Your eyes shot open immediately. You struggled against the iron grip the blankets had on your shaking form as you ripped yourself out of the bed. You winced as your hot skin connected with the cold marble of the floors. The feeling of such contrast, a strange and foreign sensation compared to the heated mess of blankets, sweat and tears you had been encased in.
The tiles were hard and cold. Offering some form of comfort to you as you tried to erase the images nestled into your mind. Your jaw ached slightly as it had connected with the floor. You wiggled it around as you attempted to regain feeling.
But your mind just flashed back to the dream you had so desperately tried to run from. It had started like any other dream, flashing images, quick sensations lasting long enough for you to catch but not enough for you to identify. You sat up and leaned against the side of the bed, letting your head fall onto the softness behind you.
You reached for your lamp and flicked the switch, illuminating the room in a faint yellowish glow. Outstretching a shaky hand you gripped the glass of water and pulled it to your lips. It seemed to take more effort than expected as you had to rest your arm for several moments afterwards.
You brought your knees close to your chest in an attempt to comfort yourself.
"(y/n), (y/n)!"
You heard their voices over and over again. The ones you couldn't save, the ones who were destined to die.
See, you had a gift. That's what they called it anyway. A gift of god. The ability to see into the future. Well, to be more exact; an ability to see anything, the past, the future and the present. In the day time, you were able to control it. To only see what you wanted to see but at night. Now that was a different story.
You see, at night. When we're asleep, the body is in a state of paralysis. Evidently, so is the section of the brain that controls thought. In doing this, the mind is set free to wander wherever it pleases. To take you on a journey, a nightmare or a dream.
Only, for normal people, dreams aren't real.
Normal people.
You saw the faces of everyone you couldn't save, past, present and future. But one in particular always stood out.
Jamie.
She was a young girl, no older than 12. Alone and scared. She was walking home from something one day, you never know what. It's late at night and she doesn't live in the best of neighborhoods. She's humming, not a mainstream song that all the 'cool kids' listen to cool by their own definition, mind you but the type of song a mother would sing to a child. As her hums become louder they turn into words;
"Imagine there's no countries,"
"It isn't hard to do-o" she sang, her voice wast nearly as good as your own but she had a young and youthful voice that seemed to light a spark in your heart.
Jamie had just been walking, so much life in her veins. A spring in her step as she walked humming the song she had heard her mother sing when she was little.
She had no idea what came next, but you did. You knew that as soon as she rounded a corner, she would be sprung by two burly looking men.
She would try and scream, but one man would slap a hand over his mouth while the other raided her bag.
When they found she had nothing, they decided she still had something... something they could take.
You winced as you thought about it, her helpless screams. Her pleas for help, but no one answered. No windows opened, nor light switches on. Nothing.
You could do nothing but watch as they... as they...
You let out a choked sob at the thought of it. You were helpless. You wanted to help, you wanted to kill those sick bastards, to save Jamie.
But you couldn't.
You set the glass back down on the table and sighed. At the slow realization that Jamie was not the only person you couldn't save, and perhaps would never be able to save. Just as the glass connected with the table, you heard a yelp.
It was short but it was still there. You listened out again, to make sure you weren't hallucinating and sure enough you heard it again.
"Argh!"
Immediately you shot up and rushed through the dimly lit halls. You moved to Steve's room and pressed your ear against the door, listening to see if it were him.
But you heard nothing.
Then you heard it again.
"No!"
You heard it more clearly this time, it was coming from the room at the end of the hall.
Loki's room.
You swallowed as you reached a shaky hand down to the knob. It felt cold and clammy in your warm hand, just the very feeling of the door handle made you want to turn back. But you couldn't, if Loki was hurt, you would never forgive yourself.
You pushed on.
Opening the door, slowly but not slowly enough for it to creek. You considered staying behind the door but then slapped yourself mentally for thinking like that.
If Loki needed you. Then you would be there.
