Loki POV
I walked around the compound, needing to feel some sort of freedom. No, I couldn’t leave the perimeter unless I was going on a mission or accompanied by another Avenger, but I could walk the grounds freely. It was a nice day, partly cloudy with a light breeze. The grass was soft beneath my bare feet and the air was calm. I lost myself in the environment when a soft whimper caught my attention. Looking around, my eyes caught on a flash of grey at the tree line. I quickly made my way over, the grey spot forming into a wolf as I got closer. There was a unique energy around the creature, and my mind told me that it was special and needed help. I slowed my approach as the wolf started to growl, but whimpered once more as it tried to move away.
“Calm down little one,” I said, kneeling slowly with my hands raised. “I wish you no further harm. I can help you. No creature as beautiful as yourself should suffer as you are now.” I stayed still as the wolf looked at me warily. I took this time to assess the creature, and noticed the blood dripping from its side onto the grass. The wolf seemed to huff before limping its way over to me. I kept my hands visible as I magicked a blanket, showed it to the creature and let it take a sniff, then wrapped it around its weak body. “You are safe now, little one. I will take care of you the best I can.” With that, I picked the wolf up and made my way back to the compound, sneaking the now sleeping wolf to my chambers to take care of it.
Reader POV
This fucking sucked. I had gone out hunting, needing a deer or something good to hold me over for a few days at my cabin nearby. I don’t hunt like normal people, guns never were my thing. Being a shapeshifter who can shift into a wolf whenever I wanted had its perks. Downside was that if I got too injured, I couldn’t shift back to my human form, and that’s the situation I’m in right now. I had gotten ruffed up by a buck that I planned on making my dinner, which decided to fend me off by shoving its antlers in my sides then stepping on me before making its escape. I found myself limping back to my cabin, or so I thought. I stumbled near a clearing, a strange man walking barefoot in the grass. He seemed familiar, like I had seen him on TV, but I couldn’t tell. I tripped on a tree root, causing me to fall with a whimper. My cry caught the man’s attention, and he quickly made his way over to me. I forced myself onto my feet, despite the pain in my side. I growled at him to stay away, but was cut off by another whimper as pain shot through my side. He started talking, and his voice seemed to soothe me, but I kept my guard up. He seemed safe, so I started limping my way over to him, knowing I needed to have a safe place to heal. A blanket appeared on the ground next to him, and he held it out so I could smell it, which I did. He gently wrapped it around my body, and I couldn’t help but whimper as it touched my wound. He started talking, calming me down again, before lifting my weak body in his arms as if I weighed nothing. He turned and started walking towards a large complex of buildings and launch pads. I barely made the connection that this was a military base of some sort before darkness overtook me.
Loki POV
I managed to get the injured wolf into my chambers without incident, even kindly requesting FRIDAY not to tell anyone about it. She complied to my request, making a comment about how she was glad I’m doing something good and she never did like seeing animals in pain. The poor creature had fallen unconscious during our trip back, but her soft breathing assured me that she was still alive. I took her to my bathroom and laid her down on a lush blanket that I had procured with my magic. I also procured a veterinary kit so I could properly take care of the wolfs wounds. I sheared off the thick coat around its wound, doing my best to avoid irritating it. Once that was done, I cleaned the wound and started to suture it. I wrapped the wound carefully and cleared the mess away with a sweep of my hand. Carefully, I lifted the wolf in my arms and moved her to my bed, laying her on it. I left her there and went to the small kitchen I had, finding two bowls and filling one with water and left the other one out so I could put some meat in there for her to eat later. I made sure the door to my room was closed, just in case Thor or someone else came in to visit me.
I stayed in the living room for a couple hours, calmly reading a book about wolves as my discovery had peaked my interest in them once again. Wolves were a signature animal of mine in the mythology that Midgard had of us gods and I found it important to refresh my knowledge of the breed. I heard a whimper come from my room, and rose to check on my visitor. I grabbed the bowl of water from the kitchen and entered my room, opening the door slowly as to not startle the wounded canine. She had moved to sit up more, head directed towards me as I entered.
