Unfettered (Loki x Reader)

Chapter 5 - Laufeyson

Thor left without an indication of how long it would take him to return. But based on his reaction to your suggestion that Loki's questioning be done on Earth rather than this Asgard place, you had an immediate gut feeling it wouldn't be anytime soon.

It turns out you were right. 

A month goes by with no word from the blonde god with the satin voice. A month you spent grieving, and healing, after the loss of Phil, and learning how to live among the other superheroes residing in Stark Tower. 

At first, you weren't sure what to expect from the Avengers. Phil had gone over each of their personnel files with you at one time or another in preparation for your eventual introduction. But he had only previewed them to you as individuals. He hadn't spent time talking about how they functioned together as a unit. In fact, when he first showed you some of the personnel files, the Avengers hadn't even been the Avengers yet. They were still one-off superfreaks, being tracked and deployed like chess pieces by SHIELD. It was Phil that brought them together. 

As the days at Stark Tower pass, it becomes clear that these superheroes Phil assembled function less like a military unit or a special ops team, and more like a dysfunctional family. They're argumentative, disagreeable, and tend to get on one another's nerves. But clearly, they're stuck with each other. And in knowing that, they seem to do what they can to get along. And after the first few weeks living together, you start to realize that they might even care about each other. 

The affection isn't always there. But you see it occasionally. You see it in the way Steve takes the time to really admire Tony's gadgets when he brings them up from the lab. And in how Tony tries not to grin when Steve makes offhand comments about how the younger Stark reminds him of the senior. You spot it in the way Natasha always brews a pot of coffee big enough for everyone early in the morning. And in how Clint remembers to save a plate for Bruce when he's having a night alone in his room. 

Eventually, the tension present those first weeks after Loki's attack on the city dissipates, and life at the Tower falls into a comfortable rhythm. 

Well, perhaps comfortable isn't quite the right term, judging by the soreness in your muscles and the stiffness in your joints. 

On your fourth night at the tower, Tony had waltzed into your room - without knocking, of course - and announced that sitting around waiting for Thor wasn't going to get you anywhere. And that if you were going to live with the Avengers, you were going to train with the Avengers. 

With her exceptional tutelage,  after a couple weeks you learned knives and daggers well enough with Natasha - save for a few knicks and cuts here and there. But archery with Clint was a complete disaster. After three days, you barely figured out how to notch an arrow without it falling. Pride bruised, you nevertheless found a soft spot for the master archer, who still makes sure to frequently remind you that you're the second-best shooter on the team, considering no one else has ever bothered picking up a bow. Considering archery a loss, you were passed to Steve for combat training. And it's with him that you find yourself every Monday, Wednesday, Thurday, and Saturday morning. 

Including this morning.

*Right hook* *Jab* *Roundhouse kick*

Sweat beads on your forehead as you concentrate on the heavy bag in front of you.

"Come on, Y/n. Focus," Steve says. "Exhale when you hit, inhale after your combinations. If you're tired, just circle the bag and throw a left here and there."

Determined not to let Steve see just how fatigued you are, you let loose a flurry of precise, powerful strikes, one after another, until you're out of breath.