hedda bustled about in the background, preparing your gown and meticulously selecting shimmering jewels to complement the outfit. It was all incredibly overwhelming.

And when at last they'd finished their work, you barely recognized the reflection staring back at you in the mirror.

You weren't sure how to react at the sight. Never in your life had you looked this beautiful. You certainly looked the part now, but could you act as though you fit into this lifestyle?

A gentle tapping on the door dragged you from your thoughts. You turned around to see Frigga standing in the doorway, observing you approvingly.

"You look every bit as beautiful as any of the ball guests. Perhaps more so," she praised with her characteristic warm smile. "How do you feel, dear?"

"Nervous." You offered a weak smile in return. "I can't thank you enough for everything, Frigga. The gown, the jewelry, the hair... It's more than I could have ever asked for."

"You're very welcome. I hope you feel a bit more at ease now that you've seen how very elegant you look."

"I certainly don't feel so out of place anymore. I just hope no one sees through the façade."

"You shouldn't view yourself as an outsider," Frigga advised kindly. "As I've said before - you're practically family."

"Thank you." You sighed. "I hope Loki won't be upset to see me here."

"Don't worry, dear." Frigga smiled knowingly. "Loki will come around. He certainly won't be able to look away from you in that gown."

"You think so?"

"Just wait until he sees you."

Frigga bade you farewell, making her way to the ballroom to greet the guests with the rest of the royal family. Once the handmaidens had completed the finishing touches on your look and deemed you ready for the ball, you anxiously made your way down to the foyer outside of the ballroom to enter with the other guests.

The foyer was a sea of ballgowns and impeccably tailored suits, buzzing with conversation as guests slowly filed into the ballroom. Swiftly, you slipped into the crowd, trying to casually blend in as you made your way inside.

The ballroom was extravagantly decorated for the occasion. Glimmering gold chandeliers hung from the ceiling, the flickering candlelight illuminating the gold-flecked dance floor. Elaborate stone statues of rulers past lined the outer edges of the room. At the head of the room, a vast tapestry was draped from the wall, scenes of warriors in battle painted across the stretch of canvas. The royal family stood there before the tapestry, greeting various esteemed-appearing guests and making polite conversation.

There had to be hundreds of people bustling around the ballroom. And yet, your eyes were drawn to only one.

Loki stood beside his older brother at the head of the room. Thor was making animated conversation with a few of his friends, but Loki remained stiff and stoically silent, his gaze fixed on an unremarkable spot on the wall across the room. He was dressed in his decorative royal armor, with shining gold detailing against black fabric complete with the dark green cape draped across his shoulders. He appeared every bit as regal as his older brother, and yet something about the look in his eyes made him seem... smaller.

His gaze shifted to roam across the room, suddenly stopping as he locked eyes with you.

For a moment, he remained motionless; merely staring sharply at you, taking in the sight. Then, abruptly, he stepped forward, advancing across the room straight toward you with long, powerful strides. You saw Odin shout something inaudible after Loki, quickly pacified by Frigga with a firm hand on his shoulder.

Loki's expression was blank, unreadable. You were rooted to the spot, frozen from the mixture of elation at seeing Loki again and the fear of his fiery rage raining down upon you. When he stopped, inches away from where you stood, he was silent. His gaze skimmed the length of your form, tracing the way the ballgown fit to your curves. You drew your bottom lip between your teeth, shifting your weight anxiously under the weight of his gaze.

"Loki, I-"

"Dance with me." A statement, and yet he still seemed to be asking it as a question. His blue-green eyes had a hopeful, earnest spark in them as he awaited your answer.

Slowly, you nodded.

His expression softened a bit, almost relieved. He took your hand, holding it delicately in his own as he guided you gracefully to the dance floor.

"I should tell you... I don't know how to dance," you whispered as he came to a halt and turned to face you. Loki smiled for the first time that evening, pulling you closer into a partner dance hold.

"Follow my lead. I'm a rather skilled dancer, if I do say so myself."

You couldn't help but laugh, relaxing slightly into his arms. There was so much left to discuss between the two of you, but for the time being it seemed Loki just wanted to hold you in his arms and spin you around on the dance floor. Who were you to argue with that?

At first, you stumbled a bit as Loki guided you through the steps. He was patient, gently correcting your form and posture. It took very little time for you to grasp the basics, moving in tandem with the prince to the flowing melody.

When the music faded into the next song, Loki stepped back and lifted your hand to his lips, bowing down slightly to kiss it. You were pleasantly dizzy already from the dancing, grinning as your knees weakened slightly beneath you.

"Might I take you somewhere more private?" he asked.

"Lead the way," you agreed.

Loki guided you carefully through the crowd, leading you to the far end of the room where a balcony stretched beyond the open archways built into the palace walls. The music and chatter dulled in your ears as you both stepped out onto the balcony, gazing out over the palace grounds.

You were both silent for a moment, taking in the refreshing evening air and the view of the sun setting over the horizon. The air was heavy between you, filled with words unspoken. It was time to get this off your chest.

"Loki-"

"I owe you an apology." Loki had spoken simultaneously with you as you'd stated his name. His statement made you pause, turning toward him with an inquisitive look. "I should have trusted in you. I should have known you're different than everyone else."

"I'm sorry to have made you doubt in my feelings for you. It was never you that caused me to hesitate. I realize now that I should have been open with you from the beginning."

"No, no - I should have recognized you weren't ready, that I was being too forward. I-"

"Loki." You grasped his hand in yours, urging him to listen for a moment. "It's not that I wasn't ready for this. For us. It's... I just fear that I'm not... enough."

Loki's mouth curled down into a frown, his brow furrowed. "I'm not sure I understand."

"You've known me for many months now. You know that I am a warrior, through and through. I'm well suited for the battlefield. But this?" You gestured around you, at the ball still underway inside the ballroom. "I'm not suited for the role of royalty. How could I ever amount to that?"

A pained look flashed in Loki's eyes. He lifted his hands to cup your jaw, ducking to capture your lips with his own. It felt as though it had been so, so long since the last time you'd kissed him. He was gentle but intentional, slow but passionate. He'd stolen all your breath by the time he pulled away.

"Don't ever doubt your worth. You are everything to me." Loki leaned back slightly to take in the sight of your ballgown once again. "Honestly - have you looked in a mirror, darling? Never in my life have I been in the presence of such beauty. You are a goddess."

"Loki!" you whined, heat rushing to your face. He pulled you into an embrace, and you buried your face against his shoulder as a laugh rumbled in his chest.

"Need I remind you - you behave far more properly than I. And I’ve yet to be shunned from the palace."

"Mm... I suppose you're right. You're far more unbecoming in public than I."

He loosened his arms around you to get a look at your face, mouth gaping. "I beg your pardon?! Here I am trying to reassure you, and you call me unbecoming?"

