According to Plan (A Loki x Reader Fanfic)

Distance

If you love something set it free, Loki thought. He would never tell her how worried he was. He would never tell her how anxious it made him feel to see her go. He made her come all the way here for nothing but a promise of adventure. How could he keep her when they were offering her everything?

"If you love it, set it free, if it comes back it's meant to be." The words of his mother.

But nothing ever came back to him except for failure and loss. And Thor, he supposed. Thor usually came ambling back, even from the Avengers. So maybe she would too. It was the one hope he could cling to. His only prayer.

But what exactly does a god pray to when he needs strength? All he had was her.

He watched her pack, flitting around the room like an over-excited humming bird. Abuzz with grace and energy.

"Do you think I'll need a swimsuit?"

"I don't know darling, couldn't hurt," maybe if she never finishes packing, she'll never leave, he thought.

"Do they have washing machines? They have to have washing machines... right?"

"No one notices the smell of dirty clothes over Tony Stark's cologne... but yes I would imagine that the Avengers don't go the laundromat."

"And how does the prince of Asgard know about laundromats," she said, stopping, taking the moment to tease him. Perhaps sensing his unease.

"Darling, I've been around a long time. I practically invented them," he joked in return, reaching out to her. If these were the last few hours she would ever spend with him before her new friends changed her entirely, then he didn't want to spend a moment apart.

She came when he beckoned. She always did. But he wondered if she always would. He held her there, pressed against him.

"Loki?" She asked, "Are you sure you're okay? I don't have to go."

It broke his heart. Would she really give up the chance to be a hero - everything she had ever wanted - to stay there for him? Could she sense that some small part of him really wanted her to?

"No darling. I'm happy for you to go. It's what you're meant to do. You were an avenger when we first met, remember? Now you're just becoming an official one. With a capital A."

He would support her. She had given up so much for him. He could give this up for her. She smiled at him, genuine, her excited buzz returning. Loki smiled back.

Just don't let this be over, he thought, don't let this be the end of us.

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The swimsuit was unnecessary after all. They had one for you. Navy blue, sporty silver accents, and an emblazoned A logo on the left breast. It helped with the endless laps you swam in the pool for endurance, and with the long soaks in the hot tub to soothe your muscles after combat training.

You spent your days being pushed farther and harder than you knew was possible. Wanda tested your magic's limits every day. You used it in ways you had never even thought was possible. You used it in both extraordinary and in mundane ways, flexing your Seidr like a muscle every chance you got. Natasha and Steve Rodgers taught you how to fight with your hands, how to move your body more efficiently. Clint Barton, technically retired, now a consultant, taught you how to shoot all manner of projectiles. Vision took to engaging you in philosophical conversations around ethics and strategy - often when your head felt the most empty. Numb from weary exhaustion.