then she disappeared | Loki Laufeyson x Reader

~ 4 ~

Chapter 4

A few days later and there was a new normal throughout the tower.

(Y/N) made her way down the hall to the elevator, and to her surprise, Loki was already inside. He didn't notice her as he was inspecting the buttons on the side.

"Can I help find anything?" She spoke to him as she approached. Ever since he had moved in, most were quick to avoid him at all costs. Well, other than Thor and (Y/N). Loki had avoided his brother in much the same fashion though. (Y/N) however, was the only one to truly be kind and welcoming. As much as he would let her.

"I was wondering if you people happened to have a library in this building." Loki spoke, keeping his diplomatic voice. (Y/N) smirked and stepped into the elevator with him. "Can I trust you?" She moved closer to him. He looked at her with brows furrowed, but nodded. Confusion filled his eyes as she laughed a little. "I kinda need to see the buttons, Loki." He stepped back to realize he was directly blocking what she needed. "Apologizes." (Y/N) turned towards him and smiled sweetly again.

"Technically, the library is on this floor here," She pointed out a button that had not been lit up, unlike the rest of the floors. "But ever since I started going there regularly, I realized the team is not to be trusted when it comes to taking care of it. If you want to see an organized system be ripped to shreds, they're the people to do it. So I worked around it and made it so you have to punch in a code using other buttons accordingly." Loki stared in awe for a moment before nodding.

"You gotta press the original button first though, so push 57, then 10, 15, and finally 8." (Y/N) inputs the code and the elevator dings to a close, heading up. The silence began to weigh on the two, each having reasons for not speaking. The door opens and they step out onto the plush carpet. The room held a calm, homey aesthetic. Soft warm lights were strung up in different places, many blankets and pillows were strewn across bean bag chairs and couches. A fireplace on the right wall, and a counter set into the wall had tea, coffee and many mix-ins to accompany them. The wall the elevator faces was opened up to rows and rows of books. Within those were more nooks and crannies with comfortable seating and tables, each with at least one mug stain. The entire wall beyond that was windows that had shades blocking out the sun.

"I lose track of time here so much, but it's worth it. If you'd like, Jarvis can play music as well. And don't be worried about cameras and such, I worked my way around those a long time ago." (Y/N) winked towards Loki after that remark. "Just one rule, take care of the place. Or else I may have to rip you a new one."

With a click of his tongue, Loki looked towards her once more. "You're threatening me? The god of mischief and lies?" He smirked

"Warning, not threatening. That one's your territory."

"Tell me Lady (Y/N), why are you so kind to me in comparison to your team?"

Just as she opened her mouth to respond to him, Jarvis's voice came over the speaker.

"Miss, I hate to interrupt but dinner is ready and everyone is beginning to eat." Her stomach grumbled in response. "I better not keep them waiting. You can join us, if you'd like of course." She looked down and gave a sheepish smile to herself. Loki nodded, and turned away to find a book. (Y/N) left down to the floor with the dining room and kitchen

Awaiting her was a table bursting with life. Pasta, salad, and bread were set up down the line ready to be eaten.

"And then I simply smashed THROUGH the monster with Mjolnir in hand." Thor boasted pridefully. There was a mixed response of clapping, laughing and cocky disbelief. Tony then turned his head to the right slightly to see (Y/N) walking in. "Well look who decided to join us. Welcome hermit crab."

Throwing her hands up in the air, she smirked. "Sorry! Sorry, I'm here now. Don't be a jackass, big man." She ruffled his hair for a moment before sitting in her usual spot. This got a small chuckle out of Steve and Nat, and a not-so-small laugh from Thor, who were watching the ordeal. Clint was too busy stuffing his face already to notice and Doctor Banner had been going over countless notes about some science thing relating to a mission.

The group sat in much the same as breakfast, as they all favored spots quickly, except Thor was now joined and sitting on the empty side with (Y/N).

Once she was sat, the rest dug in as well. The dinner went as usual, but (Y/N) had noticed Loki didn't take her offer to join them. Not like she blamed him, but there was not a time when she saw him eat or drink. The team finished up and before cleaning the table off, (Y/N) grabbed another plate and filled it.

"(Y/N) we can put the leftovers in the fridge, don't worry about saving a plate." Steve's voice rang through her ears and only then did it occur that she had not thought this through.

"Actually this is for Loki. I haven't seen him eat at all, and he never joins us so I wanted to make sure he doesn't starve to death." The tone in her voice filled with nerves. Tony began grumbling, and Steve stood in shock for a moment. But before he could respond, Thor stood up with a smile. "Lady (Y/N), I am glad you are looking out for him!" He began to hush. "This transition was not as smooth as I would have hoped for, and he is outwardly rejecting my attempts at helping him. Maybe you can do what I cannot." Thor's bright smile turned smaller, and more bittersweet. Seeing his brother change so much from when they were young hurt, and knowing it was partially his fault, made him more dejected.

"I'll do my best, everyone deserves a chance to change. They can't if they aren't given the opportunity." (Y/N) matched his volume, and ducked into the elevator quickly before Tony could protest. She punched in her code and she began ascending to her level.

The first thing she noticed walking in was the lit fireplace and a cup of hot tea waiting on the table next to a comfy chair.

"Loki? Are you still here?" She quietly spoke and set the plate down next to his tea. Her feet made soft padding noises as she walked towards the shelves. A dark figure was peering down on an older book, lost in it's pages. (Y/N) quickly recognized it as one of her favorites. "Folk lore, fairy tales and mythology from across the world. Good choice." She spoke quietly still, not to disturb him too much. Pulling her arms across her chest she walked closer and looked towards the shelf. "Good section actually, this is where I keep my personal books, as well as some of my favorites from the library."

Loki looked at her momentarily before pulling away to keep a blank face. "Well this book is wrong, you know. The norse section at least. You midgardians mix our history around so much."

"I guess you'll have to let me know the true history then, because I've read that a lot."

"You say that as if you want to spend time with me."

She smiled and laughed. His heart dropped for a moment at that, assuming she was mocking him. But her sentence afterwards shattered his perspective.

"Why wouldn't I?" In all honesty, she didn't quite understand why, but she knew he and her were similar. And for the first time in his life, Loki was completely, and utterly speechless. Worried of crossing a boundary, (Y/N) backed off a bit and spoke again. This time at normal volume.

"I brought dinner. Chicken alfredo, salad and a bit of garlic bread. I think you'd enjoy it."

As she began retreating to her room, Loki moved to set a hand on her shoulder lightly. (Y/N)'s head swiveled to meet his green eyes.

"Thank you. And... I think teaching you about our history could be arranged."