“Hello darling,” I said calmly. Her tail thumped softly as I approached. I let her sniff my hand before petting her head softly, which she seemed to enjoy. I set the bowl in front of her and she happily started drinking. She lifted her head after a few minutes of satisfying thirst, and I set the bowl on the side table. “I bet your hungry,” I said, petting her head again. She nodded and I got up. “I’ll be right back with some meat for you.” I left and returned to the kitchen, grabbing the bowl of chicken and beef I had cooked up earlier and covered. I tossed it a little and heated it up a little before returning to the bedroom. She seemed to perk up at the smell of the meat presented to her, tail thumping with more fervor. I set the bowl before her and let her have her fill, which was everything. I set that bowl beside the one with water and moved to pick her up again. “Let’s recheck your wounds.”
For a wild animal, she was quite compliant as I checked her wounds, cleaned them, and re-bandaged them. I talked to her the entire time, knowing she didn’t understand a word I was saying. I told her about how she needed to stay in my room, and I enchanted a section of the bathroom for her to do her business in. She got up and slowly made her way over, sniffing around and checking out the weird space. I returned her to the bedroom and set her on the bed, encouraging her to get comfortable. I watched curiously as she sniffed around and grabbed one of the spare pillows and dragged it down a little before setting her head on it and falling asleep. I slinked away, joining the others for dinner so they were not suspicious of anything. She was still asleep when I returned an hour later, and I readied myself for bed, carefully crawling under the sheets beside her curled form.
Reader POV
I woke up to a sharp pain in my side, and I opened my eyes to see my bandages were stained with fresh blood. The clock on the side table said it was 6 am, which told me I slept through the whole night. My helper, the strange man who made things appear with a wave of his hand, laid beside me peacefully. He was still asleep, and I didn’t want to wake him, but the wound on my side required attention. I carefully moved myself closer to him and stuck my cold, wet nose against his neck and face. His eyes fluttered open and looked at me carefully.
“What is it little one?” he slurred, still drowsy with sleep. I whimpered and turned my head to my bandages, and he caught what I was pointing out. “Oh. Let’s get that fixed up then.” He slipped out of the covers, picking me up gently, carrying me into the bathroom. He set me in the area he had made last night, muttering how it probably feels better than the cold, hard floor. He went to work redressing and cleaning my wounds. He moved to pick me up again but I backed away. “What is it darling?” he asked, a little concerned at my change in behavior. I needed to go potty and I wasn’t going to let him watch. Luckily, a dull knock came to his door and drew his attention. “I must go answer this, but stay here or in the bedroom. The door will be closed so you can move freely between the two rooms.”
With that he left, and once I heard his bedroom door close, I did my business. When done there, I quietly slunk my way back into his room, laying at the foot of his bed knowing I couldn’t get back on without help. I could hear the muffled voices of my helper and another man, who kept referring to my person as ‘brother’. So that was why he talked about me staying quiet and in these rooms. I, technically, wasn’t allowed to be here by whatever rules they had. Listening closer, I heard the next chunk of the conversation.
“I am doing fine, Thor,” my helper said. “I do not understand the reason for your sudden concern.”
“You just seemed to be distant last night,” the other man, Thor, replied. “I wanted to talk to you Loki, but you had already returned here, and I did not wish to disturb you. Are you sure you are ok, brother?”
“As I said before, I am fine. Something came to my mind and I have found myself lost within it. That is all, nothing to be concerned about.”
“If you say so Loki. I must go, but please, do not be a stranger today.”
