Unfettered (Loki x Reader)

Chapter 23 - Ask And You Shall Receive

Loki's soft, gentle kisses on your neck wake you.

"Good morning, darling," he whispers, snaking his strong arms around your waist and pulling you tight to his chest.

"It's morning?" you mumble, tongue still heavy. "Already?"

Loki chuckles, his own voice rough and rugged with lingering traces of sleep. "Mhmm," he hums.

"But we just went to bed," you groan, giving the covers a pull as you try to slip your head beneath your pillow.

"And whose fault might that be?" Loki teases, pulling back the corner of the pillow to find your barely-cracked eyes. "All those hours drinking from those saccharine lips of yours, and still I did not drink from...any other chalice," he grins, a mischievous light in his eye as the hand on your stomach slips lower.

Your cheeks warm in embarrassment. You grab his wrist, and pull his hand back up over the covers. "I-I know," you stammer. "But that's...not why I came last night. You know that."

"I do," Loki nods. "But last night is past," he says, dragging the tip of his nose up the column of your neck, and taking your earlobe between his teeth. "'Tis a new morn."

The warmth of his breath across your skin sends a shiver down your spine. As he mouths at your neck, somewhere deep inside your mind your urge to step into his memories blossoms. It grows stronger as a playful touch traces gentle shapes on your stomach. But this time it's different. More familiar. Less of an instinctual urge, and more of a warming, calm invitation.

"Loki," you sigh, leaning your head back onto his shoulder. But a cold hand slips beneath your shirt, palming at your breast and sending jolts of arousal up your back.

"Yes?" he hums in amusement. But before you can respond, his other hand slips around your waist and dips below the band of your sweatpants. His fingertips run feather-light over your clothed entrance, eliciting a sharp gasp.

"Loki, stop," you snap, grabbing his wrist once more. "I-I...I can't."

"Why ever not, darling?" he croons, his tongue tracing the shell of your ear as he tries to free his hand from your grasp, and reach beneath the sheets once more.

"I said stop," you snap, pulling away. "Loki, seriously...I can't."

Loki tenses for a moment before shifting on his side, and propping himself up on the mattress and casting you a guarded, yet confused glance. "Have you changed your position on our affair?" he asks, that cold, neutral expression back in place.

"Affair?" you question. "What? No, I...it's not an affair, Loki, I just-."

"You have no need to explain," he says coldly, fully pulling his arms away.

"Explain what?" you ask, genuinely confused as to Loki's behavior. "Loki, listen, last night-."

"Ah," he hums as if in some sort of understanding, face falling into an expression of hurt even through his attempt at cold neutrality. "Well, fear not, human," he sneers. "This monster will not keep you here. You may go."

Monster?

You stare at him, mouth agape, trying to process what just happened. When suddenly it all clicks. Amused by the obvious misunderstanding, and how quickly Loki resorts to defensiveness, you let out a small scoff. "Are you breaking up with me?" you tease.

Now it's Loki's turn to look confused, as his hurt quickly simmers into skeptical curiosity. "Is that not what you want?" he questions.

"Oh my God," you groan, rolling your eyes. "If you had let me finish my sentence, I would have said 'last night I didn't shave'. Okay?" you laugh. "I haven't shaved in...well, a while. I didn't expect you to be out of your room. I didn't...you know," you mumble, embarrassed. "Prepare," you whisper, glancing down at your own thighs.