"You wouldn't have it any other way- hehey! Don't tickle me, you imp!" You grasped his hands where they had slipped to your waist, his fingertips pressing into your sides.

"I couldn't resist, love." He grinned. "Am I to assume you've come to attend the ball with me? Or has someone else asked you?"

"Well, I did receive an invitation from someone else..."

“Oh.” Loki's face fell, and you laughed.

"Your mother, Loki. She wanted me to be here for you."

"I suppose I'll have to thank her for that." He glanced inside the ballroom toward his mother. "Am I right to assume she assisted with selecting your gown?"

"She is quite fashionable, your mother."

"Always has been." He turned back to you. "Now then - would you do me the honor of joining me back in the ballroom?"

“Certainly, my prince.”

Loki’s eyebrow shot up, a wolfish smirk spreading across his face. “Mm… I could get used to hearing you say that,” he purred.

“I thought you hated when I used such formalities with you.”

“Mm, but when you say it like that… like you truly mean your prince…” He took your hand, raising it to his lips with a seductive smirk.

“A-alright, let us rejoin the rest of the ball, shall we?” Your knees felt weak as Loki obliged and led you into the ballroom.

Guests were beginning to take their seats at the extensive mahogany table that spanned the length of one end of the ballroom. Loki led you to the head of the table, where Odin and Frigga already sat conversing with a few nobles lingering around their seats. Thor was there as well, though he was not yet seated; he was locked in vigorous conversation with a man and a woman whom you recognized to be two of his closest friends.

"Ah! There you are, brother!" Thor's booming voice echoed across the table as the two of you approached. His gaze flitted to meet yours next, his face lighting up at the sight. "And you've brought your Valkyrie friend! It is wonderful to see you, fair maiden!"

"It's good to see you too, Thor," you responded amicably with a smile, allowing Thor to scoop up your hand and place a polite kiss to your knuckles. Loki's arm suddenly slipped around your waist, pulling you closer to him with a gentle but definitive tug.

"So the rumors are true, then!" Thor's male companion declared, a spark of amusement in his eye. "Loki has got himself a woman!"

"Yes - I understand that must come as a shock to you," Loki muttered bitterly.

"My lady." The man took your hand and raised it to his lips, pressing a lingering kiss to the back of it. You felt Loki's grip on your waist tighten. "You may recognize me as Fandral of the Warriors Three. And this is the lovely Lady Sif," he added, gesturing to the dark-haired woman standing beside him.

"I'm more than capable of introducing myself, Fandral," Sif griped with a roll of her eyes. She turned her attention to you, holding out a hand in offer for a handshake. "A pleasure to meet you. Loki had always needed a strong-willed partner to keep his ego in check - who better than a Valkyrie like yourself?"

"I'm still listening, Sif," Loki grumbled. You chuckled as you shook Sif's hand.

"You'd best be taking your seats - the feast is about to begin!" Thor urged, bidding his friends farewell. Loki pulled out the chair beside Frigga, motioning for you to take a seat.

"Oh, Loki - are you certain I should be seated at the head of the table? It would be improper-"

"Please, dear - you are a welcome addition," Frigga assured, patting the seat Loki had pulled out for you. Hesitantly, you lowered yourself into the gold-detailed chair, allowing Loki to push it closer to the table before taking his own seat beside you. Frigga leaned closer to you, speaking in a hushed tone. "I see you and Loki are getting on well?"

"Yes - thanks to you," you whispered gratefully.

"I merely gave you both a nudge," she dismissed. "The two of you worked things out on your own. That's no small feat with someone as stubborn as my Loki."

"Frigga - might you pass along the bread, dear?"

You glanced up at the sound of Odin's voice, incidentally catching his eye. He squinted at you analytically for a moment, as though trying to recall where he knew you from. You bowed your head respectfully.

"Good evening, My King."

"You... you're that young Valkyrie who trained my son," he stated firmly. You nodded in confirmation, holding your breath as you prepared for the scolding you'd receive for allowing Loki to get himself injured under your tutelage. "I will admit... I was rather impressed with his controlled form in combat. A vast improvement from years past. You've done excellent work."

"Thank you," you stammered in surprise. "It was an honor to be entrusted with such a task."

"Perhaps later this evening you might lend me your ear - I believe many of our warriors could benefit from a bit of hand-to-hand combat skill sharpening. I'm certain you must have suggestions."

"Of course, My King."

Loki slipped his hand into yours under the table, squeezing gently to convey his excitement at his father's words. You couldn't help but allow a smile to spread across your face. Perhaps you might find your niche within the royal court after all.

The feast was extravagant. Every bite of every dish was absolutely marvelous - more delectable than any meal you'd ever tasted. You'd heard of the top-notch cooks of the royal palace, but you'd never had the opportunity to experience their cuisine for yourself before tonight.

The moment the feast was over, Loki whisked you away to the dance floor. With a quick twirl, he had you wrapped up in his arms once again, swaying to the music.

"I thought dinner would never end," he lamented, "I simply couldn't wait to get you all to myself again."

"All to yourself, hmm? Was it not you who wanted to spend more time together in public?" you teased.

"Forgive me for wanting to show you off to the kingdom." Loki stole a brief kiss from your blushing lips. "But I still enjoy having your full and undivided attention."

"Well, you've got it now. What do you intend to do with it?"

"I intend to twirl you around this dance floor until your head is spinning." He suddenly dipped you backward, grinning as you shrieked in surprise with a laugh.

Loki was true to his word. By the time the two of you had left the dance floor, your feet ached in your shoes and your eyelids were beginning to grow heavy with the looming threat of sleep. The crowd had thinned considerably as guests called it a night and headed home.

"I should really be getting home myself," you suggested, overcome by a yawn.

"I couldn't possibly allow you to walk home this late in the evening in this state," Loki argued.

"I can't take advantage of your family's hospitality any more than I already have."

"Oh, but I insist, dear."

"Frigga, I couldn't possibly-"

You turned at the sound of Frigga's voice beside you, surprised to see her standing there.

"It's already been arranged. Accommodations have already been prepared for you in the guest quarters you got ready in earlier this evening."

Loki shot you a victorious smirk as you stuttered in response. With a sigh, you finally conceded.

"Thank you, Frigga. You are entirely too gracious."

"Nonsense. It's a pleasure having you here."

One of the handmaidens awaited you outside the ballroom to lead you to your room for the night. You said goodnight to the royal family, making your way back to the foyer with Loki by your side. He swiftly pulled you aside the moment you stepped out of the ballroom, tugging you into an alcove mostly hidden from view.

"Did I mention how absolutely ravishing you look in that dress?" he hummed, cupping a hand along your jaw and pressing a passionate kiss to your lips. You sighed blissfully, kissing him back fervently. He stole your breath away, breaking free from your lips only once you'd grown lightheaded.