You peered slowly around the corner of the door. Your eyes laid waste to Loki's shaking form, he was no longer on the bed but instead on the floor in front of the bed. He was violently shaking as if he were caught in a blizzard. He was wearing his usual black sweat pants and no shirt. Loki's raven hair was scattered around in small lines across his forehead. A thin sheet of sweat wrapped itself around him. He had seemed to ball himself up, in a protective position as if he was being kicked over and over again.
He had his eyes screwed tightly shut, as if he was trying to block out the world through closing his eyes.
You felt your heart leap as you immediately stepped towards him after standing in shock for about a minute. You made sure to close the door to keep any others out. You were sure Loki didn't want anyone else to know let alone you.
You knelt down to him you felt the fabric of your grey cotton singlet crumple slightly as you did. The silky black shorts you were wearing sent slight tingles down your legs. You reached out a warm but hesitant hand towards his face, 'did he want to be woken up?' The thought crossed your mind for a second, but as he let out another yelp all doubts and hesitations faded. You let your hand connect with his pale skin.
You didn't know exactly what you were going to do. You had never actually done this before. So you just did what you want someone to do for you when you have nightmares. You brushed some of the stray hairs out of his face. Loki wiggled his nose slightly as it tickled. Your heart fluttered slightly as you thought it was cute.
'No (y/n) focus, Loki needs you.'
You cupped his face with one hand and shook his shoulder lightly with the other. You imagined he wouldn't be fond of being woken up, but you also imagined it was better than a nightmare.
He made a tiny noise that sounded almost like a whimper as his pure green eyes opened slowly. His eye lids fluttering slightly as they did.
His brows furrowed upon seeing you in his room. Also at the fact (you assumed) that he was on the floor and not on his bed. But he looked too tired and exhausted to care really about what happened and instead tried to sit up. Loki was on his side, trying to push himself up with one hand. His wrist was still shaking quite violently you noticed as he pushed himself up. You tried to help him but he waved your hands away. Wiping the sleep out of his eyes and rubbing the bridge of his nose Loki turned to you;
"Wh- what's going on?" He managed to slur out, yawning half way through his question. You could tell he was still half asleep, as his eyes were heavy and dark. Almost closing as you answered.
"You were having a nightmare," you said, helping him up onto the bed. It wasn't surprising but he was actually really heavy. Somehow, against the odds, you managed to set him up on the bed.
"But lucky for you, so was I," you said as he lay back down on the bed. You picked up the blanket and went to tuck him in.
"No, please. It makes me feel...trapped," you knew how he felt. Although you did wonder how he managed to speak such intelligent sounding sentences at this stage. Usually you would just be groaning and mumbling by now. You nodded and set the blanket back down. Loki closed his eyes and started to drift off once more. Sleep almost taking him over entirely.
You moved for the door but before you could the green eyed prince weakly grabbed your wrist. Loki's grip was light and you could tell by the way his fingertips slightly slid up and down your arm that by now he was half asleep. At the point only just drifting in and out of consciousness. Like he was time travelling.
"Stay...please," he asked, his usually silly voice still silky. Only it sounded sluggish and slightly slow, as if someone had given him anesthetic. Your eyes shifted around for a moment, but as a very sleepy Loki raised his heavy eye lids at you, only to reveal his utterly stunning pale green eyes; what more could you do but agree. You practically melted.
You sat down on the bed next to him, he groaned slightly and you took that as a signal to lie down. You did so, your neck craned as you looked up at the ceiling. Loki was lying on his side, facing you while you were in your back facing the ceiling. You lay there for a moment, kind of awkwardly but as you felt the raven haired man snake an arm around your waist and snuggle his head so his chin was on your shoulder, you felt yourself relax.
You took in deep slow breaths as you felt each muscle in your body lose tension.
Tingling sensations started in your neck and shoulder, where you could feel Loki's hot breath. His breathing was deeper now and you expected he had fallen asleep.
You were no doubt surprised at Loki's behavior. Usually he was the strong silent type. The observer, hanging around in the background watching everyone as they made stupid mistakes and fretted about petty things. Sometimes if he was feeling social he would make a sarcastic remark. The type that made you laugh and the others scoff or sneer. He was usually the cold and distant type, never really one to engage. And now he was being the most cuddly person on the planet. Literally snuggling his head onto your shoulder as if you were his lifeline. The position was so perfect you felt yourself drift off slowly.
