Chapter Text
It was chilly outside. The moon was a waxing crescent, and the breeze would pick up speed every so often. I was wearing only sweatpants and a long-sleeved sleep shirt with a blanket wrapped around my arms. I had to pretend I was only going outside for a bit of fresh air to stop JARVIS from sounding any alarms.
It was almost midnight. I had been early, too anxious to sleep or simply wait in my room. I came outside hoping the chill would try to clear my head.
My heart hadn’t slowed down its pace since Loki grabbed me in the hallway. My throat clogged with the thought of what he wanted to talk about. I had done nothing wrong, right? Maybe I offended him by running out. Was he going to punish me?
The crunching of leaves stopped my racing thoughts. Someone was coming. Loki appeared out of a bush, the moonlight shadowing his face at first.
“I see you got here early,” he teased. He grinned when he saw me; I could see his bright smile in the darkness.
I crossed my arms defensively. “Couldn’t sleep.”
“Aye, neither could I.”
He stood in front of me. He was wearing normal Midgardian clothes, and he still managed to look heavenly. His cotton shirt hung to his chest and his pants clinging to his sides.
I shook my head to focus. “Why am I here, Loki?” I demanded. I was cold and had been through major panic attacks leading to this moment. I needed to know soon.
He chuckled. “Straight to the point. Though I assume the breeze has made you more desperate to get through this.”
“You’re very intuitive,” I quipped.
He grinned at my wit. It seemed like he longed to hear my sharp tongue sometimes.
“Well, my dear, I have been thinking tremendously about the other day, when you ran out on me.”
“I told you I had to speak to my parents—”
He held his hand up to cut me off. “Yes, I remember what you said, though I also remember what I saw. You were staring at my dagger when you ran off.”
I didn’t help him. I simply stared at him, willing him to finish without any reaction from me.
“Well, my dagger is very precious to me as you can tell, and it has a fortune of gold on it that would make anyone a little… intimidated.”
Where was this going?
He could tell by the look on my face that I was utterly confused so he continued. “I could see that you perhaps treasured it as I do, and well, since I am a prisoner and can no longer really have use for it, maybe you would keep it for me?”
Suddenly, he conjured the glorious dagger that had been burned in my memories these past two days. He handed it out to me, slowly, and for once, he looked vulnerable. His eyes were soft; there was no malicious intent or teasing behind them. He was open.
“Loki… I…” I could barely speak.
He put the dagger in my palm, wrapping my fingers around it. “It is yours then,” he stated it so matter-of-factly.
“What?!” I exclaimed.
Loki’s eyebrows raised. “Is that not what you wanted?”
My mouth hung agape at that. He thought I ran away because I wanted his dagger that his mother had given him.
I couldn’t help what happened next. I laughed. Putting my hand over my mouth, I tried to stop it but to no avail. Loki seemed a bit hurt by what he thought was me mocking him.
“Loki,” I spoke once I settled down, “this is your dagger. I don’t want to take something as precious as this away from you.”
He shook his head. “I don’t understand then, why did you run?”
What could I say? I remained silent as I tried to think of another lie.
“Are you scared of me?” he whispered.
I snapped my head back to him. “What?” I asked, incredulous.
“Do you think I’m a monster?” he hissed.
Fool. I scoffed. “Are you serious?” I asked, taking steps towards him. “I have been treated as other since my powers manifested and you have the audacity to ask if I was treating you that very same way!”
“What else could it be then?” he yelled.
He was genuinely worried, upset, and concerned. He wasn’t in his usual cage of self-control and elegance. He was himself.
I pushed the dagger back into his hands then rolled up my sleeve. I walked over to the pond where a little lantern hung about which would give me more light. He followed me closely behind until I suddenly turned on him. I thrust my wrist into the light where he could clearly see it.
His mark on me.
“That’s…”
“Yes,” I muttered. “It’s been there since you set the Destroyer.”
His face was pale. The color seemed to drain out of his body then, and he did not speak.
We stood in silence for a few minutes before I broke it. “I know,” I started, bringing Loki out of his daze, “that I’m just a mortal woman and that you could never love me. I get that. But maybe this is a symbol of a partnership or friendship! It doesn’t necessarily mean anything more.”
He touched my mark ever so slightly, holding my arms in his hands. “You bear my mark,” he breathed.
I looked at him to gauge his next moves, but he was stupefied. He had no next moves.
“It may not mean anything,” I tried. I wanted to save him the embarrassment of having to explain to me that he could never love a simple mortal girl.
He looked to me then for the first time since seeing the mark. “Do you not feel anything for me then?” His voice barely cracked, but I had heard it. His eyes were pleading me. For what? What could I provide to him?
“Loki…” I slid my arm from his gentle hands and stepped back. “It doesn’t matter. This couldn’t happen.”
His eyes never leaving mine, he closed the distance again. “Tell me, Dana,” he whispered. “Do you feel anything?”
I couldn’t breathe for fear that if I did I would blurt out everything. That I would tell him he occupied my dreams since 2011. That he was the man I would think of during a kiss. That I loved him.
I settled for a simpler answer. “Yes.”
Just then, Loki brought his hand under my chin and kissed my lips so sweetly. I felt ice running through my body and into all my nerves. It wasn’t unpleasant, just intense. I wasn’t on fire as everybody described it to me before, but I was burning through ice.
He pulled away an inch or so to look at me again, his hand still staying where it was. His lip curled up into a smile, and I let out a breath that I had been keeping in me for years I believed.
We were still fathoming our situation when we both heard a twig snap. Just then Thor came out of his hiding spot wearing the biggest grin I had ever seen on anyone. He simply stared between us before pumping his fist in the air and yelling, “YESSSSSS!”