IMAGINES: LOKI x READER

Winter miracle

Jane Foster and Maria Blake had been best friends since school. Their two-decade-long friendship had endured not just fire, water, and trials, but also alien invasions, collaborations with the Avengers, and journeys to Asgard as part of a growing alliance between the two realms. That's why Maria was now standing on one of the balconies of the Asgardian palace, staring out at the horizon, feeling a bit melancholic. Her friends were in Midgard, her family was in Midgard, and Midgard was in the middle of winter.

Maria should have been at her parents' house by now, laughing with her brothers at one of her father's old jokes and sipping eggnog, even as her mother good-naturedly grumbled about the mess. Christmas and New Year's were everything to her, but this year, it didn't happen. She was stuck in Asgard, buried under a mountain of work, in a place where no one even knew what Christmas was. The cultural and scientific exchange between the realms had just begun, and no one was letting her go home anytime soon. She knew how important this mission was and couldn't bring herself to leave. That thought made her even sadder. Her heart ached, and Maria couldn't help but feel as if staying here was betraying her family—though deep down, she knew it wasn't. Her family understood why she had to be in Asgard. They knew she was part of something greater.

Suppressing a sigh, she leaned on the stone railing of the balcony and took in the view of Asgard. The golden city was bathed in the warm, orange glow of sunset. It was stunning—unlike any city on Earth. Vast, lively, filled with the hum of voices, the flicker of distant lights, and the first stars twinkling in the sky like Christmas lights on a tree. The sight made her want to stay here, just a little longer, to dream, to think about her loved ones and the snow left behind in Midgard.

Except maybe the snow didn't have to stay in her memories. There it was—falling softly from the sky, caught in a light breeze, swirling in the air, and gently settling on the ground.

Snow? In Asgard?

Maria snapped out of her thoughts, jumping away from the railing. She reached out to catch the tiny snowflakes, watching them melt instantly against her warm hands.

A smile spread across her face. Snow. White, cold, and familiar. Just like back on Earth. But how could it be snowing?

"At least someone's happy about this mess," Thor's booming voice echoed nearby. "For the first time since Asgard's creation, it's snowing."

Maria tore her gaze from the falling snowflakes and looked at Thor, her eyes gleaming with surprise and joy.

"How is this possible?"

"Magic," Thor shrugged, trying to brush snowflakes out of his golden hair.

"Magic?" Maria repeated.

"Yep," Thor nodded. "Looks like someone got tired of your gloomy face and decided to cheer you up."

"Loki," Maria whispered, smiling to herself.

It was funny how things had turned out. She and Jane had come to Asgard, Jane and Thor had reconciled, and the two of them had started dating again. Since then, Jane had teased Maria almost every night, saying she should 'tie down the other brother'—Loki. There was always some truth to Jane's teasing—she had noticed that Maria liked Loki. After all, Maria had a soft spot for tall, dark-haired men. But whether Loki liked Maria, neither of them knew.

"I don't know what you're smiling about, but this snow of yours is a disaster. Wet, cold, and unpleasant," Thor grumbled without real complaint.

"You just don't understand how much fun snow can be. You've spent your whole life in this sunny, warm paradise."

"And how exactly does one enjoy snow?"

"Ask Jane," Maria said with a playful wink, glancing around for the culprit.

Loki was standing nearby, hidden behind one of the columns that separated the balcony from the palace corridor. He'd been watching Maria for some time, noticing how hard it was for her to be away from home, away from the people she loved. She hid it well, but her sad smile and tired eyes, as she gazed at Asgard today, had revealed enough.

And for the first time, someone else's sadness stirred something inside Loki. He wanted to help. To do something that would make her smile.

Recalling that Midgardians celebrated family holidays around this time, Loki saw Maria lean on the balcony railing, and without thinking much, he conjured snow.

The tiny, magical snowflakes began to fall, blanketing Asgard's golden rooftops in white.

Sunshine and snow—it was a beautiful combination, and it worked. Maria smiled. A big, joyful, childlike smile.

Then Thor appeared. He clapped Loki on the shoulder and whispered, "She makes you better just by being near you, brother," before heading over to Maria, who was still catching snowflakes with childlike glee.

Loki didn't hear what Thor and Maria talked about, but when she started looking around, he guessed his brother had told her who was behind the snow.

"Thor said you made it snow," Maria said, stepping closer to Loki, stopping just a meter away.

"For once, my brother's right," Loki smirked.

"But why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did you use your magic to make snow?"

"Because I saw how sad you were," Loki shrugged again.

He wasn't in the mood for his usual games. Not with Maria. She was the first person whose feelings had ever moved him to act...

"You don't like seeing people sad?" Maria smiled. "I didn't think other people's feelings mattered to you."

"Other people's feelings don't matter to me," Loki replied, tilting his head and looking directly at her. "Only yours do."

"I see," Maria said, biting her lip to hide a growing smile.

The rooftops of Asgard gleamed in the evening light, the snow glowing softly as the sun began to set. Maria looked out at the bright sky and the golden city in the distance. She was far from her family, and it hurt, but seeing the snow—this winter wonder created by Loki—made her feel warmer inside. Watching the snowflakes drift to the ground, she felt a sense of connection to her loved ones, who were likely looking at the same kind of snow back in Midgard.

"Would you go on a date with me?" Loki asked, clearing his throat awkwardly, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"Yes!" Maria replied, her face lighting up with happiness.