IDUNA (Loki x Reader)

Chapter 8 - And then, Rain

As you made your way to training with Loki, you continued to weigh out the possible realities in your head. It is quite possible that Loki had been toying with you all this time, and that any time you felt some reciprocity of your interest was just his way of controlling your mind and torturing you. But then, there was the swing on the tree, and the real tears you felt land on your thigh as you sat beside him. It seemed beyond his purview to go this far for a mind game.

Bragi was known in the nine realms for his incredible hand at poetry. You knew little about what made a poem good or not, so that didn't help you decipher who wrote it. All you knew for sure was that you were training today and that you wanted to see Bragi again and find out more answers.

Loki was in the middle of conjuring some green cloud when you entered. He stopped as he heard you.

"When Thor and I were younger," a knife now appeared in each of his hands. "We went to Jotunheim to attack some frost giants. This was around the time I realized I was one.." He hauled one of the daggers at a far wall, where a human-outline target was. "Technically." He made his way behind you and put his arms on both of your shoulders, turning your body to face the wall that he'd just impaled. "It's easy to limit yourself with these.." he lifted your hand, holding the dagger from Eir and pointed to it. "To use a dagger only in close contact is a waste. That ends today. Now. Throw it where I threw mine."

You looked to him with doubt. Time and time again, you wonder why he is so certain secret powers are lurking within you. Well, there is now, but still.

"Do it. Just try."

You swung the knife across the room and watched it spin through the air and crack against the ground before it made it to the wall.

"You barely tried." You scoffed at his remark, and before you could walk to retrieve your weapon, it appeared in your grip once again.

"Well, that's convenient." You joked.

For what felt like hours, you attempted the same attack. Trying different suggestions of stances, forms, and mentalities.

"I know last time I tried to anger you in training, it went sour and, quite frankly, I'm less inclined to try it as you're armed now.." you glared at him. "But I'd be lying if I said it isn't worth a try."

You took a deep breath. Injecting the apple hadn't miraculously made you a master knife-thrower, but you still had so many unanswered questions about what it did to you. "Fine." you gave in. "I know you don't mean it anyway. Isn't that kind of your entire gimmick?"

Ignoring your comment, he began the exercise.

"Close your eyes. Try and picture all of the times Asgardians have tried to take advantage of you. Of your abilities, of your power. The times that not even Odin believed how often you'd been wronged by your people. They don't see you as a god, not even an equal. You're lesser. The person who could make everyone live forever but chooses not to."

You felt warm anger travel your body.

"Better yet, think about the way my family treated you after what happened with that group in the street. They didn't have the slightest belief in your abilities to protect yourself. With all the time you've spent training, preparing to fight, they still thought you needed Thor."

You felt his tone shift, and you started to recall the look of shame on Loki's face during that conversation with his family. The way they spoke straight through him, implying that he had no place protecting nor training you. Despite all the thoughts Loki tried to put into your head, this was the only one you could see. The idea of his family, the ones who are meant to love him unconditionally, talking him down into nothing. Frigga abandoning him, Odin clearly favoring Thor in every discussion. The many stories you'd heard over the years of how Odin kept his identity a secret from him. You wished you could've protected him from all of it.