Ensorcellment (Loki X Reader)

Taking it Slow

You drop off your quarry chip at Nautilux, in an envelope with Bruce's wedding ring inside, though you know they'll confirm where his corpse is shortly. You just have to make sure they know it was you- and that you know they tried to kill you. They'll regret that eventually.

The one benefit of their attempt on your life, however, is that your name is back on the map. Contacts who previously wanted nothing to do with you, specifically competitors of Nautilux, are reaching out, and once again you have options. It's not quite back to your hay day, but things are looking up.

Not to mention the hope of a potential romance. It's weird, you know, but so far, it's working. Today, you're meeting up for the first time since he saved you in Bruce's penthouse.

You were nervous at first- you've both never interacted in this way- but you did your best to quell your fears and expectations. Just take it as it comes, and go with the flow. You decided to have him over to your place, which was the perfect excuse to take a week off and visit your trailer in Arizona anyhow. Most mercs don't have a real home base, but you're a sucker deep down for the American dream, you guess. You have a small plot of land out in the desert with a beat-up trailer you've fixed up and made pretty nice. You haven't been home in a while, and if you're going to introduce Loki to the real you, it's a good place to start.

He shows up right on time, but scares the shit out of you because he simply appears in a cloud of smoke right next to you. You almost shoot him, your heart racing as he stands there, confused as to whatever the problem could be.

"I came just as you asked."

"Right, but you- never mind." You reholster your weapon and plant a hand against your heart, taking a minute to breathe. "Any traffic on your way over?"

Loki narrows his eyes at you.

"It's a joke, you can laugh." You take a good look at him. "Uh, I was gonna take us through town, but this fit you have on isn't gonna work for that."

Loki glances down at his Asgardian robes, questioning you with his hands. "What is the problem with my garb?"

"You don't look like you're from around here. And I know that's cause you're not," you add when you see him open his mouth to retort, "but you're gonna get us in trouble dressed like that in a small town like this one. I also can't pull more attention to myself with the kind of work I do for a living."

Loki crosses his arms. "I see."

"Don't worry, I should have some stuff around that will fit you." You lead him inside the trailer.

You leave him in the kitchen/dining area as you run into your closet. "There's, uh, not much to this place. But it's home."

"I see." You know him well enough to tell that his silence is his way of hiding his disdain for your living conditions, but it doesn't bother you. You've seen the way he lives- you both have very different opinions on interior design, not to mention your income.

Truthfully, you love your little hovel. It's cramped, messy, and run down, but you love it that way. You switch on the lights on your way through the foyer, illuminating the trailer with hundreds of colored Christmas lights you'd strung where the ceiling meets the walls. The evening sun creeps in through the skylights you've added to the building, and now the beams reflect off the tiny colored glass bulbs, projecting rainbows and golden light across the space.

"Please, sit." You wave him over to the couch. "There should be some men's stuff in here somewhere. Aha!" You find what you were looking for and bring it out to the living area.

"This guy accidentally ripped my dress one night, so he lent me these to get home in and I-" You realize Loki's face has darkened as you speak.

"Oh, please, we're both adults, we can talk about previous partners." You roll your eyes again, but can't deny the fuzzy feeling in your stomach at his displeasure at you mentioning a previous hookup. You hand him a pair of sweatpants and a tee shirt. "Look, it's even green!"