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Chapter Text

- Yasmin's Pov -

My day had actually been going quite well. That should have been the first warning sign that things were about to go horribly wrong. I had thankfully managed to avoid a conversation with my parents as I had left the small flat before they had woken up this morning. I had to get to my job. And it was payday, which meant I were one step closer to finally being able to move out into my own apartment. I was two weeks away from turning 21 and, most importantly, today marked one month with no sign of my powers.

But given that things had been running smoothly, I should have guessed that it was too good to be true. It was half past five on Friday afternoon, and I was slowly making my way back to the flat, taking the longest route through the streets of New York as possible. I can't call it a home as it never felt like a home. I was just someone that is going to get a beating. That was the price I was going to pay for walking out without saying anything this morning.

That's when I heard the screams, quickly followed by a loud screech of metal.
"LOOK OUT!" Someone shouted. I spun around right in time to see a bus flying through the air towards me. There was no time to think. Just a split second of disbelief before the bus was on top of me.
"Think I prefer a bus to a beating," I mentally sighed as I closed my eyes. Resigned that this was what was going to kill me. Hold on. If I were dead, how was I thinking? Slowly, I cracked my eyes open, and I exhaled heavily, my heart racing. I was inside the bus. Like in the bus, sitting on one of the seats. Surrounded by the mist.
"Oh joy," There was a hole in the side of the bus. I knew what caused it. I did when I used my magic. Don't ask me what my powers are. All I know is that I can teleport and unwillingly make a shield. So far, that is all I can do. "Guess it's back to day zero," I could hear people panicking outside. Typically, most New Yorkers cannot wait to see someone squished by a bus. Morbid Mortals.

Suddenly, the bus's door was ripped open. There were gasps of shock from the people who had gathered around the scene.
"Apologies, I don't usually make a habit of throwing vehicles on top of innocent bystanders." I turned around to see where the deep voice had come from and came face to face with a very large, very solid chest. Looking up, my eyes met a pair of bright blue ones, surrounded by a mass of long blonde hair. Oh, my days. I just had a bus thrown at me by Thor. As in the God of Thunder, "Are you not hurt?"
"Pure luck?" I stuttered. I mentally cursed myself for being so socially awkward. Why could I not be like everyone else?
"Yes, Stark, I'm still here... Yes, I'll be there!" Thor said loudly and suddenly, pressing a finger to his ear. Thor then turned to me, "Are you alright, My lady?" He asked. I nodded. Still in shock that Thor threw a bus at me.
"Perfectly," I smiled. I wasn't. I was a nervous wreck and wanted to go home.
"Very Well. Be safe," Thor spoke as he ran out of the bus and flew off to where he was needed.
"Bye," I said weakly to the empty spot in front of me. I needed to sit down. But my wobbly knees would have to wait; I had to go. People were starting to come up to the bus and were still staring and pointing. I hurried away from the scene and collapsed on the first bench I came to, thoroughly shaken. And not because I had my face in Thor's chest. But because my powers had just saved my life. I have lived in constant fear of it, and it had just saved my ass from literal death. I looked around. I needed to get home.

I took a deep breath as I walked down the hallway to the flat, bracing myself as I unlocked the door. My so-called father was up in my face from the moment I opened the door.
"And where have you been?" Great, he's been drinking again. He was loud when he was drunk. I hated it. I hated him."I was at work,"
"Your shift finished ages ago!" Father yelled, spit flying out of his mouth, "And don't think you can lie to me, young lady!" I tuned out as he yelled. I just thought about today and how Thor didn't even freak out that I hadn't been injured by the bus. Although he was probably used to seeing weird things like that, "Are you even listening to me?" Father slapped the side of my head. "What, are you deaf now? Answer me!" I felt an odd burning sensation behind my eyes, almost like I were about to start crying. I blinked hard and looked up at the man who had made my childhood a misery.
"Back away," I snarled. Something snapped inside me. Father stumbled backwards into the wall, his expression changing from anger to shock to revulsion. I wasn't sure what had made him react like that. It might have been that I actually spoke back to him. But it had shut him up. I pushed past him and made my way into the small box room. My eyes were still burning.

The minute I shut the door, I turned to look in the mirror. And stared. And smiled.
"So that's why he backed off," My eyes were a deep shade of purple. And glowing. After a few seconds of utter shock, I stepped forward to look more closely. It was quite beautiful, really. The deep purple swirls around. I should be more freaked out, but if I were being honest, I was used to being a freak. I collapsed on your bed. Though I wouldn't call it a bed, more a bedroll from Skyrim. I have often wondered if sleeping on a park bench would be better. It's not like I could turn to any friends and ask for help. I was alone. No one would notice if I left.

A few hours later, I heard someone banging on the front door. Most likely, someone was coming to buy drugs from my mother. But then I heard my father yelling.
"What's going on?" I heard my mother speak, "If this is about the rent, you will have to wait until Friday."
"He's not from the landlord. This oaf is trying to take Yasmin!" Father yelled. Someone is after me. Just what I need. "Look, man, you can't just rock up here and take her."
"I'm deeply sorry, Mr Jones, but I am under strict instructions to bring her with me. Yasmin could be dangerous." Uh oh. Someone saw my powers. How on earth did they find me? Pretty sure I never told Thor my name. I mean, the man who is here is not wrong. I am dangerous. I deserve to be locked away.

And since it looks like I am leaving, I picked up my old phone and my bag that had all my money in it. And my favourite book too, my toothbrush and a couple of T-shirts. I didn't have much. I slowly opened my door to see my parents arguing with a man in a suit.
"You only just worked that out, did you? Of course, she's dangerous!" Mother laughed, "She's a freak! The only reason we've kept her around for so long is that she needs to repay us! She owes us thousands, for food, rent..."
"You haven't paid for anything for me since I was 12!" All three heads snapped around to look at me as I walked towards the group. "Dude in a suit. You wanted to speak to me?"
"Miss Jones, my name is Phil Coulson. I am here to escort you to the Avengers Tower." A man in a black suit spoke. He just said the Avengers Tower? Holy shit. How much trouble was I in? And when can I leave?
"As I am, Lady Yasmin," Thor stuck his head around the doorway. So Thor did notice my powers. But how did they find me? Mother and Father backed off before Father shook his head and tried to move Thor and Coulson out of the way so he could shut the door. Thor sighed and stood his full height, towering over my father by at least a foot "Sir, I would think twice before trying to move me."
"You're not escorting her anywhere, you oversized tree! Yasmin is our property, and you--" Father yelled.
"Can ignore this lot. I'm coming with you!" I interrupted the moron as I raced out of the door, not even deigning to glance backwards and joined Mr Coulson and Thor in the hallway.
"You cannot leave!" My father tried to grab me, but Thor blocked him.
"It would be wise if you do not touch her. I made a mistake of throwing a bus at someone today. However, I will not hesitate to throw you out the window," Thor warned before he turned to me. "Do you have everything you need?" Thor asked, glancing at the small bag I was carrying. I smiled as I nodded, "Then let us away," he replied cheerfully over the sound of my dad still yelling, and strolled away down the corridor to the stairwell.
"Good riddance," I said to the two screaming people who were still standing in the hallway. I gave the middle finger as I walked out the door. I had no idea where I was going as I followed Thor and Coulson, but anything would be better than what I were walking away from.

Chapter Text

- Yasmin's Pov -

Oh. My. Days. I have finally left that hellhole! I'm free! I never have to see those people again! I could finally breathe. I walked next to Coulson and Thor, bursting with questions.
"Miss Jones, I'm sure you have lots of questions, but I think Mr Stark should talk to you first," Coulson spoke as he went and stood by a black car "If we leave now, we may just avoid traffic."
"It's 6 o'clock. Traffic is going to be hell," I sighed.
"Son of Coul, I can get Lady Yasmin to the Tower in no time," Thor smiled. Coulson nodded. Thor then turned to me, "I assume you have never flown before?"
"You mean in a plane? Nope, never," I shook my head.
"I'm not talking about those strange metal cans Midgardians use to fly." I fought back a smile at Thor's description of a plane.
"The answer is still the same," I replied.
"Then may I suggest you hold on tight," he suggested, pulling me closer to him.
"Gods, this is awkward," I wrapped my arms around the God of Thunder, reluctant to hold on too tightly. This changed rapidly as Thor wielded Mjolnir above his head and we rocketed into the sky. I might have let out a surprised shriek and tightened my grip considerably, holding on for dear life and squeezing my eyes shut as the ground fell away from beneath me.

Thankfully, it was over fairly quickly, and my feet touched down on solid ground again.
"Apologies, I know that can be quite an overwhelming experience, but it saves us waiting in the traffic," Thor spoke as he made sure that I was less wobbly "Are you alright?"
"I think so," I confirmed shakily, releasing my death grip. Once I knew I was steady, I opened my eyes. And my mouth dropped "Whoa," We were standing on the giant H painted on the helipad, looking out over the whole of New York City. I was standing on the Avengers Tower. The sun was just beginning to set, painting the sky with hues of orange, pink and purple. The lights of the city were just starting to appear, spread out far below. It was the most gorgeous thing I had ever seen.
"Tis best to get you inside, Lady Yasmin. Tis getting cold," Thor spoke as he gestured for me to follow him. I reluctantly tore my eyes away and followed Thor inside, down some stairs. As we walked, I wrapped my arms around myself. "Do not be scared, we just want to help you," Thor said with a kind smile, which eased my nerves slightly.
"I'm not scared, just nervous as hell. This is all happening very quickly. Ten minutes ago, I was lying on my bed questioning my life, and now I'm in the Avengers Tower with you, about to have a conversation with Tony Stark."
"Stark isn't so bad. He may be rich and famous, but he's just a simple Midgardian, like everyone else." I wasn't sure whether to be reassured or offended by this comment, but I knew that Thor meant no offence.

As we walked downstairs, I stayed slightly behind Thor. I still don't know what is going on. Stark does not want to talk to a nobody like me. I wasn't even in the top set in high school. I was a waitress at a rundown cafe. I was a nobody. A nothing. A freak. As we stood in front of a large door, Thor put his hand on my shoulder and squeezed reassuringly.
"You will be fine, Lady Yasmin."
"I'm meant to go in there on my own?" I can't just stroll on in by myself! This has to be some sort of test! Erugh, I hate tests. I am going to fail this and probably get locked up somewhere.
"Lady Yasmine, you can handle this. If you can handle your parents, then you will be fine. I shall see you very soon." Thor replied and turned to stroll back down the corridor. Thor was right. I have looked out for myself since I was 6. Gritting my teeth, I pushed the door open and stepped inside.

I looked around at the huge room, which was a sort of kitchen, bar, dining room and lounge all in one. It was empty. I let out a shaky breath that I had been holding and relaxed considerably. Tony Stark was only human, and he was late. I walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window, which stretched across most of the room, to watch the rest of the sunset grace the sky over New York. It truly was gorgeous. I caught sight of my reflection in the glass and remembered my eyes from earlier, feeling a swell of anxiety rise in my chest. I can't deal with that now. I stared out of the window and watched the sun disappear behind the horizon, and then watched as the sky began to lose its colour and get slowly darker.
"Not a bad view, huh?" I turned around abruptly to see Tony Stark standing at the bar, watching me. Hmm, I hadn't heard him come in. He smiled, "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I'm Tony. Tony Stark."
"I know who you are," I replied weakly, trying to return his smile as he walked over to join me by the window "It is nice to meet you, Mr Stark," I said, holding my hand out. He shook it firmly.
"Tony, please. Mr Stark was my father. Good handshake by the way," he replied, and then gestured to the sofa behind us "Shall we sit?"

Once we were both sitting on the sofa, he turned to face me with a serious expression.
"I heard you've been through quite an ordeal today. First, Thor managed to drop a bus on you," I heard someone shout Sorry. I assume that was Thor. I laughed and shrugged, "Like he said, sorry about that."
"Happens to the best of us," I said. Tony laughed at that.
"Yes, but you don't seem to have been seriously injured by that, which is quite abnormal. Do you know what happened? Thor said he thought you used some sort of magic?"
"Is that why I'm here?" I picked at the hem of my shirt.
"Yes," At least he was honest. This was the Avengers Tower. If they knew I had magic, then they might be able to help to either control it or get rid of it. Maybe they wanted me to.... no, Yasmin. Don't get ahead of yourself. Who would want you? "We just want to find out a bit more about you, that's all. And you don't seem like a dangerous criminal, so that's a start." Tony said with a wink. I laughed.
"Criminal, nope. A nobody, yes. But the dangerous part... That I am not so sure about myself." I looked down at the floor.
"What do you mean?"
"I do have powers, but the thing is... I don't know how to use it... Whatever is it yet? I've been calling it the mist."
"But you managed to protect yourself today when you were in danger?" Tony frowned. I looked at my hands.
"That wasn't me. I was happy to stand there and let the bus hit me. But the mist... it was like the mist wanted to protect me. I closed my eyes and waited for the bus to hit me, and then the next thing I knew, I was in a bubble inside a bus." I looked up at Tony. He was stroking his chin, but he was also frowning at me.
"That's interesting. So you've never used it before today?" I looked at the floor again.
"Not intentionally." I exhaled heavily. I may as well tell him. He would probably find a way if I didn't. "When I was younger, 7 or 8, my dad... I can't really call him my dad,"
"Let's just call him toxic twatwaffle," Tony smiled.
"That guy... He used to hurt me. He would get drunk and yell at me for a bit, then, if he was really angry, he would hit me. It happened a few times, but this one time it was... the mist..." I struggled to find the words. I have never told anyone about my past. No one would believe me.
"The mist? Did it protect you?" I nodded, "Sheesh. The dude deserved it, and I take it that he was okay?"
"Eventually. He was too proud to tell anyone that a child had bettered him though, and he never spoke of it. He didn't try and hurt me again after that." He tried many times, though, but he always backed off. Tony gave me a sympathetic look. I hated that look. I do not deserve anyone's sympathy. I don't deserve anything.
"Well, you can't go back there then, can you?" Tony leaned back on the sofa.
"I was saving up to move out. I had enough for a down payment on an apartment," Tony then stood up "JARVIS, tell the others they can come in. And turn the lights up, would you?"
"Yes Sir," A voice spoke. I jumped as I saw that no one else was in the room. Then the lights came on and I panicked a little.
"Easy, kid. That's JARVIS, you can talk to him any time to ask for anything, within reason."
"Okay..." I looked around. I needed to breathe. These people didn't want to hurt me.

Over the next 20 minutes, I was introduced to the Avengers. Captain America (Or Steve, as he liked to be called) arrived first, along with his friend (or boyfriend), Bucky Barnes. Then came Pepper, Tony's girlfriend. She came in with a bag of clothes.
"Thor said that you didn't have much with you and Tony asked me to pick you some clothes up. I hope I got your size right."
"Thanks," I stuttered as I took the bag. The next to walk in was Black Widow and Hawkeye. When I called them by their superhero names, they did the same thing Steve did and told me to call them Nat and Clint. Dr Banner was the next to arrive, and he said I can call him whatever makes me happy. So I chose Banner. He was okay with it and went and stood by Tony. Thor reappeared last, greeting me with a huge smile.
"Okay!" Tony announced, clapping his hands, "Now that we're all introduced, I can tell you that Yasmin will be staying with us for the foreseeable future as we believe she might have, well, magic basically." Here he paused, and I looked down at the floor. This is the part where they all run away, and I get locked up somewhere.
"Alright," Bucky eventually said. My head shot up and I smiled. This lot might not be so bad.
"And also her parents weren't exactly the best, so we're looking after her now. Not that you need looking after," he added quickly, as I opened my mouth in protest "Nat, I also think it would be a good idea for her to have some training, just so that we can assess the situation." Tony addressed Nat, who nodded amiably and gave me a glimpse of a smile. Or her lip might have just twitched. I prefer the smile.
"Where's she gonna sleep, Tony?" Bruce asked. I wrapped my arms around myself.
"I could sleep on the couch," I muttered. Everyone mumbled something. I looked at the floor, "Or outside," I replied. Wouldn't have been the first time.
"Your parents made you sleep outside?" Bruce replied. I heard Barton whisper to Nat, and she agreed, and they both left the room, claiming they would be right back. Pepper then whispered in Tony's ear, and he nodded.
"Only when I didn't clean the kitchen," I mumbled.
"Well, you will be pleased to know that is not how we run things here. We have a couple of rooms free. One is yours," Tony spoke. Pepper nodded.
"Miss Yasmin, where's your stuff?" Steve asked.
"Urm, I have this bag from Pepper and that's it. Oh, and my backpack," I sighed, holding up the small bag. Everyone looked at me in either shock or sympathy. "No need for the looks. I am used to having nothing." It was silent for a split second before Tony thankfully started talking again, and I followed him from the room and back down the corridor I had come in.

We went up the stairs and into an elevator, which took us down several levels, and then along another corridor.
"So here are everyone's rooms. Thor's. Not that he sleeps in there. I think he has a girlfriend in the city, Natasha, Steve's and Bucky's. And no, they are not a thing. They seem to be joined at the hip," Tony pointed at a load of doors. Barton sleeps somewhere out of town or in the vents. I think he has a bird's nest somewhere up top. Banner has a flat of his own over the road," Tony pointed at different doors as we walked past them. "Pepper and I sleep up one level. The stairs over there lead to it. This is one of the rooms I was telling you about," Tony pushed open a door to reveal an empty room with nothing more than a bed, a chest of drawers and a cupboard.
"Whoa," It was four times the size of my old room. And the view was amazing.
"It's not that big, but there's an en-suite through there," Tony told me, and I stuck my head through the door to see a bathroom which was also bigger than the one back at the flat.
"This is far more than I need. I would be happy with a closet under the stairs," I told him, hardly able to believe that this room could be mine.
"No one will ever be treated like Harry Potter. Now come on. You haven't seen the other room yet! Come on." Tony laughed, and I followed him further down the corridor.

The other room was a little bigger and had some fancy book nook, but I chose the first room, not because I liked it more than the other,s but because it was nearest to everyone else. And mainly because I fell in love with the view the second I saw it.
"Dinner is in 10 minutes. Make sure you wash up, and I'll send someone to come find you." Tony smiled and left me to unpack. I took out the clothes I had brought and the bundle Pepper gave me and put them in the chest of drawers. Placed my book by the bed and then took out a photo of my parents when we were happy. I must have been 4 at the time. We had just gone to the beach. It was also the last time I saw them happy. My Father started drinking, and my Mother got hooked on Coke. By the time I was 6, I had resorted to stealing from the school cafeteria just to have food. The weekends and breaks were the worst. I had to steal from the market to eat. As I grew older, I often wondered if I was actually related to those people. I asked them if I was adopted when I was 11. They laughed and said they were my parents because who would choose me?

I was pretty much done with unpacking in less than a minute. I walked into the bathroom and cleaned myself up. I put a new T-shirt on, and it was only a size bigger than I was, but it was soft and comfy. I must ask Pepper where she brought it. Since I was going to be staying here, I might as well use the money I had saved to buy myself some clothes.

Once cleaned up, I sat down on the floor in front of the far wall of my room, which was actually a floor-to-ceiling window which stretched from wall to wall. Thank god that I wasn't scared of heights. I smiled as I looked down at the tiny people walking along the street far below. I wonder how high up I am.

I felt like I were in a hotel. There was an en-suite for the love of god! But I was going to be staying here. Tony wasn't going to kick me out for no reason. Though I think I need to work on not freaking out when I speak to one of the Avengers. This was going to be my life now. I then heard a knock at the door.
"Come in," I shouted. Just as I stood up, Bucky stuck his head round the door.
"Hey, kid. Stark sent me. Dinner's ready if you are hungry?" Bucky smiled.
"Great," I was about to have tea with the Avengers. No big deal. I smiled as I followed Bucky. I hoped that I wasn't too awkward.

Chapter Text

- Yasmin's Pov -

It had been the craziest year of my life. And hands down, one of the best. Within two days of arriving, Tony had given me a credit card and sent me off to New York to get everything I needed—clothes, shoes and furniture for your room.
"Normally, I would send someone out with the newbies, but I think we have established that you can look after yourself. So I will have Happy drive you around," I liked Happy. He was fun. He knew the best places to buy cheeseburgers.

Despite not wanting to spend Tony's money, I brought the bare necessities. Tony told me off for spending less than $100. That's when he got Pepper and Nat involved because, apparently, they knew how to shop properly.

Within the first month, I had started training with Nat, and she seemed pleasantly surprised at the shape I was already in. After I knocked Barton on his ass, I got a smile out of her. But I knew that she didn't entirely trust me yet. She never said as much, but I could tell. I knew that I would have to work for that for a while. I trained 5 days with her for 4 or 5 months, and after kicking Barton's ass many times, she had warmed up to me. We even went to the movies a few times.

Steve was the mother hen of the group (despite his hard outer shell). Whenever I had a bad day, he stood at my door in a white tank, arms crossed and listened to everything I had to say. Turns out that he can make a banging pancake despite not being allowed in the kitchen. He was the second nicest man I had ever met, apart from maybe Thor, albeit slightly guarded.

Bucky was hilarious and really nice to me. He was also the newbie and made me feel at home. Unlike Steve, Bucky loved new technology. Steve struggled to use one of those old dial phones, while Bucky was straight in with the new iPhone. He also taught me how to play Blackjack. Something that Tony hated.

Bruce was calm, funny and a total science nerd, everything the Hulk wasn't. I will admit that I struggled to imagine him as the 'big guy' that everyone called him. I did find Hulk funny when he threw Thor across New York because Thor accidentally drank his strawberry milkshake.

Thor was the funniest. He never once made me feel stupid because I didn't understand something. When I didn't understand the Nine Realms thing, he sat down with me and explained. He was patient. Something I was not used to. He's addicted to strawberry Poptarts. Tony claims that's where most of the food budget goes.

Clint was more like Natasha. I had to get to know him before he became friendly. I had no idea he was deaf. He was more guarded than Nat, but I had made good progress. He taught me how to fire a bow at Christmas.

And then there was Pepper, who treated me like I was her daughter. Which I did find odd at first. I never knew what a mother was supposed to be like, but Pepper was a good one. She's always telling me to eat at every opportunity and constantly checking up on me. I loved her like she was my mother. I might have accidentally called her it the other night. She never corrected me; she just smiled at me. I might have to talk to her about it all.

Everything had been going amazingly until last week. I had witnessed my first major argument. And it was a big one. From what I could hear so far, Thor was trying to persuade Tony that someone should come in live in the Avengers Tower, and Tony was adamant that it was a bad idea.
"There ain't no way in hell he is coming here!" Tony yelled. I was in the lounge, reading quite peacefully in the company of Natasha and Barton, when Tony and Thor came bursting into the lounge.
"But Stark..." Thor sighed. Tony immediately turned to the three of us on the sofa.
"Are you hearing this?" he demanded angrily.
"Not really," Barton replied, pointing to his hearing aid. It was turned off. With a quick flick, it was on. "Now I can. What's going on?"
"Remember Loki? Thor thinks he should move in." Barton and Natasha immediately joined in with the yelling, but failed miserably at being heard over Thor's booming voice.
"He cannot stay!" Barton yelled.
"At least Legolas agrees with me," Tony waved at Barton.
"He is my family, Stark! I cannot abandon my brother," Thor put his hands on his hips. I ain't going to lie, I was confused. Wasn't Loki the one who had led the alien invasion on Earth to try and become the ruler of the world? If that is the Loki that I was warned about, then I was sure that I didn't want him sleeping across the hallway. Even if he was Thor's brother. I wasn't in New York when it happened. I was in Texas visiting my grandma. My train of thought was interrupted as Thor bellowed and probably ruptured your eardrums.
"Ow," I winced, covering my ears.
"Apologies, Lady Yasmin," Thor bowed his head before turning back to his teammates. "I understand that you do not feel warmly towards him after what he did."
"Understatement," Barton grumbled.
"But like he brainwashed you using the spear thing, did you not stop to think that he was also being brainwashed? I can assure you that was not him!" Thor sighed. Barton went to argue, but then grumbled and walked back to the sofa. "Please, Stark. My brother has nowhere else to go. Our Father has--"
"Fine! He can stay here. He will have a restraint on him at all times, so that means no magic, and if he tries anything, anything at all. He is out of here!" Tony shoved a finger in Thor's face. Thor looked shocked, but not as shocked as Natasha and Clint.
"Thank you," he finally said and turned and strode from the room.

The minute he was gone, Clint started spluttering.
"Stark, you can't possibly be serious about letting him stay here. The man is a psychopath," Natasha said angrily.
"Thor said he was being brainwashed," I chipped in, probably not helping the situation, but I had to speak up.
"Yas... The only brainwashing going on was him brainwashing me; he's probably made it up to get out of the death sentence or whatever it is they have on... wherever it is they live." Clint retorted.
"Asgard," I stated. I did want to visit, but Thor said that Midgardians were not allowed. Which was a total bummer.
"Not the point!" Clint yelled. I put my hands up in an apologetic gesture, not wanting to piss him off.
"Okay. Less yelling. But I will add that I trust Thor," I said simply, running my hands through my hair. "If Thor thought it was safe to bring Loki here, then we should be fine with it. Even if the man is a psychopath,"

Sometime later, I found Thor sitting alone on the roof. He disappeared after dinner, after people (Nat and Barton) told him he was crazy and that his brother deserved everything he got thrown at him.
"Hey," I smiled, sitting next to him on the edge of the helipad, my legs dangling over the edge of the Avengers Tower. This time last year, I would have been terrified, but I knew that my magic would not let me get hurt, and also, I was sitting next to Thor. And he was a damn good flyer.
"Evening, Lady Yasmin." Thor greeted me with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"I'm sorry about how the others are acting. I wish they wouldn't take it out on you, you're just trying to do the right thing." I said apologetically.
"I do understand where they're coming from," Thor looked up at the night sky "They have every right to dislike Loki, he tried to destroy everything," Thor replied sadly.
"You said he was being brainwashed, though, right? If it wasn't really him..." I trailed off, thinking back to the day it had happened, not that long ago. It had been terrifying, and people had died. I couldn't imagine how awful Loki would have felt afterwards if he really was being brainwashed.
"My brother has always been complicated. He's not my real brother; he's adopted. He's also half Frost Giant."
"What's a Frost Giant? He looked like a normal human on the news." I asked, confused. Thor shook his head and looked away, "Come on... I need to know what I am getting myself into if Loki is staying here,"

So after 10 minutes of nagging and begging, Thor told me everything: the war between Asgard and Jotunheim, how Odin had saved Loki but then revealed that he had only wanted to use him to make peace, the Frost Giant invasion and Loki's betrayal, Loki's 'death', and then him not being dead. Everything, right up to the New York invasion, and how now he was locked up on Asgard and had been for nearly two years. I was speechless for about two minutes after Thor had finished talking.
"I feel sorry for him." I finally said. Thor looked at me in surprise, "No, really. I do,"
"As do I," he replied eventually, turning his gaze back to the New York skyline.
"So why is he coming down here?" I asked.
"He cannot stay locked up forever, and I think Father only trusts him where either he or I can keep an eye on him. That means either jail or here, and I think Loki will prefer the latter. He's had his punishment; he doesn't deserve to be locked up any longer." Thor explained. I nodded thoughtfully, admiring Thor's ability to forgive his brother so readily.
"You really care about him, don't you?" I smiled sadly. Thor nodded.
"I do care for him deeply. I only wish for him to be happy."
"What are you two doing moping up there? Get back in here, it's bloody freezing!" Tony yelled from the other side of the helipad, having come to see where we had disappeared to and interrupting my heart-to-heart with Thor. I was glad we had our talk. Thor seemed slightly happier as we headed back downstairs to join the others.

That night, I did not sleep much. My mind buzzed with all the information that Thor told me. I was excited to meet Loki, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous too. The man had been brainwashed and locked up for almost 24 months. I was almost confident that he would be scarred in some form.

Eventually, I fell asleep to the sounds of the city far below and dreamt of a scared, abandoned child who had been adopted into a family for reasons other than love. Odin wanted Loki for political gain, whereas their mother, Frigga, loved Loki regardless. Odin sounds like a dick.

The next morning, I was up bright and early, except it wasn't bright; it was raining heavily and looked miserable outside. I had breakfast with the others. Apart from Thor, who had left for Asgard with a magic restraint and a promise to Tony that he wouldn't bring Loki back unless he was wearing it. There was an uneasy sense of tension in the air. For most of the night and morning, Natasha and Clint expressed their nerves by conveying their negative views about Loki very assertively to everyone else over breakfast. I felt an odd sense of what could only be described as protectiveness. I would be lying if I said their comments didn't annoy me a bit. They didn't know the whole story.
"You're keeping quiet, Yasmin. What's up?" Bruce asked as he handed me the orange juice.
"I just think that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover," I shrugged, quickly shoving a spoonful of food into my mouth.
"Ah, yes, don't judge a book by its murderous and manipulative tendencies." Barton agreed, sarcastically. I swallowed angrily. My eyes were starting to burn again.
"You need to give him a chance and consider the idea that maybe he's not as much of an asshole as you might think. He's coming to live here whether you like it or not, so why moan about it when you could just accept it and stop worrying about it?" I slammed my spoon down.
"I hate it when the new girl is right," Clint grumbled moodily after a long pause, and Nat just rolled her eyes in response. Bruce and Steve were staring at me in surprise. Suddenly, someone cleared their throat from the doorway, and we all turned to look.

Thor was standing there, and next to him was Loki, or, you assumed it was Loki, and not just a random man with a large metal cuff around one wrist.
"Everyone, this is Loki," Thor told the room, as though he needed any introduction. Loki looked like a prisoner. He had dark shadows under his hooded eyes, and his long dark hair was matted and wiry; bruises and scratches covered his face, which was fixed into a permanent scowl. He was tall, almost as tall as Thor, and skinny. And not good skinny. He was unhealthily skinny, so that he looked gaunt rather than slender. The only striking feature about him was his eyes: a shock of bright, intelligent blue surrounded by the evidence of his time as a prisoner. I could see how he might have once been handsome, but now only a shadow of those looks remained. The silence which followed Thor's introduction was excruciatingly awkward.
"Stark, He'll need somewhere to sleep," Thor said pointedly, looking at Tony, who sighed and stood up, gesturing for Thor and Loki to follow him from the room.
"That was a productive first meeting," Bucky said, pulling a face, after they had left the room.
"Yep. Nothing like a warm, friendly meeting to get the metabolism going." I huffed as I cleared up from breakfast just for something to do, and about five minutes later, the three men returned.

Tony returned to his seat at the table, and Thor sat down too, gesturing for Loki to do the same. He sat down in my vacated seat and turned to look at me again. I paid him no mind and continued to load the dishwasher, listening to Thor try to make conversation at the table. I noticed a dull pain in my neck, and rolled my shoulders to try and get rid of it, which did nothing; it only got worse. And worse. I winced as it spread up into my skull, and massaged my temples. I turned to find Loki still watching me, now frowning as though in concentration. Or annoyance? Whatever it was, I wished he would stop.
"Loki? What about you?" Thor asked, obviously trying to engage him in conversation with the others. The minute Loki looked away, the pain vanished. What was that about? He wasn't meant to have magic. Should I tell someone? Tony would kick him out if I told him. I didn't want that. And I couldn't tell Barton and Nat, they would kick him out, too. I don't know what Banner, Steve or Bucky would do. Bucky might give him a chance. I mean, he was the Winter Soldier and did some awful things, but everyone forgave him. Maybe I could tell Thor. I hated that it was one rule for one but one rule for another. But I couldn't dwell on that. Right now, I need some answers.

Chapter Text

- Yasmin's Pov -

It had been a month, and despite my best efforts, I hadn't made a lot of progress with Loki. I think he has said a total of 12 words to me. He nods at me every now and then. He mainly stays in his room. I only ever really saw him when we sat with the others to eat. And that was because Thor made him.

And all I seemed to do at the moment was train, eat, and sleep, which was starting to get quite tedious. However, I wanted to be able to accompany the others on a mission at some point. so that overruled any sour feelings I had towards my current schedule. I looked forward to the evenings when everyone could kick back and relax for a few hours before bed. Bedtime was the best time of day.

It was the end of dinner; we had all just finished eating, and it was my turn to clean up the dishes with Bucky and Steve while the others had a heated debate about some politician. Loki kept his eyes on his book.

