Unfettered (Loki x Reader)

*Chapter 17 - Twin Flames*

Every floor you pass on your way up to Loki's room, that blue mist of loneliness grows thicker. So thick that it fills the entire elevator, making it hard to breathe. Over the past weeks, you've felt it too.

But not like this.

This isn't natural. This isn't organic. This is punishment on a level you've never seen before. Part of you wonders if it's manufactured. Another dimension of retribution crafted by Thor's father.

Thor's father. Not Loki's.

Overwhelmed, you let go of your Perception as JARVIS stops the elevator and lets you out in the security chamber. The heavy security door stands tall before you - gleaming beneath the fluorescent lights overhead.

This is a bad idea.

On instinct, you take a step back.

I should go. I can't be here.

But as your heart tries to pound through the bones in your chest, in your memory you can still see that thick blue fog. And you reach for the handle.

Fuck.

You whisper to JARVIS, requesting access. When you hear the latches click, you slip through quietly.

Inside the apartment, it's dark. Too dark. Your eyes fight to adjust, latching onto the only light it can find - a faint, moon-lit glow that spills through the open balcony doors.

What is he doing out there so late?

You take an uncertain step, hands trembling. A gentle breeze stirs those long, cream curtains. You step around their billowing edges, holding your breath as the exterior comes into view.

The balcony is empty.

"You are a fool to come here."

You gasp at the voice from over your shoulder, and spin on your heel to find two angry green eyes glaring back. Your own gaze widens - not in fear, but in horrified concern - as Loki's face sits hollow and sunken. Bags as dark as bruises lie beneath his eyes. His lips are so dry the skin peels away, cracked and bloodied. It even seems his hair has thinned as it now hangs in limp, greasy strands around his pallid face.

Thor was right - Loki must not be sleeping. Or eating.

Loki curls those roughened lips into a snarl of detest. "Yes, take a good look at what my father has done to me," Loki spits, glancing down at his own, thinning frame before his gaze snaps back to your own. "Don't think for a moment this means you've gained a victory here, mortal," he seethes in your silence. "I will find my way out of this prison again. When I do, you won't be safe," he sneers. "None of you will be safe."

Your lips part, but all the words you had wanted to say seem to evaporate from your tongue. "Loki, stop-."

"Leave," he seethes, taking another intimidating step toward you.

You try to step back, but Loki's hand shoots out and grabs a fistful of your hair as he wraps the other cold, strong hand around your throat. You gasp as a full-body warmth snakes through your veins, your powers aching to connect with him once more. But Loki merely bares his teeth in a demented parody of a smile. He knows exactly what his touch does to you.

"This is my last warning," he says, squeezing harder. "Come to me again," he says, leaning in and whispering against your ear. "And you will no longer have the ability to walk out of here, human."

As you gasp for air, your hands fly to the fingers curled around your throat, trying desperately to pry them away. But they don't budge - his grip solid as stone as he lifts you from the ground, leaving your feet dangling several inches off the floor.