Caught (Loki x reader)

Chapter 26

A/N: this prompt was from @mkidwell (ao3 user) but it was a lot of dialogue and I don't want to spoil anything here! I've finally finished all my assignments (and my first year of uni omg) so hopefully I'll be updating more frequently now<3 Please keep sending prompts, and I hope you enjoy this chapter :)

...

You'd been right, Henry had asked you to be his girlfriend. And you'd said yes, determinedly not looking at Loki over his shoulder as you had.

Loki had watched you from across the restaurant all night, but you didn't let him know that you knew that. If he wanted to talk to you he needed to come and actually talk to you, not just stare at you like a weirdo until you looked back at him.

It's the day after and you're back in your office, trying really hard not to revel in the resounding silence outside which is not Amber's ridiculous laughter. It's music to your ears, but you can't admit it to yourself.

You're Henry's girlfriend now. This, you are reminded of by the large bouquet of flowers on your desk which obscures half of your view of the hallway.

Word had spread quickly, and you've already had to have a meeting with Fury about it earlier today. That had probably been the most excruciatingly awkward thing that's ever happened to you.

There's a knock on your door.

"Come in." you call. Loki enters, and your heart performs a familiar backflip which you have to ignore.

"You knocked." you say in surprise.

"You seemed annoyed when I didn't last time." Loki replies, closing the door behind him. You frown.

"When's that ever stopped you from doing something before?"

He shrugs, uncharacteristically quiet. You're immediately suspicious.

"Have you done something?" you ask sharply.

"No." he says, far too innocently.

"I don't believe you." you tell him, looking back at your computer.

Loki walks over to your desk and fixes his gaze on the large bouquet of flowers. Your heartrate quickens as he plucks a petal from one of the flowers. He holds it to his nose and sniffs, before pulling a face and dropping it, letting it evaporate before it hits the floor.

"Overly sentimental, don't you think?"

Your mind is moving so quickly that it takes you more than a second to formulate a reply. You narrow your eyes as you look up at him.

"Haven't you got someone to be 'overly sentimental' towards? Or are you in here because you're 'bored'?" you ask, drawing quotation marks in the air with your fingers as you say 'bored', your words dripping with sarcasm.

He chuckles, smirks. You love it. You hate it.

"I just don't really think it's your style." he tells you, quirking an eyebrow.

Indignation surges through you.

"Oh, I dunno. Flowers, chocolate... I can get behind that. I'm also a fan of, y'know, not being ignored and treated like garbage?" you say, standing up abruptly. Loki looks a bit put out.

"I've never done –"

"Excuse me." you interrupt curtly as you quickly move from your desk to leave your office. You don't know where you're going, you just need to leave.

Loki teleports in front of the door before you can reach for the handle.

You stop short, very close to his chest. Closing your eyes, you take a breath before looking up at him, not moving backwards.

"Move." you say.

"I don't." Loki says.

"I- what?"

"I don't have someone to be overly sentimental towards. Amber and I have stopped seeing each other." Loki tells you, looking directly at you. You're standing so close to him, but too stubborn to take a step backwards.

"Oh." you say. It's like he's waiting for you to say something else.

"... Okay?"

His eyes search your face, and you frown at him. Externally cool and collected, internally possibly going into cardiac arrest.

"What?"

"You don't care."

This time it's not indignation that courses through you, but rage.

"Why would I care? It's none of my business."

"I just thought..."

"What?" you cut across him, your voice breaking and ruining the effect of your anger slightly. You're furious with him, but also with yourself. How had you ever thought that going out with Henry would solve anything?

"Nothing." Loki says. Your heart sinks a little.

"Good. So move." you tell him angrily.

He steps aside wordlessly and you storm past him into the corridor.

"Y/N -" he calls after you, and as you spin around to give him a piece of your mind you spot Henry walking towards you, looking between you and Loki.

"Is everything alright?" Henry asks you, looking at Loki. Loki glares back at him as though he's just announced that he's committed a mortal sin.

"Yes, fine. Thank you." you tell him firmly. That doesn't stop him from standing right next to Loki and refusing to break eye contact with him.

"Are you sure?" he asks, still looking at Loki. He's almost as tall as Loki. Almost.

You swear you actually see Loki's lip curl.

"Yes, Henry. Come on." you say, deciding to intervene before Loki turns him into a snail and step on him. You push Henry into your office, brushing roughly past Loki as you do so.

"Go." you say to Loki as you turn to shut the door.

You think you see genuine hurt in his eyes as he turns and walks away. It hurts your chest.