"You... may have mentioned it," you responded coyly, eliciting a throaty laugh from the prince. "Will I see you in the morning?"

"I'll make certain of it." He stole another chaste kiss. "I'm glad you came this evening. It wouldn't have been nearly as enjoyable without you here."

"Ah - so I was merely here to keep you entertained, then?" you teased with a grin.

"Well, you are far better company than Thor and his companions."

"I suppose I should be flattered." You took his hands in yours, kissing him one last time. "Goodnight, Loki."

"Goodnight, love."

Loki reluctantly made his way to his own bed chambers as you followed Erlene to your room. Now that you were no longer being fussed over by three people, you were able to get a good look at your surroundings. There was a vast, open air window in the outer wall overlooking the palace grounds. Inside, a grand four-poster canopy bed stood against the center of the back wall. A set of sleeping clothes sat folded neatly on the end of the bed. You were pleased to find that they'd left you a soft shirt and pants to sleep in instead of a nightgown - Frigga's doing, you assumed. Scooping them off the bed, you stepped into the adjoining bathroom to change, carefully removing the gown and hanging it up to return it to Frigga the next morning.

Once you'd dressed for bed and washed your face, you returned to the bedroom and sat at the vanity from earlier, carefully unpinning the braids from your hair. The handmaidens had truly done wonders with it, but you found yourself removing more hair pins than you'd ever worn in your entire lifespan.

You’d nearly finished taking your hair down when there was suddenly a knock at the door. You rose to your feet, crossing the cool marble floor in your bare feet to open the door. Expecting one of the handmaidens, you were startled to find Loki standing on the other side. He, too, had changed out of his heavy ceremonial armor into a tunic and pants - much more like what you were accustomed to seeing him in.

"Might I come in?" he asked. You nodded, stepping aside for him to enter and shutting the door behind you. Before you'd even turned around, you could feel the weight of his gaze eyeing you in your sleep clothes.

"What is it, Loki?"

"I missed you." He advanced on you, grasping your waist gently and pressing a sweet kiss to your lips. You laughed in amusement.

"We've only just gone our separate ways! How long has it been - thirty minutes, at most?"

"Mm - thirty minutes too long." He recaptured your lips once again. "Is it alright if I stay here with you for a while? We've barely had any time to ourselves this evening."

"Says the one who was desperate to have me with him out in the public eye," you teased. "Yes, Loki. You're welcome to stay."

You swept across the room to take your seat at the vanity once more, unwinding the final two braids from your hair. Loki's reflection appeared behind yours only moments later, his arms slipping around your waist from behind. His lips found the soft skin where your neck met your shoulder, pressing a long, reverent kiss there that drew a contented sigh from you.

"Did you come here to seduce me, Loki?" you hummed. “You seem to be making a habit out of that. Is there something you’re trying to gain from me this time as well?”

He tightened his grip around your waist slightly, kissing a bit higher up your neck.

"No, darling. Actually, I've got a bone to pick with you," he growled, his voice vibrating against your skin and sending a shiver down your spine.

"Oh? Because it certainly seems as though you came to seduce me," you countered, letting your eyes slip closed in bliss as he pressed a kiss just behind your ear.

"Mm - perhaps later. We've yet to address the fact that you lied to me."

"I lied to you?" you queried in surprise, eyes opening to look at his face in the reflection of the mirror. His blue-green eyes were alight with mischief, that subtle smirk of his dancing across his lips to tell you he wasn't truly angry about whatever he was referring to. "What did I lie to you about?"

"You led me to believe the Valkyrie are fearless. However, this evening you informed me of your fear - completely unfounded fear, might I add - that you wouldn't measure up to being with royalty."

"Ah. My deepest apologies. How can I possibly make it up to you?" you asked with a heavily dramatic flair to your tone.

"Hmm. How indeed." He pressed his tongue to the inside of his cheek, as though pondering his options. "Perhaps you should admit to me how ridiculous it was of you to believe even for a moment that you were inadequate."

"You want me to admit I was wrong?"

"More importantly - that I was right."

"Oh-ho! You'd love that, wouldn't you?" you teased with a grin. "I'm not about to boost your ego just because you say I lied to you."

Loki's grip on your waist tightened suddenly. "Perhaps you need a bit of coercing, then," he growled as his fingers wriggled into your sides.

"HA-ho-oh noho you don't!" you retorted, swiftly standing up and whirling around to retaliate. Loki clearly hadn't anticipated your sudden move, his grip around your waist breaking.

"A-aren’t you worried about re-injuring my shoulder?” he stammered, gazing nervously at you with a playful grin as he backed away.

“I thought you said you were prepared to take on the full skill of a Valkyrie?"

"Of course I am!"

"Then I shall not hold back." Your hands darted to his abdomen, clawing rapidly at the sensitive spot through his shirt. He erupted with a fit of laughter as you drove him backwards. The backs of his legs bumped into the edge of the bed, knocking him straight onto his bottom atop the mattress. You paused to giggle at his sudden stumble. "Wohow - you are the epitome of grace, Your Highness!"

"There are consequences for mocking a prince, Valkyrie," he growled, suddenly rising to his feet and lunging for you. With a surprised laugh, you leapt backwards just out of his reach.

"Oh-ho, I'm so scahared- no-no-NOHO!" You shrieked as Loki caught hold of your wrist, swiftly tugging you toward him. With a skillful maneuver, he had spun you around and pinned you with your babck to his chest, his fiery fingers finding purchase on your ribcage. "LOHOKI!! Thahat's CRUHUEL ta-HA-targeting my we-HEE-heak spot- NOHO!"

"Hmm, I suppose I can take you on at full strength, can't I?" he teased in your ear. His deft fingertips sought out the trigger point along the front of your lower ribs. You instinctively curled in on yourself, leaning forward against his grip to try to break free. "No, you're not going anywhere."

"Puhut me DOHOWN you imp!" you demanded as he lifted you off the floor, shifting his grip to hold your waist with one arm so he could scoop up your legs with the other. He tossed your kicking form unceremoniously onto the bed, climbing up after you.

"You should yield to me, darling. Admit I was right."

"NOHOT happening!" You scrambled backward toward the head of the bed as he lunged for you, swiftly changing course and rolling to the side. He landed face down against the mattress where you had previously sat. Taking advantage of his surprise, you threw your leg over his, planting yourself on the backs of his thighs.

"WAIT!" Loki yelped suddenly, turning his head to look at you with wide-eyes. An anticipatory grin was already spreading across his face.

"Wait? What's the matter, Loki?" You glanced around, curious as to what suddenly had him so nervous. His eyes darted to look behind you, quickly flitting back up to meet your gaze. Realization struck, and a sly grin spread across your face. "Ah... Suddenly lost your sass, have you?"

"Alright, alright, I yield!"

"Oh but you have me curious now, Loki!" You reached behind you and dragged your fingertips along the soles of his feet. He barked out a laugh, nearly knocking you off him with a jolt. "Now this is entertaining!"

