The Ice Began To Melt | Loki x Reader

Six | Defending A God

"Agent Romanoff, why in the hell is he still here? I thought I asked you to get rid of him!"

I looked up from my book to see Fury stalking through the living room. I looked over to Nat who had her hands behind her back.

"He hasn't done anything wrong yet, sir," she said.

Fury shook his head at her.

"I want everyone in meeting room eleven in five minutes," Fury commanded. "Including Loki."

"Friday?" I asked.

"Already on it, Miss," Friday replied.

I got up from my place on the couch and entered the elevator with Fury, Natasha, and Clint. We all exited the elevator on the 'business' level of the tower, and we entered meeting room eleven. Bruce, Bucky, and Steve were already there. I took a seat next to Bucky and propped my feet up on the table.

My dad entered the room next and sat down opposite from me. He propped his feet up as well and took out his phone.

"Stark-" Fury began.

"Yeah, yeah. Phones off when the meeting starts," my dad said boredly.

My phone buzzed and I looked to my phone. The group chat called Some Weird People received a message from my dad.

What's the bet that Fury starts yelling within the first ten minutes? my dad had written.

Responses began popping up from the other members, ranging from five minutes to fifteen.

I'm betting first two minutes, I wrote.

The last two people to arrive were Thor and Loki. I gave Loki a small smile, one that he barely returned. But at least he returned it.

Fury began pacing before he placed his hands down on the table.

"We're sending Loki back."

"What?" Thor and I exclaimed.

We were the only ones with an objection, apparently.

"He's a murderer," Fury said, glaring at Loki. "He should be locked up in a cell, not living his days out in a luxury tower."

"He was under mind control," I said to Fury. "You know this. That's why we agreed to accommodate him."

Fury glared at me.

"Agent L/n, you were not present during the attack on New York," Fury said.

L/n. My mother's last name. Fury supposedly didn't know about my heritage. I doubted that Clint or Natasha would have told him, seeing as we were all so close. But Fury just knew things.

"But I've seen the footage," I said. "It's clear that he wasn't himself! Loki hasn't done anything bad in the weeks that he's been here!"

"Does Loki even want to be here?" Fury asked.

I bared my teeth at him.

"Why don't you ask him, instead of pretending that he isn't even here?" I growled.

The room went silent. Thor had stopped chewing on his pop tarts, and my dad had stopped tinkering with his gadget under the table. Fury glared at me before turning and addressing Loki.

"Do you want to be here at this tower, Loki?" Fury asked.

Loki rolled his eyes.

"Being in a prison is never desirable," he said. He paused and looked to me for a moment before looking back to Fury. "But... I do prefer it here."

I smiled smugly at Fury and crossed my arms.

"We said that we'd send him back if he did something bad," I said. "He hasn't done that."

Fury rubbed his temples and exhaled sharply.

"He can stay," Fury decided. "But if he steps one toe out of line-"

"We'll bring you straight back home!" I said.

Everyone turned to look at me and I chuckled embarrassedly.

"I understood that reference," Steve said.

My dad rolled his eyes and Thor looked confused. I'd shown him the Harry Potter movies and I was offended that he didn't remember the line.

Fury looked at me for a moment longer before sighing.

"Barton, Romanoff, we need you for another mission," he said. "You're all dismissed."

Fury left the room first, followed by Natasha and Clint. Steve and Bucky followed after them. Everyone else started filing out until it was just me and Loki.

"Thank you, Lady Y/n," Loki said after a moment. "For defending me."

I shrugged.

"Don't worry about it," I said. "You deserve better, to be honest."

Loki shied away from my gaze.

"No, I do not," he said softly.

I frowned at him. He sighed before answering my unasked question.

"I have not been nearly as kind to you as you have been to me," he said.

I shrugged.

"Well, you have your reasons, I'm sure. I mean, you're living with us, and... well everyone's not liked you in the past... but that doesn't mean we can't all like you in the future! They – we... everyone.... Everyone has... defences. We've all been hurt before, and I guess that we're just being... cautious. You're included in the 'we', by the way," I added.

Loki gave me a smile. It was small, but it was there, nonetheless.

"How are you finding f/n?" I asked.

Loki shifted uncomfortably.

"I... I have started it," he said.

I smiled at him. My phone buzzed and I looked to the screen. I looked back to Loki after reading the message.

"I have to go," I said. "That was Fury. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

Loki nodded at me, and I left the meeting room, a bounce in my step. I met Fury in the living room, where the rest of the team was. I narrowed my eyes at them in suspicion.

"What's this about?" I asked.

"You're the only person Loki seems to be talking to at the moment," Fury said.

"Well – I mean... kind of, I guess," I said, shifting on my feet. "It's probably because I'm the only one who's nice to him, besides Thor."

Everyone else looked away guiltily.

"We said we'd give him a chance," I said. "So I'm giving him one."

Fury nodded to himself, and I could practically see the gears turning in his head. He scratched his chin thoughtfully before nodding again.

"Keep it up, L/n," Fury said.

I nodded confusedly. Fury left, and I slumped into the couch next to Natasha.

"This is the most eventful month of my life," I muttered.

Natasha wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me in for a side hug.