A Future of our Own

Asgard

The next morning you woke up feeling sore, fuzzy and secure, something that you could definitely say you weren't accustomed to but couldn't deny enjoying the feeling of.

Glancing over your shoulder, you see Loki's face finally settled peacefully as he slept, an arm resting over your hip and hand resting on the bump.

It was peaceful and pleasant.

It was hard to ignore how handsome of an adult Loki was going to grow up to be, the fact that he was already growing into his looks at the academy had made that much obvious, but you hadn't anticipated just how beautiful he would be.

You hated it and yet you loved it.

You'd never say it aloud, but you desperately wished that this was your future.

A future with Loki as your husband, who obviously loved you dearly and whose child you were carrying.

You hadn't dared tell anyone, though Strange figured it out pretty quickly, you did have a thing for Loki and knew that it would never be what this you had with this him. Not when he seemed to be with Amora and you could both, at least in the eyes of the public, barely tolerate one another.

Being here had proven that you could both operate well as a unit but there was always the lingering knowledge that when, or at least if, this was fixed that you would both go back to how it had been before and you'd have to watch him get pawed over by another woman.

May as well make the most of what you had in the moment.

A small sigh comes from behind you and Loki stretches out his long legs, his hand slowly rubbing circles on your bump before it freezes mid-action and then slowly slid away.

You quickly grasped hold of his hand and rolled onto your back, looking at him over your shoulder.

"Oh, you're awake," he said, his voice deliciously husky from sleep.

"Yes, I've only been up a little while though."

"I see, you could have woken me up."

"Sorry, but I thought you might want a lie in," you smiled faintly, "besides, I was enjoying myself."

"Really?" He chuckled, a wonderful deep sound that sent a shiver down your spine. "And here I thought you hated me."

"And there you thought wrong."

Awkwardly, you shifted over so that you could lie facing him, trying to ignore both your nude states and the way you caught his eyes roaming over you as you moved.

"Who can blame me for thinking that way?" Loki finally asked as you finished fiddling with the belly pillow and settled down. "You always seemed to sneer at me and my company."

"It was definitely more at your company."

"Oh, so you do like me?"

He smirked and you did want to hate him for it, but damn did adult Loki pulled the look off ten times hotter than the Loki you knew already did and that was saying something.

"I wouldn't put it that way," you mumbled.

"Then how would you put it?"

"I don't know," you groaned, closing your eyes, "I think you're attractive, but I think most people think that."

Loki scoffed, "Now you're projecting."

"I'm really not, there's Black Widow and Amora."

"Amora only thinks I'm hot when she wants something," he rolled his eyes, "and the widow woman? What are you on about?"

"Oh come on, everyone was going on about you and her being a thing when you were on that weird mission together, I think it involved detention."

"Then everyone is either dumb, blind or both, there is and never was anything between us, we were just working on a mission together as is typical in that blasted place."

You laughed softly, shaking your head.

"You like the academy really."

"No, I like being a nuisance to everyone at the academy."

"I see."

Loki stared at you for a moment, his eyes flickering over your face before he sighed and moved a bit of hair from your face.

"If you have a thing for me, just tell me," he said softly.

"It's never that simple, Loki."

"Really? Because I think it's simpler than that."

"You're also ridiculously confident."

He flinched back, his eyebrows raising in surprise before he laughed.

"You think? Ever heard of putting up a front?"

"A front that seems too natural to you."

"I am the God of Lies," he smiled with a simple shrug, "some things I am confident in, but everyone questions things."

"What do you question?"

Loki's eyes flickered briefly, looking almost sad as he averted them before looking back at you.

He hesitated in answering, you found Loki hard to read but you would guess that it was from uncertainty of revealing such a personal weakness.

Finally he parted his lips with a soft sigh and met your inquiring gaze again.

"Who is being a genuine friend and who is merely using me for an advantage."

You frowned at the tone in his voice, heart squeezing painfully at the connotation behind his words.

"Loki.."

"We should get up," he said quickly, throwing the covers away and standing up, giving you an amazing view that flustered you.

Although you had both been intimate the night before, you hadn't exactly had a chance to see him in all his glory due to the obvious distractions and now that you could take everything in it would be a lie to say that you weren't kind of proud of yourself for snagging him.

It was a sudden eyeful and broke the moment of sincerity, but you weren't complaining.

"Fine," you spoke, slowly sitting up while awkwardly holding your side of the cover to your chest, "but we'll have to talk about last night eventually."

"Happily," he smirked over his shoulder before disappearing into the bathroom, locking the door behind himself.