"Darling, just come here and kiss me, won't you?"

"Ah, trying to get out of this by romancing me again?" You skittered your fingers across his feet. "I told you already - I can't go letting you think that you can have your way just by kissing me."

"Then expect my revenge to be ten-fold worse," he bantered.

"Better make it worth my while, then." You launched a full attack, scratching at the length of his soles with ruthless precision. Hysterical laughter ripped from his chest, his fist pounding against the bed in protest. It was only moments before his thrashing knocked you off of him. Laughing, you toppled over sideways onto the mattress.

"Ahare... are you pleased with yohourself, Valkyrie?" There was a playfulness in his tone that overshadowed any actual viciousness he may have been attempting to convey.

"Yehes! That was adorable!" You flinched as Loki suddenly crawled toward you, wrapping your arms protectively around your ribcage. He merely rolled his eyes, a grin of endearment spreading across his face.

"Now will you just kiss me?" he pleaded, leaning his face in closer to yours.

"Ooh, now you're rewarding me after completely annihilating you in a tickle fight?"

He growled deep in his throat. "Don't push your luck now, darling." You merely grinned, lifting your head to close the distance between you. He kissed you hungrily, lacing his fingers through your hair. Abruptly, he pulled away, a mischievous spark in his eye. "You've yet to admit I was right," he reminded you impishly.

"Yes, yes, alright. I lied to you - I'm not truly fearless." You sighed. "Can you blame me for being afraid?"

"Yes I can, as a matter of fact." Loki shifted to hover over you with a hand on either side of your head. "You are nothing less than perfect in my eyes. Don't you ever doubt yourself again."

Your cheeks burned under the intensity of his gaze. "I'll try my hardest."

"I'll hold you to it." He lowered his head to kiss you again, pressing his lips firmly against yours as though to prove the strength of his affection. You allowed yourself to get drunk off the taste of him, wondering how you'd gone so many days without this.

"Gods I've missed you, Loki," you breathed as the two of you parted for air. "Please don't ever hide from me like that again."

"I won't dream of it." His lips curled up into a grin. "Now then - perhaps now would be an opportune time for me to try to seduce you?"

You laughed at his forwardness. "I suppose you're welcome to try."

"I think you'll find I'm rather persuasive," he hummed, ducking down to press his lips to that spot behind your ear that made your eyes flutter closed.

"Don't get overconfident on me, Loki. It's as though I've taught you nothing."

"Then allow me to spend the rest of the night proving it to you," he growled.

"Then go on and prove it, My Prince."

#ticklish!reader #tickle fic #loki x female reader #loki x reader #loki fluff #loki tickle #valkyrie!reader #the skill of a valkyrie #loki x you #loki x reader fluff #tickle fluff

[ticklishturtlett]

Night-In

Pairings: Loki x Reader

Warnings: Slight NSFW, Bondage. Minors, do NOT interact! Thank you!

Word Count: 2, 313 words

Summary: Romantic, playful tickling between Loki and the reader. Ler!Loki and Lee!Reader. Enjoy!

It was cold, dark, and quiet in your apartment. It was a blissful rarity on a Friday evening, and You were grateful. For the past two hours, You had taken advantage of the silence. You had pampered yourself, dressed in your favorite silk pajamas, and tidied up your bedroom. Now, You lay snuggled in your bed and wrapped up in the covers as You watched late-night TV. Everything felt warm, comfortable, and perfect.

Well, it was almost perfect. Your mind had been racing with the thought of Loki being with You. You wished he was there, but he was stuck training tonight. He would have made the night perfect, but your boyfriend did have responsibilities to take care of, even though you both wished he could have been with You.

A small smile settled on your lips, mostly due to the thought of Loki's gentle arms embracing You. He would have snuggled with You and watched the show even if he didn't quite understand it. He would have kissed the back of your head every now and again and encouraged You to talk to him about your day. He made life seem so perfect.

Your phone vibrated, and You lifted your head from your cocoon of blankets to glance over at it. "My King" flashed across the screen, and your smile widened into a grin. You reached out and picked up the phone with a cheery, "Hello?"

"Hello, darling," Loki greeted, his smooth voice whispering into your ear. "I hope I didn't wake you from your blissful slumber."

"I wasn't sleeping," You reassured, laying back down on the bed and holding the phone to your ear. "How's training?"

"It was rather pointless, I'm afraid." You heard a bell chime on the other end, and your brow furrowed. "I was wondering if you would be interested in some hot chocolate."

"Hot chocolate?" You glanced at the digital clock on your nightstand. It was only 9:30 PM. "Well, maybe tomorrow we could get some. You have the day-off, right?"

He chuckled. "Yes, I do, but I meant for tonight."

"Tonight?" You sat up quickly. "But I thought your training was going to last all night."

"It was," he drawled, "but it had to end early." He chuckled again, it sounding lower than usual. "A lot of the equipment magically disappeared after our first break. No one knows where it went."

You smirked, arching an eyebrow. "Magically, huh?"

"Oh, yes." He cleared his throat. "So, would you like some hot chocolate with extra whip cream or no, my Queen?"

Butterflies fluttered in your stomach at the pet name, a grin returning to your lips. You clutched your comforter with one hand, trying to lessen the tickly feelings in your stomach. He really did know how to drive you crazy. "I would love some, my King."

He hummed. "Wonderful. Then, I will see you soon, my love."

"Until then."

He hung up, and you clenched your phone in both hands, grinning like a schoolgirl. You bounced on your bed, excitement flowing through your body. He was coming home early.

Your eyes widened, and You froze. He was coming home early. You shot out of bed and dashed to the bathroom. You flipped on the lights and did a quick glance over your appearance. You brushed your hair out, frowned, then shook your hair out; unruly looked better on You, You thought. You thought about brushing your teeth but then realized your toothpaste might ruin the hot chocolate taste for You, so You would worry about that after you finished your treat. You would just talk away from him.

Finally, You unbuttoned the first button of your top, trying to make yourself look as sexy as possible. You couldn't help it. You two had been in a relationship for almost a year now, but you two had only moved in together two months ago. That incessant thought that You had to impress your boyfriend was ruthless, especially now that You were consistently around him. He always reassured You he loved You no matter what You looked like, but You still felt like you had to make the effort.

"Darling?"

You jumped and peeked into the bedroom, seeing the kitchen light on through the cracked door. Almost as fast as lightning, You turned off the bathroom light and sprinted back to the bed. You dove into it, quickly wrapping yourself into the covers. You tossed your phone on the nightstand, brushed your hair out of your eyes, and called out, "I'm here!"

The sound of his footsteps got louder the closer he walked toward the bedroom. The door creaked open, and You glanced over to see Loki standing there with two hot chocolates in his hands. A soft smile adorned his lips, and You sighed softly. Finally, he was home.

