Guardian

Chapter 34

(Liv's POV):
In hopes of making sure our relationship did not remain strained, I took Loki out shopping the next day. The cookies seemed to have gone over well, although he claimed that he would have moved on from my comments by the end of the day even without the treats. Still, I knew that he appreciated them and it made him more intrigued by the other small businesses that were littered around the city.

Loki showed up outside my door promptly at nine o'clock, as we had agreed upon, dressed in a dark green top covered by a leather jacket and a pair of black jeans. I couldn't help but snort at his attire, causing him to raise an eyebrow at me.

"Sorry, I just- Loki, you are not exactly hiding your identity dressed like that. Your physical disguise is great but those clothing choices absolutely ruin your anonymity," I explained, although I had to admit I adored how his shirt made the color in his eyes really pop. And damn, I would never tell him to shed that leather jacket.

Loki frowned, "and who was it Friday night wearing my colors for all the world to see? You did not seem so concerned with outing me then. Besides, I can tell that you want me to change about as much as I wanted you to do then."

A blush crept up my cheeks as he stepped towards me and tilted my chin up towards him, but I tried to distract from that with a retort, "dream on, buddy. Also, if you get stopped by the Avengers for your suspicious wardrobe choice, then I am going to play the ignorant pawn in all of this."

"As you should," he growled, nipping lightly at my ear. "You are just my pawn, my dear."

I scoffed at his comment and wrapped my arms around his neck, "don't lie, Lokes. I know I have you wrapped around my finger."

"Mm, you are so sexy when you're wrong."

I placed my lips against his, keeping it brief despite the desire welling up in me. Pulling away, I smirked, "sorry, darling, but we have a shopping date to attend to."

"You're such a little tease," he growled, still holding onto me tightly.

In response, I gave him another peck on the lips and wiggled out of his grasp so that I could grab my purse. Slipping my hand in his, I opened the door of the apartment and ushered him outside. As we walked down the streets our bodies remained close together, our hands interlaced. Although, I was regretting not putting on gloves as the brisk air felt fridged against my exposed skin and I certainly was not getting any warmth from Loki's hand. I supposed that was the downside of dating a Frost Giant.

It was not a long walk to the bookshop I had planned on taking Loki to, thankfully, and I watched as Loki's eyes lit up as we stepped inside. A smile spread across my cold lips as I watch him fill with excitement, acting like a child on their birthday. We meandered through the shelves aimlessly, Loki often stopping to pluck a title and read a bit to see if it would be something he was interested in. I chose two books for myself, but I had to admit that I did not often buy books due to how often I moved around. It was easier for me to go to a library so that the number of things I owned did not increase.

Loki, however, was no stranger to an accumulation of material goods. Raised as a prince, he had anything he desired at his disposal and it must have been a shocking change from the libraries in Asgard to the few books he had collected for his apartment. Besides, he had also not had such easy access to the texts of Midgard before in his life.

We left the store weighed down with an incredible number of books, which I insisted on paying for and Loki finally gave in to. At my insistence, we actually returned to my apartment to drop off the books, knowing that he would not want to wander around the city all day having to carry them. He tried arguing that he could handle it and that he has greater strength than a typical midgardian, but again, I had him wrapped around my finger so he finally gave in.