A short while later, an alarm rang out, and that's when Tony leapt to his feet. I knew that sound. Something was kicking off. My heart leapt into my throat. This was it, I was finally going to go on a mission!
"There's been an attack. We need to leave, now," Tony explained, staring at his phone as he ran from the room, calling JARVIS, "JARVIS, get Banner!"
"Yes, Sir," JARVIS replied. Still not used to him.
"Yes, Woo! Let's go!" I cheered as I walked to the door, but I was stopped in my tracks by Bucky. "What's up, Bucks?"
"Steve wants ya," Bucky nodded behind him. Steve had a stern look on his face.
"What do you want?" Even though I could guess what he wants.
"Sorry, Yasmin, you'll have to stay here with Loki." I'm on babysitting duty! Oh hell no. This was not fair "Are you going to be okay?" Steve asked, with a pointed look at Loki, who hadn't moved. I then stopped moving and froze in place. My heart sank.
"But..." My mouth flapped open and closed.
"I know you want to help, but it is too risky, Yasmin. You are not fully trained up yet." Natasha told me as she followed Tony speedily from the room. Barton patted my shoulder as he ran out of the room.
"Are you going to be alright?" Steve repeated, concern written all over his face.
"I'll be fine," I replied flatly, turning back to finish the dishes. "I always am."
"There will be a chance to help. Just not now," Steve sighed. "If you need us, just call, okay?"
"I will," I said, trying to sound enthusiastic about staying back with Loki while the others all went off on a mission together. Steve left, and the room was empty save for me and Loki. Neither of us spoke, he still staring intently at the TV and me doing the dishes as slowly as possible.

A minute later, Tony came sprinting back in in his Iron Man suit, which was quite an impressive sight; even Loki averted his gaze from the TV for a moment to look at him.
"Kid, are you sure you are going to be okay?" Tony panted breathlessly.
"Tony, I can look after myself," I said pointedly.
"I know that. Trust me, I have seen the training room footage," Tony smiled. His helmet snapped shut. "Keep an eye on him, alright?" he called over his shoulder as he ran over to the window.
"Yes, mum," I rolled my eyes, and Tony jumped out the window.

A minute later, there was a roar from the roof as the Quinjet took off, and I watched miserably out of the windows as the team flew off into the darkness.
"Great. This is exactly how I had wanted my evening to go," I then got a searing pain in my skull and neck again. I gasped in pain, grabbing at the back of my head and dropping the plate I had been holding, sighing loudly as it smashed into the floor. I bent down and picked up a piece of the plate and flung it at Loki. "Would you quit doing that!" I snapped at Loki, glaring at him angrily. He just looked at me with that same annoyed expression before turning back to the TV. I sighed in exasperation, the pain fading now, and started picking up the rest of the broken bits of plate to throw away.

Five minutes later, after prolonging the process considerably, the kitchen was spotless, and I reluctantly sat down on the sofa opposite Loki. Looking closely at him for the first time since he arrived, I could see that the dark shadows under his eyes were fading, and his eyes weren't as hooded anymore. The scratches and bruises had almost entirely disappeared from his face, but he still looked somewhat tired.
"Can I help you?" he finally said, turning to look at me with a raised eyebrow.
"Why do you keep doing that thing? It makes my head hurt. I thought you weren't meant to have your magic. How the hell can you still use it?" I snapped.
"You ask too many questions," Loki replied coolly, turning back to the TV.
"Then maybe if you answered them, I wouldn't have to ask," I snapped as I stared at him. Eventually, he sighed. His gaze is still on the TV.
"I'm trying to read your mind. I can read everyone's mind. The man with the arrows hates me and is waiting to shoot me. His woman friend is the same. The one who can turn green and beat me to a pulp thinks I am crazy. The Captain has a woman on his mind. His friend's mind is blank. I do not dare read Thor's. Stark is away with the fairies, but you... I cannot read. You're blocking me somehow," Loki then stared at me. "As for my magic, that I still have," Okay, I hadn't actually expected him to talk to me, let alone answer my questions.
"But your bracelet thingy stops you from using it," I pointed at his wrist.
"Magic... It's not something that can be taken away from someone, apart from under extreme circumstances. I just can't use it," Loki held up his arm. "It is a useless band of metal."
"Then why wear it?" Loki ignored me. "And for the record, I'm not intentionally trying to block you. I didn't even know that's what you were doing." I looked at my hands. "I thought you were trying to hurt me intentionally,"
"I guessed as much, which leads me to believe that you have some form of powerful magic," he mused, still not looking at me.
"I don't know what my magic is. I don't know how to use it," I told him. I wonder if Loki can teach me how to use magic.
"But from what Thor told me, you managed to survive when Thor threw a bus at you, the clumsy oaf..." Loki scoffed.
"Hey! He's not an oaf," I retorted quickly. Loki raised an eyebrow again, apparently amused. "And yes, the mist... that's what I call it, it protects me when I'm in danger," I explained. And then something occurred to me, "Do you think it's blocking you from reading my mind? Does it think you're a threat?"
"It is possible. What you possess... It is incredibly powerful for a Midgardian girl. Especially one who doesn't know how to use her powers," he said, putting heavy emphasis on the word 'Midgardian'.
"Why did you say Midgardian like that? Do you think I might not be entirely..." How do I finish that sentence? Human?
"To find the exact reason, I would need to see the magic in action. Once I observe it, I can provide a more accurate analysis," I wanted to know. I needed to know about the mist.
"For you to see it, I need to be in danger," I said, standing up and thinking hard. How should I do it? I smiled as I walked into the kitchen. "This should work."
"What are you doing?"
"I want you to throw this knife at me," Loki's head snapped to me, and I moved to stand behind him. That got him looking up from the TV.
"Absolutely not. I will not throw a knife at you," he said, watching in astonishment as I offered him the biggest knife from the knife rack.
"The mist will protect me, don't worry."
"I'm not worried about you, I'm worried about me when Stark and the others get back to find out that I've stabbed you," Loki spoke as he stood up.
"It will be fine," Loki took the knife slowly, and I backed away from him.
"Is this a test? Did Stark ask you to do this?" he asked.
"Did he hell! He wants to wrap me up in bubble wrap," I rolled my eyes. Loki smiled at that comment, "And there's probably CCTV in here anyway." As I turned around to face Loki, I let out a surprised yelp. The knife stopped a centimetre in front of my face, quivering where the mist had caught it. I didn't breathe, trying to hold it there for as long as possible, before finally, it clattered to the ground loudly.
"Asgardian," Loki said instantly.
"Did you have to throw it at my face?!" I asked, shaken up, picking the knife up off the floor.
"You're magic is Asgardian. I'm surprised Thor didn't see it straight away."
"How is that possible?" I whispered.
"Because you're from Asgard," Loki spoke as if it were an easy comment.
"That can't be it, I've never even been to Asgard! Heck! I didn't even know it was a real place until I met Thor last year," I started pacing up and down. Loki looked at me thoughtfully.
"How much of your childhood do you remember? Who are your parents?" he asked.
"And you say I ask too many questions," I teased. Loki turned away, clenching his jaw "Sorry. Humour is my way of coping. My parents were some assholes who were not very nice to me. Father beat me. One time, he put a cigarette out on me. Mother was a crack whore that never gave a fuck." I wrapped my arms around myself. My fingers grazed over the scar. "Pretty sure I am their daughter. I once brought up the topic of being adopted, and they laughed at me." His face remained impassive. "Do you think I was swapped at birth?" No response. I sighed heavily, resigning myself to the fact that I had gotten all I was going to get out of Loki for today. Was I Asgardian, or maybe part Asgardian? And if I was, then why was I brought up on Midgard? Nothing made sense. I think that I should have a talk with Thor when he gets back. Until then, I will sit here chewing my lip anxiously, pretending to watch TV with Loki.

After about twenty minutes of silence, my phone rang and I answered it hastily.
"Hey, kid, everything alright?" It was only Tony. And no, nothing was alright. I am on the verge of freaking out.
"Yeah, just watching TV." I lied. "Oh, I did drop a plate. Is everyone okay?" I asked, catching sight of Loki rolling his eyes.
"I believe it's time for us to start calling you 'Agent Butter Fingers'. And yeah, all good here, it was an easy takedown, so we're on our way back. Are things all okay with Mr Christmas Tree?"
"Yeah, all good here. See you in a bit," I said quickly, and Tony said goodbye and hung up.

Not even 10 minutes later, Loki and I both turned our heads to watch as the Quinjet reappeared and flew towards the roof of the tower.
"Thor would be better suited to help you with your problems. I don't know why you have come to me for help." Loki spoke, making me jump.
"Hold the phone... I didn't come to you. I asked why you made my head hurt, and you wanted to see my power." I said. Loki stared at me incredulously.
"Take your qualms to my brother; I cannot help," he told me firmly.
"Get your facts right, I never asked for your help," I stated as I got up to take the knife he had thrown at me off the kitchen surface and put it back into the knife holder.

Thor was the last to come in. He was covered in mud. He yawned loudly and said that he was going to have a shower and then go to bed. As he walked off, Tony complained that he was getting mud all over the rugs that he had just cleaned.

The team didn't have much of a story to tell, and I was kind of glad that I hadn't gone. Naturally, I wanted my first mission to be a good one. Slowly, everyone drifted off to bed, until eventually it was just me and Loki again. This time the TV wasn't on; everything was dark and quiet in the room.
"Just so we are clear, I am standing my ground. Thor is better suited to help you with your magic problem," Loki said. Thor was right, this man was stubborn.
"So let me get this straight. You? A wizard. Want me to go to a jock that is only able to fly because of a piece of metal?" I tilted my head at the man.
"I am not a wizard. I am a sorcerer," Loki frowned. I rolled my eyes. Of course, that's what he would dwell on.
"And if this were Dungeons and Dragons, you would be a bard." I tried to conceal a smile in the darkness. "And just so we are clear, I never asked you for your help."
"You wouldn't get it."
"You are impossible to talk to. I'm going to bed. See you in the morning." I said, standing up and stretching, wanting to leave things on a good note.
"I should as well," Loki replied, following my lead.

We walked together down the corridor in silence and stopped in front of our respective doors that were opposite each other.
"Goodnight, Loki," I said, giving him a small wave as I opened the door to my room, "We are far more similar than you think."
"Goodnight... Yasmin," Loki nodded as he closed his door.
"What a productive evening," I beamed as I closed my door. It's the little victories.

Chapter Text

- Yasmin's Pov -

A couple of months passed by, and I sort of made progress with Loki. We speak more often, but I would be pushing it if I called him a friend, but he wasn't a cold stranger anymore. I would happily settle for an acquaintance. For now, anyway. He has only been here a couple of months. I think. I think the first two weeks he was here, he stayed in his room.

It was Saturday, and for once, I had no training. Thank god. My body aches in places that I didn't know could ache. Nat and Barton really put me through it this past week. After a lovely lie-in and a nice shower, I got dried and dressed and went into the kitchen, where I encountered Natasha and Pepper looking at something on a laptop together at the kitchen table. They were dressed and fully made-up, per usual. The only other person in the room was Bruce, who was still in his pyjamas. He gave me a wave from behind his newspaper and coffee on the sofa, which I returned with a smile.
"Good morning, or is it afternoon?" I smiled as I sat down at the breakfast table.
"It's still morning," Bruce spoke as he flicked through the paper.
"So that means you need to get some breakfast down you because we are taking you out," Natasha spoke, looking up from the laptop.
"Oh god," I scrunch my nose up, "Why do you want to do that?" I asked, looking sneakily at the double doors. I wonder if I can run back into my room and bolt the door shut.
"Tony told us too. Since today is the one and possibly the only time that we are both free after your abysmal attempt at buying things last time," Nat replied.
"You need some more furniture for your room, and a dress and shoes for tonight, Tony's throwing a party," Pepper explained.
"Yay!" I was genuinely excited to go to one of Tony's parties. In the year that I have been here, I haven't been to one. His last one, I had a stomach bug that left me hugging the toilet. However, I wasn't sure how I felt about going on a girls' shopping trip with Nat and Pepper in preparation for it. This could go horribly wrong, or it could be fantastic "I draw the line at heels. I hate heels. I am too flat-footed for heels," Nat mumbled something about how she would change my mind.
"So hurry up and eat. We have a lot of shops to go to," Pepper smiled. I quickly had breakfast and was dragged outside, where Happy was waiting. This was going to be expensive. But I will admit that I didn't mind spending money this time because I wasn't going to be the one spending all the money.

By the end of the trip (which, incidentally, took four hours), I had a bookshelf, desk and pinboard for my room. I also had an entirely new wardrobe. Nat made me buy a ridiculously gorgeous purple sparkly dress with matching shoes for the party. I agreed to wear heels, but they had to be a small heel. We returned to the tower at half past three (after stopping for some lunch on the way back), and were barely able to get in the elevator with all the bags in one go. Once upstairs, I piled all of my bags into my room and collapsed on the bed.
"How do girls do this all the time? Has no one heard of online delivery?" I groaned before pushing myself onto my elbows. I looked around my room and spotted the comfiest shoes that anyone could own. Crocs. They weren't anything funky. I was gifted them at Christmas by someone called... I wanna say, Wade Wilson. He's pretty cool.

After packing all the clothes away, I walked into the lounge, put my comfy shoes on and sat on the sofa.
"Looks like someone had a busy day," Tony asked, watching me fall onto the sofa with a thud from the kitchen table where he was sitting with Bruce, "Crocs again?"
"Yes, actually, being dragged into at least a hundred different shops and trying on every item of clothing they stock in less than four hours is quite a stressful business," I replied, "And don't diss my Crocs."
"Did you get everything you need this time?" Tony chuckled. I didn't have the energy to respond, so I just put my thumb up, "Well, you'd better be lively again by tonight. It's gonna be a good one," Tony told me with a grin.
"Yasmin, speaking from experience, why don't you go get some shut-eye? Tony's parties tend to last a while..." I clicked my fingers and groaned as I pulled myself off the sofa.
"Excellent idea. See you later," I said, standing up to make my way back to my room.

I glanced at Loki's door as I went into my room, briefly wondering where he was before pressing the button on the wall to put the blinds down over the window wall and lying spread-eagled on the bed. I loved the blinds: they made the room dark enough to sleep even in broad daylight, but I could still see out of the window. I loved almost everything about my life. I dread to think what my life would have been like if I had stayed at the flat. It didn't take long to drift off to sleep.

"Yas... Yas..." I heard a gentle voice speak, "Yasmin, wake up, it's time to start getting ready." I blearily opened one eye to see Nat pressing the button to lift the blinds. The sun was just starting to drop in the sky.
"Haven't I seen you enough today?" I asked, yawning the minute I opened my mouth. Nat smiled, "What time is it?"
"Half 6, we have half an hour until the guests start arriving, so you had better get yourself showered and ready for us to do your hair and make-up,"
"Firstly, I showered this morning and secondly, I can do my own hair and make-up," I sat up in bed and stretched. Nat just looked at me, "What?"
"Since you came here, I haven't seen you wear any make-up, and your hair has either been down or in a ponytail. As this is your first big party, I would like to do it for you," Nat smiled. She had her puppy dog's eyes on. I rolled and groaned.
"Enough with the eyes. You can do my hair and makeup," I slowly climbed out of bed, "But you're not touching my eyebrows."
"Deal,"

I grabbed my dress and shoes and ventured down the corridor to Nat's room. As I entered, I saw Pepper emerging from the en-suite, wearing a tight blue dress which she was smoothing down uncertainly.
"Are you sure it doesn't make me look--"
"If you're about to say fat, I'm leaving to do my own hair and make-up." I threatened before she could finish her sentence.
"Nope, too late," Nat said, kicking the door shut behind her and plonking me firmly in a chair in front of the mirror, "Pepper, of course, that dress does not make you look fat, don't be ridiculous. Now, Yasmin, do you want your hair straight? curly? up or down?" Nat said.
"I don't know. Whatever you think is best," I replied, looking at my manky brown hair in the mirror enthusiastically.
"What do you think, Pepper?" Nat sighed, looking at the hairbrush.
"Straight... I'll do make-up," Pepper smiled. I tuned out as I closed my eyes. The last time someone did my hair, I was 5, and my mother cut it all off. something about headlice.

As I enjoyed the feeling of Nat's fingers in my hair, I suddenly felt a huge swell of emotion in my chest.
"Yasmin? Are you okay?" Pepper asked as I wiped the tears which had been about to fall away swiftly and smiled at Nat and Pepper in the mirror.
"Just not used to this... I just... this is nice," I sniffed. Pepper squeezed my shoulder and Nat continued to brush my hair, "My own family never did this for me..." I trailed off.
"Honey... We are your family now," Pepper wiped my eyes with a tissue "You're gonna have to get used to people doing nice things for you."
"Besides, those... people... cannot hurt you now," Nat smiled. I nodded. Around 2 weeks after I started, I found out that Nat and Barton dealt with my family and have been trying to get them locked up. They are not allowed near me or any children that I may have. Tony (JARVIS) had done some digging and found that I was actually adopted, so now we just had to find out where I came from. I knew where I came from. Asgard. But that means getting Loki in trouble. I still haven't told them about what Loki said. I didn't want to get him in trouble for using magic just yet. "Enough moping. We have a party to get ready for."

20 minutes later, I hardly recognised myself when I looked in the mirror. Even when I put my dress on. I did not look like myself. I couldn't help but stare at my reflection some more. I looked like some sort of celebrity ready to hit the red carpet. The scariest part was that that's almost what I was. I was a friend of the Avengers who was going to one of Tony Stark's acclaimed parties in the Avengers Tower.
"Come on, Yasmin! Let's see!" Nat knocked on the door. Taking a deep breath, I stepped out of the en-suite; Pepper clapped excitedly, and Nat gave me a satisfied smirk, "You scrub up well. I love the dress." The dress was purple and sparkly.
"Purple is my colour," I smiled. I sighed as I put my heels on and groaned. "Erugh, I hate heels." After a couple of laps around the bedroom with some coaching from my hair and make-up artists, I stopped staggering around like a newborn giraffe and managed to look like this wasn't my first time wearing heels.
"That'll do, you can take them off when the dancing starts anyway," Nat reassured me, standing up in heels that were at least twice the height of mine and walking to the door in them as though she had been born in them. Pepper did the same.
"Show off," I grumbled. The three of us left the room and headed down the corridor together towards the elevator, which took us down several floors.

I had expected the doors to open to reveal another corridor, but instead, it opened up to a huge room which looked as though it took up the whole floor. It was decked out for a party, with a huge stage, DJ booth, lights, a disco ball, and a dancefloor.
"Holy shit," I said.
"Hey, ladies. Pep, you look ravishing, my darling," Tony said, appearing to kiss Pepper, who pushed him away playfully. Then he turned to Nat, "Don't stab anyone with those heels."
"I'll try," Nat smiled a deadly smile. Tony then looked at me.
"Kid, you look great! The first guests are arriving, and I want to introduce you."
"Uh, Tony? Is that such a good idea?" I turned to look at Nat with a frown. Why did she not want me to talk to people? I might be about to meet some famous people, and I sure as hell wasn't about to let anyone get in the way of that. "People might wonder..."
"Your lack of faith in me is disturbing," I mumbled. I don't think they heard me, though.
"Look, Romanoff, there are no journalists here. I triple-checked the guest list, and Happy double-checked me. And Pepper double-checked us. Anyone who isn't on the list has no chance of getting in. So, relax. Have fun," Tony told her firmly, much to my delight.
"Just be careful what you say, alright? We just got Yasmin, we don't want to lose her already."
"What does she mean by that?" I asked as Tony dragged me away, "Tony, what did Nat mean?"
"Don't worry about her, she's just paranoid," Tony told me. She's a spy. Of course, she's paranoid. Tony then started introducing me to some people that I did not know. By half seven, the place was starting to fill up a bit more as people arrived fashionably late. The lights had dimmed, and the music had started.

Eventually, I managed to escape from Tony (Thank god Nat taught me to be sneaky), leaving behind a most riveting conversation about some boring man writing a book on politics, and made a beeline to the bar and Bucky.
"You escaped," Bucky grinned, waving the bartender over.
"Took me long enough. Does this get any more exciting?" I asked, eagerly accepting a cocktail from the bartender.
"Just wait until later. I can promise you it gets better than discussions about things you don't understand, I've drunk my way through enough of them," he told me, downing his beer. I laughed.

I stayed there chatting for a few more minutes before we were interrupted by a very tired-looking Thor.
"Hey, what's up?" I asked, sighing when Thor glanced at the ceiling.
"The ceiling," Thor smiled.
"I mean, how are you?" I rephrased, trying not to laugh.
"Weary. Tis not fun trying to convince my brother to do something he does not wish to do," Thor said, accepting a huge tankard of ale from the bartender.
"What happened?" Thor didn't reply, instead choosing to take a large gulp of the drink he was holding; he just gestured across the room, which was slowly filling up, and I turned to see Loki sitting alone at a table by the wall, looking furious.
"Oh, that happened," I said, turning back to Bucky, who was still craning his neck to see what Thor had gestured towards.
"What are we looking at?" he asked.
"Don't you see Loki? He is exuding rage, over there, alone on that table." I said, nodding my head in his direction, not wanting to point in case he saw. Thor choked on his drink, and you both turned to him anxiously.
"Lady Yasmin, how do you know that is Loki?" He gasped, eyes streaming as Bucky smacked him on the back, "Thank you,"
"Because he's sat there?" I replied.
"Where? I don't see him," Bucky said, looking around confused. I kept pointing to where Loki was sitting, "Nope. Still don't see him,"
"That's the point. You're not meant to see him. You're meant to see an unattractive twenty-year-old in an ill-fitted suit." Thor said.
"Oh, him I saw. That's Loki? No wonder he looks so angry," Bucky laughed.
"We didn't want anyone approaching him." Thor countered. "Tis the only time I am allowing him to use his magic. He can't leave the building."
"But I can see him," I said thoughtfully. My magic can counter his. Hmmm, He needs to know this. "Hold that thought. I am going to go talk to him," I downed my drink, pushing past Thor before he even realised what I was doing.
"No. Stop. Come back," Bucky spoke with a slight hint of sarcasm.
"Be careful," Thor said. I think that's what he said, but I was already weaving my way through the crowd of people, eager to share my newfound information with Loki.

- Thor's Pov -

"He likes her. I can tell. He doesn't talk to anyone else voluntarily unless it's necessary." I said, still watching Lady Yasmin. I am still baffled that she saw through his illusion. Loki is very strong in the way of magic. He almost rivals our mother.
"He asked me to pass him the butter the other day," Bucky replied, and then. "Oh, I see,"
"I'm glad. He needs someone to talk to after all that time locked away, and he certainly won't talk to me." I beamed.
"It's a sibling thing. I used to ignore my sister all the time." Bucky gave me a sympathetic look just before we were joined by Steve, and the conversation moved on. I glanced over at the table where Lady Yasmin was now sitting with Loki, talking intently to him.
"I do hope she knows what she is doing," I mentally thought.

Chapter Text

- Yasmin's Pov -

I made my way carefully through the crowd towards Loki with your drink, leaving Thor and Bucky at the bar. Loki didn't look at me or acknowledge the fact that I was coming towards him until I sat in the seat next to him.
"If you've come to try and introduce yourself to me, I wouldn't bother," he said bluntly, not gracing me with the gift of eye contact.
"And why not?" He didn't know I could see him. This is going to be so much fun messing with him.
"Because I don't want to talk to you." I leaned my elbows on the table.
"But I want to talk to you," I smiled, tilting my head.
"Did you not hear what I just said?" Loki snapped.
"I did. And I still want to talk to you," I nodded. There was a lengthy pause. "So what's your name?" Loki clenched his jaw, clearly harbouring a raging internal battle.
"Bert," I burst out laughing, and then immediately put my hand over my mouth. "Bert? I'm sorry, Loki, but who came up with that name? I bet it was Barton," Loki stared at me incredulously; I fought not to smile too widely. "What's your last name? I bet it starts with Von--"
"Did Thor tell you?" Loki interrupted. There goes my fun.
"No. I can see you," I said, enjoying the range of emotions which flashed across his face, usually so devoid of character.
"This is a strong illusion. I don't..." he trailed off, his mouth actually slightly open. Suddenly, Tony's voice sounded loud around the room, welcoming everyone and inviting them to 'party hard all night long here at the Avengers Tower. At this point, there was a huge cheer, and the music started playing even louder than before.
"I take it that you could not resist the temptation of a party?" I asked, louder than usual to be heard over the music and noise of the guests. Loki continued to glare at me. "Seriously, why are you down here?"
"Apparently, I cannot be trusted to stay upstairs by myself for a few hours and not cause problems. But I was also not welcome down here, where I might have been recognised by any of these fools who weren't already intoxicated. So here I am, in disguise." Loki told me. I could just about hear the irritation in his voice. I felt bad for him. Really bad.
"Give it an hour, they will all be drunk enough that they won't notice if you disappear, you can just sneak off. It's floor... Shit. I forgot the number."
"It's 52. The others may not notice my absence, but my brother will. It takes a lot to get him drunk," Loki said, sipping his drink. I sat back and tapped my chin. I then grinned as a plan was formulating in my brain.
"Leave that to me," I said devilishly as I looked over at Thor, "How many of those bucket things does he need to drink?" I then sipped the rest of my drink.
"About ten?" Loki smirked. I nearly spat out my drink.
"Ten?!" I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.
"Did you forget that he is a god?" Loki tilted his head. I am going to regret this in the morning.
"Just keep an eye out, and when you think he won't notice, you can sneak off." Loki watched as I downed my drink, jumped down from the stool and turned back to face him.
"Why are you helping me?" he asked.
"Because making you sit down here is as bad as making me babysit you. Well, at least in my book it is," I replied. He nodded thoughtfully.
"Thank you,"
"You're welcome," I replied, heading back over to Thor, who Bruce had joined to replace Steve and Bucky. To my joy, he was drinking from what looked like a fresh glass.

"Hey Doc, how many of those drink thingies has Thor had?" I asked Bruce, who was watching Thor drink in awe.
"That is his 5th since I got here." Yes! Result! I looked over to Loki, who was watching and held up 5 fingers. He gave me a sarcastic thumbs-up, which was possibly the funniest thing I had ever seen. You ordered another drink for me and one for Thor, and got drinking. It was time to get absolutely shit-faced with the god of thunder. I am going to regret this.

Bucky had been right; the party had gotten way more fun than earlier. That might have something to do with the amount that I had had to drink, though. I had completely forgotten about my mission to get Thor drunk; for the last hour, I had been jamming it out on the dancefloor to an excellent soundtrack with my friends and some people that I had never met before, with regular trips back over to the bar for a small break and a not-so-small drink, and then back to the dancefloor.

So far, I had only almost died once trying to do the Dirty Dancing lift with Bucky, maybe twice when I said I would catch Tony when no one else would lift him. A very sober Steve had managed to talk me out of that one (much to Tony's disgust). Three different men had offered to buy me a drink. All were scared off when Nat stood behind me with her arms crossed. It was amazing and it wasn't even midnight yet.

At about midnight, maybe later, I finally peeled myself away from the dancefloor again and stumbled back over to the bar, tripping over several times. I then looked down at my feet so I could take off my shoes. But then my head tilted in confusion. I wasn't wearing any.
"Where were my shoes?" I don't remember taking them off. Oh well, I never liked them anyway, they were super uncomfortable. I looked around the room and spotted Thor. Now that I had remembered my mission, it was time to check my progress. I hadn't seen Loki for ages. Hopefully, he managed to escape.
"Hey, Thor!" I chirped, bumping into him and interrupting what looked like a heated argument with a stool.
"Lady... *Hic*... Yas... Min..." Thor swayed a little.
"How many of them have you had?" I asked, gesturing to the massive mug he was holding, which incidentally was empty.
"Urmm *Hic* mmmm.... I wanna say *Hic* four," he slurred, as he held up at least 5 fingers.
"Bullshit! How many have you had!?" you demanded. Thor grinned and gestured wildly with the empty mug.
"Lady *Hic* Yas *Hic* min, I do not wish *Hic* to disclose *Hic* this information..." Thor then asked the bartender for another drink.
"13 so far. He drinks that one, it will be 14," A voice said behind me. I spun around. Loki was behind you. Or Bert... I couldn't tell the difference. I couldn't see either of them clearly; it was like a haze of two people and two voices. I shook my head and screwed up my eyes. I tried to look again, but it wasn't much better.
"Brother, why have you been spying on me?" Thor stumbled.
"Why *Hic* are you still here, Bert?" I laughed, not registering the momentary flicker of amusement in Loki's eyes.
"I came to check on Thor. He doesn't fare well when drinking," Loki/Bert said, eyeing Thor in distaste.
"Aw! *Hic* See Thor, he does *Hic* love you," I giggled, poking him playfully. Loki rolled his eyes.
"Try not to die, brother. I do not want another telling off from Mother. The same goes for you, Yasmin," he said as he turned around to leave again.
"He likes you!" Thor exclaimed happily. I was still reeling that Loki had just used my name. It's the second time. And it sounds so weird coming from his mouth. And what was even weirder was that he had come down to check that I was alright, that was nice of him. At that precise moment, my favourite song came on over the sound system.
"Hell yes!" I said loudly, dragging Thor back over to the dancefloor and the rest of my friends.

At some point, I had closed my eyes. I do not know where I passed out, but it was cold. I could feel something shaking me.
"Yasmin," Was someone talking to me? I groaned loudly as I pushed the hands away. "Yasmin, I'm trying to help you! Wake up," Oh, someone was definitely trying to talk to me. I opened my eyes to see a pair of legs standing before me. Looking up, I discovered that the long legs belonged to Loki. He looked exasperated. "The elevator? Could you not have chosen a better place to sleep?"
"*Hic* I wasn't sleeping, I was just *Hic* resting my eyes..." I replied, closing them again. I was so tired.
"No, you don't. Come on, up," Loki sighed, reaching down to haul me to my feet. I would have liked to say it was a graceful ascent, but it was not. Loki ended up carrying me out of the elevator and down the corridor to the living room and, most importantly, to the sofa, where I lay back down gratefully.

"Wake up and drink this before I throw it over you," I heard him speak again. I opened my eyes to see Loki pushing a cool glass of water into my hand, which I gulped down, then slumped back onto the comfy sofa.
"*Hic* Thank you," I rasped, closing my eyes again.
"I don't like to owe people," was his short and simple response.
"And here I was thinking *Hic* you liked me," I teased.
"You are more tolerable than the others, I suppose." Not the most glowing endorsement I have ever received, but I will take the compliment.
"What *Hic* time is it?" I rubbed my eyes, forgetting that I had makeup on.
"Five in the morning," Loki sighed heavily. "The music only stopped about an hour ago. When you didn't reappear upstairs, I thought I would check on you. Purely in return for what you did earlier for me," He seemed very eager to stress that point.
"Weren't *Hic* you sleeping?" I scrunched my nose up.
"With that racket going on downstairs? I don't think so," Loki scoffed. "Besides, I don't need to sleep."
"*Hic* Perks of being *Hic* a god," I grinned, again missing the hint of humour in his expression. He threw me a blanket and then settled on the sofa opposite me, reaching for a book on the coffee table.
"Sleep. I'll keep watch," I smiled, not sure whether he was serious or not.
"*Hic* Keep watch for *Hic* what exactly?" I yawned.
"Oh, the usual. Thunder gods, men in iron suits and possibly a man with arrows," Loki looked rather pleased with himself when I laughed. I liked this Loki. He was fun.
"I'll sleep sou*Hic*ndly knowing that you are *Hic* keeping guard," I said, turning over and nestling under the blanket. I was asleep again in under a minute.

- Loki's Pov -

I cannot believe I smiled, even if it was only once. I had to be sure that Yasmin wasn't looking. I couldn't let her know that I actually enjoyed her company; tonight had been a favour returned, nothing more. But I would be lying to myself when I say that she didn't intrigue me. Yasmin was more interesting than the others. We had already established that her magic was far too powerful for her to be a normal Midgardian and could be Asgardian.

Her company was quite alright. Other than my brother, Yasmin was making an effort to be nice to me, which was more than could be said for the rest of them. Though I do understand why. And even though I dismissed her initial observation that the two of us were similar on that night, the two of us had been left alone, I have to agree with her, we were quite similar. Thor had told me about Yasmin's background, and I had felt empathy. I chuckled a little. I had not felt that emotion in a very long time. It was almost foreign to me.

After an hour, Yasmin made a noise in her sleep and turned her head slightly, a soft smile on her face. I caught myself staring. This would be the perfect time to leave and go back to bed. Yasmin didn't need me here. But I did say that I would keep watch. That does mean that I can stay here and read a while longer. I would prefer that.

I think I dozed off in the chair as the sun had just started to come up. And that's when I heard the elevator moving. Time to go back to my room.
"Where's my book?" I looked around and saw it on the floor. Sighing angrily as I noticed the pages were crinkled. I picked it up and straightened out the pages, rushing out of the room as the elevator's doors opened.

