I Don't Believe We've Met

Brotherly Love

Loki stood in front of his mirror, inspecting every inch and nuance of the suit that he had borrowed from Steve to be sure that it fit him properly not only in physical appearance, but fitting in personality. He and Rogers were nothing alike, and he didn't want his true self to be diminished by the attire of another, but Thor's old clothes from his visits to Earth didn't include anything like this. He could have made his appearance to be anything of his choosing, but he refused to use his powers of illusion on your first date; the impression to be made had to be of his true self in order to make the transformation to this new life worthy of the gift Thor had given in bringing him here.

"Brother, you're ready," Thor smiled in the reflection as he stood behind Loki, "you have nothing to be nervous about. Steve's suit is remarkably well fitted for you given his exceptional musculature and the difference in your stature."

Choosing to allow the subtle but playful dig to pass by, Loki continued to focus on the moment at hand rather than enjoying the levity to soothe his anxieties. "On the contrary, I have much to be nervous about. I'm finding myself filled with doubts that I am not accustomed to, as you surely understand. I fear that my chance at this will be ruined by my own doing. I fear that...that I have only this one chance."

"Loki, you're as nervous as a man on his wedding day."

"Yes, well...this may be as close as I am allowed to come to one in this lifetime."

Thor's eyes saddened at the remark, in a shift not lost on his brother. The two men stood in silence and regarded the moment for what it was; it was an unwelcomed yet forced reflection on what they had lost, and what had been lost for their people. Not only had the histories and culture of Asgard been nearly wiped clean away from the universe, but their futures were nearly lost as well. Only a scarce number of Asgardians remained to find a new life and a new path here on Earth, and their reluctant king and their hesitant prince were at just as much of a loss as to how to even begin.

"Worry not, brother," Thor finally broke the silence with a supportive hand on Loki's shoulder, "the night is still young."

~~~

You had taken care into getting ready for your date with Loki as well, but you were much more comfortable with it than he was, putting your look together with time to spare thanks to your overly organized friend. You had no idea what your newest housemate had planned for the two of you for the evening, so it was admittedly a bit of a challenge to decide what to wear, but in true friend form, Natasha had something waiting for you on your bed when you got to your room. She kept it simple, thankfully, but it did nothing to give you a clue as to what you were going to be doing; what you did know, however, was that Natasha knew. If you had more time, you might have entertained trying to get it out of her, despite how futile it would be.

If you hadn't been ready to go and were taking the final look at yourself in the long mirror on the back of your door, you would have completely missed Loki's knock to announce his arrival. It was a gentle tap, only twice, and barely enough to connect his knuckles to the door. You could tell that he was nervous long before when you had met him in the hallway and made this date, but you thought that once you agreed to his offer those nerves would abate.

"Just a minute," you called to him, hurrying to slip your feet into your shoes before opening the door. When you saw him and took in the full sight, your breath froze and your voice failed you at how handsome he was. Luckily for you, he was in much the same condition.

"(Y/N)...h-hello..." he stammered softly, taking in every inch of you as his eyes wandered unabashedly, "you're...you're exquisite. I am most definitely not deserving to be in the presence of such beauty."