Winter's Hearts

Chapter 13

"I could get used to this," Loki's voice was a whisper, his lips against your hair. You shifted a little, murmured something softly, and tried to find the cool spot on your pillow to lay your head. Loki laughed. "Dearest, I am not a pillow that you can flip over to find the cool spot," he told you warmly. His chest rumbled when he spoke and the rumble was coming from under your head. He was your pillow. He didn't seem to mind except not wanting to be flipped over to find the cool spot. That was ok. He was one giant cool spot.

"Can," you murmured. It was hard to wake from the pain pills that work on Thor, they were a touch too strong for you.

"Fair point. I would however greatly appreciate not being flipped over,"

"M'kay," you snuggled better into his arms, your head comfortably on his chest. He kissed your forehead.

"Yes, I could get used to this indeed, my darling little Valkyrie," his voice was a warm purr.

The conversation finally got through your sleep addled brain and your eyes snapped open. You were in Loki's room. In his bed in fact, and there was every nothing that you'd been there all night since Loki had tucked you in after feeding you pain pills. However, you knew you hadn't fallen asleep cuddled up with Loki. It wasn't embarrassing or uncomfortable. It felt no different than the thousands of naps you'd shared over the years. And quite a few of those naps had lasted all night too. Asgardians didn't see anything wrong with such things.

You shifted and kissed Loki's cheek. "Good morning, my prince," you greeted him warmly, not teasing his title this time.

He turned his head to kiss you properly. "A very good morning indeed, my darling Valkyrie," he replied with soft love in his voice. You sat up slowly, a little stiffly and took inventory of your injuries. Besides being a little stiff, a little sore, and your ankle was a little tender yet, you were healed. "Better?" Loki asked when you'd taken inventory, sitting up and propping himself with pillows against the headboard.

You nodded. "Told you I'd heal by morning," you reminded him.

"So you did," he agreed. "You also did try to warn me about the affect of the pain medication on you," he added with gentle teasing. You blanched. What the hell had happened for him to be teasing you over?

"Great Odin's Ravens! I tried to warn you. What happened? Whatever it was, I'm sorry!" you told him quickly. He smirked. Your use of 'Odin's Ravens' as a curse told him you didn't remember. The ravens were spies and saw and heard everything; by cursing by them it was a cue to the listener that you didn't remember, see, or recall the event.

Loki laughed and waved off your concern. "Don't worry. You were just distraught and wouldn't calm until you were using me as a pillow. It was the only way to convince you I was safe and you had done your duty of protecting me. It was adorable, little Valkyrie," his eyes were bright and loving, his smile warm. He wasn't teasing. He thought it was legitimately adorable.

You sighed in relief. That wasn't so bad, insisting on doing your duty to protect the prince wasn't embarrassing. "Oh. That really explains why I was laying on Thor last time..." you commented, thinking over the last time you'd been on those pills.

Loki snarled and there were daggers in his hands. "If you will excuse me, Kyrie-love, I must go destroy that idiot brother of mine," he told you as he moved to get up to do just that. You sighed, grabbed his arm, and, with a couple of quick practiced movements, had him disarmed and pinned on his back on the bed. You were straddling his waist, pinning both of his wrists above his head with one hand, the other hand on his chest to keep him from squirming too much