Oh No

The next day, Loki went to make himself some tea in the kitchen. Once the pot was boiling he poured the water then added honey and a spoon of sugar. With one sip, he spat out his tea. Checking the tea bags, no one has tampered with them. The honey was fine….the sugar? He dipped a finger into the sugar bowl and taste tested the sugar. That definitely was NOT sugar. Someone accidentally placed salt in the sugar bowl somehow.

He thought perhaps that someone was messing with him, but as he and Dani were the only two to drink tea regularly, he dumped the salt from the sugar bowl, cleaned it, and then replaced it with sugar, not wanting Dani to suffer from what he assumed was an accident by one of the cleaners.

Clint caught part of the show. "You, uh…. You ok there?"

"Just a mistake with the sugar, but it's quite alright."

Loki made himself another cup of tea, this time knowing it was sugar, not salt, he was adding into his cup. Once finished, he departed for the florist.

It had rained overnight making it nice and cool for his walk. Well, it would have been nice. A taxi drove by hitting a puddle and splashing dirty water all over him. He only had a bit of his magic back but not enough to remove the filth. He did have just enough to clean off his face and shoes.

The florist knew he was coming and had a new arrangement for him along with a stuffed bunny and a very large box of chocolates.

"If she doesn't hear you out soon, you might want to find someone who will."

Loki’s eyes became sadder. "I fear you may be right, but I have to try a little longer. She is more than worth it."

Once he arrived back, he put them in the usual place by Dani's door before heading to his room to bathe.

Once clean, he went to the library. No one bothered him here, and he needed new books to read. Retrieving one, he went to sit in his favorite chair point to be met with a loud noise of flatulence. Picking up the seat cushion, he found a whoopee cushion had been placed there which brought a small smile to his face. He figured it must have been left there by Dani before or during that awful mission.

He placed it under what was Dani's usual spot on the couch before retreating back to his room.

The following day when he returned from the florist, he found the sheets and some of the décor in his room changed from his usual green and black to red and gold.

"What in the nine realms…."

He was confused, but as he went to his ensuite, the rug, shower curtain, and bath mat had been changed to the same colors. Opening his closet, he found his shoes and exercise clothing switched to something else with colors he could only describe as loud and ghastly.

Someone was messing with him. He knew Nat was upset with him, but this wasn't her usual form of retaliation. Perhaps Stark decided to take a little revenge. He had found out some of why Dani needed some time off and had been ignoring him more than usual ever since except to snap at him every so often.

Normally Loki would return the favor, but he was ultimately too sad to have any real desire to strike back. It is said that revenge is a dish best served cold, but Loki just didn't have it in him.

Deflated, he went to the kitchen to rummage through Thor's junk food stay. On the counter, he spotted a fresh plate of cookies with a sign stating 'Do not eat - very hot. "

Testing them, they seem to have cooled since the sign was written. Eating a few, he realized his mouth was starting to get very hot very quickly. He abandoned the plate for some milk which helped only some. Grabbing a bag of oreos, deemed safe as the bag was still sealed, he went back to his room.

He noticed that not only was Dani's door ajar, but he could see the flowers, bunny, and chocolates he left her that morning on her side table. Maybe there was still hope?

That evening, he saw her in the common room. Not wanting to spook her, he sat on the other side and turned on the TV as a distraction only to find someone had left the volume extremely high, causing Loki to nearly jump three feet. Turning it off as soon as he could find wherever the remote had landed, he heard something. Checking on Dani, he found she was not spooked but laughing. It was angelic music to his ears, making him smile for a moment.

He decided to seize the opportunity. "I'm so sorry for whatever hurt I've caused you. Should you decide, I would love nothing more than to rectify any misdeeds I have done to hurt you."

His voice was a balm, soothing her heart. "I'm so sorry. It's my fault. When you returned from the mission a couple weeks ago, Nat told me where I could find you, but you were talking to Thor. I overheard you say there was a girl who was delusional and thought you were in love but weren't. I thought you were talking any me. So I ran back to my room."

Relieved to finally have some context, he moved closer. "There was a girl back home named Sigyn. We had a brief affair a very long time ago, but she refuses to let go."

