IMAGINES: LOKI x READER

Bodyguard for Midgard's girl

Michelle was a Midgardian scientist. She had managed to unravel the secret of how the legendary "Rainbow Bridge" worked and was actively developing a prototype of such a teleport. Because of her work, she became the most sought-after target for bounty hunters, surpassing even the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy on the Galaxy's most-wanted list.

Some wanted to obtain Michelle's knowledge and research for themselves, while others, particularly those involved in space transportation, wanted to eliminate her. If her experiments succeeded, the demand for their services would plummet, if not disappear altogether.

Michelle declined Stark's offer to work in his lab, refusing to be confined to a tall tower like a 'prisoner', even for her own safety. She craved freedom, the mundanity of morning routines, the simple act of blending into the crowd, and that's why she needed a bodyguard.

Few knew what the "brilliant Midgardian" looked like, but those who did weren't shy about making attempts on her life and freedom. Captain America and the other Avengers tried to keep an eye on her and fend off attacks, but they had their own responsibilities, so they were often pulled away. As for Thor, he was constantly darting from one planet to another, just like the Guardians.

So, when Loki was temporarily exiled from Asgard for yet another act of defiance against his father, Thor suggested that his brother move to Midgard and become Michelle's personal protector. It would keep him from getting bored and allow him to keep his skills sharp.

At first, Loki refused, but then, either out of boredom or because Thor didn't leave him alone for an entire week, he reluctantly agreed.

Protecting Michelle wasn't as bad as he had expected. The Midgardian was quite sensible and reasonable. She was always aware of her actions and didn't make a scene when she didn't understand why Loki was urgently asking her to get down on the floor and cover her head. She simply trusted her bodyguard implicitly.

This amused Loki a bit. Such trust was unfamiliar to him, and without realizing it, he found himself yearning to live up to it.

Michelle wasn't attacked often, and those who did try were swiftly dealt with by Loki. After all, he wasn't just some magician or an ordinary Avenger—he was a God, powerful, commanding, mesmerizing.

And Michelle fell in love with this dark-haired God. He protected her, while she secretly pined for him—falling for her protector, like the heroine of a romance epic.

Loki was different from the men she had known before. He wasn't hypocritical, wasn't obsessed with his appearance, and he couldn't care less that she had several doctoral degrees and almost as much money as Stark. None of this threatened his ego.

Loki was straightforward, perceptive, and knew when to stay silent. He made sarcastic jokes, rolled his eyes with dry humor, and smiled slyly. Being near him was an intoxicating mix of tension and ease, even when he was angry and hurling green lightning. And he was always there.

Even today, when Michelle officially offered him a day off and said she could ask someone from private security or the Avengers to watch over her. After all, Loki hadn't taken a break or a vacation since he became her bodyguard.

But he refused, and this threw her off balance. Seeing Loki and knowing he didn't share her feelings was hard.

She had never believed in love. She understood it as a mere biological impulse, a trick of the body, a way to push a person toward reproduction. But when Loki entered her life, with his broad shoulders hidden beneath a black shirt, long legs, and blue eyes one could drown in, she began to suspect that love was more than just hormones and pheromones.

Especially when living with these feelings alone and not knowing what to do with them.

Michelle wanted to take a break, to have at least one day without seeing that sly smile and those black locks, but Loki didn't want to leave.

He even followed her to the bar after work.

Then he stayed until midnight.

And now he was walking just behind her, escorting her home. He didn't even complain about the unusual May chill in the air or the occasional raindrops.

But Michelle wished he would start complaining, to see at least one flaw in him. Maybe then it would be easier to breathe around him, maybe then her heart wouldn't beat so loudly, drowning out the nighttime silence of the big city.

It couldn't go on like this. She couldn't work peacefully with Loki nearby; she couldn't stop thinking about him.

"I'm tired," Michelle suddenly stopped in the middle of the road and looked up at the night sky.

A few cold drops fell on her face.

"Do you want to call a taxi, or should I carry you in my arms?" Loki asked, arching his dark brow mischievously.

"No," she exhaled slowly and turned around. "I want to request a different bodyguard, Loki."

The smile instantly vanished from his lips, and his eyes turned as black as the night sky without a single star.

"Why?" he asked, stepping toward her.

"Because I'm tired."

"That's not an answer."

"No, it's not," Michelle replied, her voice softer.

She looked at him, seeing the sharp cheekbones, thin lips, and how his hair gleamed with a bluish tint in the pale moonlight. She saw the curiosity in his sharp gaze and how his nostrils flared in impatience.

Loki needed an answer. He wouldn't back down or leave until he knew the truth.

"I'm just in love," Michelle said in one breath, "in love with you, Loki."

The next second, the night's silence was broken by joyful laughter. Loki was laughing, smiling broadly, and clutching his stomach.

It hurt. She had expected this, knowing that after her confession, he might say something, laugh right in her face, or crush her soul, but in reality, it was far more painful than she imagined.

A sharp, icy knife stabbed straight into her heart, tearing it apart.

Michelle quickly turned away and walked off, wiping away her tears. She wouldn't say anything else to him until her heart and mind recovered.

"Wait." Loki quickly caught up to her and grabbed her hand. "Hold on. I won't let you leave, let alone take another bodyguard."

"Why?" Michelle raised her chin proudly and looked him straight in the eye.

She was ready for any blow, for any words he might say.

"Because you can't have a better bodyguard than me. I've fallen in love with you."

"What?" She couldn't believe her ears, even gasping in surprise.

"How else?" Loki smirked as if he had said something obvious, even to a child. "If I hadn't fallen in love with you at first sight, do you think I would have agreed to this job? I'm a God, after all, and what God would agree to be a bodyguard for a Midgardian's girl? That's beneath someone like me."

"I..."

Michelle didn't know what to say. She stood there, staring at Loki, trying to believe what was happening.

"You don't believe me," he murmured thoughtfully, reading the confusion on her face. "What about this?"

And in the next second, his lips covered hers in a sweet kiss, one that entwined their fates forever, making their hearts stop for a moment, then beat faster and faster, in perfect unison... as if they were destined to be one.