Working Title : Loki & Annie

100 Reasons

When Thor came in through the door he found Annie and Loki where he had left them. The only small difference is that Loki had turned sideways on Annie's lap and know was facing him. The expression on Loki's face was a familiar one though it had been a while since Thor had seen it so openly displayed. His Brother had learned to hide his emotions, especially any that would get him teased for being weak. Worrying about what would happen in the future was certainly not an Asgardian trait. Thor wondered if not thinking about future consequences was part of what had gone wrong in Loki's punishment.

Loki was worried. Leaning against Annie's Lady Pillows he could hear her heart beating and smell her scent which made him feel a little better but did nothing to stop him from being worried. He kept his hands clasped together, twisting his fingers and pinching the skin so hard he left red marks behind. He wasn't sure what was going to happen and he didn't like that feeling. He held on to the one truth he knew and that was that he wasn't leaving Annie and she wasn't leaving him. She was his.

Lifting her chin from where it rested on top of Loki's head Annie looked to Thor. She recognized the expression he wore, she knew what was going to happen in the next few minutes and she pulled in a deep breath in preparation. She felt Loki's head rise and fall against her chest, he had laid against her the moment Thor had left, and other than occasionally pressing his face against her he hadn't moved or said anything. Which she was glad about because she really didn't know what she would say to him despite having spent the last minutes thinking about that exact thing.

Pushing the door silently closed with a careful deliberateness Thor took a deep breath but tried to not be obvious. He gave Loki what he hoped was a reassuring smile while walking over to the chair he had claimed and sat down heavily in it. 

The silence was loud and Annie opened her mouth to say something, anything but Loki spoke first. "I'm not leaving Annie." His voice was low but had the tone of a child refusing to eat his vegetables while knowing that no one could force him to. 

Annie gave Loki a squeeze, she really didn't want to have this conversation in front of him because she needed to speak freely. She didn't want to explain in front of him, hell, she didn't want to explain at all. "I know buddy. I don't want to leave you either." She swallowed the tightness in her throat.

Turning his face to look up at her Loki spoke with a hint of demand, "Then you will not." He had a stubborn expression on his face, his lips pinched and lines on his forehead.

Annie sighed, "It's not that simple." She closed her eyes momentarily while preparing for what she knew she would need to say. 

Thor decided to take control, if he left it to Loki it would end with his Brother in frustrated tears and Annie feeling guilty. Remembering the many accusations Loki threw at him over their lifetimes Thor worked to find out more information. "I can understand your desire to not leave your home," He tried keeping his tone understanding despite not understanding Annie's reluctance, "However, from Stark's conversation, it would only be for a short time. Possibly only days before he is able to remove the collar and free Loki's magic." Thor ignored Loki's scowl because he had no desire to argue about the fact that once the collar was off he and Loki would be leaving. Where they would go was uncertain but wherever it was Annie would not be going with them.

Keeping the sigh that she wanted to exhale Annie used her hands to rub against Loki's arms. She wouldn't have been able to say if it was to soothe him or herself but she continued to do it while she spoke. She had known she'd have to explain something that she had never before put into words. "I know that. And, well, it's weird but the amount of time doesn't really matter."

Thor kept quiet. Loki always said he spoke when he should keep his mouth shut and listen so Thor was willing to try to follow his Brother's advice. Loki was usually right when pointing out Thor's faults. Actually, he was always right. Thor frowned as he tried to pull his mind back from its wanderings.