"I hope I didn't take too long, love." He bounded over to the side of the bed, handing You your hot chocolate. "I'm afraid I had to walk up to the apartment rather than teleport. The landlady scolded me once again."

You giggled, feeling the warmth of your hot chocolate spread across your palm. "She just wanted to see your handsome face."

He let out a hearty laugh, shrugging off his coat. He set it down on a nearby chair. "Oh, yes, I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that she's forbid me from using magic here." He smirked, his clothes shifting into his pajamas. "Well, outside of the apartment, at least."

You hummed and took a sip, eyes roaming his slim form. "I love that shirt on you," you whispered, smiling at the Avenger's T-shirt You bought him for Valentine's Day. He wasn't technically part of the Avengers, but he did work with them. You had gotten the shirt for him as a joke, but also because it was fitted, and it looked incredible on his body. Of course, he knew this.

He smirked, leaning down to You, your noses touching. "I only wear it for you, darling," he whispered and pecked your lips. He hummed, his eyes closing for a brief moment. "Chocolate tastes good on you."

You blushed and set your drink down on the nightstand. You held your arms out to him. "I missed you."

His smirk turned into a soft smile, the mischievous glint in his eyes transforming into adoration. He climbed into your embrace, and You laid back, him holding himself above You. "And I missed you, love."

He leaned down, burying his face into your neck and kissing you softly. You sighed and ran your fingers through his raven hair. With one hand, he caressed your cheek, his fingers occasionally tangling into your hair and caressing your ear.

"You have no idea how long I've waited for this," he whispered, coming up from your neck. He pecked your lips again. "You are so irresistable."

You smiled, your hands cupping his face. "You're the one that's irresistable, my King."

He hummed, leaning closer to You. His lips barely touch your own. "Call me that again," he whispered, his breath sliding across your lips.

On a typical night, You would have given in. You would have called him whatever he wanted and done anything to please him, but tonight, You decided to switch things up a bit. You two hadn't really played together in a while, having both been busy with your own responsibilities. Given that today had been good, and he was home early, why not spice things up a bit?

You smirked and slid your fingers down his cheeks to his neck and to his chest. "Make me," You whispered back, and You stuck your tongue out slightly.

His eyes shot open, and he smirked. "Oh?"

A small giggle escaped your lips, and your hands ran up his chest. "Don't you want to have some fun?"

He hummed then dropped all of his weight on You. You let out a yelp, giggling consistently. "Th-hat's not what I meant!" You shouted. You pushed at his shoulders, trying to free yourself from being trapped underneath him. "Why are you so frickin' heavy?!"

"That's quite rude," he chuckled. You gasped as he grabbed your wrists and shifted to sit up, holding them above your head. "Someone ought to teach you some manners."

"I'd like to see you try."

His smirk grew wider, his eyes lighting up with mischief. "You're going to regret that," he whispered then buried his face in your neck, kissing it gently. You giggled, the tickly sensation sparking with each kiss.

While You were distracted with his soft, delicate kisses, Loki used his magic to bind your hands to the head of the bed. His fingers trailed down your bare arms, twitching along the way. Your giggles rose an octave when he reached that one spot right above your armpit. "L-Loki!" You squealed as his fingers softly scratched there.

Loki chuckled then pecked your grinning lips. "What's the matter, love? A little ticklish?"

Before you could respond, his fingers moved to your armpit, scratching softly, and you let out another squeal, thrashing slightly and tugging at your restraints. "N-Not fair!"

"Oh, I think it's very fair." He pulled the sleeves of your shirt down. He held one of your arms down and winked at you. "After all, I only do this because you're enjoying it."

With his free hand, he used one finger to scratch at your exposed armpit. Your head fell back against the pillow, giggles pouring from your lips. "Y-You're a j-jerk," You giggled.

He chuckled then used all five fingers to scratch at your skin, making You giggle louder. "That is part of my job, darling." He dug deeper, and your arm tried to flinch, but he held it in place. Your giggles turned into laughter. "You knew this going in, after all."

After a few minutes of relentless tickling and your slight thrashing, he released your arm and kissed your cheek. You continued giggling as he sat up, straddling your hips. "I haven't done this in a while," he stated, popping his knuckles. "When was the last time I properly tickled you, hm?"

"I-I don't know," You giggled.

"Well, we should change that. Don't you agree, my Queen?"

"I think," You started, a permanent grin on your lips, "you should let me go."

"Oh?" He arched an eyebrow, smirking. "Why's that?"

Your giggles started up again as he lifted the hem of your shirt to your breasts. "S-So I can t-tickle you, jerk."

"Oh, that's not happening," he chuckled and rested his fingers on your belly. "You are the one who's been practically begging me to tickle you."

"I have not!"

"Oh, are you sure?" His fingers slid across your belly, making you giggle louder. "I could have sworn you asked me to tickle you this morning."

"N-No, I didn't!"

His teasing grin grew. "Of course, you did!" He started scratching softly, sliding across your skin. You squealed and thrashed with each sensitive spot he hit. "I remember it very clearly. It was the first thing you said to me when I woke up. Now, stop lying and admit that you want me to tickle you to tears."

You laughed when he switched to squeezing your sides. Your back arched, and your eyes shut. You couldn't even speak. The tickle sensations with each squeeze were sparking so abruptly You were forced to laugh. It only made it worse when You felt Loki blow a raspberry into your bellybutton. You dug your heels into the mattress, trying to find some sort of way to escape Loki's torture. However, this only encouraged him further.

With another raspberry, Loki switched to squeezing your hips, making you buck underneath him. You tugged at your restraints, letting out short screams of protest and shaking your head wildly. Somehow, You heard his laughter, but it was quickly drowned out by another one of your screams. He had shot back to your underarms without warning, and You couldn't help but feel the ticklish panic set in.

"Cootchie, cootchie, coo," he teased into your ear, making you laugh harder and somehow increasing your ticklishness. "Who's the most ticklish Queen in the world?" He blew into your ear, and You yelped. "I think it's you."

"L-Loki!" You somehow managed to scream out.

"Yes, love?" he teased, grinning maniacally. "Would you like me to tickle you all night? I think that's a wonderful idea."

You screamed again, this time because You felt restraints holding your body still. You couldn't move. Even your head was forced down, your neck completely exposed for him to bury his face in and blow multiple raspberries into it. You thought you were going to lose your mind.

"Please!" You screamed once more before succumbing to hysterical laughter and forced restraint.

With one last raspberry, he slowed his tickles down until he stopped. Your laughter died down to giggles, and You could feel your body shaking from the experience, despite his restraints still holding You in place. With one snap of his fingers, the invisible restraints released You, and You felt your body collapse into the mattress. He caressed your cheek and leaned down to kiss You on the forehead. "Good job, my Queen," he whispered as your giggles started to slow, and your breathing started to return to normal. He climbed off of you and nestled right next to you, wrapping his arms around You and pulling You into his embrace. "You did so wonderfully."