The conversation drifted out as my mind started racing. The names Thor and Loki sounded familiar to me, and it took a few moments for the realization to hit. I wasn’t just at a military base, I was at the Avenger compound, with the fucking Avengers. But why was Loki with them? He attacked them and the civilians with his weird alien army. Maybe he was here and working with the Avengers as penitence for his crimes. I wasn’t sure, he hasn’t talked much about the others or why he was here. Crap! What will happen when he finds out I’m not actually a wolf? What if I get healthy enough overnight and I unconsciously shift back to normal in my sleep? I could be killed! What if the Avengers find me here and how will they react? I willed myself to stay still, knowing I could reopen my wounds if I moved too much, but the anxiety was starting to eat at me. I needed to leave, get back to my cabin and I’ll be fine. Maybe call my friend Sam over to help me when I force myself to shift back to normal…even though he doesn’t know about my mutation. Wait…Sam…he told me he worked nearby and he gets phone calls a lot of times that make him leave for work. God I am such an idiot, Sam’s an Avenger. He’s told me the story about his military career and his new job with his friends Steve and Bucky. I can’t believe how blind I’ve been about my surroundings and the one friend I have. Wait…does this make Loki my friend? It’s too early to tell, plus, he doesn’t even truly know me. I am so screwed when I get better…but right now I need to focus on getting better. I heard shuffling and the outer door close, signaling Thor’s departure. A few moments later, Loki strolled in with a sigh. He smiled at me before kneeling and petting my head.
“I must apologize beautiful,” he said softly. “I had not meant for my brother to stay as long as he did. Surely this hard floor is uncomfortable for you.” He paused and moved to pick me up, laying me on the bed. “I am afraid that I have duties to attend to today, so I will not be able to keep an eye on you. I hope you understand.” He looked around his room before waving a hand, a ramp appearing at the side of the bed. “There you go,” he smiled, scratching behind my ears. “Now you can move on and off the bed freely without the need of assistance. I need to get dressed, but once I am done with that, I will get you some more food and water to hopefully hold you off until I am done with my responsibilities.” With that, he walked over to his closet and started changing out of his pajamas, which had consisted of a t-shirt and bottoms. I normally wouldn’t watch a stranger strip, but Loki was no ordinary man. He was lean and had muscle in all the right places. His dark hair stood out against his fair skin and his scars added to his sexiness in a way I never thought possible. If I was human right now, I would definitely be jumping the god and begging for him to take me. When he was done getting ready, he left the room and came back a few minutes later with fresh water and some food for me, setting them on an extension of the ramp he made. He pet my head once again before laying a kiss to my fur before taking his leave, saying that he will be back in a few hours to check on me.
***TIME SKIP***
It’s been two weeks since Loki rescued me, and so far, no one was suspicious of my presence. He started calling me Star and liked to talk about the happenings around the compound with the team and such. He mentioned how Sam had insisted the team help in searching for me, as he noticed my absence after visiting my cabin a couple days after my injury. Loki had been gone for a few days on a mission to help in the search, but he had set his magic to make sure I didn’t go hungry during his absence. My wound had finally healed up enough for me to shift back to normal, and I took the chance to do so while he was gone. I stood in his bathroom, leaning on the sink as I examined my features. Due to not being human for a while, I had a wild look. Red wings around my eyes, wild hair, and nails that were too long for my liking. I lifted my shirt to look at my scar, silently thanking the heavens that I kept my abilities blessed me with being able to keep my clothes between shifts. The scar was still red, but it was fully healed, though I should still be careful as to not irritate it too much. I was lost in my thoughts about the scar that I hadn’t noticed Loki’s return until I felt his scepter pressed against the side of my throat.
“Who are you and how did you get into my chambers?” he growled. I looked out the corner of my eye and noticed he was in his battle armor. “Answer me, mortal.”
“Alright,” I said, letting the hem of my shirt fall from my grasp. “Just please don’t stab me with your scepter, I’ve already been skewered recently and I don’t want to do that again.” He looked at me for a moment before lower his scepter, keeping it in his grasp. “My name is (F/N) (L/N), but you know me as Star. Sam has apparently been worried about my sudden disappearance, and I apologize for him dragging you into this because I didn’t know he cared that much about me to convince the Avengers to form a search party for me. What Sam doesn’t know about me is that I’m a mutant with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf anytime I want. The only downside to such ability is that if I get hurt too badly, I can’t shift until I’m better. That’s the predicament I’ve been in for two weeks, and have just regained the stability and health to shift back to normal this morning. My apologies for deceiving you and not telling you the truth, but thank you for your kindness these past weeks. I am in your debt.”
