Loki
“Do we really have to make a rule that says ‘no body parts in the bag’?” You asked as you returned the stare that Thor’s eyeball was giving you from its place in the palm of your hand.
“You had no doubts about who it was though, did you? Made it easier for you to find who you wanted,” he said with a big smile.
“Come on, Long John Silver, let’s go,” You said, heading towards the next room and tossing him his eye. Once the door was shut and the two of you were alone, you walked over to the window and stared out at the night sky. Even though Thor wasn’t who you were hoping for, you knew you could have done a lot worse than your best friend. At least with him this wasn’t awkward.
“I should give you one of those marks,” he said thoughtfully while coming to stand beside you, “on your neck. What do you midguardians call them?”
“You mean a hickey?” You asked in disbelief. Well, there goes the not awkward thing. “Why?”
“To make my brother jealous,” he replied with a smirk.
You opened your mouth before quickly shutting it again and turning your attention back to the window.
“He probably has steam coming out of his ears from fuming about you being in here with me,” he added.
“I seriously doubt it,” you said with a small growl. You had done everything you could think of in your attempts to capture the God of Mischief’s attention and affection, but it hadn’t gotten you anywhere. Hell, you were the only one in the whole place who was actually nice to him, but did he care? Nope. You couldn’t chalk it up as a total loss, though, because it was what had made you and Thor become so close.
“I’m not sure your brother could care any less about my existence than he already does now,” you continued with a huff.
“Loki is exceedingly fond of you, he just...doesn’t know how to show it. For example, I know that, deep down, Loki truly cares for me, otherwise he would have just let Thanos cook my skull and been done with it. Yes, it is true that he’s stabbed me on numerous occasions, betrayed me a few times, orchestrated my banishment, lied to me about our father’s death, and so on and so forth, but to us that is simply our normal, sibling rivalry. All brothers fight. It does not mean he hates me.”
“So, you’re saying if I wake up one morning, walk into the kitchen, and Loki tries to cut out my spleen then he’s really got it bad for me, huh?” You asked in disbelief.
“Something like that. He really is a complicated fellow.”
“Sounds like it.”
“My question is: are you still fond of him?”
You stared at Thor’s expectant face while you contemplated your answer. Your feelings for Loki had always been difficult. It wasn’t something you had discussed with many of your fellow Avengers, given their general distrust and distaste of him, and the fact that he had begun to ignore you lately hadn’t helped matters any. In spite of that, there was only one answer you could give the man standing in front of you.
“If it was anyone else asking, Thor, I’d be tempted to say ‘no,’ but you and I both know that it’d be a lie.”
“Excellent,” he said with a smile. “You have to play another round and draw him. He tried to sneak it past me, but I saw what he dropped in. It was a ring with purple stones shaped like a star, or a flower—“
“With a gold band?”
“I believe so.”
“That little bastard! That’s mine! I’ve been looking for it for weeks!”
“See! What did I tell you! He’s even more smitten with you than I thought!”
Shaking your head in disbelief, you thought to yourself, “What have I gotten myself into?”
———
“You kids have fun?” Tony asked as you and Thor rejoined the group.
“Oh, very much so,” Thor replied, wrapping an arm around you and guiding you over to sit beside him.
You stayed that way while all the other girls took their turns, with him winking at you every now and again.
After everyone had gone, Tony said, “Well, I guess that’s it, unless one of you lovely ladies wants to go again.”
“I do!” You said much too quickly, getting everyone’s attention.
“Ooo, someone’s in a mood tonight,” Tony said. “Alright, Pete, let her draw again.”
You managed a sideways glance at Loki to find him wearing an odd expression as you stuck your hand into the bag for the second time. You dug around quickly, and it didn’t take you long to find the familiar shape of your favorite ring.
“Who does this belong to?” you asked with a slightly accusing tone to your voice as you waved the piece of jewelry in Loki’s direction. He had a guilty look in his eyes as they darted from your face to the stones glittering on your finger. You didn’t wait for a response, opting instead to walk into the next room without him.
“I’m keeping this,” You began when you heard the sound of the door shutting behind you. “Since it’s mine anyway.”
“I.....found that....earlier today. Thought I’d hold onto it until I could find out who it belonged to. It just happened to be the only item on me this evening so I used it,” Loki lied, and not as smoothly as he normally did.
“Hmm, the eternal Boy Scout, huh?” You replied sarcastically. “I guess I should be thanking you then. Except, of course, for the little matter of Thor telling me you stole it.”
As he moved up beside you quickly, you saw a flash of raw anger in his eyes.
“If you already knew that, then why didn’t you just make your beloved Thor return it to you instead of engaging in this silly charade?”
“You have quite the stick up your ass lately, you know that? I’m nice to you, and you ignore me. You steal my stuff, and yet somehow you still have the nerve to get pissed.”
“That’s because I know you were only kind to me so that you could get closer to him.”
“What?”
“Nothing,” he answered, lowering his voice and looking away.
“No, you started it. You might as well finish it.”
“Fine,” he began, his eyes snapping back to yours. “You were kind to me. You were interesting, attentive, charming, and I began to think that....well, it isn’t important what I thought because suddenly you and Thor were like this,” he said, wrapping his index and middle finger around each other.
“I must give you credit for ingenuity,” he continued bitterly. “No one else has used that method before. It was extremely effective.”
You wanted to explain that it had nothing to do with Thor. That it had all been for him. Oh, how could he not see that?
Playing with the ring on your finger, you took a deep breath and said, “When I said that Thor said that you stole this, what I really meant was that he believed it was proof that you’re sweet on me. He thought you’d be jealous that I drew him the first time, and that I should draw you on purpose the second time...if I wanted to...you know...” you trailed off as you felt Loki move into your personal space.
He was a truly intimidating figure standing so close to you. You weren’t sure if it was that or your attraction to him that caused you to shiver when you felt his body brush against yours.
“You wanted me?” He asked softly.
“Yes.”
Loki slipped his long, slender fingers under your chin and tilted your head until you were staring up into his beautiful eyes.
“So you really don’t love my brother?”
You chuckled and shook your head in disbelief.
“Of course I do,” you said, earning yourself a strange look. “But that has nothing, and I mean nothing, to do with how I feel about you.”
Placing your hands on either side of his face, you reached up and gave him a soft kiss on the lips, which he returned with equal tenderness.
When you parted, he said with a smile, “I am sorry for...how did you so eloquently word it earlier...having a stick up my ass?” Growing serious, he added, “But I was jealous.”
“Well, it is my birthday, Loki. I suppose there’s no better time to start making it up to me.”
His features took on that mischievous expression that he was so famous for before practically purring, “Oh, I do like the sound of that.”
As he moved in for another kiss, the door slammed open and you both turned to find Thor standing in the entrance.
“Am I interrupting something?” he asked with a hopeful smile.
“Everyday since you born, Thor,” Loki sighed.
“Guess our time’s up,” you said, slipping your hand in Loki’s and leading him towards the door.
“No, my darling, it’s just getting started.”