Chapter Text

- Yasmin's Pov -

When I woke up, it was light outside. My eyelids were burning. I could feel a dull throbbing in the base of my skull.
"Morning sunshine! How's that head?" I groaned as I opened one eye and saw Tony being way too loud. Far too loud. Far too loud. I made an indistinguishable noise from under the blanket I was hiding beneath and heard him laugh, "Don't worry, I haven't seen anyone else yet. Last night was wild, even by my standards."
"How are you so lively?" I grumbled, shielding my eyes from the light as I emerged bleary-eyed from my cocoon. Tony was doing something in the kitchen.
"Years of practice," Tony smiled as he moved around the kitchen in a dressing gown, "And milkshake. Preferably chocolate."
"I see that you managed to make it to bed then," I croaked, gesturing at his attire. I wonder if we have milkshake.
"Thanks to Pep, I was well looked after. What about you? I refuse to believe you made it to the sofa and tucked yourself under a blanket," Tony asked. I was rubbing my head when my eyes widened. Loki was here. I can't tell Tony I spent time alone with Loki while I was drunk as a skunk.
"I can't remember," I lied, pretending to look thoughtful. How could I tell Tony that Loki had been so nice to me? If that wasn't a breakthrough, I didn't know what was. Had he stayed until I fell asleep? Something about a favour? Erught, why was my brain not working? What a stupid question. My brain wasn't working because I was hungover.
"Yas!" Tony yelled, interrupting my thoughts, "Want some eggs?"
"Yes, please," I replied, eager to change the subject. I don't think Loki would appreciate it if I told everyone what had happened. After all, he had a stone-cold reputation to uphold.

I chatted to Tony about the party. Or what I could remember of it. He served eggs and toast, which I sat at the table with him to eat. It was delicious, and I ate in silence for a while.
"Hey, kid. I got a question for you," Tony picked at some blueberries. I look over at him, "How do you feel about joining the team?" Unfortunately, the moment he said that sentence, I had chosen that exact moment to swallow the food in my mouth at the time, and gasped in surprise, subsequently causing me to choke. Tony leaned towards me in concern, but I waved him away, not in any imminent danger.
"You want me to do what?!" I finally managed to say, wiping my streaming eyes.
"I don't know why you're crying. I thought it was obvious that you were joining! Unless you don't want to, of course." Tony replied, evidently holding back a wide smile.
"I'm crying because I was just choking and... you can't announce stuff like that at breakfast!" I pounded on my chest as Tony handed me some orange juice "Don't the others need to... I mean, yes, god yes, of course I want to join, I just thought it was so soon..." I rambled in shock. It was at this point that I decided to stop trying to talk.
"So, that's a good feeling then? I couldn't quite tell," Tony chuckled. I nodded while sipping my drink, "Yas, you've taken to training incredibly well, and you have your weird power. I think you will be fine. You've made friends with everyone, and it was Nat's idea for you to join. Barton jumped on board after Nat stamped on his foot. Obviously, you'll need more training before we can take you out in the field, and there'll need to be an official initiation to announce it to the public, and we'll need to get you some gear... How does that sound?"
"Hell yeah!"
"I know someone who might be able to help with your mist, but we need to keep it under wraps for now, just in case." Tony looked over to the elevator.
"About my mistake, I talked to Loki about it, actually," I told him, and Tony frowned.
"When was this?"
"The night you left me on my own with him. We had a chat." I decided not to mention the fact that he had thrown a knife at my head. Tony tilted his head at me "He told me that my magic was Asgardian and it's really strong. He couldn't read my mind like he could the rest of you..."
"Hang on, he's been doing what? And you are a what?" Tony snapped.
"He can read minds. But not mine." Tony was staring at me in shock.
"You're Asgardian? Like Thor?" I sighed. Hopefully, he missed the mind-reading part.
"That, I have no idea about. I might be or I might not be, but my magic is definitely Asgardian," I sighed, stabbing my eggs with a fork.
"And Reindeer Games has been reading our minds. How fun?" Tony spoke with some sarcasm. I couldn't help but laugh.
"Reindeer Games? What's that about?"
"Just a nickname. You know, like from the song Rudolph..." I held up my hand.
"Yeah, I get it, very funny. You should go easy on him, though; try not to piss him off. He's not that bad," I sighed.
"Yasmin, you didn't have to fight him in the attack. Do you know he threw me out of the penthouse window?" Tony told me, pointing upwards towards the penthouse.
"Okay, I didn't know that. But Thor said he was being brainwashed, and I believe that," I retorted, more defensively than I had intended. Tony opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by Clint staggering through the door.

"Eggs?" Tony asks. Barton gave a thumbs up and then fell onto the sofa headfirst.
"Mornin,g Clint," I said tentatively, as Tony got up to make some more eggs. I received a grunt in response, and then Nat entered the room, carrying a pair of familiar-looking shoes. She put them on the table in front of me and joined Clint on the sofa.
"They were expensive. Don't lose them again," Note to self. Hungover Nat gets pissed off easily.
"Yes, ma'am," I replied, pulling the shoes towards me; Tony chuckled. All of a sudden, I remembered the comment Nat had made before the party yesterday, possibly triggered by the annoyed look on her face, "Hey, Nat, what was that about yesterday before the party when you didn't want me talking to anyone? You said something about not wanting to lose me... what did you mean by that?" I asked.
"It doesn't matter, kid, we just need to be careful. Nothing for you to worry about." Tony interjected quickly.
"May I remind you that I am 22 years old? I'm not a child." I reminded him, seemingly for the millionth time, "All I need to know is if I am in danger?"
"Possibly," Nat said, at the same time as Tony shouted no. I looked to Nat for an explanation, and my heart rate suddenly rose quite a bit, "Not imminent danger. But if certain people find out that you've got magic, well, that probably wouldn't be ideal," Nat informed me, frowning at Tony, who was violently shaking his head behind us.
"What certain people?" I asked.
"S.H.I.E.L.D., for starters. Fury probably won't be too happy about it, especially when you're officially an Avenger..." Nat stopped talking after my mouth dropped open.
"Hang on, you knew that I was being recruited?"
"Yas, I've been training with you this past this past year, what do you think?" Nat smiled.
"Congrats, Yas," Clint said from his position on the sofa, giving me a backwards thumbs-up.
"Thanks, Clint," I replied loudly "So, you're saying that these certain people might do what? If they find out about my magic." Nat opened her mouth and closed it again.
"You're safe here, you don't need to worry about what might happen, okay? But it would be a good idea to keep it quiet, at least for now, while you're still our newbie." Tony reassured me, putting a hand on my shoulder. I nodded, trying not to feel nervous. Tony was right, there was no safer place for you than right here in the Avengers Tower. Clint managed to get up to eat his breakfast, and I returned to the sofa, thinking about what had just been said.
"Don't worry about it, you'll only stress yourself out." Nat smiled, tapping my forehead gently. I wished it were that simple.

Slowly over the next hour or so, everyone found their way to the kitchen, and Tony made breakfast for everyone who arrived, saying that it was his duty because he'd thrown the party and was the reason for all of the headaches. No one disagreed.

Last to arrive was Loki; he entered the room largely unnoticed and sat opposite me, a split second of eye contact the only sign of acknowledgement I got out of him. Still, that was more than anyone else had got. The next few minutes were fairly uneventful; everyone partook in their own conversations apart from you, Loki and Clint, who apparently had fallen back asleep at the table. That was until Tony decided to make an announcement.
"Everyone listen up a sec, just thought you should know that Reindeer Games can read all of our minds, apart from Yas's, so if you have any dark secrets, try and keep--"
"Hold on, I thought he wasn't meant to be able to use magic?" Steve exclaimed, alongside several other angry and disapproving comments. Loki was staring at me. He was angry. That was only slightly unfair. How was I to know that Tony was going to tell everyone?
"Sorry," I mouthed discreetly, before gasping in pain as I were hit by a blinding headache. Except I knew that it wasn't a normal headache. "Fucking wanker," I mouthed at the god.
"Yasmin? Did you know about this?" Bruce asked, very loudly. I nodded, "Why didn't you tell us?"
"I'm sorry, I guess it slipped my mind," I winced.
"It slipped your mind?!" Steve said incredulously. It was hard to construct a defence when my head was being split in two. I sniffed loudly, my eyes starting to water. "Hey, Yasmin, don't cry, we just sort of tend to tell each other important stuff, like when there's a mind reader in our midst, stuff like that."
"Firstly, I'm not crying. Secondly, my eyes are watering as my head is pounding," I muttered, blinking hard to clear my vision. The pain was fading now. Loki wasn't looking at me. "I am sorry. Truly. I didn't mean to forget to tell you, I've had some stuff going on."
"Stuff which made you forget to mention this?!" Bruce yelled as he pointed at Loki.
"You really wanna know. I forgot to tell you that Loki can read minds because one, I have had to deal with the fact that I might not be from this world, and two, certain people might try and kidnap me if they find out about my magic. Is that good enough for you?" I slammed my hands on the table. That's when there was silence. The pain had now vanished.
"What do you mean you might not be from this planet, Yasmin?" Bruce asked curiously.
"My magic is Asgardian," I replied.
"According to who?" Steve crossed his arms. I pointed at Loki, "Is it?"
"It is," Loki said. Shocking everyone. It was rare for Loki to speak in front of the whole group.
"So, does that mean you're from the same place as Thor?" Bucky questioned. I shrugged in response.
"I would love to know the answers to all of these questions myself, but I do not have any," I sighed, standing up. "Now, I am going to go shower," I announced while I left the room in silence, not looking at anyone. I was aching and tired and hungover and not in the mood for drama. All I wanted was a hot shower and to go back to bed.

After I had showered (It took 3 attempts to get the booze smell out of my hair), I got into fresh pyjamas, closed the blinds and got into bed, immediately feeling my eyes starting to droop. I felt kind of bad for snapping at everyone, but they started it. Not my fault that I have the memory of a goldfish. I'll sort it out later today after I've slept and felt a lot less irritated. It was about thirty seconds before I was asleep again.

Chapter Text

- Yasmin's Pov -

It was a week or so after the party, and no one had been stupid enough to bring up the mind-reading incident since my outburst, which I was grateful for. But I wonder if that was because I was preparing to be recruited as an Avenger. And it was a damn tiring process.

In other news, Loki had apparently forgotten that I existed. He has not spoken to me since the night of the party. I admit that I was a little at fault as I was the one who let slip about his mind-reading skills, but the headache he gave me for three days afterwards was totally uncalled for. It caused a frosty atmosphere between the two of us, which did not go unnoticed by the rest of the team. Especially Thor.

He cornered me after training one morning to discuss it with me. At first, I denied that there was anything wrong. We were hardly the best of friends after all. So was there really any difference at all apart from the fact that he didn't acknowledge me anymore? He spent the first few weeks doing it. He was only treating you the same as the rest of the team. I didn't care. That was what I had told Thor. And of course, the big lummox, He had seen right through me.
"Lady Yasmin, I think it would be a wise idea to talk to him," Thor spoke as he looked down the hallway and then back at me. I knew that he was keeping an eye out for the other. Loki was a sore topic for them all, "My brother has taken a liking to you. Despite what you both may say, he needs to be able to talk with someone. He was imprisoned for a long time, and still is unable to use his magic." Thor sighed.
"You know, appealing to my better nature will get you nowhere," I sighed. I tried to resist, but goddamn were those baby blues working on me. I also couldn't just lose the sympathy I had for Loki. And I wanted to help him, whether he wanted that help or not.
"Please, Lady Yasmin," Thor begged. I sighed, pushing my sweaty hair back out of my face. Training had ramped up in the last few days and I were feeling the effects.
"I'll try and talk to him later," I conceded. Thor relaxed a little.
"Thank you, and will you let me know how it goes?" Thor asked.
"Yeah, sure. Now, can I go shower?" I replied, unable to hold back the smile that spread across my face as I saw how pleased Thor was.

After I escaped from Thor, I ran to my room and got a shower. Once dried, I slipped into some comfy clothes. I then went in search of Tony. I needed to ask him about my gear. I couldn't wait to get my hands on my very own Stark technology and clothes.

However, I didn't get further than the end of the corridor, where I encountered Loki.
"Hey," I said, unsure how to approach him. I didn't know how to. Loki sighed, spinning on the spot. "Can we talk?" I asked hesitantly.
"Why did you tell Stark I could read minds? I thought you wanted to help me, not undermine me." Oh, wow. He had gotten straight to the point. Two can play that game.
"I didn't mean to undermine you. I didn't even mean to tell Tony; I just had other things on my mind. I should have told them sooner because they have a right to know if you're reading their minds. Not everyone likes to have their privacy invaded," I straightened up, "And you shouldn't have given me that headache like you did. I was bedridden for three days," I replied, meeting his challenging gaze.
"Thor told me that you want to help me. I don't want or need your help with anything," Loki snapped before placing his hands behind his back, "And I am sorry about the headache. I was angry." Loki spoke softly, after a pause. I will not lie, it took me a moment to process the fact that he had apologised and form my next line of argument.
"Well, that's a shame, because despite previous statements, I need your help with my magic. And I like repaying people too." I challenged, still not breaking my gaze.
"I can't help you. In case you hadn't noticed, I'm unable to use my magic since Stark made this stupid band stronger. You are to blame for that," Loki held up his wrist. "And I doubt Stark would let me help you even if I could," Loki responded sourly. I highly doubt that the bracelet is stopping him. Loki is just being stubborn.
"If you could use your magic, would you help me?" I asked hopefully, trying not to show it in my expression. Loki looked at me for a moment, brow furrowed, as though I were a particularly difficult problem he was trying to figure out.
"I suppose," he finally answered. I fought back a smile.
"Well, I guess we just need to persuade Tony to let you train me, then. I've got to go see him anyway," I said optimistically as I rubbed my hands together.
"I wouldn't get your hopes up if I were you," Loki scoffed as he rolled his eyes, "We both know that can only end badly."
"Unless it doesn't." I countered. Loki smiled incredulously. He actually smiled. It was only a split-second glimpse, but I definitely saw it.
"I still don't need your help. So, Don't. try and. help. me." He spoke every word with slight emphasis.
"See you later," I said, smiling at him and walking down the corridor to the elevator, which I got in swiftly and pressed the button which would take me down to Tony's lab.

I was quite proud of myself... I made Loki smile. That was definitely progress. And I was extremely glad that the two of us were speaking again, despite what I had said to Thor. I hated that we had not spoken for the last week. It was strange to think that it had felt like an argument with a friend. And what was even more strange was that I hadn't felt threatened by him, even when he had given me that headache. The fact that he was considered a mass murderer by most of the population of New York probably should have scared me, but it didn't. He was just Loki.

The elevator stopped suddenly, jerking my thoughts back down to earth. I stepped out and began my search for Tony. It didn't take me long; I just followed the sounds of crashing and a loud voice telling a screwdriver to do something rather unsavoury. I knocked tentatively on the door to the lab he was in, and he gestured for me to put my hand on the fingerprint recognition device next to the door.
"Oo," I put my hand on the door, and three beeps later, the door opened and I entered the lab, slightly smug that I had authorised access.
"Hey, kid, what's up?" Tony asked, wiping his forehead with a black-stained hand and leaving a smear of whatever it was across his face. I decided not to mention it.
"Hey, I was just wondering if any of my gear was ready yet?"
"Oh yeah! You'll love this, come and see." Tony beamed, abandoning whatever it was he was doing to show off my new gear. I bounced over to the station.

And I will be the first to admit that it was awesome. There was a proper superhero suit, but also casual-looking clothes with built-in surprises for undercover work, spy glasses and a whole box full of other stuff, complete with a set of hair bands and bracelets which had tiny cameras in them.
"This makes me feel like James Bond," I said, picking up the box to take it back up to my room "Tony, this is amazing, thank you so much."
"Don't know if you would be able to handle his martini thought," Tony smiled, "Before you go. Go through there and try the suit on, I want to make sure it fits right." Tony pointed across the corridor to a bathroom.
"Sure," I took the suit across the corridor and quickly changed into the suit.

It fit perfectly, and the material slid over my skin easily when I moved. It was perfect. I went back across to the lab and gave a twirl for Tony.
"How do I look?" I held out my hands.
"Great kid, really great," he said without looking up from his phone. He seemed a little distracted. I planted my hands on my hips and cocked my head.
"Typical male, always attached to some sort of electronic device," I craned my neck over Tony's shoulder, trying to see what was so important on his phone. Tony's head snapped to his right, and his jaw dropped. "Now you notice?"
"Sorry, sorry... wow, you really do look great. It fits so well! Pep was right about the measurements..." Tony zoned out again, staring at his phone.
"What's going on?" I asked, pointing at his phone. Tony sighed and shook his head, looking at me in despair.
"I feel like I am going to regret this," Tony mumbled before showing me his phone. "We might have a mission."
"Right now?" My Jaw dropped open as a chin appeared. I felt excitement spark through me. There was no way he could say no this time. I was already dressed for action! "Tony, can I--?" I stopped myself as his phone buzzed and he picked it up immediately, listened to a voice on the other end of the line and then hung up, a look of grim determination on his face as he met my pleading gaze. The determination disappeared almost instantly.
"Fine, you can come. Go wait on the roof for the rest of us; we need to get changed."
"Eek!" I squeaked. I could hardly believe my luck as I followed Tony quickly from the lab and into the elevator, listening as he told JARVIS to alert the others that they needed to leave immediately. Excitement and nerves coursed through my veins. I wondered if I was going to need any of my gear. I should have brought it with me.

On the roof, it was windy, and I didn't feel the safest as I made my way across the tarmac to the Quinjet. Already inside were Clint, Thor and Nat, fully geared up and ready to go. I am going to have to practice getting changed that quickly.
"Yasmin..." Nat sighed in exasperation, "Why are you here?"
"Tony said I could come!" I responded defensively, right as Tony arrived with Steve, Bucky and Bruce. Nat glared at Tony as we all boarded the jet.
"This is stupid," she told him. Honestly, I wasn't paying attention, focusing on not throwing up from the amount of pure adrenaline I were feeling as the Quinjet took off and shot over New York City.

"Yasmin, put this on, do not under any circumstances take it off, understand?" Tony said, handing me an earpiece.
"Understood," I replied, mouth dry. I heard Nat bitching as I put the earpiece in my ear.
"Stark, why is Yasmin here?" Nat snapped.
"It's just an out-of-control protest, the NYPD couldn't handle it, so we are stepping in to try and calm things down before they get out of hand. Hopefully, there won't be a need for us apart from our presence." Tony was saying. If the police couldn't handle a protest, how were we supposed to? Most importantly, how was I supposed to handle it? I was just a normal person! Well, as normal as I could be, given that I was a magic user who didn't know how to use magic. Yet.
"She's not ready!" Nat snapped again. I liked Nat, but she needed to stop treating me as though I were a child.
"I am ready. I've been trained by the best," I said loudly, having to shout over the roar of the engines.
"You only started to train this last month properly," Nat crossed her arms. I wish she would stop acting like she is my mother. Nat squared up with me. And I am not now to take a challenge lying down.
"Got something to say?"
"You are not ready," Nat said as she glared at me. I clenched my fists.
"And I never will be unless you give me a chance. Not with you smothering me," Barton shot from his seat when Nat clenched her fists.
"Okay, Ladies, handbags away," Clint tried to pull Nat away (She is freakishly strong) while Thor pulled me away with ease. Steve moved and stood between us.
"She is not ready. Not until she can control her powers," Nat insisted.
"Haven't hit you with them yet, have I? I called that progress," I folded my arms over my chest. "Though I am seriously considering it," Nat moved to go towards me, but Steve stood in front of her. Bucky was still sitting on the side.
"Whether you like it or not, Nat... Yasmin is here and she's going to help, there's nothing to be done about that now," Steve said firmly, and that was the end of that. Nat threw her hands up and walked to the front of the jet with Barton, and the pair took over the flying. I tried to smile at Steve gratefully, but he wasn't looking at me. Tony was tough, and he still had his black smudge on his head.
"Tony, you have something on your head," I gestured at his forehead, where the streak of black remained. He rubbed it in frustration, doing nothing but smear it further.
"Did I get it?" I gave him a thumbs up.
"Totally,"

There was a nervous tension in the air which was doing nothing to calm my nerves, and I were raring to get up and go when the jet finally landed on the ground.
"Yasmin, do not get hurt. That's an order." Tony told me sternly as I stood up along with the others to exit the jet.
"I'll try," I nodded. I could get hurt in a padded room.
"What about the rest of us? Are we allowed to get hurt?" Clint asked sarcastically.
"Yes. Just don't get yourselves killed." This side of Tony was a stone-cold bitch. And I loved it."Oh, that's good to know. Good luck, kiddo." Clint said, ruffling my hair as he passed by me, and I swatted him away playfully.
"Thanks, Clint."
"Do not worry, Stark. I will watch over Lady Yasmin," Thor stood next to me with a smile. I felt a little calmer with Thor by my side. Nat seemed to relax a little.
"Thanks, Thor," I replied, clenching my fists to stop my hands from shaking.

I followed the Avengers out onto the ground and towards the protest.
"Time to put my training to good use and prove Nat wrong." The protesters were rowdy, yelling and throwing things at the armed police officers, who had yet to retaliate. Tony talked to an important-looking man while the rest of you observed the scene. There was definitely a bad atmosphere, but why had they felt the need to call the team? "Thor... Why are we needed here again?"
"Because--" That's when three things happened very suddenly as an immediate answer to my question.

First, I saw Tony's face drain of colour as he spotted something in the crowd. This cannot be good. I tried to follow his gaze.

Second, there were screams and yells from the centre of the crowd, where Tony's gaze had fallen.

The third thing was fucking gunshots.

Chapter Text

- Yasmin's Pov -

The team reacted with lightning speed, before I could even fully comprehend what was happening. They were gone from your side, fighting to get towards the middle of the scrum. I focused on getting people out of the way, remembering what Nat had told me in training about getting civilians to safety first and foremost.

Things had gone from zero to a hundred super quickly, and my head spun as I tried to focus on helping people up off the floor and herding them away from danger. God, my ears hurt. I hadn't realised how loud it was going to be. The yells and screams of people around me mingled with the shouts of the team through my earpiece and the frighteningly close sound of the guns. My gaze fell upon a person who was being trampled as people fled from the scene, and I rushed to help, hauling them to their feet and telling them to get away, right as I had a strong feeling that something was wrong.

The sound of Tony and Bucky yelling at me to drop to the ground through my earpiece almost deafened me, but instead of ducking, I automatically spun around and threw my hands up defensively. The bullet stopped an inch from my face. I could see the shooter now, staring at me in disbelief as the purple mist vanished.
"What the?" I charged at the man and Rugby tackled him to the ground and got the gun off of him.
"Nicely done," Bucky patted my shoulder as Tony cuffed the man. "That's one down."
"There are two others; some people are injured over here." I heard Nat say through the earpiece, and I ran across to where there were still two active shooters.

As I got there, I saw a group of girls. They were crowding around one girl, she couldn't have been much younger than 15, on the floor covered in blood and clutching her leg, surrounded by three other girls who were trying to drag her out of harm's way. Some other people were trying to come back over to help, too. That was bad. I needed them out of the way. The rest of the team was surrounding the other two shooters, so I ran to help try to move this girl with her tearful friends.
"Don't shoot us," The girl screamed. I held my hands up.
"I am here to help. I work with that lot," I pointed to the Avengers. "I need something to stop the bleeding, a hoodie, anything." One of the girls took her cardigan off, and I wrapped it tightly around the leg, "As we lift her, you need to put pressure on it. Do you understand?"
"Yes," One girl spoke with tears dripping down her face. I nodded and wrapped the injured girl's arm around my neck.
"On three, okay? Get her behind that tree." I told the group, trying not to look directly at all the blood. Together, we half lifted, half dragged the girl across the ground towards the trees, but only got halfway before I had to stop.

There was a yell through the earpiece, and someone shouted Clint's name.
"Shit. That didn't sound good," I grumbled, loosening my grip on the girl, "Get behind those trees, quickly,"
"Stop, don't let him run! Steve- Yasmin!" I turned to stand in front of the small group of people behind me. One of the shooters was running, reloading the gun as he did so, but faltered as he saw me standing in front of the group, apparently completely vulnerable.
"Yasmin, do your thing! Get him to stop!" Tony yelled at me. Yeah, like that was going to help.
"I can't just do it! I don't know how to do it willingly," I faltered as the shooter directed the gun towards me, watching helplessly as he pulled the trigger.

But not before Steve threw his shield and knocked the gun clean from his hand. The bullet missed by a mile. Bucky prevented him from running any further by knocking him out with a punch to the jaw, watching him collapse in disgust.
"The second one's down," Bucky grunted as he cuffed the man.
"And the third," Nat said, sounding vaguely out of breath.

Now that the shooters were dealt with, I turned back to the girls behind me, to find that they were gone, having made it to the trees. Jogging over to them, I felt your eyes burning. I think I was on the verge of crying.
"Don't cry, Yasmin, she's fine. It's not your fault." I mentally spoke as I rushed over to the group, "Is she alright? Has someone called an ambulance?" I asked, standing over the group.
"Of course, she's not fine, look at her... Oh," one of the girls said aggressively, turning to address me and stopping in surprise. The others turned to look, too. Their gazes were full of fear. One mumbled the one word I hated... freak. But what made it worse was the eyes. I knew deep down that the girls were scared of me.
"Yasmin, back to the jet!" There were too many voices shouting in my earpiece.
"Why did they all sound panicked? The shooters were down..." I whispered as I turned to make my way back to the jet, briefly looking over my shoulder at the girls. They were now being taken care of by the police and an ambulance.
"Barton... Stay with me, buddy, keep your eyes open, we're getting in the jet now,"
"Keep pressure on that wound," I heard Steve speak. I sprinted back towards the Quinjet.

The police were pushing the shooters into the back of their cars, and some were trying to talk to Tony, who shooed them away, looking around for me.
"Why were you over there? You were supposed to stay near Thor," Tony pointed to the trees. His gaze was the same as the girls.
"A girl was injured, only her leg. They are with the paramedics," I said, allowing him to herd me into the jet ahead of him.
"Okay. Good,"

The door closed, and we were in the air almost immediately; everyone gathered around Clint lying out on the sick bed. He was sickly pale and covered in a layer of sweat, his breathing shallow as Nat did something to his shoulder, where there was a lot of blood. I chose not to look too closely.
"You okay, Kid?" Bucky asked, squeezing my shoulder.
"I'm good, man," I replied, looking at him gratefully. Bucky's eyes widened, and he took a step back, letting go of my shoulder, "What?" I asked, suddenly afraid. Why was everyone being so weird?
"Your... your eyes," Bucky said, staring. I sighed, feeling utterly defeated. Now, I know why the girls freaked out. As did Tony and Bucky, "They are purple,"
"Oh yeah. They do that." I said dejectedly, squeezing my eyelids shut and pressing two fingers to my forehead. That's why my eyes were burning. My powers were activated, not because I wanted to cry. It felt like my magic was right below the surface, waiting to get out, but I didn't know how to let it. It was so frustrating. I don't want people to be afraid of me.
"Hey, sorry, I didn't mean to upset you, it was just a shock," Bucky apologised, looking worried that he had upset me. Steve and Bruce were staring now, too.
"Oh, it's totally fine. It's fine. I am used to it," I told him with a smile. "Right, I am going to sit down," I sighed, turning to sit down on one of the seats which lined the walls of the jet.
"Well done on your first mission, Lady Yasmin!" Thor congratulated me, and I thanked him with a smile. But what had I done? Apart from accidentally using my magic and then almost failing to protect myself and other innocent people a second time? I freaked several people out and possibly traumatised them. If Steve hadn't thrown his shield, would I have been able to use my magic without it being an unconscious decision? I guess Nat was right, I needed more training. Only I needed magic training.

We were back at the tower in no time, and Clint was hurried to the medical wing immediately by Nat and Bruce, who gave everyone else strict instructions not to come and see if he was okay until they were done. And that he would be okay.
"C'mon, kid, I bet you are shattered. Let's go see if Reindeer Games has broken anything or run away." Tony patted my shoulder as we exited the Quinjet, "By the way, your eyes are purple."
"I know." I sighed, appreciating that he was trying to make me feel better about it. I had forgotten all about Loki until Tony mentioned him, and I couldn't help but feel a bit guilty. At least he was being trusted a bit more, being left virtually on his own. I think I am going to go talk to him after I get changed. He probably hadn't even noticed I had been gone.

- Loki's Pov -

I wonder how Yasmin is getting on? It was hard not to notice her absence. I had thought of little else since she had left with the others in a burst of spontaneity over 2 hours ago. And I had not stopped worrying. It was a horrible feeling. I've had to continuously tell myself to stop, but that hasn't helped in the slightest.
"Thor's there, she will be fine," I also told myself that I was only worrying because I alone knew how powerful and potentially dangerous her magic was, especially as Yasmin didn't know how to use it properly. But deep down, I knew that wasn't entirely true. I could not and would not let myself think about why I was actually worrying. It can't be because I cared for the mortal. Though I wasn't sure she was mortal. Her powers were Asgardian, so she might be. Thor would be her best hope of finding out.

I was in the lounge when the Quinjet returned, and watched in trepidation as it disappeared above to land on the roof. I was going to be so angry with Thor if Yasmin was hurt, or worse. I groaned and ran a hand down my face. Why did I care? The following three minutes of waiting were excruciating until finally, the elevator made that annoying dinging noise and the doors slid open. I heard Thor's voice first. That didn't surprise me; he was so loud, and then the Captain and Bucky came in shortly after. But that was it. Thor strode into the room and clapped me on the shoulder.
"Did you enjoy the peace, brother?"
"I was, yes," I replied, trying not to show my annoyance. Where was Yasmin?
"Well, the mission was a success, Clint has been injured, but he will survive." I allowed myself to relax. If Yasmin wasn't okay, Thor would have told me immediately. Good.
"That is wonderful news." I replied with a hint of sarcasm, pretending to be immersed in the book which was on my lap, "Now, could you go shower? You stink," Thor mumbled something but left the room. Steve and Bucky were in the kitchen. Romanoff would be Barton, and if he was injured, I assumed Banner was with him. So where is Yasmin?

About five minutes later, Stark entered the room and sat opposite me.
"What did you get up to while we were gone?" Either this was him being nosey or trying to make small talk.
"I sat here, read my book and had a drink," I replied, looking directly at him. I found it made people uncomfortable. Well, everyone but Yasmin, "I am sure JARVIS can confirm my story,"
"No, I trust you," Tony said, not even looking suspicious. I found that odd. It felt strange to gain someone's trust not to manipulate them, but just for the sake of it. The fact that my magic was limited by the bracelet made me miss it even more. Although I could still perform basic magic, I longed to trick people with my illusions.

I was about to speak, but then I heard her voice. Well, her laugh, to be exact, followed by the Captain's voice. Stark was staring at him now. I hoped that I hadn't shown emotion upon hearing Yasmin's voice. That would be extremely embarrassing. Yasmin entered the room with the Captain and Bucky and sat herself down on the sofa next to me. Not next to Tony. me.
"Hey," She smiled. I looked up at her and back down at my book.
"Your eyes are purple." I sighed as I absently turned the page of my book. Tony chuckled as Yasmin put her head in her hands, pressing her palms hard into her eyeballs.
"Yes. I was aware." She muttered.
"Anyone want bagels?" Bucky called from the kitchen.
"Yes, please!" Yasmin said eagerly. Good. She needs to eat. If she used her magic, then she needed to replenish her energy. But the main thing was she was okay. Now I could stop worrying about her and start worrying about why I had been worrying about her in the first place.

Chapter Text

- Yasmin's Pov -

It was two days after my first mission with the Avengers, and I hadn't left my bed since the previous morning. I had the worst cold that I ever thought I could have, and I definitely felt the worst I ever had. Apart from that time that Thor tried to cook chicken curry. I was the only one who ate it. Which means I was the only one who got food poisoning. I would not allow anyone anywhere near me. Not that Thor listened. Something about him wouldn't be affected by a silly Midgardian ailment. His words, not mine. If I had the energy, I would have thrown something at him. It hadn't felt very silly to you when I ain't slept all night from not being able to breathe. To be honest, I shouldn't complain. I wasn't exactly having a hard time, lying in bed all day watching TV and being bought food regularly by Thor, who stayed to make sure I ate it and to keep me company for a while.