Loki stayed silent, eyeing me warily before gesturing his scepter at me. “If you are such shapeshifter, then prove it.” I sighed and shifted back to my wolf form, the fur still short around my healed wound. I sat down, head hung in shame and my tail still. I didn’t look at him, didn’t move, just sat there. I heard a sigh and some movement before a hand was laid on the top of my head. I looked at Loki, who gave me a soft smile. “Come now,” he said. “Your friend is worried about you and needs to know you are safe.” He rose and walked away, a green glimmer replacing his armor with casual clothes. I changed back and followed him, but stayed at the doorway between his room and the bathroom. He silently magicked away all the things he had made for me, from the ramp to the alcove in the bathroom.
“I don’t think that's a good idea,” I said softly. “Sam will think you had taken me and kept me here or something. You have told me several times that they don’t fully trust you. It would best if I went home and contacted Sam from there.”
“Would you tell them of your…gift?” he asked.
“No,” I replied. “Sam may be my friend…but I don’t trust him with that information. Not like I trust you.”
“You trust me?”
I sighed. “Yes, Loki, I do. You could’ve left me in the woods to die, or killed me and made me your dinner. But you didn’t. You brought me here and took care of me when you didn’t have to and at the risk of getting in trouble with the Avengers. Sam, I-I can’t trust him like that. I just can’t. He doesn’t know my whole story and if he were to suddenly learn about this, he’d only react negatively. He’d call me some monster or freak and find a way to hurt me. Send me off to some…gifted reform school or try and use me as a tool or just tell me to go somewhere far away so I’d never be around him again. I’ve had that happen too many times before with friends and family, and I don’t want that to happen again with the first friend I’ve made in 5 years.” I was crying at this point, silent tears falling down my cheeks. Loki made his way over and cradled my face in his hands, wiping the tears away with his thumbs.
“If he were to cast you out after this, then he is a fool,” Loki whispered. “He cares about you to the point of enlisting the help of us Avengers in finding you. And if he were to get angry and cast you out even after all his work, you wouldn’t be alone. I understand your pain, little one. I knew you were special the moment I got close to you, your energy is mesmerizing. I will always be your friend, if you will have someone as broken as me.” I gazed into his eyes before leaning up to kiss his cheek.
“I would love that Loki,” I smiled. “Now I just need to find a way to repay you for your kindness these past two weeks.”
“No need,” Loki smiled, taking my hands in his. “Though I highly suggest you tell Sam about your gift. I’ll be right by your side.”
“But what if they attack you?”
“I can defend myself,” Loki grinned before pulling me into a hug. “Plus, I can always request a certain Star to protect me from my aggressors.” I laughed softly, nodding into his chest before letting go.
“Alright, let’s do this.”
Loki requested that FRIDAY call a team meeting, and after making sure I had something to eat, we made our way to the meeting room. Loki gestured for me to stay in the hall while he talked to the team first.
“What’s up with the sudden meeting Reindeer Games?” Tony asked, agitated that he got dragged away from his work.
“I know the whereabouts of Miss (L/N).”
“Where is she and why didn’t you tell us earlier?” Sam growled, rising from his seat and heading straight to Loki. I shifted into my wolf form and slinked into the room, stepping between Loki and the encroaching Sam.
“Is that a wolf?” Bucky asked, a little confused.
“Yes and no,” Loki sighed. I stalked towards Sam, causing him to backtrack a couple steps.
“Brother, call it off!” Thor boomed, also rising from his chair. I sighed and shifted to normal, looking Thor dead in the eye.
“There is no calling me off and I highly suggest you sit your godly ass back down before I take a chunk out of it.
“(Y/N)?” Sam whispered, brow etched in confusion. “What the…how the…Loki what did you do?” He made another advancement but I placed a hand on his chest, stopping him.