Dani knew in her heart that he was telling the truth, but her past still haunted her, trying to convince her otherwise even though Nat told her the same, advising she received the intel from Thor who was known to be a horrible liar.

"I….uh…don't have the greatest track record with men, truth be told." She started to tell him some of the memories that came up in her nightmares. "When Tony saved me, it was from my ex beating me in an alley shouting he had enough of me and that I wasn't worth anything to him or anyone because I didn't want to go with his skeezy plan to rob a nearby convenience store because he needed money to pay his bookie that I didn't even know he had." She didn't realize she had started crying at some point.

Loki’s heart shattered listening to her, moving to hold her if she would allow it, which she did. "If my darling Daniella. I am so sorry for what you have been through. Those beasts should be punished severely. If I ever find them, I will see to it myself."

Curing up closer to Loki, her crying slowed. His scent was calming for her, and his hugs were reassuring.

They stayed like that until they heard someone screaming from the kitchen.

"WHO PUTS GHOST PEPPERS IN COOKIES???"

Dani broke down in laughter and indicated to Loki that it was her doing causing him to join in her laughter. "You are too funny. Truly a woman after my own heart."

Thinking for a moment, he started putting it together. "I don't suppose the décor and clothing change in my room was you?" She nodded while continuing to chortle. "I also swapped the sugar with salt and left something for you in the library."

"I believe that would be the flatulence device."

Confirming, she was now crying from laughing so much. Loki was not only relieved to have found the root of the issue, but his heart was soaring on her giggles that he had missed so much.

Tony was eating through a loaf of bread after finishing off whatever milk Loki had left behind earlier.

When Thor received some particular news from Asgard, he went to find Loki immediately.

"Brother, I've received word that Sigyn has been arrested and thrown in the dungeons. "

"I do not care. I told you before that I never want to hear of her again." Loki tried to dismiss Thor who was not having it.

"She was arrested for illegal magic used on Midgard to get revenge on you. Apparently she used the original trap hydra set and embedded it with magic purchased on the black markets of Asgard."

"When will she be sentenced?"

"Father has already sentenced her to prison for 1,000 years for manipulating a prince with magic, but one it was discovered that the magic used was both against the law and illegally obtained, he has been reconsidering a harsher punishment."

"Thank you for informing me. I'm glad she will no longer cause problems."

"I agree. It seems she was hoping you would return to Asgard seeking mother's help."

"Had Strange not been able to assist or taken much longer, that's precisely what I have done."

Dani had no clue what they were talking about. "Help with what, exactly?"

Loki had managed to hide the issue from just about everyone, but Bruce was never one to gossip, and Stephen was never around.

"The spell she used was to temporarily short-circuit not only my magic but also reduced my physical strength. Doctor Strange was able to assist. I assure you it was no trouble. I would have found a solution eventually or let time run its course." He was definitely not going to tell her that not only did he not know for days that it was temporary but that he was at reduced strength as well. Thor had learned this when he received the news but kept it to himself. He may not be able to lie like his brother, but he can keep a secret, especially to avoid getting stabbed by Loki again.

Loki and Dani slowly returned to their routine over the next few days. He still went to the florist until his magic returned in full force which occurred about 2 weeks later. He began conjuring flowers again but adding Asgardian flowers to the mix which she loved.

One night after dinner, they were on the roof staring at the night sky together. He took the opportunity to show her some magical fireworks shooting out from his hand. She gushed and admired them until he stopped and conjured a rose for her. She was so moved that, without thinking, she leaned in and planted a soft kiss on his lips, their first kiss. He smiled and leaned back towards her, doing the same and kissed her.

"I have wanted to kiss you for so long, but I was afraid I might scare you away."

Her heart beamed. "I didn't mean for it to happen like that, but I'm glad it did. I've wanted the same. You make me feel safe and happy."

"I love spending time with you. I never formally asked, but I would like to court you, officially that is, if you are comfortable doing so."

"I would love nothing more." Leaning her head on his shoulder, they both looked skyward. She placed her head on his shoulder, and he placed his head on hers.