The Guardians

Chapter 7

It had been nearly a year since Loki had joined the Guardians and they were all dispatched on different missions, leaving Loki and Percy alone for a while.

Blaise was at Hogwarts, discretely searching for possible recruits and missions. He had sent multiple letters via owl letting Percy know that he was doing well and that they might need to help one Harry Potter.

Damian had returned to Gotham to keep an eye on the mortal heroes and was under strict orders to contact Percy the moment he couldn't take anymore of living with his father. He had contacted multiple times to report and said everything was going well so far.

Annabeth, Clarisse, Kayla, Katie Reyna, and Rachel were acting as a retrieval team. They were gathering demigods to bring to Camp and rescuing abused children.

Nico was working as the liaison with the Underworld, making sure they kept good relations with Hades and Persephone.

Max, Gwen, Jason, Piper, Shelby, and Will were hunting down powerful monsters before they could attack demigods. Nico joined them occasionally.

Pietro and Wanda were sent undercover as spies in Hydra. They were reporting back to Percy, who reported back to Shield.

Leo and Calypso were at Bunker Nine, forging some new weapons and gadgets for the groups. Lou Ellen was with them to enchant anything that needed it.

Harley was keeping an eye on the Avengers and looking for recruits while he was at it. He was also making connections with the social elite and keeping Percy updated on the happenings in the world.

Travis and Connor were training with Hermes to unlock their speed, so they were on Olympus with him learning how to run super fast, but also probably how to epically prank Percy.

Because of all of this, Percy and Loki had a lot of time alone together that they weren't quite sure what to do with. Neither were extremely comfortable around the other yet, but Loki had made a point to keep trying to pursue a real relationship.

It was quite amusing when Percy would get all flustered every time Loki would flirt with him, so Loki made a point to do so often. He liked watching the way his husband's cheeks would turn red whenever Loki would wink at him or kiss his cheek.

Despite the amusing nature of it all, it was frustrating that Percy seemed to be stuck whenever it came to anything further than a small kiss or cuddling. Loki didn't know why he always closed off whenever Loki tried to go a little further, but he was determined to find out.

"Percy, why are you uncomfortable with me?" Loki asked softly as they laid in bed together at night.

Percy frowned in apparent confusion. "What do you mean?"

Loki raised an eyebrow at the confused mask that he could easily see through. "Don't stall, Perce. You know what I mean. You close off whenever I try to initiate anything further than this. I just want to know why."

Percy took a shaky breath in. "Dionysus said it is part of the Trauma I experienced when I was younger," he said quietly. "You remember me telling you about Gabe?"

"Yes, I recall the vile mortal."

"Well, he liked to sell me out to his friends," Percy said. "Ever since then, I haven't been able to do anything intense without being reminded of it."

Loki was horrified. "Oh my gods, I'm so sorry for pushing you," he said.

Percy shrugged dismissively, though he had a troubled expression on his face. "You didn't know. I'm sorry, Loki. I really, really like you, but I can't give you what you want in a partner."

Loki only shook his head. "Do you want to try something?" he asked softly. "To try and help you?"

Percy looked at him nervously. "What?"

Loki smiled warmly and gave him a soft kiss. Not too much that he'd be overwhelmed, but just a small peck. "What if you take control?" he whispered. "You can do whatever you feel comfortable with. You can stop whenever you'd like, no matter what. I won't do anything."

Hesitantly, Percy nodded. He didn't do much that night. He just laid there, curled into Loki's side as he traced patterns on his bare stomach all throughout the night.

The light touches were maddening for Loki, but he fought to stay perfectly still. He would deal with centuries of torture similar to this if it meant helping Percy, because he was certain he loved the Greek.

Percy was perfect. He was kind and loving. He was handsome. He cared so much about others, even to the point of ignoring his own needs. He cared about Loki as no one ever had before. He was funny and smart and an excellent fighter. He had a way with words that just drew Loki in and made him fall so completely for him that there was no coming back.

So, he would allow him to do what he needed to in order to heal, no matter how much his body wanted more. He would not give in, for his mind was made up. He would do anything for his husband, including this.

For weeks, it became their routine. Percy never went further, but the patterns slowly morphed into words as time went by. Words like "mine" and "love."

Those words fueled Loki's determination to give Percy as much time and patience as he needed. He truly did love Percy and he was completely his. He loved that Percy was finally realizing it too.