Around 1 in the afternoon, Thor knocked on the door, and I called him in, pausing the show that I was watching. I had spent almost all of yesterday watching the news, which I had been on (apparently, people had noticed that there was a new, magic-wielding member of the team), and I was worrying about what people were saying about me until Thor had finally persuaded me to turn it off. It didn't help that Nat's comment about how I might be in danger if people knew about my magic was playing on my mind. Nat's right... I shouldn't have gone on that mission.
"Lady Yasmin, are you feeling any better?" Thor asked, setting a tray of food down in front of me and sitting on the edge of my bed.
"A little," It's true, I was feeling better. I had even got dressed and made my bed this morning, so I was lounging on it rather than in it today. "This looks great." I replied, picking up the knife and fork on the tray, "So, what have I missed this morning? Anything special?"
"No, nothing special. Everyone wishes you would come out of your room, though."
"I'm not getting any of you lot ill, we've been over this," I told him sternly; he raised his hands with a smile.
"You are too kind to them." Thor sighed.
"Why, have they been talking about me behind my back?" I joked, raising a forkful of food to my mouth. But my smile faltered as Thor hesitated, "What's been said?"
"There's just been a slight debate," Thor hurried to reassure me. Suddenly, I didn't feel very hungry anymore. I searched Thor's face for answers, but he wasn't giving anything away.
"What's been going on?" I asked, putting my fork down. Thor saw this and sighed, "I ain't eating this until you tell me."
"Some of them are worried about your magic, and you using it in public when you're still not sure of it. They said that certain people might see it as a weakness, which would affect both the team and your safety and no one wants that."
"Some of them are Nat. And Steve?" I guessed, apparently correctly judging by the look on Thor's face, "Why am I even surprised?" I sighed, picking up your fork again. Thor had dished out the tea; now I had to do my part. I ate in silence, stewing over what I had just been told, while Thor seemed to be trying to find the right words.

When I was finished, Thor opened his mouth, but I stopped him before he could start talking.
"Thor, it's fine, they're entirely justified in what they are saying. I'll talk to them myself when I'm better, okay?" I told him, trying to smile as I talked. Thor bent his head as he stood and picked up the tray.
"I will let them know," he nodded as he started to leave the room, "Oh, one last thing, Loki has been getting moody with no one to talk to, so try and get better soon, alright?"
"Tell him to come visit me, I could do with some more company," I replied, slightly cheered by the fact that Loki was missing me.
"I will relay the message," Thor smiled and left the room.

Less than five minutes later, there was another knock on my door, and Loki appeared in the doorway.
"That didn't take long," you smiled, trying not to laugh at how awkward he looked.
"Thor said you wanted to speak to me. Is everything alright?"
"Well, not about anything specific really, I just wanted some company, and you and Thor are the only two I won't infect with my germs," I told him as he made his way carefully over to the edge of my bed and sat down.
"I see," was his simple reply. I cocked my head, frowning slightly with a hint of a smile. I have never seen awkward Loki before. Angry, sarcastic, rude Loki, sure, but awkward was new.
"So, what have the others been saying about me out there? Thor told me that Nat and Steve think I'm the weak link," I joked, praying that Loki would correct me.
"They did. But everyone else backed you up." Great. At least the others had my back. "You desperately need training when it comes to your magic. It's dangerous for you not to know how to control your magic when it's that powerful." Loki crossed his arms.
"Is it really that strong?" I asked worriedly and saw Loki's gaze visibly soften. So he does have a heart.
"Yes, but it will be easy enough to learn how to control it. First, however, we need to convince Stark to get rid of this," he said, gesturing to the metal cuff around his wrist. Whoa, hold up. We? And had he just offered to train me? I composed myself quickly, not wanting to lose this opportunity.
"I'll talk to him. Are you sure you don't just want your magic back so you can escape?" I asked, only half joking. Loki looked up at me quickly, his eyes searching my face.
"Do you really think I would?"
"I don't exactly get the impression that you enjoy being here." I picked at the hem of my T-shirt.
"Mostly, no. But it's safe, and I have nowhere else to go. And you're here," The shock I felt at his words must have shown on my face because he back-pedalled at an astonishing speed. "I mean, I can't leave you here alone with these fools who don't know anything in the slightest about magic; it would be a disaster. You need training..." he trailed off here and looked towards the door as if he wanted to escape.
"Well, I'm glad you are not planning on leaving. If I don't learn how to deal with this magic soon, I might spontaneously combust." Loki looked blank. I keep forgetting he's not from Earth. "That's when you catch on fire without warning," I explained. Loki laughed in disbelief and shook his head.
"You Midgardians come up with some odd ideas,"
"Hey, watch who you are calling Midgardian," I joked, and I got to see that rare smile. I was dumbfounded. I just made him laugh and smile at the same time. Was this a world record?
"Sorry, I was referring to Midgardians in general," he amended. I raised my eyebrows and smiled, "What? Is there something on my face?" he asked quickly, switching back to uncomfortable in a split second.
"There is nothing on your face... It's just... I've just never seen you laugh before," I told him truthfully.
"Yes, well. There hasn't been much for me to laugh about recently." Loki told me amiably, causing that sympathy to well up in me again.
"I'm glad you find me amusing," I replied eventually, smiling. Loki seemed to struggle to find a response to that, so I changed the subject, "So, how are we going to persuade Tony to let you use your magic again? I think he trusts you, but I'm not sure if it will be enough for him to get that off of you," I gestured to the cuff around his wrist, watching Loki's thoughtful expression change to one of someone who had a plan.
"Unless we don't need to persuade him. He doesn't need to know," I was shaking my head before he had even reached the end of his sentence.
"I can't go behind his back, not after what he's done for me," I said firmly, and Loki shrugged, looking only vaguely disappointed.
"I thought you would say that. You'll need to talk to him. We both know that he won't listen to me," Loki crossed his arms. I nodded in agreement.
"I'll talk to him about it while I ask them about the whole using my magic in public business, he won't be able to argue with me then because technically Nat and Steve are already on our side," I pulled my knees up to my chest.
"You should know that Stark wants a sorcerer to train you, someone called Strange," Loki said bitterly.
"Yeah, I know, Strange. Pompus arsemunch. That's not happening. Why do I need a Hazbin Wizard when I have you right here?" I smiled. Loki nodded, and there was a small hint of a smile. "I will talk to Tony about it," I said, trying not to feel secretly pleased that Loki wanted to train me.
"I should go, the others won't appreciate my being alone in here with you," Loki said, standing up suddenly and turning to look at me.
"Oh, okay," I replied, trying not to sound too disappointed in my voice.
"Get well soon, Yasmin. I will see you tomorrow." Loki said, opening the door and giving me a shadow of a smile.
"See you tomorrow," I smiled as Loki shut the door. I flung myself backwards, sinking into the pillows. I made him laugh. I made Loki laugh! I call that progress. I made the man smile, too. Knowing that I did that has made my day.

Chapter Text

- Yasmin's Pov -

The day after I had made the ground-breaking discovery that Loki could laugh, I finally felt well enough to come out of my room, a decision which seemed to make everyone rather happy, much to my surprise and delight. Whoever would have thought that my presence would be wanted by the Avengers? Maybe that's why I decided not to bring up the fact that Thor had told me about the argument everyone had had about me and using my magic in public, purely because everyone had seemed to be in such a good mood. I'll wait for that kickoff for another day. And besides, my throat was too sore for an argument, which might involve yelling.

Today, however, was a different story. I was in the mood for causing drama. And this was the moment that I picked to cause said drama. We sat around in the living area eating breakfast, and everyone was present.
"So, is anyone going to tell me about the argument that went on when I was in my room?" I asked innocently, biting into my toast.
"For crying out loud, Thor," Steve muttered, running a hand through his hair. Thor remained silent, watching me from across the room as I chewed my toast, looking at each person in the room individually, none of whom seemed to want to make eye contact. Apart from Loki. He returned my gaze with a look that so clearly said that I needed to be careful.
"Did Thor tell you everything?" Nat asked, finally addressing me. I glanced at Thor, who subtly shook his head.
"Some of it. But I'd like to hear it from you guys. If that is okay?" I leaned back in my chair, "Something about me being a weak link?" The moment these words left my lips, there was an outburst of protest: Nat and Steve were telling Thor off, and the other half was protesting about what I had said. Loki closed his eyes momentarily at the explosion of noise, and I saw his eyes move under his eyelids as he rolled his eyes and exhaled. I didn't want to be careful. I wanted to call people out, "Don't have a go at Thor. At least he had the balls to tell me what was said,"
"You threatened to stop eating if I didn't."
"That I did," I nodded in agreement. "So, someone better start talking," I looked straight at Nat and then at Steve.
"All we said--" Nat spoke up.
"You said," Thor added as he interrupted Nat. It was funny to see her glaring daggers at him.
"All that was said was that it's not a great look if you're out in the field not knowing what you're doing." You can always trust Nat to give it to you straight.
"I did know what I was doing. I did the job that Nat taught me to do, which was to get civilians to safety," I crossed my arms.
"Yasmin, while you did that bit brilliantly, how can you protect civilians if you can't control your magic?" Steve told me as he moved to stand next to Nat.
"Yeah, I get that," I sighed, looking down at the floor, "It just would have been nice for someone to tell me about all this to my face instead of behind my back," I replied, and again I was met with silence.
"There is an easy way to solve this," Of all the voices in the room, I had not been expecting to hear Loki's. Everyone looked up in surprise, but no one said anything, so Loki interpreted this as an invitation to continue, "She needs training in magic. I can--" he said. I nodded in agreement.
"No, absolutely not," Tony said, as he walked over to stand by where I was sitting, almost protectively. I scrunched my nose up at the man.
"Tony, why not? It's something that I need-"
"Yes, you need to be trained, but not by Reindeer Games." Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Loki sit up a fraction straighter, clenching his jaw. Thor shifted in his position and stood by the wall, his hands clasped behind his back.
"Why the fuck not?" I asked, unamused.
"Because I've arranged training for you already," I rolled my eyes.
"And what if I don't--" I started saying, trailing off as JARVIS interrupted my sentence.
"Sir, there has been an incident." Immediately after, Tony's phone started ringing, and his face dropped when he saw who was calling.
"Gear up," he said to the room, before leaving the room swiftly to answer his phone. Everyone jumped to their feet, apart from Loki and Clint, abandoning their food to go and get geared up. Thor stopped me, however, as I made my way towards the door.
"Lady Yasmin, you are still recovering from your illness. I believe it is unwise for you to accompany us on this mission," he told me. He spoke with a stern undertone.
"Thor, I'm fine, honestly! It will do me good to get some fresh air,"
"Go, brother," Loki said from behind me, suddenly becoming part of the conversation. Grabbing my upper arms and pulled me away from the door. Thor nodded gratefully and left.

"Loki, what are you doing? I want to go," I turned to face Loki as the door closed. He looked down at me and sighed.
"I know you do, but given the nature of this argument going on. It will only create tension if you go, and then those morons will not know what they are doing" Loki smiled as I pouted, "Also, you don't know what you're doing when it comes to magic."
"I've been training with Nat! I do know what I'm doing," I crossed my arms.
"Not with your magic, you don't. Hand-to-hand combat can only get you so far; you need your magic. Besides, it's dangerous for your emotions to run so high when you can't use your magic; you don't know what you're capable of."
"Miss Yasmin, Mr Stark has instructed me to tell you that you are to stay behind on this occasion," JARVIS's voice told me suddenly.
"No fucking shit!" I yelled back, "So it's fine to babysit a God and Clint with my dodgy powers but not help out the team?"
"Kid, you know you're fighting a losing battle when Rudolph and Tony are on the same side." Clint piped up from the sofa.
"Great, thanks a bloody bunch," I snapped, turning on my heel to leave the room.
"Where are you going?" Loki asked, following me from the room.
"My room, is that alright with you?"
"You can't leave me with him!" he hissed, catching hold of my arm. I stared at Loki's hand in surprise, and he dropped my arm quickly. "Sorry,"
"Miss Yasmin, Mr Stark has asked that you keep an eye on Mr Loki and Barton. He does not know how long they'll be gone for."
"This is serious," I groaned as I rolled my eyes. "Fine," I replied sourly.

Not even 5 minutes later, Tony appeared at the window. I rolled my eyes and looked away. Loki took a step back when he saw Tony walking towards me.
"Hey, half-pint," Tony took hold of my shoulders, "We will talk when I get back, okay? I know you're pissed... don't be. We just want you safe," he said. I looked up at him and was surprised to see how worried he looked. I suddenly realised why he was trying to make amends with me. In case he didn't come back. I wasn't mad anymore, feeling worry blossom in my chest instead.
"It's not you that I was pissed at. Well, not as much as the others," I reached up and squeezed Tony's wrists. Fully aware he couldn't feel it because of his suit, "Be careful," I said.
"We will kid, don't worry. See you later." Tony nodded before his helmet snapped shut. "Pizza's on me,"
"Love you too, Tony! Don't worry about saying bye to me, I'm just chilling," Clint declared from the sofa, making me laugh. Tony waved as he jumped out of the window. I followed Loki back into the living room and watched as the Quinjet took off about two minutes later. "They'll be fine, Yas. Quit worrying. Chuck me the remote, would you?" Clint said from where he was splayed on the sofa. I wished I could be as relaxed as he, but I were unable to get Tony's worried expression out of my mind. And all I had for distraction was Loki and Clint. This was going to be a long day.

I kept myself busy all day. First, I tidied up from breakfast; everyone's discarded plates were lying around the room, and I couldn't stand the mess. It reminded me of being at my folks. I then decided to clean the kitchen, acutely aware of Loki watching me while I worked. Again. This time, though, I didn't receive a headache. I was very much thankful for that.

When I was done, I left the room to get my gym gear on, despite Loki's obvious silent pleas for me to stay (which mostly involved him glaring at me), and then went down to the training rooms to take out some of my pent-up frustration on a punching bag. I stayed down there for about three hours, and afterwards, I knew I would be aching profusely the next day, but I didn't care. I needed to let out some of your anger.

I slumped against the wall. I remembered what Loki had said about me being potentially dangerous when my emotions were running high, and remembered something from some Anime that I watched the other day. Something about condensing the main dude's magic into a ball of darkness. My magic was similar to that, sure.
"I wonder if I can do that?" I frowned, holding my hand out in front of me. I concentrated hard on it, imagining my magic rising to the surface. It wasn't difficult; a second later, my hand was covered in purple and glowed with it. I felt my eyes burn. No, that's not how it felt. It wasn't burning, More of a tingle. I didn't feel scared, watching the purple glow around my hand grow stronger.

I willed the purple tuff to become a ball, and after about 20 minutes, there was a ball of purple mist sitting in my outstretched palm. Smiling slightly, I tossed it up in the air and caught it, laughing in disbelief when I was able to hold it there.
"I did it," I then asked the purple ball to go back into my hand. And it listened. I beamed as I joined back into my hand. Suddenly, there was a noise from out in the corridor, and the mist vanished instantly as I looked up in surprise. I was a bit disappointed as I stood up. I walked over to the bench where I dumped my towel and bottle and headed back upstairs to shower and get changed, making a note to tell Loki what I had discovered when I wasn't covered in sweat.

After my lovely shower, I returned to the living room to find Clint exactly where I had left him. Mainly because he was asleep, but I couldn't see Loki. Still determined to keep my mind off the rest of the team, I grabbed a book from the bookshelf and started to read. Luckily, it was a good book, which managed to keep me occupied until my stomach alerted me to the fact that it was time for lunch. I called for Clint a few times, but he didn't answer me. So I threw a pillow at Clint to wake him up.
"What? Ow," He winced as he grabbed his shoulder. I felt slightly bad, but after I told him that he didn't respond to me shouting at him, He calmed down. "I forgot to turn my hearing aids up."
"Plank. What do you want to eat?" I asked, moving towards the kitchen.
"You are the chef, you choose," Clint smiled. Clicking my tongue, I got on to making lunch for the two as Loki still didn't show up.

I cleared the pasta salad that I had made and then watched a film with Clint, which took us up to about four o'clock. Loki was still a no-show. Probably hiding in his room. And there was still no word from the team.
"Yas, I could hardly hear the film over your worrying. You have to stop. They are all fine, okay?" Clint said to me sternly, sitting up with a wince, holding his shoulder.
"You don't know that," I replied. Clint chose to ignore this as he looked around the room.
"Where's Reindeer Games got to? I haven't seen him since this morning."
"He's probably just in his room or something," I told him, without much confidence.
"You realise that Tony will kill us both if he's made a run for it." Clint lay back down.
"He hasn't made a run for it. And Tony would kill you, not me." I corrected, earning an impressive eye roll from Clint.
"We should go look for him, just in case." Clint made a move to stand up but winced in pain again. I gently pulled him back to the sofa.
"If he still hasn't turned up in an hour, then we, meaning I, will go and look for him," I said, and Clint nodded in acceptance.
"Deal. Now, what do you wanna watch?"
"Really? You've been watching TV all day, don't you want to stretch your legs?"
"Hell no. I'm injured, I need to rest."
"Bullshit, you're fine. You've just got chronic laziness." I smirked, ducking as he lobbed a pillow at me.
"I didn't see you getting injured in the line of duty, Yas, pipe down." Clint chuckled.
"Yeah, because I wasn't stupid enough to get myself shot." I countered, laughing as he performed yet another eye roll.
"Alright, smart arse, pass me the remote."

An hour passed, and Loki remained absent, so Clint shooed me away to go and hunt him down. But he wasn't in his room as I had suspected, nor was he in the training rooms, or the labs, or the penthouse, so I decided to check the roof as a last resort.

I found him sitting on one of the benches on the roof next to the helipad, looking more like a normal human than I had ever seen him. His chin rested in the palm of his hand, his elbow rested on his knee, and he was staring out across New York with a glazed look on his face. I approached tentatively, but that didn't stop him from sitting bolt upright the minute he heard me behind him, swinging his legs back down to the ground and spinning around.
"Yasmin," he said as he saw me, visibly relaxing, "Not many people can sneak up on me."
"Well, I failed as you clearly heard me coming," I was standing behind him, "Can I sit?" I asked. He nodded, and I sat down next to him, crossing my legs as he had done, "You haven't been up here all day, have you?" Loki stayed silent, "Clint said you disappeared after breakfast," I said.
"Well, it's not much fun being left alone in a room with someone who strongly dislikes you when you can read their mind," Loki replied, tugging the ends of his jacket sleeves down so that they covered his hands.
"Shit, I forgot. Sorry. I needed to go punch some things," I explained, trying not to stare at the obvious act of insecurity he had just displayed.
"I know. It must be frustrating for you, not being able to use your magic. I can't imagine how that feels." A slow smile spread across my face as I looked at him. He was pleased with himself.
"Sarcasm? I'm impressed," I commented, laughing as he shrugged and smiled softly, "Seriously though, have you been up here all day?" I continued.
"No, I was in the penthouse. Barton's thoughts are loud, and I can't read yours. I've just been reading, and then came out here when it got too warm," he sighed, making brief eye contact. I noticed that he had been doing that more recently. Now that he wasn't being held prisoner, he had stopped looking like one and started to look more like how I imagined he had as an Asgardian prince. More elegant and, dare I say it, handsome. He didn't look gaunt anymore; his hair had a shine to it, and the dark shadows had disappeared from under his eyes. He looked healthy. "What?" I snapped out of my trance, realising I had been staring at Loki.
"Sorry, zoned out there for a second," He frowned at me in suspicion and turned back to face the view, the fading sunlight illuminating his face. His eyes looked amazing in this light; they were so blue.
"Stop it, Yasmin. Stop staring," I turned away, thanking god that he couldn't read my mind. I cleared your throat, "So, anyway, when I was done punching stuff, I tried to use my magic..."
"Unsupervised? That was stupid. You could have hurt yourself."
"A bit harsh that, don't you think?" I scoffed as I held my hand and concentrated. Nothing happened, "I don't understand. It worked earlier," I said, feeling frustration rise in my stomach that I couldn't summon my magic by will, but then I asked it, and my hand was enshrouded in purple.
"Okay," Loki examined my hand, nodding, "That is good. It is the first step to training: being able to do small things."
"I ain't sure though, but either I have to form some sort of strong emotion to summon it or I have to ask it nicely," I wiggled my fingers. Loki crossed his arms and placed one hand on his chin, tapping away with his pointer finger.
"It may be a mixture of both. That comes with practice. For now, you should try not to use it," he told me, and I dropped my hand, feeling the magic leave.

Seconds later, a familiar sound reached my ears, growing louder and louder. The Quinjet.
"They're back!" I cheered. I then looked at Loki. His face was blank. "What?"
"I should go. We both know that they won't like us being up here alone together. Well, my brother might," Loki said as he stood up and headed for the door.
"Be sure to tell Barton you haven't run away, will you?" I asked, half joking, half not.
"Did you think I had left?" He asked, turning back to me.
"Barton did. Me... not so much," I replied, grabbing at my hair as the jet landed behind me, trying to stop it from flying everywhere. Loki simply nodded, his face unreadable and turned back towards the door.

I ran to the door of the Quinjet, which opened to reveal everyone inside, seemingly uninjured.
"Are you okay, kid? Did something happen?" Tony spoke instantly when he saw me, worry etched on his face.
"No, I just came to see that you were all okay," I replied, confused as to why he had been so worried.
"Come on, let's get inside. We are all fine." Tony said, leading me towards the doors into the tower. Why was he so worried? Something had happened on that mission. And I had a feeling I was about to find out what.

Chapter Text

- Yasmin's Pov -

Once we were inside, the team all piled into the living room. We were sat down by Tony, who, in short, told me that it was safe to say there was a group of people out to get me. I was being targeted, and I was in danger. He then explained how they had found this out on the mission they had just been on, but I wasn't paying attention anymore. I was trying to work out how to feel about the whole thing. Scared? Angry? Calm?
"Kid? You okay?" Tony asked; apparently, he had finished talking now. I nodded mutely and pointed towards my bedroom, standing up and leaving the room.
"Leave her be, Tony," I heard Steve say.

The minute I was inside my room with the door locked, I sat on my bed in shock. That was how I felt: shocked. And not safe. An unhelpful combination. And knowing that I was in danger, I knew that this meant that I didn't sleep very much at all that night.

The next morning I were the first one up. I should hope so, as I didn't sleep a bloody wink all night. I tossed and turned all night.
"Good morning, Yasmin," Loki's voice came suddenly from one of the sofas, making me jump, "I apologise, I didn't mean to startle you."
"It's fine, I didn't see you there," I exhaled, placing a hand on my chest. Loki looked at me worriedly. "No, it's fine. Why are you up so early?" I asked, heading for the kettle.
"I don't need to sleep. And it didn't help that everyone was worrying about you extremely audibly in their thoughts all night, especially Stark," he replied, causing a pang of guilt to shoot through me.
"Do you know what they found that made them so worried?" I asked, trying to sound casual. Loki opened his mouth and then closed it again. I stared at him. If he found it disconcerting, then I was definitely in big trouble.
"It's my fault." He finally said. There was a good few seconds of silence as I tried to process what had just been said.
"What do you mean, it's your fault? What have you done?" I replied, half in disbelief, half in fear.
"It was at the party. When I was arguing with Thor about not attending, I said some things I shouldn't have when there were guests nearby." Loki closed his eyes.
"Arguing about what?"
"About you." Loki sighed. I was becoming more and more confused by the second. I pointed to myself, and Loki nodded.
"I don't understand why you were talking about me when you were arguing with Thor?"
"He said that I seemed to enjoy your company and it might do me good to spend some time with you, and I told him that the only reason you were being remotely kind to me was because we share the same magic and you wanted to learn how to use it," he told me, his voice louder than usual and without its usual self-important air. Shocked, I stood very still, not knowing how to deal with this unexpected situation, "Someone must have heard, and... I don't know, the wrong people overheard. It's my fault," he concluded matter-of-factly, determinedly not looking in my direction. My brain was going a hundred miles an hour as I tried to wrap my head around it all.
"So what you are saying is that you think that these people were after me because they know that I have the same magic as you?" I asked. Loki nodded.
"That's just great," I mumbled. It made sense. Whoever was after me saw what Loki had done in the New York attack and made the conclusion that I was going to do the same, and maybe cause more damage. So they were targeting me because I still didn't know how to use my magic properly. Nat and Steve were right, I was weak. But I would think about that later; there was a bigger problem to deal with first. I walked around the kitchen island and sat on the sofa next to Loki. "You do know that it is not true," I said, after a pause.
"How else do you explain how these people know about our magic being similar? I doubt the others have been talking about it in public," he said bitterly.
"No, Loki. I mean the bit about me only talking to you because I want to learn how to use my magic." Loki blinked at me, "Because it's not true." I continued, tilting my head to try and get him to look at me. Loki stood up suddenly and walked away five steps, only to stop suddenly and swing around to face me, pointing at me almost threateningly.
"You are so infuriating," he snapped, sounding immensely annoyed. I frowned at him in confusion at his sudden outburst, "I can't understand you! Why do you insist on being so nice to me? Everyone else here can not stand me; they all rather that I wasn't here, but you... You talk to me. You don't make up crude nicknames or fall silent when I enter a room. But I can't read your mind, I don't know what goes on in your head. I can't..." Loki trailed off, shaking his head while staring at me. I leaned back against the sofa, once again lost for words. Loki walked back over and sat heavily back down, continuing to make eye contact with me.
"Anything else you want to add?" I looked right back at him.
"You are... odd," he eventually said. For some reason, this caused my lips to twist into a smile.
"I know. So are you," I replied, and he nodded, finally breaking eye contact to look back down at his hands.
"Can you forgive me?" he eventually asked.
"Don't be stupid. This bullshit is not your fault. You are not a witch; you cannot see into the future. You couldn't have known what would happen." I retorted, brushing away his apology.
"Yasmin... you are in serious danger. From what Stark and the others have been discussing and thinking about," Loki took a deep breath. I shrugged.
"I'm joining the Avengers, I think being in serious danger is going to be a given from now on," I replied, trying to smile. Loki opened his mouth to say something else, but at that exact moment, Tony entered the room.

He stopped short when he saw the two of us sitting next to each other on the sofas and raised his eyebrows.
"I hope I am not interrupting anything?" he asked.
"No, no. You're not. No." I said quickly.
"The very fact that you just told me no three or four times in a row would suggest that I am, in fact, interrupting something," he replied, with a hint of a smile.
"You're not," I confirmed, forcing a smile. I seemed to be doing that a lot lately.
"Well, good, because I want to talk to you. Mainly about how these people who are after you know that your magic is the same as Rei-Loki's," Loki stiffened, almost imperceptibly, but I saw it. Tony would go mental if he found out what had happened.
"We were actually just talking about that," I said, thinking fast, feeling my chest tighten as Loki looked up at me sharply, a plea in his eyes. Did he really think that I would sell him out just like that? "We think it must have been someone at the party. Everyone was so drunk, Tony, they could have let anything slip," I told him.
"See, that's what I thought at first, but the others didn't find out about that until after the party. So the only people who would have known about it during the party were you two. Nat had already said she was concerned about you talking to people, Yasmin, and I don't think you would have mentioned your magic to anyone. Which just leaves..." Tony trailed off to look at Loki.
"What is it exactly that you are trying to suggest, Stark?" Loki asked, standing up as Tony walked over to face him. I stood up too, determined to keep the peace, momentarily distracted by how much taller Loki was than Tony.
"Okay, guys, let's not get carried away..." I said, moving to stand between the two men.
"I don't know, why don't you tell me, Reindeer Games?" Tony spoke over the top of me, apparently unfazed by the height difference. Loki glowered at Tony, clenching his jaw.
"Tony, back off..." I told him as I placed my hand on his chest, trying to push him away.
"Yasmin, get out of the way," Tony said to me.
"Yes, move Yasmin, let's see what this mewling quim will do." Loki agreed. I could hear a challenge in his voice.
"That is not happening," I snapped at both men. Tony was glaring at Loki with true hatred in his eyes and held out an arm for the sleeve of his Iron Man suit, "Tony, don't," I begged, putting a hand on his arm.
"Yasmin, move!" Loki half-shouted from behind me. I glared up at him as I was about to tell him off, but Tony beat me to it.
"No, you don't get to yell at her. Do it again and I swear to--"
"In case you haven't noticed, I'm not one of your minions, Stark; you can't order me around." I have had enough of this. I closed my eyes and asked my magic to make an appearance.
"I can send you back to Asgard, that's what I can..." Tony trailed off as he looked at me, "Do... Your eyes are purple," I turned around to look at Loki, too, who immediately backed off.
"Then might I suggest that the two of you sit your fucking asses down!" I instructed them both, trying not to feel pleased when they both did so instantly. As they did so, I turned my eyes back to their usual colour. So, asking my magic works. Fighting down the elation I was feeling, I focused on the matter at hand, "Tony, this isn't Loki's fault, okay?" I told him.
"We don't know that," Tony replied.
"He told me, and I believe him. It was probably me, I don't remember half of the night, I could have been talking to anyone. Also, what was it you said to Nat about having double, triple and quad checked the guest list?" I asked, raising an eyebrow as Loki smirked. It was a low blow, but I was pissed that he had jumped at a chance to accuse Loki of something. Tony didn't have an answer for that one, "And besides, how do we even know that that's why they're targeting me? It might be for a different reason," I stopped talking when I saw the look on Tony's face, "What are you not telling me?"
"We saw the plans, Yasmin. It wasn't hard to understand why they were doing what they were doing," I tried not to think about it. Loki didn't look so smug anymore.
"Well, I hope this doesn't mean you're going to try and stop me from coming on missions?" I asked.
"Until you have learnt how to control your magic, I don't think it's a good idea," Tony sighed heavily. I looked back at Loki and then at Tony.
"If you are not going to let me go on missions... then let Loki teach me magic. We both have nothing better to do."
"Hell no!" Tony yelled at me. I didn't have to ask my magic to come out; my eyes turned on on their own. And at this point, I didn't care.
"You fucking hypocrite. You bollocked Loki for yelling at me, and you think you can do the same. I will tell you once and once only... Do not yell at me," I said as calmly as I could. Tony gulped and nodded.
"I mean... no. Not a chance is he training you,"
"Tony, just let him teach the kid. We all know it will be a massive help," Clint's voice emanated from the doorway. I looked triumphantly at Loki and then Tony.
"We'll talk about it with the others later," Tony replied, sounding disgruntled.

Later, with the others, Tony was largely outnumbered. By everyone. They all agreed that Loki should train me. Even Barton agreed.
"The answer is still no," Tony shook his head, "Strange has already agreed to help Yasmin."
"Stark, we all know that this way is out of Strange's depth. His magic was different to hers. Loki is the only one who knows what he is doing," Barton leaned forward on the table. Loki and I raised our eyebrows at Barton. "Don't push it," I held my hands up and backed off.
"I'm sorry, but there is no chance he is training Yasmin," Tony stood his ground.
"Why can't you trust me to do this?" I raised my voice.
"You, I trust. Him, I don't," Tony pointed at Loki. Loki glared at him.
"I trust him," I said as I stood next to Loki.
"Then may I offer a compromise?" Nat spoke as she stood up from the sofa. I nodded, "Loki can only train Yasmin if Thor can sit in on her training," Nat said, trying to console Tony after his massive defeat in the discussion.
"Can I what now?" Thor asked. I should have known that he wasn't listening.
"Sit in on Yas's training with Loki," Banner added. Thor looked at everyone. Tony was the only one who was declining. Thor looked at me, and I silently pleaded with him.
"Very well. I accept," Thor nodded. I jumped up screaming.
"Fuck yes!" Everyone stared at me. I then calmed down and looked at the floor. "Sorry,"
"Just so we are clear... Stark, if Thor sits in with Yasmin's training, you will be fine with her being trained by Loki and not Strange?" Steve crossed his arms. Everyone looked at Tony. His jaw was clenched, but then he threw his hands in the air.
"Fine! Fine. Reindeer games can train her," Tony huffed. I did a small jump and noticed that Loki was smiling. That was until he noticed that I was looking at him, and he stopped, "Thor, you can be responsible for that band as well, saves me having to worry about it," Tony said, gesturing towards the cuff on Loki's wrist and sounding immensely displeased about the fact that it was going to be removed. Thor looked positively thrilled at the prospect of sitting in on my training. I was also buzzing. I was finally going to learn how to use my magic properly, and Loki was going to be able to use his magic again, too. I call that a win-win. I hoped he was pleased; I couldn't explicitly tell from his face, but I thought his jaw was slightly more relaxed than usual. Definitely a good sign.

Chapter Text

- Yasmin's Pov -

Despite feeling tired, I had a training session planned with Nat immediately after breakfast. However, as I was feeling too drained after the session, I had no choice but to prioritize self-care and rest. I decided to reschedule my first training session with Loki and Thor for the next morning, hoping that I would feel more energized and focused by then. I planned to train with Nat for three consecutive days, working on my physical fitness and combat skills, and then switch to magic training for the next three days, honing my abilities in the mystical arts. I was determined to make the most of my time and improve my overall abilities, even if it meant adjusting my schedule accordingly.

As the night settled in, I positioned myself comfortably by the window, ready to practice summoning the ball of magic once again. Although Loki had warned me of the potential danger, I couldn't help but feel confident in my abilities. After all, my power had always been under my control and had never caused any harm to me before.

