Never Alone Again

Part Fourteen - Heart to Heart

When you opened your eyes the next morning, you were shocked to find yourself staring down a sleeping Loki's face. So shocked, in fact, that you launched yourself backwards, falling out of the bed and landing with a loud thud.

Loki jolted awake at the sound. He peeked over the edge of the bed.

"That was an awfully rude awakening." He said.

"You're telling me." You groaned. Every muscle in your body was screaming at you, telling you to stop trying to move. "Ugh. Ow."

Loki tilted his head, looking at you curiously. "Do you need help?"

"No, no. I think I'm just gonna lay here for the rest of the day, thanks." You replied sarcastically.

Eventually, with Loki's help, you got yourself back on your feet.

"Why are you still here?" You asked him.

"A certain sleepyhead refused to let me leave." He teased, nudging you with his arm.

You blushed. You barely remembered that, and had thought it was a dream. "Tony's gonna kill us."

Loki rolled his eyes. "What, you've never lied before? We'll be fine. Just go find him, I'll make my way back to my room."

You nodded. Given the time, Tony would probably be getting coffee and enjoying the peace and quiet. You headed that direction, but found that he wasn't in the usual room.

Uh, Loki? He's not here.

Yeah, about that...

Oh no. He found you, didn't he?

You ran back towards your room, trying to find them. You would've been faster, if not for your aching body. Eventually, you made your way to the hallway outside your room, where Tony was standing in front of Loki. Loki glanced over at you briefly, and then back to Tony.

Tony was confronting him about why he had been in your room.

"I was just returning a borrowed book." Loki lied. "Is that not allowed?"

"I know you weren't in you room last night." Tony declared. "I went down to check and couldn't find you anywhere."

"Ahem." You cleared your throat.

Tony turned around and saw you standing at the other end of the hallway. "Oh, hey, kiddo. Mind explaining this to me?"

You walked over to stand by Loki. "I'm fine, Tony. He hasn't done anything."

"See, I haven't done anything. Can I go now?" Loki asked.

Tony threw his hands up in defeat before turning and leaving. "Fine."

You waited until he was gone before you looked up at Loki with a cheesy grin.

He didn't say anything, simply smiling back. The two of you headed out, ready to take on the day.

It was a quiet, peaceful day. Not much happened. You were too sore to train, and Tony had left to take care of some business. You spent a lot of time just hanging around, trying to relax. It gave you plenty of time to think about where to go from here.

Loki was standing out on the balcony, watching the city below. You could see him through the big windows from where you were sitting. He was wearing a deep green button up shirt and black slacks. The look suited him.

What are you thinking about?

You could see Loki smile at the sound of your voice. It made your heart throb. You wished he would smile more often.

Just stuff.

What kind of stuff?

Magic stuff. Asgard stuff. You stuff.

You paused for a moment.

Do you want to talk about it?

Loki turned around, looking for you. When he finally saw you, he gave a pained smile.

Sure.

He walked into the room and sat down next to you. As he searched for the right words to say, you reached over and put your hand on his. You hoped you could provide some sort of relief from the turmoil that must go on in his head constantly.

"I don't belong anywhere." Loki stated. "Everywhere I go, I just ruin everything."

You nodded, to let him know you were listening.

"I've spent my whole life in search of this power. This... purpose. I burdened myself with the idea of a 'glorious purpose' for so long, that I lost myself along the way." He continued. "I never wanted to hurt people. Especially not the ones I love. I just wanted them to see me, and not cast me to the side like always."

"Well, you seem like you've started to find yourself now." You suggested.

Loki thought about this. "I suppose I have you to thank for that."

You held his hand. "I'm proud of you."

He looked over at you, eyes wide in shock. You could see tears welling up for a brief moment, before he recollected himself and looked away. You ran your thumb along his hand, gently stroking it.

"I don't deserve this." He whispered.

"If that was true, I wouldn't be here right now." You replied. "I'm not going anywhere. It's gonna take a lot to push me away."

His gaze flicked back over to you. "Why?"

With a smile, you explained. "Because I care a lot. About you."

Loki was silent, but he didn't look away. You just stared back into his eyes, waiting for some kind of response.

"I don't believe you." He said.

You were feeling bold. You grabbed him by the shirt collar.

"Do you believe this?" You asked, pulling him towards you and forcefully locking your lips with his.

The kiss must have only lasted a few seconds, but oh, it was magical. You had longed for this moment for what felt like forever. When you pulled away, you could see Loki racking his brain, trying to process what had just happened.

"So?" You pressed. "Believe me now?"

Loki nodded.

You sat back, content. "Like I said, I'm not going anywhere."

"I'm holding you to that." Loki stated. "You'd better not be lying to me."

You waved your hand dismissively. "That's your job, not mine."