Mirror of the Soul (Loki x Reader)

Chapter 6: As Shadows Draw Nearer

"I'd rather not," you told Tony, brushing the loose strands of hair from your face as you slipped on today's pair of glasses. You and your uncle had been at this for weeks now, hiding away together in the lab as you worked on his design. Despite the fact you'd been living off of cold leftovers and had more coffee in your veins than blood, the last month or so had been one of the greatest of your life.

Day by day you slowly seemed to be getting nearer to a working, long term solution to control your powers. After huge amounts of trial and error, you'd found that you could hold your uncle's gaze for exactly 5 seconds before the usual side effects of seeing souls began to appear.

On a good day, with his glasses you could now an extra few seconds but not much more. Blacking out had become such a daily constant that Tony had replaced the floor around the work stations with some strange, bouncy material to make your falls less painful.

"It'd be nice for you to let them know you," he replied. "It's a mixed bag we've got here, Y/N. You don't need to feel isolated anymore and everyone wants to know you better. I'm sure that it would be better company than an illusion of Loki..."

"Actually, I..." You held your tongue, not yet ready to tell your uncle that Loki had been visiting you in person more frequently recently. You were always careful never to meet the god's eyes but you'd gotten quite used to just being beside him. Sometimes you'd watch films together in silence, others he would sit and plait your hair while you read to him.

You sighed, shaking your head. "I don't know how to be social, Tony. I hate it. I always have done, ever since I was a kid. All this," you waved your hands around your head, trying to emphasise the point. "This gave me a reason to step away. And anyway, I don't feel isolated. I prefer being alone."

"I've loved all this quality time with you too," Tony muttered. When he saw your face, he rested his hand on yours and said, "Hey, I was joking. It's alright if you don't want to join us. Maybe you could just spend a little time with them one on one."

You couldn't shake your head hard enough. "No, no, no... That'll only go badly. You don't understand. It's easy for you."

"Not as easy as you'd think," he muttered.

It was obvious by the way Tony's face fell that he really wanted you to get to know the other Avengers. To feel a part of his big, strange, messed up family. After all the effort he'd put into trying to give you a normal life, you felt obliged to agree. "Maybe... Maybe I could try. If you want."

"Only if you want to," Tony said, although it was clear how happy the idea made him. "Just start by having a conversation with one of the guys when you go upstairs for breakfast."

The test went just as well as the others. When you woke, you were surprised to find yourself sprawled across one of the large sofas in the common room. So surprised, in fact, that you rolled over off the cushions and hit your head on the coffee table. You swore as sat up, groaning quietly.

"Language!" A voice called from the kitchen.

"Really, Captain?" you sighed. However, you soon burst into hysterics when Loki walked in carrying a plate of pancakes. Not content with simply impersonating Steve's voice, the god began strutting around the room, throwing the tray around and barely catching it after the most amazing tricks.

You hid your face in your hands, unable to watch anymore. Loki sat down beside you, wrapping his arms around your body. It was so easy to get lost in those moments when you rested your head against the god's shoulder. Nothing mattered that much when he was close by, protecting you from the world.

"Why do you do that?" Loki asked, watching curiously as you twirled your hand around in the air. He laced his fingers through yours and smirked as you pulled them free. "What can you see?"