For half an hour, I focused on bringing the ball to my hand, trying different techniques and approaches. The excitement of the possibility of successfully creating the ball was palpable, as I refused to be deterred by the potential risks.

Eventually, I decided to test my control over my magic differently. I stood in front of the mirror, taking deep breaths, and began turning my eyes purple and back to normal repeatedly. I practised this skill until I could do it almost effortlessly, without any discomfort or strain on my eyes.

It was interesting to realise that anime had taught me life lessons better than any real-life experience. Perhaps it was the way the characters overcame their challenges that inspired me. As I contemplated this, I realised that I needed to catch up on my favourite anime series soon.

Feeling content with my progress, I turned on my laptop, crawled into bed, and drifted off to sleep, eager to see what new adventures awaited me in the world of anime.

The next morning, I got out of bed the minute I was awake, got showered and dressed and went to have breakfast. It was a Saturday morning – no one usually got up this early on a Saturday morning. Except for one person.
"What is it with you being sat in here every morning? I know you don't need to sleep, but you could find something to do," I asked, startling him this time. I will admit that I felt very proud of myself.
"Good morning to you, too," Loki replied. I smiled at his sarcastic reply, "Reading passes the time, and I couldn't sleep at the moment even if I wanted to: I haven't used my magic for a while," he continued.
"Is that when you need to sleep, when you've been using your magic?"
"Yes," Loki nodded.
"So you have to recharge after you've used it?"
"Yes," Loki nodded again. He didn't seem annoyed that I was asking him questions.
"Will it be the same for me?"
"For a novice like you, most certainly." That explained why I had fallen asleep so quickly last night. I made myself a drink, grabbed a piece of fruit for my breakfast and went and sat opposite Loki, who had returned to his book. As I ate, I thought of about twelve more questions to ask him, but decided that I probably shouldn't talk too much more in case he got annoyed.

After a short while, though, Loki sighed, closed the book and looked at me expectantly.
"Can I help you?" I asked.
"I can practically hear you thinking about me," he said, putting the book on the table, "So ask away," He leaned back, spreading his arms wide in invitation.
"Firstly... You can't actually hear me thinking, though, right?" I asked in uncertainty. I do not want this man to know I have been thinking.
"No, you're doing a brilliant job of keeping me out," he scowled, and I briefly felt a tiny pain in my temple.
"Get out," I grinned, pressing my hand to your temple, and got a smile only slightly more noticeable than the pain had been.
"What do you want to know?" he asked again. I had a million questions; I was determined not to mess this up.
"Could you use your magic when you were imprisoned on Asgard?"
"Yes, in a way." Loki nodded. I tilted my head, "I could cast illusions, small things like that, but nothing more. Otherwise, I could have broken out whenever I wanted,"
"Do you miss it there? On Asgard?" He paused before answering.
"I miss being free there," Loki sighed. I nodded at him. I wish I could help him. I hated that he was trapped here in the tower.

For the next half an hour, we sat and talked before we were interrupted by Bruce. He pulled a face when he walked into the room.
"Morning, BB," I said when he didn't speak. He didn't mind that I called him that. He shook his head.
"Good morning, Yasmin. Morning, Loki," Loki looked up, shocked that someone other than me had acknowledged him.
"Good morning, Bruce," Loki nodded. I downed the rest of my tea.
"We should probably go now before Tony wakes up and changes his mind about letting me train," I said, standing up and stretching.
"Shouldn't you wait for Thor?" Bruce piped up from the kitchen.
"Will you tell him we've already gone down when he appears?" I asked. Bruce didn't look too pleased at the prospect of me going alone with Loki.
"I can't use my magic until Thor comes down and takes this stupid thing off," Loki spoke up, holding up a hand to display the metal cuff. Bruce nodded curtly.
"Be careful, Yasmin," he said.
"Always," I replied cheerfully, following Loki, who had already left the room.

"I dislike him," Loki said the second the elevator doors had closed. "Well, I dislike his alter ego,"
"I figured. Thor told me about the incident," I said, trying not to smile at the intense scowl on his face. I couldn't blame him in all honesty. I have seen the Hulk in action. "It can't have been fun to be on the receiving end of his anger."
"He acts like it didn't happen. And I have a scar to prove it did happen. And it bloody hurt," he continued. I listened to his small rant in silence, still holding back a smile.

The training rooms were empty, luckily, and we headed for the biggest one.
"I have a plan," Loki announced as I leaned against the wall.
"Oh? Sounds dangerous," I smiled.
"When Thor takes this cuff off of me, I'm going to teleport away to somewhere I can use my magic properly," he started, stopping when he saw the look on my face.
"Why not here?" I asked, gesturing to the space we were in.
"It's too small in here." To do what exactly? That is what I wanted to ask, but I knew better.
"Right. And then what?" I crossed my arms.
"Thor will throw a fit, which unfortunately I won't be present for. You'll have to enjoy that for me," he said, sounding truly disappointed. I smiled, "Have faith that I will return, and hopefully, he won't tell Stark," I breathed an internal sigh of relief. I hadn't been sure how the plan was going to end.
"The last part sounds a bit risky, but I'm up for that," I said, trying not to sound relieved.
"I just need to use it. Properly use it. If only for two minutes," he continued, looking wistfully out of the wall window.
"And to get out of here?" I guessed.
"Yes. That too." We stood in silence for a moment. I watched him looking out of the window. "Where will you go?" I placed a hand on his shoulder as I formed my own plan.
"Nowhere with Midgardians, that's for sure," he replied, scowling again. I hoped that didn't mean a different planet, "I will come back, Yasmin. I give you my word," he said suddenly, turning back to look at me.
"I know," I replied. Sighing, I went and leaned against a wall, "I can buy you 15 minutes max before Thor throws a hissy fit and tells Tony,"
"How do you plan on doing that?" Loki frowned.
"I have my ways," I grinned.
"Thank you, Yasmin," Loki bowed his head as he looked at me over his shoulder.
"So, what are we starting with? Can we do anything without your magic?" I asked, eager to get going.
"Yes, actually, we can," Loki spun around and grinned at me.

For the next fifteen minutes, Loki talked me through the inner workings of Asgardian magic and taught me an easier way to summon my magic. I can't explain it, but it worked. By the time Thor arrived, my eyes were purple, and I was happy with how much progress I had made in literally a quarter of an hour and didn't feel tired yet.
"Started without me?" Thor asked, walking into the room with a key.
"Hang on, this isn't locked by some science or magic? It's just a key?" Loki asked, sounding outraged.
"Yes, brother, just a key. Now, please don't do anything foolish. Please," Thor begged as Loki held his arm out.
"Would I?" Loki said, rolling his eyes. I couldn't help but feel sorry for Thor, knowing what was about to happen. I also couldn't help but feel slightly nervous.
"Yes," The lock clicked open as Thor twisted the key and took the cuff off of Loki's wrist. Loki flexed his wrist, beginning to smile.
"Finally," Loki took a deep breath.
"Loki," Thor said, a warning in his voice. I doubted Loki even heard him. He looked at me with a full grin on his face.
"15 minutes," I warned before Loki vanished into thin air.

I don't think I have ever heard Thor swear so loudly. I smiled and looked out of the window, wondering where he had gone, feeling only slightly nervous that I had just let the God of Mischief loose in the world with all his powers intact. No. It will be fine. I trust him. My plan will work.
"Why are you smiling?! This is..." Thor trailed off as I looked at him with a knowing look on my face, "Where is he?"
"I don't know, he didn't say where he was going," I replied with a shrug, "All he said was that he needed to use his magic properly and this room was too small."
"Lady Yasmin, that was foolish," Thor sighed. I pushed myself off the wall and put my hands on my hips.
"Do you think that I could have stopped him even if I had wanted to?"
"Yes, I do! He listens to you," Thor shot back, "I need to inform the others."
"He has 15 minutes," I pulled my phone out of my gym bag and showed Thor an app, "I placed a tracker on him. I do not need to know where he is. But if he is not back in 14 minutes. I send his location to the others, and they go and get him."
"You tricked the God of Mischief," Thor's mouth dropped open.
"I did, and I think it's good that he's getting to use his powers and get out of here for a while. He's been imprisoned for such a long time," I sighed.
"And for good reason!" Thor yelled. I blinked, taken aback.
"I thought... Holy shit, you don't trust him, do you?" I responded.
"Lady Yasmin, He has betrayed me too many times before. I don't want to see you get hurt the same way," Thor said forlornly.
"Well, I trust him. For now. He'll come back." I said confidently.

13 minutes later, however, I wasn't feeling so confident. Thor and I were sitting side by side on the floor, leaning against the wall, not talking. What would happen if Loki didn't come back? Tony, and everyone else for that matter, was going to kill me. I did have a tracker on him, which had not moved in a while. I could always persuade Thor to tell them that I didn't know he was planning on escaping. But would Thor have my back? If not, would I have to leave? I hoped not. I felt at home here for the first time in my life, and I didn't have anywhere else to go.
"He is taking too long," Thor huffed.
"He still has 1 minute," I leaned my head back, debating on whether I should take a nap when there was a flash of green in front of where Thor and I were sitting, and Loki reappeared, "Hey!" I exclaimed, leaping to my feet and pointing at Loki excitedly, looking triumphantly at Thor, who slowly got to his feet.
"You doubted me?" Loki asked, and I turned to face him, suppressing the overwhelming urge to hug him. He probably wouldn't appreciate that.
"Nope. Not at all," I replied, my heart thumping in my chest.
"At least you seem very happy to see me," Loki looked at Thor, "Brother, wait," Loki said, taking two steps back as Thor approached him with the cuff in his hand.
"I can't risk you escaping under my watch, Loki..."
"I'm not going to escape! I came back, didn't I? I'm standing here right now with all of my powers, and I'm choosing not to leave. For some reason," Loki implored, eyeing the cuff with disdain.
"How do I know you won't leave again?" Thor asked, already visibly refraining.
"I came back. I didn't have to, but I did! Surely that counts towards something?"

As the two brothers argued, I couldn't help but stare. He looked alive. Of course, he had looked alive before, but now he looked good. Healthy. And so much better than when he had first arrived. He looked like a prince. A god. And damn, he was hot.
"Yasmin?" I heard Loki speak. I shook my head as I saw both gods looking at me. I quickly erased the smile from my face for fear of looking like a creepy person. "Well?" he asked, still looking right at me.
"Well, what?"
"Thor asked you if you still want to train." Loki licked his lips.
"Well, Yeah. Obviously." The smile I received from Loki after saying that made it worth it.
"Good. Let's continue, shall we?" Loki walked over to the bench, and I patted his shoulder again, removing the tracker before Loki removed his jacket.
"Awesome," I glanced at Thor. He was looking at you suspiciously, and you decided to pull a face at him as Loki turned his back, only to receive a knowing look in return. But that didn't mean he hadn't seen me watching his brother with a smile on my face for the last minute and a half. At least I hoped he didn't.

After about an hour of training, I felt as though I could sleep for a day, even though I had barely just woken up. Thor had fallen asleep against the wall. He was not a morning person.
"How are you feeling?" Loki asked as I sat down heavily on the floor, furthest away from Thor. His snoring is so loud.
"So tired. Is that nor--" I was unable to finish my sentence as I yawned so widely, tears came to my eyes, "--mal?" Loki chuckled.
"Yes. For novices such as yourself,"
"Do you think the mist will still try to protect me, even after I can use it properly?" I asked, resting my chin on the palm of my hand as Loki sat down next to me.
"I don't know. We'll find out when you're next in danger," Loki replied, not all that reassuringly.
"That is just great," I sighed. I hope it will. I could feel Loki staring at me, "What?"
"Your walls are down,"
"My walls?"
"The ones around your mind," Loki said, causing me to look up sharply.
"What? Really?" my tired brain struggled to form a coherent sentence. I was also slightly panicking, not entirely sure I wanted Loki inside my head.
"It must be because you've exhausted your magic after that training," he said, beginning to smile.
"Hey, no! Don't you dare!" I exclaimed, sitting up and putting my hands over my head. Because yeah, that's going to help. I felt hands on mine, removing them from my head.
"Relax, I won't," he replied, still smirking.
"Good,"
"Just makes me wonder what you're hiding from me?" Loki smirked.
"Nothing that you need to concern yourself with," I sighed.
"I'm not going to read your mind, Yasmin," he stated, reassuringly.
"Thank you, and you better not," I sighed, resting my head on the wall, tiredly.
"You need to sleep," Loki and I looked over at Thor, "We should wake him up." Loki eventually said, standing up reluctantly. I pulled a face, not wanting him to have to put the cuff back on. Loki held a hand out for me to take. I happily accepted it.
"We'll train again soon. Maybe you can get out of here for a bit again, too?" I suggested, slowly getting to my feet with Loki's help.
"I doubt that will happen. This one is going to watch me like a hawk," Loki sighed as he nudged Thor's leg with his foot. "Wake up," Thor grunted, his way back to consciousness and stood up, apologising profusely for falling asleep and then proceeding to lock the cuff around Loki's wrist again. I noticed that he didn't resist. Thor looked more relaxed as we all took the elevator back up to the living quarters. Loki did not.

I just about made it to my door without falling asleep. I then cursed as I remembered to say thank you to Loki. And as I turned around and collided with his chest.
"Shit... sorry," I said, taking a step backwards, only for my back to come into contact with the door. "Shit.. sorry," I then closed my eyes and sighed.
"You do realise that you just apologised to a door?" Loki chuckled as I nodded, "Are you okay?" he asked, half-reaching for my arm.
"Yeah. Just need to take a nap," I replied, and he nodded, taking a step back, "Listen, thank you for helping me. I really appreciate it," I said, for some reason struggling to make eye contact this close.
"You're welcome. Thank you for letting me use my magic for a while," he replied.
"No worries. Also, you might want to go and check that Thor is keeping his mouth shut," I advised, and Loki nodded.
"I will do that. Sleep well," Loki smiled as I went into my room.

I barely made it to my bed before collapsing, fully dressed, on top of it. And I did not wake up for another four hours.

Chapter Text

- Yasmin's Pov -

For the next few weeks, I alternated between training with Nat and Loki, and as a result, the only time of the day I wasn't tired was the few hours after I got out of bed in the morning, before I started training. I once fell asleep and sat at the table having dinner one night. That's when one of the grown-ups made a plan that I would train in the evenings before I went to bed. There is something about trying to keep my sleeping pattern relatively intact.

While training with Nat, I felt a lot fitter and more confident with my physical abilities than I had last year. As for my magic, it was like a part of me now; I didn't even have to think about trying to summon and use it. Loki was teaching me bigger things now, like how to break a fall with my magic and lift things. Unfortunately, I had to practice these things, and they hadn't come without injury; on several occasions, Loki had to heal you... not that I minded. I liked spending time with Loki.

But since I have been spending more time with Loki than anyone else lately, people and by people, I mean Tony, were becoming slightly concerned and worried. Ah well. Thor seemed happy about it, even letting us train just the two of us at times. And I was definitely happy not being babysat all the time. Granted, the one time I had not been overly happy was when Loki told me that the only way to practice breaking my fall with my magic was to jump down the middle of the stairwell of the Avengers Tower. And to be fair, we only practised this on the rare occasion when Thor was not present, but generally, other than that, things had been great. Practice had begun from one floor up, then two, then three. Soon, we were on the ninth floor, and it was going well until it didn't. The fall had been too much, and I ended up breaking both of my legs. That was the first pain I had ever felt. Luckily, Loki had been able to heal me; it had only taken just under an hour, and lots of swearing. Mainly from me. We both agreed not to tell anyone about it; Tony and Thor definitely didn't need to find out.

The best bit about all the training was that I worked out how to communicate with Loki with my mind while not letting him fully into my head. It was cool being able to talk without anyone knowing, although most of the time, an eye roll was all it took for me to work out what he was thinking. And if I really put my mind to it, I could also hear snippets of what the others were thinking, but I didn't want to invade their privacy too much.

This morning, I decided to give myself a lie-in. My legs were still kind of sore from being broken less than a week ago, and I didn't roll out of bed until nearly half past ten, appearing at eleven after a shower with my wet hair tied in a bun on the hunt for food.
"Hey, lazy," Bucky was sitting at the table, eating some toast and looking as though he, too, had recently rolled out of bed.
"Either you are sporting sex hair or you are such a hypocrite," I replied with a smile, grabbing a piece of toast from his plate, ignoring the sound of protest he made as I looked for something in the fridge. Settling for strawberries and Nutella, I sat next to Bucky and offered him some in repayment for stealing his toast.
"I should think so," he muttered, grinning as he bit into a strawberry.

We sat talking and eating companionably for a while. And after a bit, we were joined by Nat and Bruce, who, for some reason, looked quite solemn.
"What's up, guys?" Bucky asked.
"Yeah, why the long faces?" I had hold of a ball and was throwing it up and down.
"Tony's got wind of bad news; we'll be called out later on, I expect," Bruce mumbled. Nat was frowning at me.
"Oh, what kind of bad news?" Bucky asked, but I wasn't paying attention, having turned my gaze to Nat.
"Got something to say?" I spoke sternly.
"You think you're up for it?" she asked me. That was not what I expected her to say.
"Are you being serious?" My mouth flapped open. Nat nodded, "Then hell yes," I replied without hesitation.
"Has Reindeer Games been teaching you well?" Nat crossed her arms.
"Yes, Loki... has been teaching me well," I said, emphasising Loki's name. I wished they wouldn't call him that.
"Well, it's up to Tony. I trust your judgement, though." Nat replied, and I smiled broadly. Time to use my magic for good, and actually use it properly this time.
"So talk to me. What's going on?" I gestured for the others to sit down.
"It's pretty bad. S.H.E.I.L.D. have uncovered an organisation who are developing some sort of AI technology and weaponising it," Bruce explained.
"We don't know all the details. It sounds like something S.H.I.E.L.D. won't want to get their hands dirty with, though; they'll swoop in at the end and take away organisers. If we catch them," Nat added bitterly. I shared a disconcerted look with Bucky. This sounded pretty dangerous.
"Yasmin, you don't have to--" Bruce stuttered, adjusting his glasses.
"I'm coming," I told Bruce firmly, who smiled.
"Remember, you need to be careful. This whole business with the group of people out for you... We need to be on high alert. You'll be safe if we don't get disorganised," Nat said, looking directly at me.
"Give me a little credit. I'm not stupid, I'm not going to let myself get kidnapped. And I have you guys," I replied positively, seeing Bucky nodding his head next to me.
"But we can't babysit you while we're trying to fight," Nat replied sternly.
"I never asked you to babysit me," I mimicked her tone, earning a scowl.

Fifteen minutes later, Tony entered the room; he looked tired.
"Tony, you can't keep on staying up all night. You look a mess," Nat told him as he came over to the table and sat down next to me.
"You sound like Pepper," he groaned, running his hands through his hair.
"And we both know that she is right. You should listen to her," Nat shrugged.
"I'm fine," Tony insisted. He didn't look fine; he looked almost like Loki had when he had arrived, minus the injuries.
"So what's the deal with this robot mission?" I asked, wanting to change the subject. Tony looked at Nat.
"You told her?" Nat just shrugged. Tony then looked at me, "I suppose you'll want to come along?" Tony asked me."
No. Not at all," I shook my head. Tony tilted his head at me, confusion etched on his face, "Of course I do. Hence why I'm asking about the mission," With a resigned sigh, Tony explained what he knew about the organisation and that S.H.E.I.L.D. wanted the Avengers to go in first because we were more equipped to face whatever was in there.
"And by equipped, they mean Steve and Banner," Bucky added. Fury had given me the okay to go on the mission, but not Loki. Not that I doubted anyone would have a problem with that, but I did feel bad that he was going to be alone.

The rest of the day was spent in nervous anticipation; I couldn't even go down to the training rooms to release some of my pent-up tension because I needed to save my energy for later. Around midday, most people drifted off to rest before the mission, but I was way too energetic for that. Loki was nowhere to be found, and I was too nervous to knock on his door, so I spent the afternoon binge-watching Netflix. I couldn't help but find it ironic that I was doing such a normal thing when later I had plans to go and fight a literal robot army alongside the Avengers.

Around four in the afternoon, Tony stuck his head around the door.
"Hey, Kid, we're leaving in twenty. Is that okay?" he asked.
"That's great. Thanks." I smiled. I quickly got changed into your gear and went into the kitchen to have a drink before I left.

Bucky and Steve were there with the same idea; Steve handed me a glass of water, and I thanked him and downed it immediately.
"You got everything you need?" Steve asked. I patted down my suit and nodded.
"All good here,"
"Good. Remember your training, and it will all be fine," Steve patted my shoulder.

A few minutes later, we were joined by most of the others and started heading up to the roof. We were in the elevator and halfway to the roof when I remembered Loki. I felt like I should have said bye to him or something along those lines. An idea appeared in my mind, and while the others talked, I reached out with my mind to Loki, who was getting further away as I rose through the building.
"Hey, Frosty,"
"Yasmin? What are you doing?" Loki replied instantly, making me smile.
"We're leaving now, thought I would tell you as no one else bothered,"
"Oh. Thanks," Loki sighed, "Where are you?"
"Nearly on the roof," I leaned against the wall of the elevator, closing my eyes.
"That's an impressive range for an amateur," Loki praised.
"Yeah, well, it's giving me a headache, so I'm going to stop now," I pressed my fingers against my temples.
"I believe that is one of your better ideas," Loki chuckled, making me chuckle.
"Laters, Frosty,"
"Oh, and Yasmin?"
"Yeah?" I sighed.
"Good luck,"
"Thanks," I mentally smiled before the elevator doors opened, and I followed everyone out onto the roof, rubbing my temples. That had hurt.
"You alright, Kid?" Tony asked, landing in front of me in his full Ironman suit.
"Yeah," I said, jogging to catch up with him, "Just nervous,"
"You don't need to worry. We've got your back, okay?" he reassured me as we neared the jet. It was freezing and getting dark; the weather had caught up with the fact that it was November.
"I have my back too," I reminded him, making him smile.

In the jet, after we were in the air, Tony was going over the plan again when Nat nudged me gently with her knee. I looked across at her and saw that she was handing me a hairband.
"Here... You'll need it," she mouthed, nodding at my hair, which I had left loose. I smiled at her in thanks and hastily tied my hair back into a ponytail, making a mental note to put my hair up at the tower the next time I went on a mission.

The journey to wherever we were going took at least half an hour, and when we landed, it was well and truly dark.
"Be careful, mess up whatever weaponry you can find, catch and disarm the bad guys, and don't get hurt. Got it?" Tony asked before we disembarked the jet.
"We've got it, Tony, you've been telling us for the last half an hour," Steve reminded him, exiting the jet first. The rest of the team followed, but Tony held me back.
"I'm going to be immensely mad if you get hurt or lost," he told me sternly.
"Relax, Dad. I'm perfectly capable of looking after myself," I said, equally as stern. Or so I would like to think. Tony just nodded curtly and herded me from the jet. I couldn't help but feel slightly glad that he was being so protective of me. I have never had anyone be protective of me before.
"Focus up, Yasmin. time to concentrate on the situation at hand."

The jet had landed at the edge of a dark-looking forest, next to which the silhouette of a large factory-like building loomed out of the blackness. There was no light left in the sky now, and it had started to rain slightly. It was cold outside the warmth of the jet. I thought about asking where you were, but thought better of it after looking around at everyone's faces. The back of the jet closed up, and the reassuring hum of the engines ceased; all of a sudden, it was very quiet, apart from the trees rustling and the sound of everyone breathing. Tony gestured for everyone to follow him.

As we crept around the side of the building in almost complete silence, I felt the first small gnawing sensation of fear in my stomach. I tried to reassure myself: I had my magic now, and the team. They said that they wouldn't let anything happen to me. Suddenly, Tony stopped; he'd reached an abandoned-looking doorway. Everyone watched as he tried to push it open, and you fought back a smile, and Nat threw him an exasperated look.
"What?" Tony said as his helmet opened up, shrugging, "It was worth a try." He then tapped something on the back of the hand of his suit and placed it against the door tentatively. It gave a series of beeps, which sounded loud in the silence surrounding you, and then the door emitted a metallic clink and clicked open. Tony pulled a face at Nat as he detached his hand from the back of the door and pulled it open quietly. I liked the quiet banter that still circulated the group even in stressful times like these. It calmed my nerves. And if I was telling the truth, I was terrified, but I wasn't going to let Tony know that as he held the door open invitingly for me to step into the dark warehouse.

Chapter Text

- Yasmin's Pov -

As soon as we walked into the dark warehouse, everything changed. The mission had been in vain. None of the organisers had been there, or if they had been there, they would have been very well protected and hidden. We had managed to destroy most of the weaponry, but at a cost.
"Yasmin. Open your eyes. I know you can hear me,"
"Oh, fuck this hurts," I mumbled, trying to concentrate on anything, anything other than the pain in my leg. This was worse than when I broke my leg last week.
"I know, but I need to make sure you're not concussed. Look at me." I opened my eyes reluctantly, trying to focus on Steve's face, "Okay. You're not concussed, but you have a broken leg, so keep still," That explained the pain. Strangely, however, this pain was worse than when I jumped down 9 flights of stairs and broke both legs. I started chuckling.
"She's delirious from the pain. How far away are we?" Steve stood up.
"Hey! I'm not delirious. I need to laugh through the pain," I sighed, trying to sit up but gasping in pain as I shifted my leg, "Oh, fuck me,"
"Yasmin! Keep it still." Bruce told me, propping it back up. Man, everyone was tense. I turned my head to see Steve now doing something to the side of Bucky's shoulder, who was in obvious pain, and Clint trying to convince a furious-looking Nat to sit down.
"Nat! It's obviously broken. Will you sit down?" Nat tried pushing Barton away.
"It's fine, it's my own stupid fault," Nat huffed, "I said I am fine." Tony was talking seriously to Thor, who sat in the cockpit.
"Yasmin, when did you break your leg before?" Bruce asked me suddenly. He still had a streak of green running through one of his veins next to his right temple. He was pissed but in control. This wasn't the first time I had seen him as Hulk, but it was still terrifying as he crashed through walls.
"I... urm... shit... it was.." I fought to think of a valid story which didn't involve Loki. Nothing came to mind, "I have not got a clue. Why?" I asked as innocently as I could.
"It's obviously recently healed." How did he even know this sort of thing off the top of his head? Yeah, he was a doctor, but seriously!
"I thought I told you not to get hurt, kid," Tony said, appearing suddenly to sit on the edge of the seats I was propped up across.
"I seem to remember covering you from the angry robot guns," I retorted and heard Bucky laugh from across the jet. I smiled, glad that he was alright.
"I didn't ask you to do that. You shouldn't have tired yourself out. Look what's happened." Tony waved his hands at my leg.
"This isn't primarily from the battle, Tony, she broke it last week," Bruce chipped in.
"I did? Hmmm, didn't even notice," I shrugged, wishing for Banner to shut his mouth.
"What? You didn't break your leg last week," Tony said, confused. I tapped my chin.
"I don't know," Thor came over from where he stood. He stared at my leg.
"Lady Yasmin, it would seem that your leg has been patched up with magic and not your magic," Thor stated. Tony and Banner looked at me, "That magic is Loki's."
"When was this?" Tony groaned.
"It was when Thor had fallen asleep during one of our early training sessions," I shrugged, "It was not a big deal. Loki patched me up," I smiled. There was a very long silence.
"Was this in training with him?" Tony snapped.
"Quite possibly," I scratched my chin.
"And where was Thor?" Tony snapped his head at Thor.
"Stark, I have been to every training session Lady Yasmin has booked with my brother, as you asked me to," Thor frowned. Both men looked at me. I pressed my face into my hands. Shit.
"I might have done a few sessions without Thor being there..." I told him reluctantly, my voice muffled by my hands, "He still had his bracelet on; I only needed him to supervise me." Tony nodded slowly, standing up, "Tony, listen, don't--"
"We are back. You three, get to the medical wing. I couldn't care less if it doesn't hurt Nat, you need it looked at," he said firmly, striding from the jet as the back opened.
"Thor, help me stand, please," I asked, in a tone that made it clear that I was not going to be carried.
"Lady Yasmin, I can carry you. Tis no trouble," Thor tried to pick me up.
"I need to talk to Tony. Help me hop or I will do it myself," I hobbled from the jet after Tony with Thor's help, biting the inside of my cheek so hard that it bled; the pain in my leg was so intense, but it was nothing I couldn't handle.

Tony had already gone down the lift by the time I reached it, so we had to wait for it to come back up again. On the way down, I tried to reach out to Loki with my mind, but the instant I tried, I almost passed out. I cursed loudly. I was too drained from the fight.

When we got down to the desired level, Thor tried to steer me in the direction of the medical ward, but I stopped short at the sound of Tony yelling. I didn't have to guess who the recipient was. I started in the direction of Tony's voice, angrily.
"Hell fucking no," I tried moving towards the voices, but Thor held me back as firmly as he could.
"Lady Yasmin, I think it's best that--"
"Hell fucking no. It's not fair," I said through gritted teeth, trying to put weight on my broken leg and hissing in pain. I could hear Loki's voice too, getting louder by the second. I needed to stop them.
"You cannot walk any further. I will not allow it," Thor said firmly.
"Fine, if I can't get to them, they will have to come to me," I closed my eyes and concentrated, willing myself not to pass out, "Loki. Loki. LOKI, WILL YOU FUCKING ANSWER ME!" I almost blacked out as I yelled through my thoughts, but I knew it had worked when approximately three seconds later, he was rushing towards me.

"Are you okay? What happened?" Loki rushed to my side.
"What happened is that she's hurt because of you," Tony responded, following him into the hallway. Loki spans around threateningly.
"That's bullshit, Tony," I hissed loudly. Tony stared at me, "What happened is that I jumped off the ninth-floor stairway into the stairwell." Tony stared at me. That shut him up for a second.
"Why would you do something so stupid?" he finally asked, looking incredulous.
"I was practising breaking my fall, but it didn't--" In my stubbornness, I had entirely forgotten about my broken leg and decided to step forward on it to confront Tony. My leg crumpled beneath me. Loki and Thor reached for me in the same instant; Thor got there first.
"Enough of this. Lady Yasmin, we first get your leg seen to," Thor told me, picking me up in a swift movement. I didn't try to fight him. I was too busy watching the colourful dots which were flying around in front of my eyes.
"This is your fault too, Thor, letting them train alone, what were you thinking?" Tony moved his attack to Thor. Thor rolled his eyes as he walked away with me calmly.
"Not now, Stark. Lady Yasmin needs medical attention. We'll talk about this later."
"Make sure they don't kill each other," I mumbled to Thor, seeing him smile briefly before I lost consciousness.

When I came around again, it was the next morning. I was lying in the medical ward with my leg strapped up and elevated slightly; the pain wasn't so bad now. Turning my head, I saw Bucky asleep in the bed next to me, half hidden by a curtain which was pulled around his bed. I could see the bandages covering his shoulder. If only the bullets had hit his metal shoulder, He would have been fine. I looked around again, wondering if there was a button anywhere for me to let someone know I was awake when company arrived in the form of Loki.
"Hey, I was just going to try to call someone," I said, smiling as I saw him.
"Yes, I know," he replied, pulling a chair over to the side of my bed and sitting down gently.
"What do you mean you knew?" I asked, confused. Loki tapped my head lightly.
"You really tired yourself out on that mission, didn't you?" Loki smiled.
"You said you would never read my mind,"
"Well, you weren't exactly being quiet. When your magic stops protecting your head, your thoughts are very audible," he replied. I gave him a look, half raising my hand to my head, "Oh, stop worrying, you would know about it if I were properly in your thoughts. Which I'm not," I nodded, relaxing back into the comfy pillows which were propping me up.
"So, what did Tony say?" Loki pulled a face, leaning back in his chair.
"He mostly shouted it rather than said it. You can probably guess most of it."
"I'm sorry, it's my fault," I felt a guilty feeling tug at my heart.
"Don't be so stupid. It's not your fault. I let you get hurt," Loki said, sitting forward.
"I let myself get hurt," I retorted. He wasn't going to win this one. Loki seemed to recognise this and gave up fairly quickly.
"Do you think Tony will let you fix my leg again? I don't fancy staying in this cast for longer than I have to," I asked after he had given up trying to argue with me.
"Please, we both know he doesn't have to permit me."
"Well, he does; he can take that cuff off of you. Or Thor..." I trailed off as I saw the look in his eye, "What have you done?" Loki shrugged.
"... Nothing,"
"You've done something. What did-- Ow!" I exclaimed suddenly. I tried to move my right hand to point at the cuff around Loki's wrist, and it hurt. I looked down and was surprised to see that it was red and swollen, "Fuck me. That hurts." Why did I not notice that before? Probably because I had been concentrating on my leg.
"Let me see," Loki said instantly, reaching across me and taking my hand in his. I really hoped that he had been telling the truth about not being able to properly read my mind. And trying to put my shield back up wasn't going to work. I was either going to pass out again or he would realise that I were trying to hide something. Suddenly, my hand grew very warm, and a greenish glow surrounded Loki's hands holding mine. My mouth fell open. The pain vanished almost instantly, and then I could practically feel the swelling go down. The impressive part was that he was wearing the metal cuff that Tony designed to prevent him from using magic. Yeah, because that worked.

