According to Plan (A Loki x Reader Fanfic)

The Bargain Pt. 2

Your progress in both magic and combat was slow, but steady.

After three days of sparring, Loki had escalated to using magic during training, and several days after that he had matched your pair of sticks with rudimentary weapons of his own. Your illusions got steadily more stable and complex, and you were learning how to join your movements with your magic - muscles charged full of power - and you learned to conjure small invisible forces that could stir up rocks and debris.

Your achievements paled in comparison to all of the tricks up Loki's sleeve, but still you were chasing after him - yesterday's efforts not quite enough to best yours tomorrow.

Your bargain stood, and every day he won, and every night you knelt before him and took your pleasure there - the intimacy being the salve to mend your weary body. The conceit was that when you were on your knees, or when he was on top of you that he had all of the control, all of the power. But the reality was that when you let Loki take charge, it liberated you to focus on the connection you had, a much needed break after your lengthy days of struggling through new concepts. Your training meant questioning everything you thought you knew about yourself, but evenings with Loki came naturally, without worry.

You'd been at it for about two weeks now and you could feel yourself hitting a block. You'd been giving it your all and yet Loki hadn't needed to escalate his efforts to thwart you in a while. You weren't sure how much more you could throw at him, you were beginning to feel tapped out.

You were knocked down for the third time that afternoon, and when Loki helped you back up, expecting to keep going you asked for a break. You threw your sticks down harder than necessary and wandered off, unable to face him in your frustration. To your relief Loki hung back, giving you space as you walked away, the crunch of ice beneath your feet.

You watched your breath pillow in steamy huffs, hands on your hips, feeling the delicate kiss of the occasional snowflake hitting your searing skin. The ground had hardened with frost the last few days and everything had been icy and slick with slush. A miserable slippery soup to fight in, and every fall hurt twice as much without soft dirt below as cushion. Tears threatened to flood your eyes as you tried to focus on anything and everything else but your discouragement.

In the distance the Seidr Plains loomed large. Heimdall stood sentry, a speck amidst stones, having sent Thor through for some reason hours before. You wondered if he was watching and what he thought of this whole mad exercise. You thought about what the witches had said about your magic being connected to the power that the Plains channeled. You thought about how your skin prickled now, every time Heimdall conveyed someone through. You thought about how the swirling patterns of the Plains were so much like the sigils and runes that the crone had you fixate on to focus your power.

An idea occurred to you. A mad, ambitious, impossible idea. But what did those words mean to you anymore? Hadn't everything in this new life of yours been extraordinary and inexplicable?

You walked back to your training grounds, reinvigorated to give it another go. You weren't sure what you would do if this didn't work. You didn't want to think about it.

"We can stop now. If you need," said Loki, searching your expression and asking more than anything.

You shook your head as your only response and picked up your sticks. You needed to get your head in the right place without talking it through.

You and Loki squared up again and you met his gaze, focusing keenly on his location. Or more precisely, the spot directly behind him. You took a deep breath and charged. Loki took a defensive stance waiting to meet your blow - it was the same way a hundred of these little skirmishes had started.