"I-" You started, still trying to fight for your breath back, "-hate you."

He chuckled into your ear, and You giggled again, flinching. "I love you, too, my Queen."

With a smile, You turned around and buried your face in his chest. "I love you more, my King."

He hummed and held you tighter, kissing the top of your head. "I love you most."

#loki fanfic #x reader #avenger ticklish reader #ler!loki #lee!reader #marvel tickling reader #tickle fic #tickle fanfiction #tickle torment #tickle fluff #tickles #ticklish reader marvel #tickle content #fanfic #loki x you #loki x female reader #loki laufeyson x reader #loki fluff #playful #relationshipgoals #my fic writing #my fic tag #enjoy! #follow #share this #ticklish!reader #tickler #loki tickle #tword community #ticklee

[defiant-wallflower]

Unfounded Jealousy

Word Count: ~4k

Pairing: Loki x Reader (romantic) ft. Bucky (platonic)

Warnings: minimal swearing, fluffy fluff and casual banter

Prompt 

I did my best to match what you asked for! I’m new to writing out missions and whatnot, I’m not as fluent in Marvel lore as I could be lol but I’m definitely trying to push myself! This idea was literally so cute, I couldn’t not at least try. I knew of the Twilight scene you referenced, and although I have never actually read it myself, I tried nonetheless :) Thank you for the suggestion! I had fun writing it :)

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When Fury said it would be cold during your mission, and you volunteered, you didn’t know at the time that he meant Switzerland in fucking January cold. You didn’t dislike it by any means, and you actually preferred being chilly over being warm, but you felt as though it would be difficult to accurately prepare for the low temperatures and crazy snow. Thank the lucky stars you at least didn’t have to go in alone. You were tough, you knew that, but sheesh, this task was a grueling one and you didn’t think it’d be safe to only send one or two people in. 

Now, you weren’t supposed to be running head to head with any enemies, but you had to map out a snowy forest by hand because Fury caught wind of a rumor that the aforementioned forest was to be some kind of weapons-he-didn’t-like-the-sound-of drop site in the future, and he wanted to be ready. That particularly woodsy area wasn’t ideal for any kind of machinery to map anything out, though, hence the team being sent in.

You admit it might be a little redundant, sending in two whole avengers and a freaking god for this task, but you and Bucky weren’t entirely sure what awaited you there, and the extra reinforcement of Loki may or may not have been influenced by his insistence that he be there to protect his dear love. This was one of those cases where only two people going in wasn’t entirely ideal, but three was also a bit unnecessary.

You were thankful for it having been a bit stale in the missions department lately, at least, because if this basic “explore a cold forest” mission took three avengers, it was good that there weren’t any other big missions that would actually need the help, happening at the same time.

The three of you were boarded on the Quinjet, en route to said location now, where you had been told an abandoned cabin awaited you. You began to notice that the closer you got to your destination, despite not even having landed yet, you were already starting to feel cool. It wasn’t uncomfortable, as you were used to low temperatures and even welcomed it, but if you were already feeling the chilly air while inside, outside could only be far worse.

After having landed, the three of you quietly stepped off the Quinjet and onto the snowy terrain ahead. You could see the rickety cabin in the distance, but you appreciated that there was a short walk to get to it. You wanted to take in the beauty of your surroundings before the mission ruined how stunning the landscape was. 

It was a bit windy, and you felt the biting cold hit your face, but you had quite a high tolerance for it and took comfort in knowing that your first moments in this environment were going to be enjoyable, even if it would grow to be an annoyance later down the line. 

Turning your head to look up and smile at Loki, you took his hand in yours and walked together to the cabin, Bucky quietly following along. 

“For how worried you were about your abilities to withstand this arrangement, you appear to be content.” Loki stated softly, squeezing your hand. “Your own worries about this mission did not help to stifle my own.”

You chuckled, and nodded your head in Bucky’s direction with a small smile on your face. “It’s bearable right now, but soon enough Bucky and I will probably start whining about it.”

“I don’t whine.” 

“Oh, I forgot! You’re absolutely right, Norway didn’t happen, and you definitely weren’t a big old grump about the weather. I totally fabricated that entire mission. Silly me!”

Loki let out a small laugh, and seeing as you were nearing the cabin entrance, he stepped forward and opened the door for you, Bucky trailing behind, shaking his head in annoyance. Walking inside, you took in your surroundings. This place was clearly deserted ages ago. The cabin was all one large open space, save for a door that, after checking, led to a bathroom. You’d assumed there’d at least be a fireplace, but after looking along each wall, you didn’t see one.

You’d been warned this place didn’t really have any accommodations, but you were taken by surprise anyway despite knowing this is quite literally what you expected and had planned for, seeing as you’d minimally packed pre-made food and a few blankets. In the far wall there was a worn-down table with two chairs, and in a nearby corner sat a four-tiered shelf that one would probably find in a garage. 

Inspecting the shelf, you gasped shrieked and jumped back as you almost came head-first with a spider. Loki was at your side in a moments notice, wrapping his arms around you and asking what was wrong, but you exhaled sharply and just mumbled “spider.”

Bucky thought this was hilarious, and after a small bout of laughter, had said “serves you right! I may have been a grump in Norway, but at least I don’t scream over seeing a spider.” 

Glaring, you pointed at him and muttered “This is precisely why I dumped you.”

After silently looking at eachother for a moment, you and Bucky both fell into a laughing fit over the lighthearted jab. Loki stood there, confused, arms still wrapped around you. 

“What exactly do you mean, you dumped him?” 

“Oh! Jeez, okay, this was like, ages ago, way before you joined the team, but, uh,” still chuckling, you turned around in Loki’s arms to face him. “Bucky and I were stuck together on this one mission, and it had been a rough month for everyone, but I guess he was just feeling like a loner or something-”

“-that’s inaccurate, but we were both feeling that way-”

“I dunno, but we’d been such good friends for so long, because obviously we would be, I’m literally awesome. Anyways, after a long conversation we’d decided to just try out dating, because we kinda thought there was something between us?” Looking over at Bucky, you were snickering at the thought of your younger selves actually believing you  two shared a spark.

“I don’t know what delusions I was experiencing to think I liked that guy, but we tried it out anyways. Bucky sucked, we ended, and now it’s just a running joke between us.”

Laughing, Bucky added, “we’re just friends. The physical affection side of things was nice,” Loki bristled at the thought of you, his beloved, being physically affectionate with the brute, but intently listened. “In the end, we just weren’t feeling anything. We had a good friendship, and still do, to be fair, but that’s all it is.”

Nodding in agreement at Bucky’s closing statement, you looked back up at Loki with a smile. “You are the best decision I’ve made, though, Loki, just to clarify.” Looking into your eyes, he let out a sigh. “I do hope so. I could never see you as anything less than my dearest love.” You giggled and pressed a peck to his lips before turning your attention to the actual reason why you were here. 