When he was done, he let go of my hand and leaned back in his chair again, looking mildly amused at my expression.
"Feeling better?"
"How?" I whispered, watching the metal cuff on his wrist.
"You didn't seriously think I was going to let those fools put this back on me after I had a chance to use my magic again, did you?" he asked, looking faintly disappointed in me.
"But how?" I repeated.
"When Thor fell asleep while we were training. It wasn't hard."
"I was there. I didn't see you," I shook my head.
"Well, you were quite occupied with your magic. I doubt you would have noticed if there had been an earthquake," I wasn't sure if I should feel offended or not. I thought that he trusted me, but apparently, that was not the case.
"Right. Well, thanks for fixing my hand," I said shortly "Well, for appearance's sake, can you go and get Thor to take that thing off of you so that you can fix my leg? And Bucky's shoulder, too, while you are at it." He seemed to gauge that I was a bit miffed as he stood up and left without another word. Why had he told me that he could use his magic all this time? I wasn't going to tell the others. I didn't care.
"I'm sorry." Loki's voice entered my head, "And I do trust you." I frowned.
"Get the fuck out of my head, Loki!" I tried to put the wall back up, and to my surprise, it actually worked, despite giving me a small headache.

Five minutes later, Loki was back with Thor, and he healed my leg without a word.
"Thanks," I said, but he had already moved away to heal Bucky. Thor threw me a look and pointed at Loki. I shrugged, stretching my newly fixed leg. Bruce was not amused that he had strapped my leg up attentively, and now it was better anyway.
"You still need to rest, Yasmin, because twice in a week you've broken it now. No amount of magic can fix an injury like time." Loki had retreated to his room after I had been short with him. The reason I were so annoyed with him was because I were worried. What if he decided to leave? I didn't want that. I was also worried that if he got too deep into my thoughts, he might find some things which I really didn't want him to find. Things like feelings... Towards him. And confusion about whether they may be slightly stronger than I had originally planned. I needed to talk to him. He cannot leave.
"Yasmin, we've been talking," Tony's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
"Mm, yeah? What about?"
"You. And making you a proper Avenger ASAP. We want these guys who are after you to know that you're not weak and that they are gonna have their work cut out to get anywhere near you," I squeaked as I clapped my hands. Tony tilted his head at me.
"Sounds good. When?"
"How does next weekend sound?" I grinned happily; Loki was temporarily forgotten about.
"Hell yeah!"

Chapter Text

- Yasmin's Pov -

The weekend soon came quicker enough, and a public induction had been planned, and it was time to put on the trousers and blouse outfit that Nat and Pepper had bought for me on that shopping trip, which seemed so long ago, specifically for this purpose. It was smart enough to show that I was trying, but casual enough that it also looked like I wasn't trying too hard. Perfect. The minute it was announced to the public, it seemed as though a race had started to get to the event as quickly as possible.
"I have a question," I asked Tony as I leaned against the counter in the kitchen, watching him try to make at least four phone calls at the same time.
"I have time to answer one question," he answered distractedly.
"Why is this all so rushed? Is there a time limit to this procedure or something?" I sighed. Tony sighed and hung up one phone.
"That's two questions. I'll be straight with you: this gives your stalkers less time to plan an ambush. The sooner we get there and back, the better," Tony told me and then started talking quickly into his phone about something completely different.
"Good to know," I was already slightly nervous before, having only given a small thought to the fact that my stalkers might be watching, but now Tony had said it... It felt very real and daunting "I have another question," I stated, but Tony waved me away and plugged his free ear with a finger. Well, that was the end of the conversation.

I walked out of the living area and down the corridor to stop outside Loki's door. I had never been brave enough to knock before. Deciding to try a different tactic first, I let down the wall around my mind and reached out for him.
"Loki?" I whispered in my head. nothing. He wasn't letting me in. Things had been distant this past week. I still hadn't entirely forgiven him for not trusting me enough to tell you that he had his magic back, but I needed to talk to him. Raising my fist, I was about to knock when the door swung open and Loki appeared, looking less than happy.
"What do you want?" He snapped. I lowered my fist, trying to decide what to say. "Do you want me to come and watch your initiation ceremony? Do you really think Stark will let me out of the Tower?" he asked sarcastically.
"Let me speak,"
"Oh, and what's that?" Loki cupped his ear, "You're sorry for being rude and ungrateful?"
"Loki..."
"Shush, there's more..." He said, raising a hand and pretending to frown in concentration.
"You know what... fuck off," I exhaled heavily and turned to walk back down the corridor, unamused by his antics.

Trying to put the wall back up around my mind was harder this time and gave me more of a headache.
"Yasmin, wait... I'm sorry," Loki said from behind me; I stopped short and rolled my eyes, turning back around to see him leaning out of the door frame.
"I get it if you don't want to come. It's fine," I shrugged.
"I do want to come to your initiation ceremony, but you understand that means me sneaking out invisible and getting back here with none of them realising, don't you?" he asked. I nodded.
"I'm sure that you are more than capable," I challenged, raising an eyebrow as I walked back towards him.
"How's your leg?" he responded with a smirk, evidently reminding me exactly what he was capable of.
"So, will you be there?" I asked.
"I'm rather confused as to why you want me there in the first place, but yes, I will be there," Loki responded.
"Moral support, I guess," I smiled, consolidating the wall around my mind as I spoke, praying that he didn't realise what I was doing as his eyes swept over my face.
"Yasmin Cassell, we meet at last." Loki and I turned to the source of the voice, and my mind went blank as I saw Nick Fury standing not five metres away from us.
"Fury! What are you doing here?" Tony's voice emanated from behind me, and I stepped away from Loki. Tony was still mad about the broken legs. So it was best not to push it.
"Good luck," Loki said as he stepped back into his room, evidently wishing to avoid conflict.

"So how can I help you, Mr Fury?" I placed my hands behind my back.
"I wanted to meet the newest recruit before initiation. You don't look like much, do you?" I looked at Tony, his eyes were wide. Was this guy for real? Sighing, I turned my eyes purple and held up two hands shrouded in purple mist. "Big deal, glowing eyes. What do you actually do?" I smiled.
"Shouldn't have asked that," Tony mumbled. I let down the wall around my mind. I could hear Loki telling me to do what I had already been planning on doing, and I smiled broadly.
"What are you smirking for? I asked you what you could-" I walked up close to Fury and focused hard on his one good eye. He stopped talking abruptly.
"Yasmin, what are you doing?" Tony asked, seemingly stumped. Barely hearing him, I smiled as I were able to tap into Fury's thoughts easily enough. Who would have thought that the password to his computer was Goose349?
"You can't wait for the day to be over. You thought it was going to be fairly relaxed until my initiation was announced, and you've had to come out here to oversee it. You couldn't care less about me being in danger, you just want it over quickly so that you can go home," I sighed. Fury looked at Tony, "You also think I'm weak and vulnerable, but your opinion is changing fast."
"Yasmin," Tony's voice was of little concern to me right now. I was enjoying watching Fury squirm.
"Shall I go on? How about what you were planning on doing when the day is finally over? What was the plan... a nice bubble bath with a facemask? And that book you've been wanting to get back to, Love on the Rocks?" I smirked as I tilted my head, "Or does Tony need to know the password to your laptop?"
"See you in twenty minutes," Fury said, striding back off down the corridor. Tony was staring at me. I could practically hear Loki smiling.
"I'm impressed," I was practically beaming in my head.
"I learnt from the best,"
"Yasmin, that was either brave or the worst mistake you have ever made," Tony commented. I smiled, "What is his password?"
"That is for me to know and for Fury to go and change," I beamed, "Shall we get going?" I asked, gesturing towards the elevator.

Happy was waiting for Tony and me outside the lobby, and we ran to the car, holding our coats above our heads; it was raining hard.
"No one told me that it was going to rain!" I squealed. Why does it always rain when I have straightened my hair?

The journey didn't take long, and ten minutes later, Tony and I were standing in the wings of a venue which was much bigger than I had expected, with a lot more people than I had hoped for. At least the team were all here. And Loki probably.
"Here, kid, put this in," Tony said, approaching me with an earpiece.
"Oh, thanks. Why?"
"Just in case. We won't use them, I promise. It will be fine." Why did I have to wear an earpiece then? It wasn't the most reassuring gesture, but better safe than sorry. I could hear Bucky humming from the back. Tony offered me his arm.
"Don't let me fall,"
"Never," Tony smiled.

As soon as my name was announced, Tony led me onto the stage among rapturous applause. There were so many people here for me. Nick Fury was there, plastering on an obviously false smile as he addressed the crowds, talking about me. My eyes searched the crowd, unable to believe that all of these people knew me and were there to support me as I became part of the most famous group of people to ever live. Suddenly, everything felt like a lot. This is too much for me.
"Ease your storm," I heard Loki speak.
"You came!" I squeaked, looking around.

"You called," Loki spoke softly.
"Where are you?" I mentally took a few deep breaths.
"Look to your left, blonde hair. The dashingly good-looking," I had a quick glance, and sure enough, a blonde, handsome guy was leaning nonchalantly against the wall, looking at me.
"Think I preferred Bertie, actually," I saw him smile at that and had to contain a grin of my own.
"Keep your eyes off me," I could hear Loki roll his eyes.

All in all, the ceremony was turning out to be a bore; so far, it had just been Fury and Tony talking, and then I was called forward to swear an oath. There was a large cheer as I was declared an Avenger, and I thanked everyone for coming when Tony urged me to say a few words. Then Fury said that there was time for a few questions, which I was not prepared for. Luckily, they were fairly easy, and I was just starting to feel confident, even managing to get a laugh out of my audience, when my earpiece crackled into action.
"We have a problem. Five blocks away, it's too close to say no. Police are at least another five minutes away," Nat's voice was urgent.
"Sorry, everyone. Duty calls," Tony's hand was on my shoulder as he guided me from the stage to the audible annoyance of my audience.
"Yasmin, what's going on?" Loki called out in my mind. I was about to reply when Nat started speaking.
"We got a suspected terrorist attack. They reckon there's a bomb in this block of flats, there might be more." Nat informed everyone as the rest of the team gathered in the wings, most of them already suited up.
"Thank god I decided to wear trousers," I said as I kicked off my mini heels.
"Move, now," Tony ordered; I ran to the nearest fire exit and onto the street outside. Tony's suit came flying down to greet him, and he got into it immediately, barking orders at the rest of us.
"Yasmin, talk to me," Loki raised his voice over the earpiece.
"There's a mission, five blocks away."
"I can carry two of you; the rest of you get there as fast as you can," Tony said, offering two of his arms out. Bucky and Clint stepped forward; Thor was gone in a flash, having wielded Mjolnir, and Steve was already running, alongside Bruce, who was already Hulk. Nat pulled me towards a motorbike parked next to the curb; in less than a minute, she had started it up with no key. I made a mental note to learn how to ride a motorbike.

Nat drove the bike five blocks and delivered us both with no injuries.
"Which of the block flats is it?" I asked, realising where I was with a sudden horrible flash of déjà vu.
"That one," Tony said, pointing briefly and then launching into the plan of action. I looked at Nat and Barton. They nodded.
"That's my old block of flats. I lived here," I said, cutting over Tony. There was a second of silence.
"I know, Kid, but right now, we need to get everyone out of these buildings," My foster parents had recently got out of prison. If they had something to do with this... I don't know what I will do "We'll worry about that later. Yasmin, stay near." Tony said before numerous police cars screeched to a halt on the road, sirens blaring, followed by fire engines. Then bomb disposal, "They're saying focus on this one first, there may be others." Tony told me all, gesturing again to my old block of flats.
"Let's go, be careful," Steve spoke up.

I stayed outside with Nat and Clint and got all of the civilians away from the flats and outside the perimeter which was already being set up by the police, the rest of the team went into the block of flats tasked with getting people out; Tony had already started tracking the bomb, even though a literal bomb disposal team was present, Tony was better equipped. Luckily, most people in the flats seemed to hear the police announcements through the megaphones and were swiftly exiting the buildings, clutching anything they could carry, looking terrified.
"It's almost mid-day, with any luck, most people will be out on a Saturday afternoon." I heard Bucky say through the earpiece.
"They can't miss us knocking and that racket the police are making outside," Steve answered.
"What's going on? Why do we have to leave?" people were asking questions left, right and centre as Nat, Clint, I, and around twenty police officers herded them away from the potential danger and did our best to reassure them. The contents of three blocks of flats were spilling onto the streets, hundreds of people, all too close to the danger, and they were moving so slowly.

Suddenly, there was a commotion from behind me, and I turned around to see Nat pushing past a police officer to climb onto the roof of a police car with a megaphone.
"There is an active bomb in one of these buildings. Please get as far away as you can as quickly as possible. Thanks." I closed my eyes. Why did she have to do that? I looked back at the people as chaos reigned. At least the civilians were moving faster now, but there was also panic; people were pushing and shoving to get away as swiftly as possible.
"Nat, that was stupid," I sighed.
"No, it wasn't, look, they're moving!" Nat beamed.
"I've found the bomb... shit... It's about to go off." Tony informed us all.
"Why do you sound oddly calm for a man standing next to a bomb which was about to explode?" I asked, a little bit panicked.
"How long, Tony?" Barton asked as he and Bucky picked up some little kids who got lost.
"Fifteen, fourteen... Cap, I would get out of here if I were you," he said, now sounding vaguely panicked.
"How many people are still in here?" Steve asked.
"It's impossible to tell; there might still be people on the top floor. The whole building is coming down the minute it goes off." I listened to this in horror from my position a hundred metres away, watching people still emerging from the building Tony had gone into. There had to be something I could do.

As Tony counted, he flew from the building in his suit, flying up to check for people in the windows.
"There are still people in here!" Tony yelled.
"I can hold it," I said, thinking out loud to the team, stepping back into the perimeter tentatively, watching the steady stream of people still emerging from the building.
"Yasmin, don't be stupid," Steve panted through my earpiece; I watched for him to reappear out of the building with the others, but he didn't. It had started to rain.
"Why is the old man telling you not to be stupid?" Tony yelled, still scouring the windows, "It's too dangerous to go down any further if that bomb is about to exp-" I was only about twenty metres away when the bomb went off, having timed my arrival from Tony's earlier countdown. It went off right as I said zero in your head, and threw up a shield of mist around me. That didn't stop me from getting knocked back at least five meters, and the sheer noise of the explosion made my head spin. There was no time to think about the fact that my hearing was obscured by a loud ringing noise, muffling the yells and screams of civilians behind me and the shouts of my teammates through my earpiece.
"Yasmin, retreat!" Steve yelled.
"Sorry, guys, but I do not have the time to talk. I have a building to hold up," I staggered to my feet and ran straight into the wreckage that the bomb had caused, hearing the building groaning and beginning to collapse already. Ignoring the yells from the team, I ripped my earpiece out, closed my eyes and concentrated, planting my feet firmly beneath me. I had to get this right.

Chapter Text

- Yasmin's Pov -

I felt my magic as it made its way down into the ground, into the small parts of the building which were still attaching the framework to the ground, and up, all the way up, holding the structure still. I never had to concentrate on anything more in my life. I couldn't think about the electrical sparks which were jumping from wires all around me, or the water which was pouring from a pipe dangerously near the wires, or the evidence of a bedroom which used to be located ten metres in front of me that was now blown to bits. I definitely couldn't think about all of the people outside who had just lost their homes. I needed to think about concentrating, standing strong, and keeping my arms up and my knees locked, even though it hurt like hell. This is worse than breaking my legs. But I wasn't thinking about that. I wasn't thinking about how if I let go now, people would die.
"Shit. I have to stay here," I can't move. Okay, this might have been a very bad idea.

There was a sudden crunching sound to my left, and I turned my head ever so slightly to see Hulk, entering the wreckage. (Even though I could barely see him through a combination of my mist and a film of tears over my eyes,) Bruce made his way to the opposite side of the hole which the bomb had made and crouched down, bracing his back against the ceiling. The weight it took off of me was extremely small in comparison to what I was holding up, but hell, I would take all the help I could get. Squeezing my eyes shut, I prayed that no one was hurt, or worse. I prayed that everyone would be out soon so that I could get out of here.
"I just need to focus." My knees were starting to bend from the pressure, and I heard Hulk roar in pain as the building's stability took a turn for the worse; my feet sank a couple of inches into the soggy mud created by the water from the pipes, "Oh shit,"
"Kid, you're doing amazing. Not long, I promise." Tony's voice was suddenly in my ear, and I cracked my eyes open to see him in his suit with his face uncovered, brace himself against the ceiling and activate boosters. My brain was fuzzy, but I doubled my efforts and felt my magic in every crack and particle of this building.
"Surely everyone was out by now?" I bloody hoped so, because my head was starting to feel more and more fuzzy by the second, and I were almost up to my knees in mud now; my arms shaking uncontrollably.
"Yasmin!" Loki's voice yelled in my head. Holy smokes, I had forgotten about him, "I'm coming, stay there!"
"Oh sure, because I was thinking of taking a walk!" I yelled at Loki. I knew he rolled his eyes at me, "You can't be here! Tony is going to go mad!"
"I'll take my chances. Besides, it's not like that waking tin-can can tell me what to do right now," Loki spoke. I was about to reply when there was a sudden, unmistakable groan from the building that I was struggling to keep upright, and I literally felt it tilt dangerously to one side.
"Shit!" I yelled out.
"Yasmin!" Tony yelled as Hulk roared yet again from the corner, also now half-sunk in the mud. My feet began to slide, and I wasn't going to last much longer, until suddenly I didn't have to.
"I'm here," Loki whispered in my ear, "I've got it. Let go," Loki was behind me, disguised as the blonde man.
"You can't be here." Everything was green rather than purple as I slumped to the ground, gasping for breath. I was utterly exhausted.
"Sir, I am going to have to ask you to step back," Tony tried to push Loki away. Loki rolled his eyes as he transformed back into his normal form, "Reindeer Games? What the hell are you doing here?!" Tony yelled.
"Taking a bath," Loki replied through gritted teeth, obviously concentrating as you had, "What does it look like I am doing?!" I wanted to help him, but my body wasn't working. But I wasn't sure if it was exhaustion or because I was up to my knees in mud.
"We'll deal with this later," Tony snapped. It was all I could do to keep my eyes open. I also felt something warm was oozing down my face. That was just great. I was having a nosebleed.
"Yasmin... you need to get out," Loki said from behind me. And like me, he was also sinking into the mud next to me, "Yasmin..."
"I... can't... too tired..." I mumbled as my head kept dropping. I was doing what I could to stay away. I heard Loki curse under his breath.
"We got everyone out!" Steve yelled.
"Time for you three to move!" Tony yelled to the three of us, having obviously heard the news through his earpiece.
"Stark, Yasmin can't. Magic overload," Loki spoke. Tony also cursed. Loki clicked his tongue "Banner! You go first, then Stark; you need to get Yasmin, she is too tired. I'll hold the building," Loki instructed, already sounding tired. I tried to protest, but Bruce was already extracting himself from the mud and crawling back outside. When did Hulk turn into Banner? Bucky and Steve ran over to support him.
"Are you sure?" Tony asked, and I assumed that Loki nodded because then Tony was next to me "I got you, kid," He said, grabbing my arms to pull me from the mud.
"Loki..." I said, not wanting to leave him by himself holding the building up. How would he get out?
"I'll be fine. Go," Loki smiled. But before I could argue, Tony had already flown me outside into the pouring rain and over to the rest of the team on the edge of the perimeter.

Tony set me down amidst the rest of the team, who all started fussing. I was soaking wet and shivering in seconds. Thor wrapped his cloak around me as Banner had taken the one from the first aid kit. I tried to fight Thor and get back to Loki.
"Lady Yasmin, you need to stand still. You need medical attention," Thor held me in place.
"Thor... Loki's... there..." I weakly pointed to the collapsing building. Thor swore and started running to the building, but within seconds, Loki's magic around it vanished, and the building collapsed in on itself, causing the ground to shake as if it had started an earthquake. There were yells and cries as the people we had saved watched their homes collapse.

With Thor's help, I stood up. Barely remembering that this had been where I used to live, I watched with my heart in my mouth as Loki didn't reappear. I closed my eyes and concentrated, trying to summon the energy to reach out with my mind.
"Loki..."
"Yes, darling?" I spun my head around in relief to find a very smug-looking god of mischief smiling at me.
"You fucking twat. don't scare me like that,"
"I apologise," Loki nodded his head.
"Brother," Thor said in relief, as the others turned around too.
"The cuff, I don't... how are you using magic?" Tony asked Loki incredulously. My brain was working slower than usual, but I was able to conclude that Loki had just forfeited his ability to use magic. To save my ass.
"Hey, Loki," I mumbled as I walked towards him. Loki turned away from Tony and looked at me "Thank you." That's when my legs finally gave up, and I made a quick descent towards the ground as everyone lunged for me before I hit the ground. This time, Loki caught me first. After that, there was nothing. In all fairness, I had just held a building up practically on my own for over five minutes. I deserved a nap.

When I felt myself beginning to regain consciousness, I fought to stay asleep. I had been dreaming of nothing and hadn't been able to feel the pain. I could feel it now. It was an aching, bone-deep sensation which made me want to lie still for the rest of my life and never move again. Unfortunately, my brain did that thing where you try to go to sleep, the more your brain seemed to want to wake up.

Eventually, I admitted defeat and opened my eyes. It was dark, but I was sure that I was in the medical ward back at the tower. This ceiling was becoming a familiar sight. Not going to lie, I was scared to move than anything, and listened to the sound of my breathing. And someone else's breathing? Who the fuck was here? And judging by their breathing, they were close to me. I turned my head to the side slowly, gritting my teeth in pain as I did so.
"Fuck, this hurts." I winced. I need some painkillers. How can smiling hurt? Which is what I did when I saw Loki asleep in the chair next to my bed. He was shrouded in darkness, a strip of light from where the blinds hadn't been shut properly cast across one side of his face, illuminating a closed eye and a single strand of hair which had fallen across his forehead. He looked so vulnerable in his sleep. Peaceful. There was none of the tension he usually held while he was awake: the clenched jaw, the frown lines or the eyebrow which always seemed to be raised; he was relaxed. It was an odd sight, but a nice one. I did wonder if I would be able to read his mind while he was asleep, but swiftly decided against it. Besides, I doubted I could use my magic while I was in this state.

I caught myself smiling again (even your cheeks were aching), but stopped abruptly when he stirred, frowning as he shifted in the chair and sighed deeply. There was a tugging feeling in my chest, which I determinedly ignored as Loki opened his eyes sleepily. They widened as he saw me looking at him, and he sat up straighter.
"You're awake," he croaked, pushing his hair off his face. The tugging got stronger; I had to catch my breath before replying.
"I am," I whispered, unable to stop myself from smiling again.
"How do you feel?" Loki asked, leaning forward and rubbing the back of his neck, which was apparently sore from where he had been asleep in the chair. Just how long was he in that chair?
"Everything hurts. But I just think that's from overdoing it. Other than that, I'm fine. Tell me about what happened. Was everyone okay?" I asked, suddenly worried about the civilians I tried to protect.
"A few injuries, nothing major. No deaths, thanks to you," he replied.
"And you?" I asked.
"You did most of the work," Loki countered.
"What about Tony? What did he say about everything?" I asked, referring to Loki sneaking out of the tower and using magic without his permission, feeling bad that I hadn't thought to ask before.
"He wasn't happy. Correction: he isn't happy. Neither was one with the eyepatch, the man whose mind you read? Fury?" he frowned, trying to remember as if that was the most pressing issue here.
"So, what did they say? How did you get out of it?"
"I didn't. They were talking about imprisoning me again..." he didn't finish his sentence, puffing his cheeks out and leaning back in his chair.
"Loki..." I sighed, closing my eyes dejectedly, "What did you do?"
"Would you rather have me be locked up again?" Loki sighed.
"Of course not..." I replied, watching him in concern, "Why do they want to lock you up again?"
"I left."
"Except you didn't because you're here."
"Because I came back." I stared at him.
"Why?" I asked, feeling my heart rate pick up ever so slightly. Thank god I wasn't hooked up to a heart monitor.
"It's safe here," was his simple response. "I wanted to make sure you were okay," I heard it in my mind, clear as anything. Had I just accidentally read his mind? Surely he hadn't meant for me to hear it. My tired brain couldn't work it out, and Loki's face remained impassive.
"What will you do?" I asked.
"I'm not one to beg for forgiveness, but I would also appreciate staying here for a while longer. I don't think that's what he has in mind at the moment," Loki sighed, "I was wondering if you could talk to him."
"Of course, I'll talk to him." I agreed as I sat, suddenly overcome by a wash of fatigue.
"After you rest. Do not forget that you're still healing," Loki pushed me back onto the bed.
"I'm fine," I argued, feeling my eyelids growing heavy very quickly. He didn't reply, and I felt myself edging dangerously close towards sleep, "Loki..." I mumbled, reaching out for him. Loki took my hand in his.
"I'm here," he mumbled.
"Stay with me," Whether he replied or not would remain a mystery because I had already fallen asleep by the time I had finished uttering the request.

Chapter Text

- Yasmin's pov -

When I next woke up, it was light, but I had no clue what time it might be. And the best bit was that my body didn't feel like it had just been in a washing machine anymore, either, which was good news. The only downside was that Loki was gone, but that didn't surprise me. Tony wouldn't have been too pleased to find him asleep here this morning. I trusted that he was somewhere nearby.

I tentatively swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood up slowly. I didn't collapse. That was a good sign. I was still wearing the clothes that I had been in for my initiation yesterday. And I was still caked in mud.
"I need a shower," I made my way to my room and had a hot shower, relishing the fact that I could move my limbs without it hurting already.

As I stepped out of the shower and wrapped myself in a towel, I could hear panicked voices in the corridor outside.
"She's gone!" I heard Tony shout.
"Tony?" Nat spoke. I sighed as I got dressed.
"He's fucking taken her, I knew something like this would happen, right after the stupid initiation show we had to put on," Tony paced up and down
"Tony, calm down, I'm sure she's fine," Nat tried to calm down.
"She is not fine. Yasmin has been kidnapped."
"Oh no," I mentally groaned. I only wanted a shower.

Taking a deep breath, I opened my door and stuck my head around it, smiling at a very dishevelled-looking Tony and a sceptical Nat.
"Hey there. Who has been kidnapped?"
"You!" Tony shouted, but then his face twisted in confusion, "Where have you... Why would you..." Tony spluttered, gesturing wildly.
"Why would I have a shower? Hygiene mainly?" I replied, earning a smirk from Nat.
"We thought he had gone and taken you with him," Tony told me. I swear I could see a big old vein in his hand.
"Oh... Loki's gone, has he?" I sighed, using the towel to dry my hair.
"She knew. You knew he was gonna do a runner?" Nat immediately deduced, cocking her head and raising an eyebrow at me.
"Can we talk in the kitchen? Or somewhere I can sit down?" I quickly tied my wet hair into a bun before making my way to the kitchen.

Tony, Nat, Steve and Thor sat on the sofas in the lounge while Banner, Bucky and Barton stood behind them. I tried not to feel intimidated as I sat amongst them.
"Hear me out first, okay?" I asked as Steve opened his mouth to speak. He nodded at me to go on, "I only found that Loki could use magic like two days ago, even though he's been able to use it for weeks..." I tried to talk, but they all made noises of protest, "Will you all shut up!" I yelled.
"Did she just yell?" Barton spoke.
"He has been able to use his magic for weeks, but how many times have you seen him using it? None. It's unfair, Tony, it's like.... I don't know, not letting you access your workshop and suits. Thor, it's like not being able to have that strange hammer of yours."
"That's different," Tony said, crossing his arms and pouting like a child. I slammed my hands on my legs and stood up.
"You're right, it's worse for him. It's a part of him. It's unnatural to take it away from him. Also, I asked him to come to my initiation, that's why he was there in time to save us from getting crushed, and all the civilians who were still in the building when I couldn't hold it up anymore. I don't suppose any of you thanked him," I concluded, feeling as though I had put up a strong argument. Tony, Nat and Steve looked thoughtful as they talked among themselves, but Thor was smiling at me almost as though he was proud.
"Thank you," Loki's voice rang in my ears.
"Nosy. Are you ever not listening to my conversation?" I smiled. I do love hearing his voice.
"Only when you're too far away to hear. How do you feel?" Loki sighed.
"Intruded upon," I wanted to roll my eyes.
"You know what I meant. Physically," Loki sighed, heavily.
"Fine. My body doesn't hurt anymore."
"That's good," Loki sighed again.
"Where are you?" I frowned.
"The penthouse, and you should concentrate on your other conversation."
"Yasmin? Earth to Yasmin." Steve was trying to get my attention by waving his hand in my face.
"Sorry," I replied, trying to look like I hadn't just been having a completely different conversation. I really need to work on this 'having two different conversations at once' business.
"How come you zoned out like that? Do you feel okay?" Steve asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I zoned out while you lot were having a conversation. What were you going to say?" I asked.
"Even if we were to invite Loki back here, Fury won't allow it unless he categorically can't use his magic. If that can't be guaranteed..." Tony sighed.
"We didn't exactly chuck him out. He just disappeared." Steve added.
"You did threaten him," I said, glaring at my teammates. Only Thor has tried to make Loki feel welcome, "Sorry for this, Bucky... but why can you accept Bucky for everything he has done but not Loki? Bucky was brainwashed, and so was Loki, but Loki is the one who gets treated like a criminal. How is that fair?"
"It's not," Bucky mumbled. Steve patted his friend's shoulder, "And Yas? No need to be sorry. You made one hell of a point," Bucky beamed.
"Well, Tony. Can Loki stay?" I tilted my head. Everyone stared at him.
"Fine, he can come back, I will lie to Fury one last time," Tony nodded.
"One last time? Try not to lie. We have a mind reader in the building," Banner added. I smirked. I then held up two fingers.
"Two mind readers. I am learning too. But don't worry, I only used my powers on Fury. Wonder if he got his bubble bath?" I tapped my chin.
"But how are we going to tell Loki that he can stay when we don't know where he is?" Tony stood up and went to get a drink. I felt relief wash over me. That had been a lot easier than I had been anticipating. Nat didn't look best pleased. Barton even less so. Not that I cared.
"I have a feeling Yasmin might be able to help us with that," Thor said, smiling at me. I turned to face the window.
"Steve... can you make pancakes?" Bucky asked. Everyone started talking again, so I zoned out of the conversation. Wanting to talk to one of my favourite people.
"Hey, Frosty?"

"I do hate it when you call me that,"
"And I ain't going to stop it. You can come down if you want," I smiled.
"Did Stark say it was okay?" Loki replied.
"Don't pretend you weren't listening. And since when do you care what Tony says?"
"Good point,"

A second later, Loki was standing next to me by the window, making me jump.
"You are such a show-off," I mentally scoffed at Loki.
"Shall we pretend that you do not love it when I jump-scare everyone?" I didn't miss the smirk he showed as Tony, Nat and Steve all stared disbelievingly at him, and had to fight down a laugh myself. I don't think I've ever seen Nat's face more expressive.
"What did you do with the cuff?" Nat finally spoke.
"I'm still wearing it," he said, pulling up his sleeve to show them.
"We need Fury to think you can't use your magic, that'll mean Tony 'making' you a new one," Nat used air quotes. Loki looked at me.
"Hold on... Are they helping me?" Loki asked. I smiled and nodded.
"Yes,"
"Since Fury has no way of checking, I can pretend that the new cuff gets drained quicker, so that's why you could use your magic," Tony thought aloud.
"But, this is only temporary, right? We'll have to talk to him eventually. Loki can't just keep pretending to be locked up here without his magic forever," I asked.
"It's a short-term plan," Tony said, slapping his knees and getting to his feet, "Don't mess up Reindeer Games, or next time you'll be gone for good," he added, as he left the room.
"I wouldn't dream of it," Loki added. Banner started stuttering and pointed to the door. I pinched my lips together and nodded. Banner quickly got up and left. Bucky, Steve and Nat got to their feet too and removed themselves to the kitchen on the other side of the room, out of earshot of me, Loki and Thor.

