Jewel Thief ◇ L. Laufeyson

22 ◇ eyepatch

AS WE FLEW out of Asgard, I set my sights on the Ark - which was flying away from the turmoil on the rainbow bridge. I spotted Hulk grab onto Thor and Valkyrie before jumping incredible heights to reach the Ark, gaining entry onto the spacecraft just in time.

"In the back, there's another hangar," Loki told me, his breath hot on my neck as he shouted over the wind racing by us. I nodded, following his advice and soaring towards the other side of the spaceship.

On the other side, just as Loki had said, there was a small alcove of the ship, perfect for landing smaller spacecrafts; in our case, perfect for our diamond chariot.

Loki, like a gentleman, helped me off the chariot and I leaned into his side. I definitely could have walked on my own, but I wanted to feel him holding me. It was nice to have someone to lean on after the trials we faced. Loki, with his arm around my shoulders, also used me as support. Together we walked through a metal door, before getting blasted with cold air and entering a longer hallway - probably something to do with oxygen and gravity (it was a spaceship, after all).

"Hm..." I began to wonder aloud, "I think this is my first time traveling in space."

Loki looked down at me. "Really?" He paused, thinking as well. "I suppose the Bifrost doesn't count, does it?"

I shrugged. "Maybe. But, this time I can really enjoy it."

He smiled. "We can travel space together, if you'd like. There's plenty of planets that are quite beautiful."

I nodded enthusiastically, before sighing. "We should. After, you know, we get to Earth."

His face fell a bit, worry coming over him. "Right. Earth." Swallowing uncomfortably, he raised an eyebrow at me. "It's going to be absolute havoc; your team meeting me once again."

I scrunched my nose and smiled at him, shaking my head. "We'll be fine. We already have Thor and Bruce with us, and I'm sure the others will come around. Whatever happens, we'll handle it together, okay?"

"But--"

"No buts!" I shut him up quickly, squeezing his arm encouragingly. "One problem at a time. Let's get cleaned up first, alright?" I looked down at myself, feeling sweat and grim on my skin. "I need a shower."

His eyes took on a mischievous glint. "Can we do that together, too?"

I suppressed a laugh, but I didn't say no.

◇

Loki had lead me to a section of the spacecraft that held living quarters, complete with bathrooms. Our room was now covered in a thin layer of steam, thanks to the piping hot shower we--- I mean I, had just taken.

Loki had finished (showering) before I was done, so when I entered the bedroom from the bathroom, scrunching my wet hair with a towel, I found him laying out my suit on the bed. I watched him curiously, pulling the other towel I wore around me tighter.

"Don't bother with that," I said, looking at the suit with distaste. "It's probably too dirty to put back on, anyways."

Loki eyed me, a smile spreading across his face. "So you prefer to wear nothing at all?" His smile turned darker. "Excellent."

I threw my hair towel at him, and he easily dodged, chuckling. "I'm kidding, Y/N." He caught himself, cocking his brows. "Well, half kidding. What I mean, I cleaned your suit, as I did my own. It's fresh."

I approached his side, looking over the suit with surprise. No way it was already clean - I was only in the shower for a few extra minutes.