Grabbing your bag, you dug through it and looked at the supplies you’d brought. “Sundown is soon, but we need to be out mapping the place first thing when we wake up. It is pretty outside, but I really don’t feel like being here for very long and god forbid getting caught up in a blizzard or something.” After going through the game plan with everyone, changing into sleepwear, and making little makeshift beds on the floor with the blankets that’d been packed, you quickly dozed off after settling in.

The next morning was a blur. I mean, it started off normal, despite you being a bit chilly. Exploration was fine, seeing as you were a bit cold, but again, fine. Then, the wind picked up and suddenly you were very much not fine. You’d highly underestimated just how piercing the wind would feel against your skin, how the biting cold would render your hands numb. Loki was fine, and Bucky was nothing more than a little uncomfortable, but you reasoned that that’s because his ability to regulate body temperature was enhanced from the super soldier serum, or something similar. 

You were freezing, but to mask any weakness you’d tried to ignore it, continuing your job to map out the area, and you were successful. Well. You thought you were successful, but somewhere in the mix, all coherent thought fled, you were just so exhausted all of a sudden. You might have passed out, or, you almost passed out? You couldn’t tell the difference. All you remember is Loki swiftly picking you up bridal style, yelling, and their voices were so loud, why did they feel the need to yell so loud? 

There was the soft crunching of the snow that felt as though it lasted both forever and only a moment. Then, there was a sudden shift in atmosphere as the sharp whistling of the wind traded for nothing but the sound of a door closing, and breathing. 

…and clicking sounds? Were your teeth chattering? You’re pretty sure Loki changed you into different clothes, because one second you got colder and the next it felt like you were overheating. You hated being too warm, and you vaguely remember weakly trying to stop him from putting the clothes on you, they were just so hot. 

You heard noises that more or less felt like arguing until you were lying on the ground, wrapped in Loki’s arms, and you think there was a blanket over of the two of you as well. Eventually, that god-awful chattering noise stopped, you didn’t quite feel like you were overheating anymore. You dozed off.

When you woke up, your sense of time was completely botched. We’re heading out to start the mission soon, right? But…didn’t you already do that? When had you gone to bed? You sighed, but snuggled in closer to Loki. He was warm, and it was pleasant.

…

Loki isn’t supposed to be warm.

You snapped your eyes open, only to be greeted by the worried face of your friend. Your friend, Bucky. Yelping and practically throwing yourself off of him, rolling out from the covers, you were hit with the cold air of the cabin. 

You wrapped your arms around yourself and, shivering lightly, you asked, “Where’s Loki?”

“I’m right here, love.”

You turned, seeing him sitting on the floor nearby with a book. He seemed bothered. “When are we going back out?”

He scoffed. “You’re hardly in proper condition to be doing anything but resting. You’re too cold.”

“Am not!”

“You’re shivering, my dear. You…need to lie back down.” The last part was quieter, and he seemed hesitant. 

“With Bucky? Loki, I’d rather not. In fact, I don’t appreciate me having been in that position in the first place.” 

“I’m warm, shortstack. Loki isn’t, you definitely aren’t. It’s not weird. Just come here.”

After looking at Loki hopelessly, and him nodding towards Bucky, you finally relented, begrudgingly getting back into the spot you’d woken up in. After a few minutes of shifting in your place, tossing and turning, Bucky finally just wrapped his metal arm around your waist and pressed your back flush against his chest. You groaned loudly, and complained, “Seriously, dude?”

“You’re not going to get warmer just by being under the same blanket. You know that.” You sighed and looked over to Loki. He seemed tense, but otherwise distracted by his book.

“It’s not that bad. It’s just like old times,” Bucky chuckled. 

“That’s part of what makes it so bad. Loki, how long exactly do I have to be laying here for?”

Loki sighed, and peeked up at you from behind his book, then moved his eyes back to the page. “Until you’re warm.” 

You crossed your arms. To try and lighten the mood, you assumed, Bucky lightly pinched your side, which elicited a squeak from you and you promptly smacked his hand away. 

“You know what, Bucky? The real heroes are the people that have to deal with you on a daily bAHASIS!” you squealed as he pinched your side again, this time closer to your hip, and you jolted. 

“What are you doing to my girlfriend, Bucky?” Loki put his book down. 

“-oh, just tickling her,”

“-being a JEHERK!” You both said at the same time. He started squeezing your side, clearly with the intent to get you laughing. It worked, and you’d flung your head back against Bucky’s shoulder, giggles bubbling from your mouth. “Buhucky, stop mehessing with mehe!” 

“You need to lighten up! I’m not so bad, you’re just exaggerating.”

“I agree with her, Bucky. You’re to make her warm, nothing more. Why are you condoning this, darling? I understand you two have history and such, but this is ridiculous!” Loki spat. He was clearly frustrated, and for some reason that irked you. I mean, you didn’t choose to be in this position, and Loki was encouraging it moments earlier. If anyone should be pissed, it’s you.

Despite the fact that you were more annoyed with Bucky at the moment than Loki, he’d stopped his attack at Loki’s harsh tone, so you fixed your attention to the god, lifting your head back up to look at him. “Stop being such a hypocrite! I didn’t want to do this in the first place! I don’t know what your problem is, but I’m guessing that it’s probably hard to pronounce!”

Bucky laughed at the snarky comment, covering his mouth with the metal hand that he used to attack you with moments earlier. Loki’s eyes darkened for a moment, then turned mischievous. 

“Hm. Now that I think about it, Bucky, wouldn’t a little bit of tickling get her heart rate up? That should be effective in warming her.” Your eyes widened, and Bucky caught on to what Loki was implying. 

Before you could make any moves, Bucky had sat up, kneeling, and pushed you flat on your back, pressing his hands against your biceps and leaning his body weight into it, looking to Loki awaiting further instruction. You could struggle, sure, but your arms were stuck on the floor to either side of you and with a grunt, you realized you couldn't exactly get up.

Registering that trying to fight off Bucky wouldn’t do you any good, you turned back to Loki, and watched helplessly as he slowly walked up to you, arms crossed and head tilted in amusement. The nervous giggles kicked in, and you tried the only escape option you had left: pleading.

“L-Lohoki, my dear sweet prince, love of my LIFE-” he was kneeling down next to you as well now, and wordlessly poked your side, making you squeal, “I dihidn’t mean it, I prohomise, I’ll behe good just DOHON’T!” Loki wasted no time in latching his hands onto your sides, kneading into the sensitive skin he found there while you kicked out helplessly, laughing with new vigor. 

“Hm, it appears this is as good a first attacking point as any.” Loki mentioned casually, as he repositioned himself from kneeling next to you, to settling himself atop your thighs, significantly reducing your ability to struggle and kick your legs out.