“He saved me,” I said simply. “I can explain everything, just please, calm down and listen. Don’t interrupt, don’t argue, just let me talk.”
Sam sighed before returning to his seat and Loki took the empty one. I moved to the front of the room and leaned against the wall, telling the group about my mutation and the recent events. I showed them my scar in both forms, just so they could understand what had happened a little more. I took all the blame for my disappearance and time at the compound, not wanting Loki to suffer for saving me when he didn’t have to. By the end, my hands were shaking slightly in anticipation of what would happen next. Sam got up first and approached me, gently wrapping me in a hug.
“I am so sorry you felt that you needed to hide the truth from me (Y/N),” he said, holding me tighter but being careful of my wound. “But I understand where you’re coming from and your fear about revealing that. When I noticed you were missing, I thought Hydra or some other evil group had taken you because they somehow found out about my visits. I’m glad your safe though.” He let me go and walked over to Loki, laying a hand on the god’s shoulder. “And thank you for taking care of her, even though you had no idea who or what she was other than a wounded animal. Thank you.” I stayed still, waiting for other comments to come from the team.
“So that’s why you’ve been so well behaved recently,” Natasha smiled. “Didn’t want anyone finding about your little pet.” I growled a warning at her, which only earned me a glare in return.
“Have any fight experience?” Steve asked out of nowhere, looking at me with those bright blue eyes of his.
“Not as much as you guys,” I said. “I’m much more used to fighting and hunting in my wolf form though. I’m not much use to y’all.”
“I’d disagree,” Vision chimed, drawing everyone’s attention.
“What do you mean Viz?” Wanda asked.
“Loki has been behaving much better since he took Miss (Y/N) in. Even though (Y/N) may not be eligible for in-field duties, she can help with other things around the compound. It would give her a job and a safer place to live, along with a place where she can be herself without any judgement. To have her stay would be beneficial to all of us in the long run, but mostly her and Loki.”
“We don’t have any spare rooms though,” Clint pointed out.
“She can continue to stay with me,” Loki stated calmly. “She is already familiar with my room and habits. That is…if you want to?” He smiled at me as he finished his sentence. I smirked and looked at the ceiling, finger tapping my cheek.
“Hmmm, I don’t know. Warm bed, food, semi-safe place to live, a job, new friends, and I get the opportunity to share a room with a god. Seems too good to be true.” I looked at the multitude of faces, which were a mix of smiles and agitation. “I would love to stay, and I am more than willing to share Loki’s room since he has so kindly offered.”
“Great!” Sam grinned. “Let’s go get your stuff.” He came over and grabbed my hands, excitedly pulling me out of the room.
“Wait!” I laughed as he paused. “Can Loki come? Also, what position will I have here?”
“You’re officially the Team Babysitter,” Tony grinned. “You’ll oversee the care of any injured team members while everyone else is away on missions. That sound good?”
“Totes!” I cheered, jumping up and down. “Totally up for being the team cuddle buddy too. This is great!” I walked over and grabbed Loki’s hands and pulled him out of his chair. “Come on, we got stuff to get so I can move in.”
Sam, Loki, and I left in one of the SUV’s in the garage and grabbed my things from my cabin, which wasn’t much. Loki seemed a little upset about it, but I explained that I mainly lived off the land since I haven’t had a job or much human interaction for the past 5 years. Sam started making couple jokes, which we both shrugged off. Sam told me that he was ok with us together as long as I was happy, and I teased back about how he wasn’t my dad but I appreciate his blessing. We went back, leaving my cabin behind to eventually be bought by Stark and turned into a vacation house for the Avengers in case someone needed to getaway for a while. Loki was ecstatic that I agreed to stay with him, claiming that he wouldn’t know how to sleep without me nearby. I easily fit into the Avengers family, my wolf form coming to an advantage as I would join Steve and Bucky on runs or soothe everyone with nightmares or PTSD and panic attacks. For once in my life, I had a family that cared for me and a boyfriend that loved me with everything he had. It was nice to finally feel like I belonged somewhere, surrounded by those who cared for each other just as a pack would.