In a way, you were afraid to fall asleep. Falling asleep, would mean waking up. Would Loki still want you there in the morning? Would he change his mind? Would he tell you to leave?
You were brought out of your dreamy thoughts by Loki muttering a question.
"Will you sing to me?...please," he asked in that sluggish voice. His grip on your waist growing tighter as if he was a python killing its pray. Making sure you weren't going anywhere. Believe me, you weren't going anywhere.
Your (e/c) eyes found his, his eyes were closed and his face looked peaceful. There was a sort of thoughtful serenity to him that you found...simply lovable.
You smiled and nodded, your mind wandering around trying to think of a good song to sing, a nice lullaby. A song a mother would sing to a child a-
That's it.
"Imagine there's no heaven" you sang, thinking of Jamie. Not about what happened to her, but about her voice. About who she was. Your voice soft and sweet, almost a whisper, a whispering melody.
"It's easy if you try, No hell below us.
Above us only sky" like drops of water you let the notes flow from you. Dripping from your lips and painting a canvas.
"Imagine all the people living for today" you made the song softer, something that sounded pretty but he could still fall asleep to.
"Imagine there's no countries" you felt his strong arm loosen slightly and he sighed in content.
"It isn't hard to do" you reached a hand around him. Pulling the green eyed man closer to you. You just needed him closer.
"Nothing to kill or die for" you heard your voice crack on this line, remembering back to what you had dreamed of.
"And no religion too" you heard Loki let out another sigh of contentment as he started to slide his finger tips up and down your waist to your ribs. It sent tingling sensations through you, as well as setting of fireworks in your stomach and chest. Not for a second did you forget that Loki's face was inches from yours and that he was still breathing heavily on your neck.
"Imagine all the people living life in peace, you, you may say I'm a dreamer. But I'm not the only one. I hope some day you'll join us and the world will be as one" you opened your mouth to continue but as you listened in on Loki's soft and content breaths you knew he was asleep.
You turned your head so your faces were inches away from each other. You could feel him breathing on your nose. You crinkled it slightly as his light breaths tickled your skin. You smiled, knowing you had helped him and craned your neck upwards. Placing a single kiss on his forehead.
You knew it was a bold move for you, the introverted, shy girl but it just felt right. It just felt, perfect. You wished this moment would last forever. Something about it, something about him just completed you.
You smiled wider as you saw Loki smile softly.
You lay there for a few more moments, your body screaming at you to just FaLL aSLEeP. But your mind was still racing a million miles an hour;
'Will he kick me out in the morning?'
'Should I tell him about this?'
'Does he actually like this?'
'Maybe I should just leave...'
You were gently brought out of your thoughts by Loki muttering something under his breath.
"I......" you didn't hear the rest as he snuggled into your neck and shoulder more.
"Hmm?" Was all you could manage as you could feel your body shutting down slowly.
Loki muttered the same thing under his breath but you couldn't hear him. You asked him to repeat it and he sighed, almost as if he were frustrated.
"I. Love. You." He said, slowly. His words still slurred and slipped out of his mouth, but they were there.
You swore you felt your heart stop. No kidding, there was no leap for joy, no stab of happiness. There was nothing except the feeling of total shock. After a few moments of adjustment time when you were actually able to be brought back down to earth you began to register what he had said. 'I love you.' Did he mean it? Or was he dreaming? If so, was it of you? Or someone else.
Behind the doubt you couldn't hide the feeling of pure joy inside. Your heart seemed to rise in your chest until it was in your mouth, wrapped around your tongue. You smiled and closed your eyes. You sighed slowly, letting out the deepest breath you could and relaxed.
"I love you too," you whispered to him as you let yourself fade into a peaceful and dreamless sleep, wrapped in the arms of the one you love. Knowing that in the morning, whatever came, Loki would never let you go. That he would stay, and so would you, always there;
To chase the nightmares away.