"Where did you go, brother?" Thor asked.
"That is none of your concern," Loki replied coolly.
"Well, time to be on your best behaviour from now on, you heard what Stark said," Thor warned. Loki groaned and rolled his eyes.
"Behaving is boring, I've been doing it for far too long." Loki sighed. I tried not to smile.
"You broke literally the only rule you were told to follow. I'd hardly call that behaving," I scrunched my nose up.
"I would," Loki said, crossing his arms. He looked cute as he pouted, "And technically, misbehaving is still behaving."
"Sure, whatever you say," I held my hands up, "Do you want to go and train? After breakfast, though, I'm starving." I said, suddenly realising how hungry I was.
"Absolutely not. You're still recovering." Loki told me.
"I'm fine. Let me grab some breakfast and then we can go..." I went towards the kitchen, but Loki pulled me back.
"Yasmin, no matter what you say. I will not be training with you. You're still healing." Loki repeated.
"I'm done healing, I slept for about fourteen hours last night!" I replied indignantly, practically stamping my foot.
"You might be physically healed, but you need to leave time for your magic to recover, too."
"Fine..." I pouted. I went to walk off, but then I spun around, "But I'm starting training again tomorrow, okay?"
"You should be back to normal by tomorrow," he nodded.
"Why do I get so exhausted so easily?" I huffed, "You didn't even flinch when you took the weight of the building off of me, you were already using magic for a disguise, and then you managed to teleport away after."
"That's because I've been using magic for centuries, and you have only been learning for a short while. Also, you will have noticed that I was properly asleep last night, for the first time since I arrived here, apart from when I had to heal your legs."
"And why would Lady Yasmin have noticed that you were asleep last night?" Thor asked, having apparently been listening to my conversation. I heard Loki cursing in his thoughts loudly, and I furiously fought not to smile.
"We usually talk when I can't sleep. Last night, he wasn't replying, so I knew he was asleep." I stepped in and lied.
"Didn't you think he might have left?" Thor asked.
"No, I didn't," I replied. That pleased Loki. I could tell. I was getting quite good at this mind-reading business.
"Yasmin, you want some food?" Steve called over from the kitchen.
"Heck yeah," I replied instantly before turning to Loki and Thor, "You guys coming?" I asked. They both shook their heads, "Suit yourselves. Steve's pancakes are amazing," I beamed as I joined Bucky, Nat and Steve in the kitchen.

- Loki's Pov -
"You and Lady Yasmin can communicate through your thoughts? Why is that, I wonder?" Thor asked me suggestively. I glared at him as I slowly turned towards him.
"I suggest that you stop talking, brother," I advised.
"I thought only Asgardians with a special connection can communicate through their minds or am I remembering it wrong?" Thor continued. I didn't reply, watching Yasmin talking to Steve and Nat across the room, "What was it? Soul--"
"Stop talking. Stop talking now," I said abruptly, turning to look at Thor instead.
"Of course, that's just superstitious nonsense, there's no evidence to prove it," Thor simply raised his eyebrows, tilting his head in Yasmin's direction, "Wouldn't that explain why the two of you have bonded so quickly?" he prompted.
"Why do you sound so hopeful?" I scorned, "And perhaps we bonded because, unlike the others, she doesn't treat me like an outsider,"
"Brother, I just want you to be happy. And Yasmin makes you happy," Thor plainly stated. I turned back to look at Yasmin. Fighting the urge to smile when I heard her laugh. For once, I couldn't argue with Thor's logic.
"It's not real. But even so... don't tell her." I said as I could feel a slight blush on my face. Why was I acting like a Midgardian teenager? "But if you say it's not real, then why hide--"
"Just drop it, Thor, before I stab you," I insisted, becoming annoyed. To Thor's credit, he did drop it after that, but I couldn't get the idea out of my head. Yasmin did make me happy, but she was my friend. I need to stop thinking about this. I was also worried that if Yasmin could hear my thoughts, she might find some things which I really didn't want her to find. Things like feelings... Towards her. I did not plan on liking Yasmin, but there is something about her that I cannot shake.

- Yasmin's pov -
"Hey Yasmin, have you seen the news?" Bruce asked, coming into the room and grabbing the remote from the coffee table to turn on the TV.
"No, why?" I asked curiously, walking over to the TV with my breakfast.
"It would seem that you're getting some good publicity from yesterday," he explained, as a birds-eye view of me holding up the block of flats from yesterday appeared on the screen.
"Cool," I said, watching the same situation I had been in yesterday from a different angle. There was more footage of the building, luckily with little to no focus on Loki, whose disguise had apparently worked well, and then some tearful interviews with the citizens I had saved. I was beaming as everyone was positive. Until two people appeared on TV.
"Lady Yasmin... Isn't that?" Thor said as he looked at the TV and then at me.
"Oh my god." I said, as my foster parents appeared on the screen, looking less than pleased, "I thought they were locked up?"
"First, she leaves without paying her dues, and now she's gone and ruined our home! She's scrounging off the richest man in New York now, so she should be able to pay back what she owes us! Do you hear me, Yasmin? We want our money--" the interview cut off there, apparently having only been there for comedic effect, and moved on to a tearful mum with two children, thanking the Avengers for saving them.

There was an awkward silence in the room.
"That was your foster parents?" Banner asked me sympathetically. I looked over at Nat.
"Yes," Nat nodded, "He's an asshole,"
"Charming, right?" I said, forcing a laugh. I felt sick, "I thought he was locked up?"
"I'll call Fury," Nat said, squeezing my arm, "You okay?" I nodded vigorously; my throat felt really tight. I notice Loki looking worried. We both knew that I wasn't okay.

After watching the report for another five minutes and letting the conversation continue around the room, I abandoned my breakfast and walked out the door. I used my mind to let Loki know that I needed a few moments alone.

I ran to my room. Where I could cry in peace. Why I was crying was a mystery. They weren't my parents. They had never been parents. Why was it hitting me so hard now?

- Loki's Pov -
As I watched Yasmin run out of the living room, I was fighting a fierce internal battle. Kill that man on the television, or try and make Yasmin feel better by talking to her. It was a hard decision.
"Where did Yasmin go?" Tony asked, finally realising Yasmin was missing.
"She needs a few moments alone," I added. I was picking at the skin on my left hand. I do not like how upset Yasmin was. Tony kept pressing me to explain how I knew, but I told him that even a blind man could see Yasmin needed a moment to take it all in. After a few minutes, I decided to try and talk to Yasmin. She needed a friend, and that was something that I could be to her. I was meant to be behaving after all. I went and stood by the large window. "Are you okay?" I asked Yasmin.
"I'm fine," Yasmin replied, her voice was odd. She had been crying.
"No, you're not," I sighed.
"Why did you ask then?" Yasmin snapped. understandable, "Sorry,"
"Tis fine. I get it," I sighed, "Would you like to be left alone?" I thought that would be the end of the conversation, but then Yasmin spoke.
"Not really," Yasmin sniffed, "Can you come in?"

Not even twenty seconds later, I was sitting next to Yasmin on her bed. She was curled up in a ball. I did not like seeing her like this. I didn't know how to help her. What do people do in these situations?
"Yasmin... I'm not very good at dealing with emotion, but my father was an asshole too, as Natasha so eloquently put it." I told her, and her smile at my use of a curse word.
"I've heard all about Odin." Yasmin nodded. I blanked.
"How much has Thor told you?" I responded, inviting her to continue, but she didn't. Did she know about my heritage? Surely not. None of this would be happening if she did. Why would she be friends with a monster?
"I need you to look at something," Yasmin said suddenly, getting to her feet and moving to her pinboard, where she had pinned a picture of a couple.
"Do you recognise these people?" She asked, returning to the bed and showing me the picture. I took the photo from her and scanned it, frowning. "The bitch used to tell me that these were people they knew, but never gave me a name."
"They are Asgardian, but I do not know them," I shook my head. Yasmin closed her eyes, and her shoulder lowered. "I can't remember every face in that realm," I told her, handing the picture back.
"Thanks for trying," Yasmin mumbled as she stared at the picture.
"You'll find out about them one day. I'm sure of it," I reassured you, and Yasmin smiled at me through red-rimmed eyes. I might know what will cheer her up. I slowly reach out and put my hand over hers, "Now, since you can't use your magic, how about we use mine and prank Thor?"

Chapter Text

- Yasmin's Pov -

It had been two weeks since the building collapsing incident, and there had been no missions since then, leaving me plenty of time to get back to full health and do a load of training with both Nat and Loki. I felt stronger than ever, both physically and magically. I was pretty certain that, if tasked with holding up a building now, I would be able to hold it for much longer than I had two weeks ago. Although that might just be me being optimistic. I would last about 30 seconds and probably have another nosebleed.

This morning, I had trained with Loki for a couple of hours and was rewarding myself for my efforts with ice cream and a movie. Mainly because there was nothing else going on. It was a cold and gloomy November afternoon, and I was quite happy to curl up under a blanket with a tub of my favourite flavour of ice cream and a film. It was barely ten minutes before Loki joined me. He seemed to be enjoying my company more and more. And I did not mind. My feelings for him were definitely progressing, but I was determined not to think about it too much in case he heard me. Because he did know, our friendship was ruined. I couldn't afford for that to happen. It takes me way too long to make friends.
"What's this?" Loki asked me, positioning himself a respectable distance from me on the sofa.
"It's a book," I said after swallowing my ice cream. Loki tilted his head at me, "It's called Harry Potter. It's about a boy who finds out he's a wizard and goes to a school of magic where he learns... Hold on... did you just compare me to Harry Potter?" I laughed, hearing his thoughts in my own head.
"You're getting too good at reading minds; it's beginning to get quite unnerving," Loki told me with a smile.
"Or... Maybe you're just..." I paused and looked around dramatically, "Letting your guard down?" I finished in a whisper, looking at him in wide-eyed sarcasm. Loki rolled his eyes with a smile.
"Only around you," he replied before his own eyes widened. We both gulped. Loki coughed, "So, tell me more about this odd film you are watching," he said.
"It is not odd, and it's called The Disaster Movie... Okay, it might be odd," I happily obliged to tell Loki about the film. (Only to change the subject) I even managed to get him to sit through it. Given that the man cannot sit still, it was an achievement in my eyes. Various people had joined us at some point during the film, including Bucky, Clint and Thor. I had to re-explain the whole plot to Thor when he arrived, assisted this time by Bucky and Clint. Bucky insisted that we restart the film when Thor did not quite understand that there was a spoof on Stark and Hulk in it.

The rest of the day passed fairly uneventfully, and I thought it best to try and go to bed early. I was tired despite not having done anything much all day. I got into my pyjamas using magic (an insanely helpful trick, especially when I needed to get changed quickly. And it gets even better, as I had taught myself) and lay in bed listening to the rain against my window and listening to the sounds of the city below. Deciding to finally honour the lie I had been telling myself for a while, I put up the mental wall around my mind, which meant that Loki wouldn't be able to hear me even if he wasn't trying to listen in (which I very much hoped he wasn't). Better safe than sorry.

It felt weird finally being able to think about it freely after so long trying not to. I loved that I could talk to Loki in my head, and sometimes even hear bits of what he was thinking, but I would be lying if I said it didn't get tiring sometimes. But being able to read his mind made training; if it was in his head, it was in mine too. The two of us had an odd relationship, but then again, not many people could read each other's minds. It was only now that I thought about it, I realised how close we had become. Much closer than I had ever been to anyone else before in my life. And now that I had stopped lying to myself, it was safe to say that I liked him, and not just in a friendly kind of way.
"Shit," I sat upright. Now that I had admitted I have feelings, it was going to be hard not to think about it when he was around. If I kept this wall up, he would get suspicious. Things were not looking good. I flung back onto the bed. Unless I tell him. No, I do that. What I need to do is go to bed and deal with this fiasco in the morning. I was too tired. I fell asleep thinking about Loki's eyes, those gorgeous eyes... How the hell am I going to keep my thoughts to myself?

"Yasmin! Yasmin!" Was that Tony? Why was he speaking to me? "I'm sorry, you need to wake up. We have to get going."
"Mmhff?" I slowly opened one eye.
"I'll interpret that to mean that you heard me and are getting up," Tony ripped the covers off me "We need to leave. I'll explain on the way, just hurry up," he rambled, already leaving the room.
"Fuck," I groaned, looking at the clock on my phone. It was only 1 in the morning. I rolled out of my warm bed, listening in dismay to the rain on the window and the wind blowing a gale outside "Whichever asshole has chosen to kick off is going to die." It took less than a minute for me to get ready with my trick.

I went out into the corridor right as Loki appeared from his bedroom, obviously also having just rolled out of bed.
"What's going on?" My brain was trying to coordinate a sentence whilst taking in the view in front of me, and it wasn't going too well.
"Mission," I finally managed to croak, clearing my throat loudly and pointing towards the elevator.
"At this time?" He asked, looking at the clock in his room, "Ouch,"
"Lady Yasmin, hurry, we must leave now!" Thor called from the elevator.
"Be careful," Loki spoke softly, watching as I rubbed my eyes, which were still puffy with sleep. Was it just me, or did he sound worried about me? I have no idea. It could be my sleep-deprived mind playing tricks on me.
"I will. See you later," I said, jogging to the elevator where Thor was waiting for me.

On the roof, I made a shield around myself and Thor as we ran to the jet through the torrential rain.
"Nice weather for flying," Tony commented cheerfully, handing me an earpiece as we entered the jet and took the shield down, slumping into a seat next to Bucky, who looked like he might have actually fallen back asleep.
"Not all of us don't need sleep, Tony. Keep the noise down," Nat grumbled, tying her hair back and punching Clint's leg to make sure he was awake.
"Time to wake up, Bucky," I said softly, nudging him awake with a slightly more subtle method than the one Nat had employed with Clint.
"It's not time for being awake yet." Bucky moaned. I nodded in agreement, feeling the jet take off in a slightly bumpier fashion than usual, what with the weather being so bad.
"Okay, troops, listen up, here's the deal..." Tony was talking, but my mind was elsewhere, namely, back down in the corridor with a half-asleep Loki. Bucky's head slumped onto my shoulder, doing nothing towards helping me stay awake.

"Yasmin, Buck, this is important! Did you hear anything I just said?" Tony snapped, who knows how long later, and I jerked back to consciousness, cold and tired.
"Yes..." I said defiantly. But then I saw that Tony was staring at me. "No," Tony sighed heavily at me, "Give me credit, I've only been awake 5 minutes."
"Right, we're there now, just cover Steve and me, okay? We're doing the important shit," Tony said sternly. His helmet snapped shut. I nodded, giving a half-hearted thumbs up and trying to get some magic running through my veins to warm myself up.

As the jet landed, I managed to get my eyes purple and tried to keep them that way so I was ready for instant action.
"Let's get this over with. Be careful." Tony said as the back of the Quinjet opened up into the stormy weather outside. The cold air was doing a fine job of keeping me awake. We all piled out into the rain and were soaked within seconds.

It was so dark; we all followed Tony and Steve trustingly through the darkness towards a building, when suddenly Clint yelled out, startling us all.
"Look out!" Everyone instinctively ducked, but nothing happened.
"What the hell, Barton?" Nat yelled. It was less than five seconds before we were surrounded by figures all dressed in black, hidden by their outfits and the pouring rain.
"Who.." Steve started to voice the question we were all thinking about, and then seemed to realise that no one would have an answer. Tony stepped forward towards the intimidating crowd of figures, clad in black, unmoving in the rain, uncovering his face. Me and the rest of the team stood poised behind him, facing all different directions, staring at the silent group who had surrounded us.
"Hello, we come in peace. What are you--" All of a sudden, the group was attacking us. Pure panic fuelled my magic, and I fought off countless figures as they approached from seemingly nowhere. There were so many of them, "Don't hurt them, just keep them at bay... we need to find out what they want." Tony instructed, reacting calmly. What is wrong with this man? What drugs is he on to stay this calm, and where can I get some?
"What could they possibly want that we have?" I heard Nat yell breathlessly through my earpiece. It was beyond me. I was just concentrating on keeping these creepy dudes away from me.
"Work it out... They want one of us." Thor replied through clenched teeth, sending the figures flying with Mjolnir as if there was no tomorrow. Bruce had also abandoned the 'don't hurt them' rule and was now going full Hulk mode on the figures, who seemed to be dropping back slightly.

In my desperation, I hadn't realised that the figures around us had their own personal agenda. It took me a while to realise that they were doing a grand job of getting me away from the rest of the group. They were at least 20 metres from me.
"Bollocks," Fear gripped me as I realised what was happening. These were the people who wanted to take my magic. I blinked rainwater out of my eyes frantically, doubling my efforts to keep these assholes away from me, but there were so many of them, and they kept on coming. I cursed as I started to feel tired already. How tired was I? I had only been fighting for five minutes, and I already felt like I needed to rest. But I can't.
"Yasmin! Where are you?!" Tony yelled. My chest tightened as I heard the fear in his voice. I couldn't keep this up forever; My magic was doing fuck all. Unable to reply to Tony, I was so out of breath that I formulated a plan. I knew that I couldn't get out of this, and I needed to give myself a fighting chance when they inevitably overpowered me. Breathing hard, I purposefully missed a blast or two with my magic and used the split second to my earpiece from my ear, turned it off and shoved it down my bra. The panicked voices of the team vanished from my ear, and I was left with the sound of my erratic breathing and the pouring rain. Praying none of the figures had seen what I had done. I braced myself as one of them ran at me and rugby tackled me to the ground, letting out a cry as pain shot through my ribs and then more of the figures surrounded me, pinning me to the ground, and someone was pressing something against my mouth.
"Get the fuck off me!" I tried to fight, but a strong scent of something acidic and unpleasant filled my mouth and nose, and I felt myself losing consciousness yet again. I really needed to work on staying awake in dangerous situations like these.

- Loki's Pov -

Something was wrong. Something was really, horribly wrong. I don't know how I knew. I just did. It was Yasmin. There was something wrong with her. Something had happened on the mission. What a stupid time to leave for a mission, in the dead of night, while the weather was like this. Of course, something bad had happened. But Thor was there. He would watch out for Yasmin.

I was still in his room, wide awake, when I heard the Quinjet approach and then land on the roof.
"About bloody time," it had been at least three hours since she had left, and two since I had known something was wrong. The rain hadn't stopped. She wasn't dead. That was sure of that. But even so, I braced myself for the worst as I invaded the thoughts of the team who were descending in the elevator towards me. I didn't want to try and read Yasmin's thoughts. Just in case something had happened with her magic. I didn't want to harm her more than she already might be.

As the others got closer, I felt despair as I realised what had happened. Tony's thoughts were the loudest.
"We left her. We left her. She's in danger and we left her," They left her? Yasmin isn't with them? I struggled to comprehend what had happened from the mess of thoughts in everyone's heads, but gradually it began to make sense. They had spent an hour and a half looking for her, and they weren't going to stop. But they had stopped. They were here.

After a minute of pushing down the initial rage and worry I had felt, I strode to my door and yanked it open as the team trudged past in the corridor. They turned to look at me in surprise as I took in the state of the mortals and Thor. They were soaking wet, disheartened and feeling like they had betrayed Yasmin.
"Can we help you?" Stark spoke.
"I wish to help find Yasmin," I replied. Ordinarily, I would rather die than help any of them, but when it came to Yasmin, things were different. And I wanted to get rid of this tight, awful feeling in my chest, which I got whenever I thought about what state Yasmin might be in. Was this what it felt like to be worried about someone? I didn't like it.
"Come on then," Tony said, without breaking his stride. He was a man on a mission. None of them questioned how I knew what had happened. Was this what it felt like to work together with a group, rather than against them? It was alright. I suppose. I followed the team wherever they were going. It would be right, once Yasmin was back here and she was safe. Safe with me.

Chapter Text

- Yasmin's Pov -

When I woke up, I didn't know where the hell I was, and it took me a few seconds to remember what had happened.
"Oh, that was right, I had been kidnapped," I groaned as I pressed a hand to my head. And if the team had been right before, my kidnappers wanted to take my magic away from me or use me as a means to an end. I sat up abruptly, taking in my surroundings. I had been lying on a small, uncomfortable wooden bed. Was this a cell? It had to be. At least there was a toilet and a sink. It was damp and cold; the metal door on the other side of the room was locked when I got up and tried to open it, "Bollocks," I hissed as I kicked the door. I wasn't sure what I had been expecting. I tried to shoulder barge the door, but then there was a sharp pain in my side, presumably from where I had been rugby tackled earlier.

Returning to sit on the wooden bed, I tried to stay calm. The others would be looking for me, without a shadow of a doubt. That was if they were okay. What if the black figures had got them all? No, that's ridiculous. They are okay, and they will be looking for me. I would be fine until they arrived; I had my magic. They couldn't take it from me. Momentarily reminded of something Loki had said to me on the night he told me that my magic was Asgardian, you clasped your hands together tightly.
"It's not something that can be taken away from someone, apart from under extreme circumstances." Did this count as extreme circumstances? I hoped not. I wondered if Loki knew I were missing yet. Had the others gone back to the tower without me, or stayed to search for me? Or both? The thought of them all back at the tower without me made me feel utterly isolated, and I struggled to stay optimistic. Would Loki be mad, upset, or worried? Would he even care?

My thoughts were interrupted as the metal door produced a metallic clunking sound and opened slowly. I swiftly got to my feet, ready to defend myself. I had been expecting armed guards to come to escort me somewhere, but instead, I was met with the sight of an elderly lady, probably in her mid-fifties, alone.
"Hello, Miss Cassell. Please don't be alarmed, sit," she said, gesturing at the bed behind me. I didn't move.
"Who are you? What do you want from me?"
"You ask too many questions. Be patient, I will explain. Now sit," she said slightly more forcefully than before, and this time I obliged, disconcerted by this woman. She perched on the edge of the desk, taking mein.
"Why am I here?" I asked again, needing answers.
"If you let me talk, I will explain. We have identified you as a danger to society, and have chosen to neutralise you as a threat."
"Neutralise me?" I repeated, fear rising in my throat, "You're going to kill me?"
"Oh, don't be silly, we don't want to kill you. We just need to separate you and the destructive force which has attached itself to you." What the hell was this crazy old lady talking about?
"What destructive force?" The lady shifted in her seat, "Oh, you mean this?" I asked, holding out my hand to show her the purple mist. She shifted away from me slightly. For once, I was glad someone was afraid of me.
"I would appreciate it if you didn't summon that in such a confined space," she told me. I saw her shake a little. I waved my hand, and the mist disappeared.
"And I would appreciate not being kidnapped and trapped in a room, but you did that to me," I replied angrily, standing up, "And as for my magic, I have it under control,"
"I'm sure you do, but don't hurt me. We aim for minimal loss of life at this institution; it would be a shame for us both to die."
"Basically, 'if you hurt me, you'll die' scenario," I thought to myself, trying to calm down before I did something stupid. I just wanted to get out of here and get back to the tower "What was the deal with the people in black? What happened to the people I was with?"
"You don't need to pretend, dear. Of course, I know that you're part of the Avengers. And we tricked Mr Stark into thinking there was a mission to be had when really it was only going to be an ambush. It was quite easy, really."
"You guys wanted to kidnap me really badly," I scoffed.
"We've spent lots of time and resources on finding and capturing you to take your magic. As you call it. You must understand that if we wanted you dead, we could have killed you long ago. We tried to get you at the site of that building collapse, thinking that while your friends were distracted, we could swipe you, but you went running in to save the day," The lady rolled her eyes.
"That was you? You lot are fucking insane! You planted bombs in innocent people's homes just to capture me?!" My hands curled into fists, "Minimal loss, my ass!"
"Now hang on, let me explain. There was much discussion over this tactic, but we decided that it was for the greater good. A few people might have died, but compared to the number of people you will inevitably harm and kill with your magic. It would have been a small price to pay,"
"What gives you the idea that I am some sort of killing machine?! I've never killed anyone in my life, and I don't plan on doing so!" I retorted, breathing hard. I've wanted to, but who hasn't?
"Perhaps not, but did you ever think about the fact that, once, your friend Loki might have said those words too? People like you are so easily manipulated, especially when loved ones are involved." My blood ran cold. So someone had heard Loki at the party weeks ago, someone who was working for this woman. I felt sick. These people had been in my home, right under mine and everyone else's noses, and I hadn't even realised. Nat had been right to be wary, and boy, is she going to gloat when I tell her she was right. The lady looked satisfied that she had given me a good enough answer now and stood up. "I will be seeing you shortly, Miss Cassell. Don't try anything silly. We don't want anyone getting hurt."
"Only ones getting hurt will be you fucking morons," I warned.
"See you soon, Miss Cassell," she said as she left the room, closing the door abruptly and locking it. The metallic clunk sounded loud in the empty room. I ran over to the door and booted it. Then I ran to the sink and threw up.

When I had emptied the contents of my stomach, I sat on the floor and rested my head on my knees, fighting not to cry. I had never felt so helpless. I was completely on my own. I didn't know where I was. The others had no way of finding me, and I had no way to contact them. But then my head shot up.
"The earpiece!" I whispered. My heart leapt, and I thanked my past self for planning as I remembered shoving the earpiece in my bra. I checked the room for CCTV, but there didn't seem to be any. I pulled the earpiece out and pressed the button to turn it on, praying it still worked.

- Tony's Pov -

The light that appeared suddenly on the screen before me was like a lifeline for my mind. I scrambled to my feet, hardly daring to believe it.
"Hello," Yasmin's voice was emanating through the speakers. After almost 5 hours of sitting here waiting, a miracle had occurred. I scrambled for the microphone, desperate to let her know that I could hear her.
"Which button is it?" I pressed every button I could until my light flicked on.
"Guys? Please... someone..." Yasmin started to cry.
"I'm here, kid! I'm here, I can hear you!"
"Tony?" The relief in her voice made me want to cry.
"I'm so sorry, kid, we all are, we looked all over for you..." I started to talk but trailed off. I need to pull myself together. "JARVIS, tell the others to wake up, we're leaving. Yasmin, there's a tracker in the earpiece which can get us near, but the one in your suit is better. You need to try and find it and activate it."
"There's a tracker in my suit?" Yasmin asked, with a hint of indignation.
"Yes, there is, for situations such as this one. You need to activate it," I replied, without a hint of an apology.
"Yasmin?" Loki said, suddenly, by my side. Making me jump.
"Loki," Yasmin cheered up, and I heard the smile in her voice. Tony glanced at Loki as he seemed to pretend that he didn't hear it.
"Are you okay?" Loki asked. I don't think I have heard him speak so softly.
"Apart from being kidnapped. I am hunky dory," Yasmin chuckled.
"Where are you? Stark, can we get a location?" Loki asked both me and Yasmin.
"I don't know where I am," Yasmin whispered.
"The tracker in her suit is better than her earpiece," I spoke as I tried to get a vague location.
"Shit... Someone's coming," Yasmin said abruptly.
"Yasmin, find the tracker in your suit and turn it on, understand?" I told Yasmin desperately, but there was nothing on her end, "Yasmin?"
"Hey, guys. You know, those baggy suits really do nothing for your figures. Perhaps a broken nose would be better?" Muffled male voices were coming from the speakers, "I know a great tailor if you really want to pull off the whole henchmen look?"
"Stark? What's going on? JARVIS said You found Yasmin?" Steve had arrived, followed by the others. I flapped a hand to get everyone to be quiet. There was a scuffling sound.
"Get the fuck off me!" Yasmin yelled from a distance. I smirked as I heard a bone crunch and a loud yell from one of the males. and then silence. The light on the screen blinked off.
"We are leaving! Gear up and get to the jet, now," I commanded, doing something on the screen to get her vague location back up. Everyone ran out of the room, and soon it was just Loki and me left. "You're not coming."
"Stark--" Loki went to speak, but I lifted my hand to silence him.
"No. Fury will kill us all if you leave. Again. And that's not an over-exaggeration," I sighed, glancing up at Loki. He looked like he was going to kill someone himself. "There's a tracker on that thing; he'll know if you leave," I stressed, pointing to the new cuff I had made for the show.
"You think I can't get it off myself,"
"Right now, Loki, Yasmin needs me. I'm leaving. Please stay here," I ran down the corridor clutching a memory stick which was my only clue to where Yasmin was, and, deciding that the elevator was too slow, summoned his suit and flew up to the roof out of a window instead, where the others were already waiting to take off. The storm had blown itself out, but it was still cold and raining outside. It was only 7 am and still pitch black. I hate winter.

In the jet, during take-off, I plugged the memory stick into the flight deck and brought up Yasmin's location for the others to see.
"It's miles away from where we went last night, no wonder we couldn't find her," Steve commented.
"This might be inaccurate; those earpieces aren't meant for long-distance tracking," Tony replied.
"Is Reindeer Games not tagging along?" Nat asked, looking around.
"No, I asked him to stay put, and he has. I think," I said, looking over my shoulder, expecting to see a Christmas Tree sitting in the back.
"Stark, He cares about Lady Yasmin a lot," Thor spoke up, leaning against a piece of metal. "I wouldn't be surprised if he's gone after her himself," Thor contributed. Bucky and Barton agreed.
"He is not my problem right now. We have to find her before... We just have to find her." I paused, unsure how to finish the sentence.
"She'll be alright, she can look after herself," Nat asserted. Everyone agreed wholeheartedly, but the atmosphere was still one of trepidation as the team flew back towards where her earpiece had last been detected.
"Hold on, Kid. We're coming,"

- Yasmin's Pov -

The men had found, taken and destroyed my earpiece, and now I was being escorted down a series of long corridors to an unknown destination. The place looked and smelled like a hospital. To my horror, we passed countless other metal doors which looked exactly like the one I had just come out of.
"Are there other people here? Like me, I mean?" I asked the guards, but they didn't respond. Rude.
"Keep moving," They said, marching me towards a room at the end of one of the endless corridors. More guards were waiting at the end, and behind them on the left was a window. A plan emerged in my head. It was ridiculous and incredibly risky, but it was a plan. Right now, I would take whatever chance I got.

I was distracted from my plan to escape when I was shoved by one of the guards away from the window and towards a doorway leading to a room which looked horribly like a surgery room, complete with a table with restraints on it.

"There is no way in hell you are going to get on that thing," I tried backing away, but a guard held me still, "I would rather keep my kidneys. Though, what is the going rate for one? I have some loans to pay back," The guard covered my mouth to stop me from talking.
"We weren't meant to be here for another hour," I bit the guard's fingers that covered my mouth. The old woman from earlier was here now, trying to reassure me and guiding me into the room.
"She was talking into an earpiece; they might be coming. We need to work fast," The guard informed her. Might be coming? These guys didn't know my teammates. They are stubborn asses.
"I was not talking into an earpiece. Does it look like I own one?" I insisted, kicking one guard in the shins as he came near me, "I needed to have a conversation with myself. Might be the only sane one I have in here,"
"We found your earpiece and destroyed it," the second guard said.
"Miss Cassell, please. Get up on the table," The old lady spoke.
"Fuck no. I choose life," I stood firm. The lady sighed.
"Then we will have no choice but to use aggressive force," The lady nodded at my guards. One held a collar in his hands, "This will suppress your powers. Similar in a way to the cuff that your friend Loki has. Only ours is stronger," The stupid cow smirked. I backed away into the corner. If she wants to use aggressive force, two can play that game.
"Alright, it's your funeral," I almost felt sorry for her as panic overwhelmed me, and I saw the fear in her eyes. The two guards and those in the corridor backed away from me slowly, "You play with fire, you are going to get burned," I snarled as my eyes were burning.

Chapter Text

- Yasmin's Pov -

"Get to the window," That was my only thought as as unleashed my pent-up fear and anger on these people who had kidnapped me with no remorse. At this moment in time, I didn't care who got hurt. My only goal is to escape this hellhole. I didn't know how high up I were, or how far the fall would be, but it was a risk I was willing to take. Hopefully, it wasn't any higher up than the ninth floor of the Avengers Tower. Loki wasn't here to heal me if things went wrong this time: I was on my own.

The guards were appearing in force now, but they were no match for me. not while I was in this state. Some of them were even faltering and backing away down the corridor, presumably having seen their comrades being thrown about like rag dolls and not fancying going next. I chuckled, seeing their fear. I didn't care about hurting them. I just needed to escape.
"Stop her!" the woman cried as I ran for the window, guessing correctly that the two guards stationed there would get out of my way as I approached them. There was no stopping me as I leapt straight through the window, closing my eyes and yelling as I smashed through the glass.

It took me a second to remember that I had to break my fall with my magic as I fell, and caught myself just in time, rolling over a few times as I hit the ground just to be sure. As I scrambled to my feet, winded but unhurt, I glanced up at the window I had fallen from. It had only been four floors up. I smirked as I saw the woman at the woman.
"Well, it's been great knowing you, but I have somewhere to be!" I shouted as I flagged her.
"She can't get away, quick, go!" I hear that woman again, yelling at the guards. I glanced around my surroundings briefly, but it was too dark to see anything apart from the looming building I had just escaped from. Deciding that the best route was away from it, I started running blindly into the darkness, praying that the others would be here soon.