“hEHEY! Jeheherk!” You wanted to wipe the smirks right off your attackers’ faces, but Bucky had switched from pressing your arms to the floor to holding both your wrists in his human hand and pressing them to his chest, and you couldn’t exactly do anything but watch hopelessly as Bucky began to lightly poke at your ribs with his newly freed metal hand. 

With the pokes added to the mix, there were squeaks laced in with your laughter. Your ribs weren’t that bad a spot, but it certainly didn’t help either.

Bucky had switched tactics, though, and was quickly attacking different tickle spots he knew you had to get you squirming, his excuse being that you ‘needed to warm up’. Your squeaks and giggles altered in varying degrees as his hand was at the middle of your stomach, gently contracting his fingers, only for you to jerk and him moving to pinch at your hip, then change direction and quickly flutter his metal fingers under your arm. 

During Bucky’s onslaught, Loki’s hands persisted at your sides, squeezing up and down your torso. The two different sensations were driving you mad, and you tugged at your wrists helplessly, but to your dismay, they were stuck at Bucky’s chest and they weren’t gonna budge. He was too strong. 

Once your laughter had begun to sound more akin to wheezing, the two men retracted their hands to let you breathe, but made no move to release you from your makeshift prison. You took deep breaths, and looked to Bucky with a pout, knowing that Loki, being the God of Mischief and all, wouldn’t relent, but Bucky might. He chuckled and shook his head. 

“I’m not letting you go.” Your pout traded for a glare, and you huffed, laying your head on the ground. After a few moments of silence, you mumbled, 

“This is why I dumped you.” 

“it wahas a mutual decision!” Bucky chuckled with a shake of his head.

“Yes, yes, the two of you together was a disagreeable arrangement. I for one, would like to talk about something that actually holds relevance, now. Such as the fact I never knew you were ticklish! Why would you hide such things from me?”

Shifting your gaze to now rest on Loki, you said, “Is that some kind of rhetorical question? What, are you having a chuckle? Ha, ha, very funny, but we both know if I told you that information I’d be exactly where I am now! Which is not favorable to me! So if you would kindly remove yourself from- AHA LOKI STOP IT!-”

You were cut off as he tutted and brought both of his hands to lay at your stomach, gently scratching against the fabric of your shirt. His fingers found purchase at a particularly sensitive patch of skin on either side of your stomach, directly in the middle between your navel and sides. You snorted, and proceeded to laugh uncontrollably.  

As Loki made an attempt to sneak his hands under your shirt to make a play at your bare skin, Bucky stopped him, quick to explaining why after seeing Loki’s confused expression. 

“That’d work and all, but for some reason the fabric layer of her clothes makes her more sensitive. Dunno why that happens, but I figured that one out pretty quickly,” he mentioned matter-of-factly.

“Besides, the shirt is soft, so it’s a double whammy anyways. Especially if you get her riiight-” using his free hand, he ever so gently pinched at the patch of skin directly above your navel, and chuckled as you yelped and jolted away form his touch. “-there.”

“WHYHY ARE YOU HELPING HIM?!” you sceeched, glaring at both your captors. 

“Perhaps if you hadn’t been such a thorn in our sides as of late, being so cheeky and all, this may have played out in a direction suited more to your favor. Alas, your decision was to be testy with us, and this is simply the consequence.”

Loki proceeded to make a show out of slowly lowering his hand to that wretched spot Bucky had so rudely pointed out, and in a desperate attempt at escape you lurched away and yanked at your wrists. Loki’s balance swayed, as he was surprised and not expecting you to fight so hard to avoid his attack, but he didn’t move from where he was seated. You did, however, manage to get your wrists free. 

Knowing that Loki kept you firmly in place, and your wrists’ newfound freedom would not aid you in getting out of this mess, you instead chose to half-heartedly take a swing at Bucky, not wanting to hurt him, but to make a point that you were annoyed with his antics.

“Woah-ho, you’re getting feisty, shortstack!” Bucky caught your wrists, and having some semblance of mercy, knowing he had just outright told Loki your worst spot, he decided he wouldn’t be assisting in your untimely death and instead chose to use both of his hands to keep your own out of the way, once again kneeling over you and using his bodyweight to press each of your wrists to the floorboard. 

This time, though, your hands were right next to your head, and your heart dropped to your stomach when you noticed your new position left you feeling far more exposed than before. 

This time, Loki wasted no time in bringing his hands down and very gently digging into the spot that Bucky had shown him, practically vibrating his fingers into the skin as he widened his eyes and chuckled at the sheer scream that escaped your lips.

You supposed it was a good thing that you were in an abandoned cabin in the middle of nowhere, because your reaction certainly would have alerted any being within a mile radius of you to your demise. 

After a few moments, he switched from lightly digging in to gently scratching at the skin, and with one last shriek, your laughter fell silent as your body shook with the exertion of being attacked so ruthlessly. 

With tears of mirth forming in your eyes as your body went limp, Loki finally let up, laying his palms flat on your stomach and rubbing affectionately for a moment, using enough pressure not to tickle you before removing his hands and getting up off your legs and sitting beside you on the floor. 

Bucky released your hands and after you sat up, and your first move was to lightly punch Bucky’s shoulder. Afterwards you covered your midsection with your arms, a few giggles still finding their way out of you, and you glared at Loki. “I don’t like you.”

“If you want more, dove, all you have to do is ask.” he winked, wiggling his fingers in your direction

“Absolutely not!” You spluttered, using your legs as momentum as you scooted yourself further away from the smiling god. Bucky chuckled, and lightly tapped your knee, asking if you were at least warmed up, and you noticed then that yes, actually, you were. Rolling your eyes, you stood up. 

“What do we have left to do on our mission?” You walked towards your bag to reach for your supplies, but Loki had stood up and gently grasped your elbow to pull you into a hug from behind, nestling his face into your shoulder.

“While you were asleep, love, I went out and finished the job. There wasn’t much left when you had to come back inside, and the weather was child’s play for me. Transportation back to the compound is now on it’s way, all you have to do is relax.”

You paused your actions to affectionately lift your arm up and wrap it around Loki’s head, gently squeezing and pressing his head closer to you, then turned to face him. 

“Well. I brought a deck of cards. Y’all up to playing War?” You pecked Loki’s lips as you looked expectantly at Bucky, who’s face had lit up like a child.

“I love that one! Does Loki know how to play?” Curiously, Loki eyed the deck of cards you now had in your hands, after having ducked down to grab it from your bag.

Hesitantly, he responded, “I do not. I assume you’ll teach me?” 

And so you did. You and Loki played on the same team for his first round, and the lot of you enjoyed the few hours to relax that you had before the quinjet arrived.

Mission accomplished.

#marvel tickle #ticklish!reader #ler!loki #ler!bucky #loki x reader