For Better or For Worse (Loki x Reader)

Chapter Tweleve

Heyo, people's of the internet. How goes it? I hope it's going well. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, another inspired by a prompt from @BeautifulHiccstrid I changed it up a little bit though, so I hope you like it!

~~~~~~~~~~~~Loki's POV~~~~~~~~~~~

A light breeze flowed through the garden ruffling the plentiful leaves and flowers. The air was warm but not too warm. It was the perfect weather really. It was the perfect temperature outside, and the breeze wasn't a full blown gale. The sweet scent of flowers was thick in the air, but somehow, it was not overpowering. I had always loved my mother's garden though I would never admit it to anyone. I couldn't admit it to anyone. My reputation would be dust if they were to know I had a soft side.

I shook my head, pressing my hand further against the bark of the tree I partially stood behind. You've not gone soft. You don't have a soft side. You've never had one, and you never will. You'll die before you grow soft. You can't grow soft, that leaves you vulnerable, and no one can see you vulnerable. You can't grow soft, not even for her, I shouted to myself mentally.

Her. (F/N). The first person I had ever met to have me absolutely stumped. She was the first person that I could not decipher, could not figure out. And she was the one and only person I could not get out of my head. The way she talked, she laughed, how she was brutally blunt with me. She was not afraid of me, well not anymore. The more time she spent on Asgard, the more she came out of her shell.

When we were first married, she was a shy, angry girl with no hold on her emotions. She could go from being quiet and distant to a raging fire in a split second. When I had first met her, I could see a cold fire burning in her eyes, and a few times, she just couldn't hold back. She let it flare up without any care in the world. And when she had taken a step back and realized what she had done, she retreated back into her impenetrable shell. 

Up until the other night, I couldn't understand why she had acted this way, but now I understood. She was troubled girl. Though she may act strong, she was broken on the inside. She had been broken for so long, and she was just now coming to find her healing.

I sighed, leaning against a tall oak in the middle of the garden. The branches were long and in need of trimming, but it kept me out of the sun but allowed me a perfect view of a certain girl. Most people would find it unnerving or creepy, but I was only observing. I wanted to figure this girl out. I wanted to know why she made me feel the way I felt. I grew flustered every time she smiled, every time she let out that beautiful laugh. And after the other day at the waterfall...I wasn't sure what to think.

She had reached right up and kissed me. Though it hadn't been on the lips or anything overly intimate, it was a kiss nonetheless. Butterflies had immediately erupted in my stomach, a feeling I was unfamiliar with. The rest of the evening had been awkward to say the least. She had retreated back into her shell, refusing to even look at me. We hadn't talked since. I could tell she was giving me room, probably thinking she had crossed a line.

She may have crossed a line, but I couldn't really say that I was unhappy. I could still feel the slight tingle of her soft lips on my cheek. It had only been a quick peck, but it was more than had ever been shared between us. In the moment, I knew she didn't regret it, and I couldn't say I did ether, but after she had avoided me for an entire day, I knew she was questioning. But, a kiss was still a kiss.

She was sitting under a trellis of Blue Morning Glories, beautiful flowers really. Her long (H/C) hair blew in the breeze, and every once and a while she would brush it back behind her ears, something I had noticed was also a nervous tick. She truly was beautiful, more beautiful than any flower in this garden. I couldn't believe I had tired to suppress my feelings for her, but now, I wasn't sure what I was meant to do. I had never felt this way about a woman before. I still wasn't entirely sure of what I was feeling, but I had a pretty good idea. And there was no way in Hel that I was going to talk this over with anyone. I would have to say goodbye to my dignity if I did that.