I think I had been running for a solid 15 minutes before I remembered about the tracker. Tony had told me to find the tracker in my suit and turn it on. I slowed to a brisk walk and started feeling around the arms and sides of the suit for anything. Why the fuck couldn't Tony have told me where the tracker was? Suddenly, my foot found a hole in the ground, and I tripped, falling flat on my face, having been preoccupied with trying to find the stupid tracker.
"Shit," I got to my feet, cursing, and stopped completely, checking over my shoulder for guards. I didn't see any. So I set about looking for the tracker again. This time, I was luckier and found a tiny cube under the fabric on my left underarm. Did I have to get it out, or could I just hit it? If I got it out, I might lose it, and then I would be well and truly screwed. But there was no time to stand around debating what to do because now guards were coming out of the building. Armed guards.

Praying that it would be enough, I hit the small cube a few times and then broke into a sprint again, running away from the guards, towards who knew what. Exactly what I was running towards became apparent just a few seconds later, when suddenly a large metal fence, at least nine feet high with barbed wire along the top, came into view. I skidded to a stop just before hitting it, stumbling back a few steps. This is very annoying. I could blast a hole in it, but that would attract the attention of the guards, who thankfully still hadn't seen me in the darkness. They would just catch up with me on the other side if they knew where I was.
"I am going to have to climb over this thing?" I groaned. Without any better ideas, I stepped up to the fence and grabbed hold of the nearest bar. This is a very bad idea.

I didn't need to know how many volts went through my body to work out that I was in trouble, because three seconds later, I was flat on my back with the smell of burning surrounding me and a loud ringing in my ears.
"Over there! I saw a flash!" That hadn't felt good at all. I tried to get to my feet, but everything was spinning, and I only got to my knees before toppling over again. My escape wasn't going as well as I had hoped. I hadn't planned for an electric fence. I would rather get shot. Or beaten to a pulp by the Hulk. I tried to summon my magic as I heard footsteps approaching, but that just hurt.
"She's here!" Some idiot shouted, "She's been electrocuted, though!"
"Where? let me see!" Oh, goody, that stupid old woman again. I groaned loudly as she came into my view, "Oh dear, Miss Cassell, now look what's happened. Didn't I say for you not to try anything?"
"Fuck off. I just wanted to keep my kidneys," I groaned, closing my eyes and trying to get my head to stop spinning. I heard a click of something and a weight around my neck, "Oh, you didn't..."
"We did." Great... now I have that stupid submissive collar on. It was like I had been put in a washing machine on the full-speed setting. I couldn't breathe. "Come on, pick her up and get her back to the room. We need to check her vitals before they turn up," I tried to kick out, but I had no energy.
"No, you can't... Fuck off... I won't go willingly!" I screamed, breathing hard. One of the guards picked me up, and I was powerless to resist as we headed back towards the building. Unable to breathe, let alone think about escaping, I could feel myself getting ready to pass out. I could still smell burning.

Suddenly, I heard a familiar noise over the ringing in my ears.
"Oh, you guys are fucked now!" I smiled, opening my eyes to see the Quinjet descending over the building. The hitting method had worked! I tried to kick again, but this time the guard gripped on tighter.
"Get her inside, quickly. We need to act fast; otherwise, plan B becomes an option," the old woman said, and I was carried swiftly inside, surrounded by guards.
"Plan B? I didn't like the sound of that," I thought to myself.
"Yasmin? Can you hear me?" I heard Loki speak.
"Oh no, now I am hearing things. Loki can't be here." Maybe I have already passed out.
"Yasmin, you haven't passed out, tell me where you are, please," Loki begged. I didn't respond. I didn't think he was here.
"Get her upstairs. That was a strong shock she'd just had. She might have internal injuries."
"Yasmin, please... Where are you?"
"Loki?" I whispered.
"Yes! Yes, I'm here," The obvious, palpable relief in even his thoughts made me smile, and that feeling in my chest returned, except this time it was a bad thing because I was really struggling to breathe.
"Ma'ma, Stairs or elevator?" A guard spoke.
"Elevator, of course, you fool! You two with me. The rest of you take the stairs." The old woman ordered.
"Yasmin? Talk to me,"
"Elevator," I could only say one word at a time. My skull was throbbing.
"What floor?" Loki asked. I could hear him panting. I think he was running.
"Fourth," I tried to focus on my breathing as the guard carrying me put me down, and I lurched to the side, reaching out to steady myself against the side of the elevator.
"Miss Cassell, stop being dramatic, you're fine. And if you are not fine, well, you heard about plan B, didn't you?" The old lady smiled.
"You tried getting fried, see how you like it?" I scoffed. They wouldn't kill me. They can't. The team were here; Loki was here. I was going to be fine.
"They're not going to kill you. I won't let them," My heart lurched in my chest; either a reaction to Loki's statement, or I was going into cardiac arrest. I couldn't quite tell in my current situation.

The doors of the elevator opened, and I was re-joined by the other guards who had gone up the stairs as I was half walked, half dragged down the corridor. I waited for something to happen, anything, but we were just getting closer and closer to that goddamn room again.
"Loki. Hurry." I was getting desperate.
"Almost there. Hold on. We're coming for you."
"Ma'am, the Avengers have infiltrated the building," one of the guards said, touching his earpiece, and the woman stopped in her tracks.
"How long?" She asked.
"A minute, tops," The woman closed her eyes and exhaled heavily, before turning to look at me regretfully.
"Well... They fucked your plans, didn't they?" I leaned against the wall, smirking.
"I'm sorry, Yasmin, perhaps this could have ended differently if you had decided to cooperate with us sooner."
"I would rather die," My heart contracted in my chest. Now I really couldn't breathe, "Though at this rate, you ain't gonna have to kill me." My body was giving up on its own.
"Then that is what we will do," The woman turned and nodded at the guard who had been holding me, and he unholstered a gun from his belt. Time slowed down. My legs decided that they didn't work anymore, and I dropped to my knees as the guard pointed his gun at me.
"Loki..." I started to panic. This was it. I was going to die.

That's when everything happened at once. The gun went off, but nothing hit me. Nat was sprinting down the corridor from one direction, and Tony flew through the window, which I had smashed earlier, and all hell broke loose. Then Loki was hauling me to my feet, and then all of a sudden I were outside, and there was fresh air and quiet, the sounds of fighting from upstairs now distant. Loki had teleported us both outside.
"Yasmin, darling. What happened? What's wrong with you? What did they do to you?" Loki asked urgently, gripping my upper arms tightly. He was scared.
"The fence," I tried to explain, waving towards it vaguely. "I tried... I shouldn't have..." My chest tightened again.
"Just breathe," Loki told me, watching me worriedly.
"That's just it... I can't breathe... The fence was electric," I said, realising how scared I was and feeling a sob rise in my throat as I met Loki's gaze.
"It's okay, we'll just... let's get you to Banner, he'll be able to--"
"LOKI!" Tony bellowed out of the window.
"Odin's beard," Loki muttered. Tony swore several times and then ordered Loki to take us to the jet. "I was going to anyway," Loki pulled me closer to him, "I've got you, darling," and we disappeared in a puff of green mist. I really needed to learn how to teleport.

Soon, I was on the Quinjet and was met by Banner, who was with me instantly, taking me from Loki and helping me to lie down on one of the seats. I asked where everyone was. Banner said that Tony, Nat and Thor had apparently gone in not knowing what the situation was like, and apparently, they did not need any backup. They left Steve and Bucky to deal with any idiots outside.
"And those Idiots are dealt with," Bucky spoke as he walked back into the jet.
"Tell me what happened," Steve said as he looked at Loki. He did not look thrilled that Loki was here. I don't think anyone but me was happy.
"She said she was electrocuted by the fence around the perimeter," Loki informed Banner. "She said she can't breathe or stand properly, and I think her hearing is off. And her magic is also off," Loki listed off, and I nodded to confirm what he'd said.
"Hearing is okay... just muffled. Magic... collar," I pointed to the collar. Banner picked up something pointy and broke the lock. I winced as Banner took the collar off. Everything hurts.
"How's your sight?" Bruce asked.
"Fine," I replied. I tried sitting up, which both Banner and Loki helped me with.
"I think you're just in shock, but I will check for internal damage when we get back to the tower. For now, just stay still and concentrate on your breathing, alright?" I nodded, closing my eyes to try and counter the dizziness I was feeling. Loki was pushed aside as the others came over to see for themselves that I was okay.
"Tony and the others will be back any second. They are all fine," Steve reassured me, and I nodded again, relieved. I could vaguely hear their thoughts. They just wanted to know what happened to me. I didn't have the energy to tell them. I left it to Loki. Bucky, who had correctly guessed the gist of what had happened, sat next to me and put his arm around me.
"Welcome back, Kid," I leaned into him gratefully, closing my eyes. He could sympathise with what might have happened to me if the team hadn't turned up when they had. I couldn't hear Loki's thoughts anymore. But he was glaring at Bucky and me. Jealous much.
"Go, let's go. Quick," That was Tony. I opened my eyes to see him, Nat and Thor running up the ramp, and mere seconds later, we were in the air with no apparent resistance from those still on the ground.

After Tony exited his suit, he made a beeline for me, and Bucky removed his arm from around me just as Tony crouched down to my level and enveloped me in a hug.
"Kid, I'm so sorry," he said into my shoulder.
"It's not your fault," I replied, gently detaching myself from him. It was nice that he cared, but I was struggling to breathe as it was, without being crushed by him.
"Look at you," he said sadly, scanning my face.
"Lady Yasmin, are you hurt?" Thor asked in concern, peering over Tony's head at me.
"Can't... tell yet. We'll find... out later," I wheezed, attempting a smile.
"Kid, don't talk. You're making it worse. Just breathe." Bucky told me, laying a hand on my arm in concern. I nodded gratefully. Loki went and stood in the back of the jet. Bruce was talking to Tony about possible internal injuries I might have. Nat came over to give my arm a quick squeeze before sitting down herself, visibly exhausted.
"You're safe now," Nat said as she moved my hair out of my face.
"I just need to sleep," I yawned, focused on my breathing. Nat wrapped her arm around me and moved me so my head was in her lap. I prayed that I wasn't suffering from some serious internal problem. I had probably fried something. I might actually lose a kidney. I don't understand how Thor handles lightning. But I know that I will be okay. Bruce would be able to fix whatever it was. Or Loki. I looked up and over to where Loki was sitting; to my surprise, he looked upset or angry. It was hard to tell with him. I'll talk to him later. I was way too tired to try to speak to him in my mind right now. Maybe later.

Hold the phone. Did he call me darling earlier?

Chapter Text

- Yasmin's Pov -

The journey down from the roof of the tower to the medical ward seemed a lot longer than it actually was in my state, and despite my furious protests, Thor eventually carried me for the second half of the trek. When I finally got there, I had to sit and take some deep breaths for a minute before I could open my eyes. Despite being carried, I was out of breath.
"You guys can leave, I'm just going to check her vitals, and when she is fine, I'll give you a shout," Bruce told the others, emphasising the word is.

I lay down on the bed under Bruce's supervision and faded in and out of consciousness as he hooked me up to some machines and watched a computer screen, clicking frequently.
"Am I okay?" I asked, unable to wait while he analysed my vitals. "I don't feel okay,"
"Yeah, there's nothing serious going on; you just need to take it easy, or things might start going wrong. Got it? That means no leaving here until tomorrow," Bruce ordered, detaching me from the monitors and switching the computer off. I sighed heavily, slumping back onto the bed. "You should be grateful that you are not more seriously injured," Bruce said.
"I'm just getting bored with being stuck in here constantly," I moaned.
"It's only for 24 hours. Now let me look at your hands,"
"What? My hands are fine," I said, holding them out to show him, "See, what the?" My mouth fell open as I saw my palms; they were bright red, shiny and swollen. Burnt from where I had grabbed hold of the electric fence, "Well, fancy that... I hadn't even noticed," I said in disbelief.
"You were probably preoccupied, what with not being able to breathe," Bruce joked, crossing the room to get medical supplies.
"May I be of help?" Loki's voice came from the doorway. Bruce turned to look at him in surprise, then to me for confirmation. I smiled.
"Thanks, Bruce." I felt bad as he left the room, but we both knew that Loki could get it done quicker and more effectively.

Loki sat down next to me and held his hand out. I obliged and let him start healing me. We sat in comfortable silence for a bit before I realised something was bothering him.
"Okay, what's wrong?" I asked, noticing that he wasn't looking at me. He didn't reply verbally, rather let me hear what it was he had been thinking, "It was not your fault." I shook my head at Loki.
"I was the one who let my guard down; I was half asleep." Loki huffed."They heard me at that party. I was careless," Loki whispered in his head.
"Loki, I don't blame you; you don't need to worry about me being mad," I placed my other hand over his. He looked up at me sharply, and then back at my hands.
"You weren't meant to hear that bit," He muttered.
"You saved me. From being shot. How could I be mad?" He didn't reply, but his grip on my hands became ever so slightly firmer.

When he was done, my hands looked almost as good as new, apart from still being slightly red. To my surprise, next, he reached for my face, and I leaned back as he moved towards me.
"You're covered in scratches," Loki explained, and I frowned before remembering that I had smashed through a glass window to escape.
"Oh yeah," I laughed half-heartedly, leaning back forward to let him heal the scratches. I was so wiped out that I didn't even have to distract myself while he was doing it.
"There you go," he finally said when he was done, leaning back.
"Thank you," I smiled, again slumping back into the pillows on my bed.
"I am sorry," Loki told me, watching me worriedly. I reached out for his hand, lacing my finger in his. Loki gripped my hand tightly.
"It's not your fault!" I exclaimed. Why didn't he understand that? I wasn't mad. He observed me for another couple of seconds, let go of my hand and then stood up and made for the door.
"Shall I ask Thor to come down? Or Stark?"
"Thor, please. I'm sorry for..." Loki was already gone before I had finished my sentence. I cursed myself for being so stupid. He had shown emotion, and I had been short with him. Then again, I couldn't have him thinking it was his fault I had been kidnapped. But I could have been a bit less harsh.

Minutes later, Thor was by my side.
"Hey Sparkles," I smiled as Thor sat on the end of my bed.
"Lady Yasmin, what did you do to Loki? He wasn't happy," he asked me with a hint of a smile.
"Just told him it wasn't his fault I was kidnapped. Though it was a bit snappy," I shrugged.
"Ah, yes, that would do it," Thor said humorously. I smiled, "Don't worry, he will be fine."
"I know. I wasn't worried," I sighed.
"I've never seen Loki so worried about someone before," Thor told me, watching my face carefully.
"Well, he's good at hiding his emotions," I countered, not letting my expression betray the fact that my chest had tightened again.
"That's what I mean. He wasn't so good at doing that yesterday," Thor said. I shrugged.
"He is one of my best friends, Thor. Regardless of whether he feels that way about me. I would've been worried about him, too."
"Well, I think the others have warmed to him slightly after that. Tony wasn't even that angry that he'd snuck onto the Quinjet when he told him to stay put,"
"What? He wasn't meant to come with you guys?" I frowned.
"No, he did not, nor did I expect him to," Thor smiled. My chest was getting tighter by the second, and it had nothing to do with the fact that I had been electrocuted. Shaking my head, I quickly changed the subject after that, and Thor kept me company for about twenty more minutes before Tony appeared.

"Hey kid, how're you doing?" he asked, coming to stand at the end of my bed.
"I'll let you two talk, see you later," Thor said to me, standing up and allowing Tony to replace him in his seat.
"I'm feeling better. We need to talk about that place I was being held." I told Tony as Thor left the room, and he nodded, "That woman, she called it an institute. What does that even mean?" I asked.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. are dealing with it as we speak. I should hope so anyway," Tony sighed, crossing his arms, "It was an underground organisation which, as you know, was focused on eliminating what they deemed threats to society."
"I remember being called that," I scoffed, "Basically. They don't like anyone who holds more power than them," Tony nodded.
"All of us were on the plans we found of theirs on that mission when we found out you were in danger. The difference was that you seemed weaker than the rest of us, so they were targeting you," Tony explained.
"Yet they all ran away when I used my power," I rolled my eyes, "I think there were other people there. Will S.H.I.E.L.D. help them?" I asked. I passed so many rooms.
"I hope so. They'll probably all be enrolled on their programme, if they're fit to do so..." Tony trailed off, and we both sat thinking about what horrible things the stupid institute might have done to people, "But the main thing is the organisation is being broken apart as we speak. And you're alright," Tony suddenly continued, grasping my arm firmly. I nodded.
"And what about Loki?" I asked.
"What about him?" Tony frowned.
"When will you talk to Fury about the fact that he should be able to use his magic? And not be locked up here in the tower?"
"He can use his magic, we're doing him a favour. Fury won't go for him being allowed in public, we both know that." Tony sighed.
"Can you at least try and talk to him about it? He might say that he can use his magic again, and then we won't have to pretend that he's still powerless,"
"Maybe Reindeer Games shouldn't have his powers. None of us knew he was on the jet when we came to get you earlier. He's good at what he does. That makes him dangerous."
"Loki is not dangerous," I stated firmly. Tony gave me a sceptical look, "If you say 'you weren't there during the attack', I am going to lose my mind."
"I wasn't going to say that," Tony interrupted, "It's just... We've heard about all of the times he's betrayed Thor, and he's proven he can be manipulated..." Tony stopped talking, "Urm... kid?" I frowned, and Tony pointed to my eyes.
"Oh, I am well aware," I snapped, sitting up a little. Even though it hurt, "Loki wasn't manipulated. He was tortured and brainwashed by a stupid titan," I said angrily. Tony nodded sadly. My eyes slowly returned to their normal colour.
"You really care about him, don't you?" Tony was still looking at me.
"Regardless of whether he feels that way about me, He is one of my best friends. So yes, I care about him. Someone other than his brother should be defending him. If Bucky can change his ways, then maybe Loki can," I snapped, "And I ain't sorry for making you crap yourself just now,"
"I think you need to get some sleep, Yasmin," he said, standing up and putting a hand on my head comfortingly. I nodded, closing my eyes.
"Wake me up for lunch?" I asked, and Tony laughed.
"I will. Get some rest," Then he was gone.

And I was alone with my thoughts for approximately three seconds.
"Are you okay?" I smiled as I heard Loki speak.
"I'm fine, just tired." I yawned as I pulled the blanket over me.
"And angry? What did Stark say?"
"Nothing, I just need to sleep."
"That I will agree with." There was a bit of angst behind that comment, I could tell.
"Loki, I am sorry for getting annoyed. I need you to know that it's not your fault that I got taken."
"Go to sleep, Yasmin," Loki ordered.
"Only when you admit that it wasn't your fault," I declined.
"Then you will be awake for a while," I could feel Loki mentally roll his eyes at me. I didn't reply to that. But when I heard that long sigh of defeat, I knew that he had given in, "Fine. Maybe it wasn't entirely my fault,"
"That is good enough for me," I smiled. He tried to reply to that, but I didn't hear him, having already started to drift off to sleep.

- Loki's POV -

There was a smile on my face as I lost contact with Yasmin as she fell asleep. What was wrong with me?
"I must be going soft," I told myself under my breath sternly, only realising how ridiculous I must look after I uttered the words. Yasmin was changing me. For better or for worse. I had risked my safety and my magic to sneak onto the jet and save her, having not even thought about the consequences of my actions until after she was safe. I didn't care that I was going to be hurt; Yasmin meant something to me. A small glimpse of happiness, and I was determined to hold on to it.

But oddly enough, the consequences seemed to have been mostly positive. The others had thought better of me on the way back. Though they were saying the words, I thought their minds would betray them, but even their thoughts were positive. Stark wasn't even that angry. There had been a small lecture, if that, and afterwards Tony had actually clapped me on the back. According to Thor, smacking someone on the shoulder was a nice thing to do on Midgard.

All of the evidence points towards one thing... sentiment. But for the first time in a long time, I didn't see it as a bad thing. It felt good and right. There was just the small issue of Yasmin not seeming to return the feeling, and the fact that she never would. She was a normal Asgardian, whereas I was not. The thought hurt. But she called me her best friend. Would she care that I was... different? Do I even have the courage to tell her? Would she cast our friendship aside if I did? Would she welcome the cold? I highly doubt it.
"She will never see me as anything more than a monster," I sighed heavily. But, as I lay on my bed staring at the ceiling, I remembered that sentiment couldn't just be pushed aside. It had to be dealt with.

Now, I remember why I didn't mix with people; it made things complicated and annoying. But then there was her. Yasmin. The simple thought of her wasn't complicated and annoying. It didn't make me feel bad. It made me feel something completely, totally different. I knew this feeling. It had only happened once, and it scared me. I sat up slowly as the word I feared bounced around my head.
"Surely not?" Despite barely knowing her for less than a year, that was barely a blink of an eye in my lifetime. Yasmin... she was so different to anyone else I have ever met. Yasmin never treated me any differently. She tried to make me feel welcome, and she has fought my corner more than most. I was in love with Yasmin, and things were about to get complicated.

Chapter Text

- Yamsin's Pov -

Two days later, I was back on my feet. I was super thankful that I did not suffer any internal damage from the electrocution. Thought Bucky kept making jokes that I could hold a light bulb and it would turn on. I then told him that I would stick magnets to his metal arm. That soon shut him up.

The beginning of December had been confirmed by the first snow of the year, and it was getting colder by the day. There had been no training for me since the mission. Loki and Tony rarely agreed on the same thing, but when it came to me wanting to train so soon after I had been injured, their decision was a unanimous one. I needed to rest. But while I was resting, I noticed that Loki had been acting kind of weird since the mission. I haven't talked to him in my mind since I made him admit that it wasn't his fault that I had been kidnapped. I didn't want to bring it up, but something was definitely going on with him.

In the back of my mind, there was a small nagging voice which was calling for me to entertain the possibility that he might be having the same problem as me and was trying to hide his feelings from me, but I knew that was just wishful thinking. He was a literal god, and I was an abandoned Asgardian left to fend for myself on Midgard with no idea how to use my magic. Not to mention the fact that Loki was immortal like Thor. I made a mental note to ask him how old he was the next time I saw him; maybe that would put me off him. I highly doubt it.

Yesterday, I had been bored out of my mind with Bruce, Nat, Steve and Loki continuously telling me to sit down and stop straining myself while the others watched on in amusement.
"I hate sitting still. At least let me walk around," I pleaded. That's when Tony agreed to show me his massive collection of cars. And that's when he learned that I did not know how to drive. He was slightly shocked and drove me in an Audi R8 to an abandoned, empty car park twenty minutes out of town and spent three hours teaching me how to drive an automatic. By the end of the driving test, I was confident enough to drive back to the tower. The others hadn't been impressed that Tony had whisked me away. And I say others, I mean Loki and I was ordered to go and lie down for a while before dinner. I don't know why he is acting like this. I would have told him that Tony was taking me out, but I couldn't find him and his mind is still closed off.

Another week had passed, and I was lying spread-eagled on one of the sofas in the lounge, scrolling through my phone while Loki sat opposite me, reading with his feet up on the coffee table. He was forever reading; I didn't ask where he got all the books from. The others had been summoned by Nick Fury. Tony had tactfully suggested that I didn't need to tag along for it because it would probably be boring. Which meant that I hadn't been invited. A raised eyebrow from Loki, who had been standing behind Tony at the time, had confirmed he thought the same. The two of us were definitely being discussed, but I didn't mind. Nor was I worried. The others would tell me what had been talked about when they got back.

Suddenly, I remembered that I had meant to ask Loki how old he was, and looked up to ask the question before realising he had heard me already.
"One thousand and forty-eight. Why do you want to know?" He spoke without lifting his gaze from his book. My phone dropped from my hand and onto the rug. My jaw went slack in shock as I stared at him. Loki smirked at me, "What were you expecting?" I struggled to form a sentence.
"Not that." I finally managed, "So, how old does that make Thor?"
"He's older by four hundred and forty-seven years, so he's..." Loki paused to work it out in his head, while my brain tried in vain to comprehend this new information, "One thousand four hundred and ninety-five," Loki said matter-of-factly.
"Damn," I replied, reaching down for my phone. My mind was spinning.
"Why do you want to know?" Loki repeated, lifting his head.
"Just curious, I guess," I shrugged. We lapsed into silence again for about two minutes, "One thousand--"
"And forty-eight," Loki smiled, shaking his head and my incredulous expression, "How old did you think I was?"
"I thought you were like, two hundred and something. And that was a push," I exclaimed. Loki chuckled lightly.
"I'll take it as a compliment. And remember, time works differently on Asgard and Midgard, so there's no real way to tell..."
"That's enough maths, my brain is hurting," I winced, holding up a hand.
"It does make me wonder how old you are?" Loki mused.
"What do you mean? We know how old I am. I'm 23," I frowned.
"Yes, in human years, but you're Asgardian. Asgardians live way longer than Midgardians, and you can't remember when you came to Earth, so you might well have been alive for... I probably shouldn't have brought that up," Loki said, watching me in mild concern. My expression had glazed over. I was trying to contemplate the fact that I might have been alive for longer than I thought. It wasn't going well. Loki kicked his legs up and off the table and, in a flash, was sitting next to me. I was so thrown by his comment that I couldn't even make a sarcastic joke about him being too lazy to walk around the table, "Yasmin, try not to think about it."
"Try not to think about the fact that I could never know how old I was. Yeah, I'll try that," I turned to look at him incredulously.
"Okay, it sounds bad when you put it like that. But age is just a number; it doesn't really matter." That brought me crashing back down to Earth. I refused even to consider the thoughts which almost came to the forefront of my mind, which had mainly been along the lines of my earlier thought that his age might put me off. That ship had just well and truly set sail.
"Maybe to you," I said, meeting his gaze and suddenly realising how close he was sitting next to me. He looked away quickly. And just as I was plucking up the courage to ask him why he wouldn't let me into his mind, the sound of the jet roared over the tower. We both looked towards the window. Loki was back on the other sofa with the book in his hands again in a moment, and I looked at him with a questioning frown. All I got was a shrug in response as if to say, 'Isn't it obvious?' It wasn't, but I let it slide for now.

Minutes later, the team started filtering into the room, not indicating what had happened in the meeting with Fury. Suddenly, Tony appeared around the doorway.
"Yasmin and Loki, can you come with me for a second?" Loki and I shared a brief look before getting up and following Tony down the hallway and into the elevator.
"What is going on?"
"We have a new important mission coming up. I talked to Fury, and he agreed that you can come on the next mission with us, but only because it's going to require your specific skill set. Yasmin, this is important for you too, if you're up for it." Tony said.
"Hell yeah," I replied.
"Absolutely no," Loki spoke, rather firmly. I turned to look at him in surprise, while Tony ran a hand through his hair in agitation.
"Stop reading my mind, Reindeer Games. And that was my initial reaction, but let me explain--"
"It's too dangerous," Loki continued in disbelief.
"Urm? Hello? Someone care to explain?" I said, becoming more confused and annoyed by the minute.
"It's better to show you," Tony said as the doors pinged open and he started towards his lab.

I followed him and sat down on a work surface while Loki stood next to me with his arms crossed, watching Tony bring up a screen on the projector. The face of a moderately good-looking but self-righteous man appeared on the screen, and Tony turned to me.
"This is Alberto Ricci. He's been involved in loads of criminal activity, hiring people to steal stuff for him and selling it on; he's gotten filthy rich from it, but until now there's been no evidence and no way to track him down," Tony explained.
"Did they try looking in Italy?" I smirked and received two disapproving looks, "Sort of sorry. Please continue," I grinned.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. spies have managed to track him down after almost two years. He's hosting a party in a private mansion in Connecticut next Saturday."
"And we have been asked to go take him down?" I asked, staring at the screen.
"Obviously, we won't be able to go as ourselves, and not all of us will get in; we'll need fake identities. Which is where you two come in." Tony started biting on the end of his pen.
"I don't follow," I frowned, ignoring Loki, who was shaking his head next to me.
"He wants you to go as Ricci's date and trick him into being captured," Loki said plainly.
"How am I supposed to go as his date?!" I laughed as a gorgeous blonde woman appeared next to the target on the projector, "Penelope Whittaker? I'm supposed to be her?"
"That depends on you being able to cast an illusion," Tony sighed. We both looked at Loki.
"Can you teach me?" I asked him. Loki looked at me incredulously.
"You want to do this?" he asked.
"Yeah, why not? Plus, it'll be useful to be able to cast illusions too," I replied, secretly enjoying how concerned Loki seemed about me.
"You'll be in there with Buck and Clint, maybe Nat too if she can disguise herself well enough. Steve, Bruce, Thor and I would be recognised instantly, so we'll be on stand-by nearby." Tony added. I looked up at Loki, who still looked unhappy.
"I'm in," I said firmly, looking back at Tony, who smiled.
"I thought you might say that," he said. I looked back at Loki and was surprised to see that he was glaring at Tony almost vehemently.
"Hey," I elbowed him in the ribs.
"Fine, I'll teach you," he said shortly.
"Great," Tony nodded once, "Tomorrow we'll start looking at the finer details." Tony trailed off as Loki nodded distractedly and left the room.

As soon as the door shut, Tony turned to me, wide-eyed for an explanation, but I just shrugged.
"I have not got a clue," I told him.
"You can hear his thoughts, Yasmin. If anyone would know what that was about, it's you." Tony pointed at me. I sighed as I shook my head.
"Not at the moment, he's blocking me from his mind." I looked over at the door.
"Oh," Tony said suddenly, looking past me in realisation, "He can read minds. I was thinking that he was being super protective of you when he started glaring," he explained.
"Oh?" I echoed, sighing. Loki would have hated that. Any sort of emotion was viewed as a weakness in his head.
"He was though. Being over-protective of you, I mean," Tony told me with a raised eyebrow and a slight smirk.
"What are you trying to suggest?" I asked, feeling a reluctant grin spread across my face. My heart was beating slightly faster than usual. Tony just shrugged, looking away nonchalantly. He started pressing a lot of buttons.
"Can tell you, Loki, that I have got some gear for him when he's stopped being an arse--"
"Hey," I interrupted him, with a disapproving look. Tony pulled a face. Dropping the gear he had picked up back into the box it had been in, he turned to a mess of metal, wires and tools covering the work surface next to him, "So why don't you show me what you have been up to in all your sleepless nights then," I requested, hopping down from the table and joining him at the table. I received a big smile, and then he started explaining his latest project. Usually, I couldn't read other people's minds, but Tony's thoughts had been so loud and full of emotion that I couldn't avoid hearing them.
"She really wants to know; she cares. I love this kid. Wonder if Pepper wants to adopt her?" Resisting the urge to hug him and say yes to being adopted, I listened intently as Tony talked instead. I'll let him approach the subject at a later date.

Chapter Text

- Yasmin's Pov -

Nine to ten days later. (I had a weather headache and passed out for like 18 hours,), It was the day of the mission, and there was a palpable sense of tension in the air around the tower. For the last week and a bit, I had been training almost non-stop with Loki, trying to learn how to cast and hold an illusion; it was the hardest magic I had attempted yet, and I only mastered it two days ago. Loki and I had had some pretty intense arguments during the first couple of days; I hadn't been able to change even my hair colour for three whole days, but once I had overcome that hurdle, things went much better, mainly because I was actually making progress each day. Annoyingly, arguing with him had only magnified my feelings for him tenfold, and this had made me even more frustrated, which led to more arguing, and thus I was stuck in a vicious cycle.

Between training with Loki, I also had to find time to train with Nat, who, for the last week, had been training me in stilettos. I had been walking around in those stupid shoes all week to try and get used to them, and was outraged when I discovered that I still wasn't nearly as tall as Loki with them on. At the start of the week, I looked like a newborn giraffe walking around in them, but with Nat's insistence that I wear them every day with insoles and my persistence, I was used to them. Nat had told everyone that she could now die happy because she had completed a seemingly impossible goal.
"Now, you'll never have trouble wearing them again," she had told me triumphantly.
"After this, I won't be wearing them again," I whispered to Bucky. The first chance I get to take these things off, they are going in the back of the wardrobe. On top of this, I had to research this Penelope girl I was imitating in order to ensure that I acted and sounded just like her, so as not to raise too much suspicion. Her excessive British accent, which I had been practising, had been the cause of much amusement during the last week. I was quite good at it if I said so myself.

Today, however, there was no joking around; everything was deadly serious. Breakfast had been a sordid affair; no one had talked much, and I were unsure whether Loki had actually spoken all morning. His mind remained as shut off as ever, and I decided to return the favour so that now I couldn't communicate with each other at all without talking. Either he hadn't noticed or didn't care. It felt weird.

It was now mid-afternoon, and Tony had decided to call the seventh meeting about this mission since last week. We all gathered in his lab to go over the plan yet again; I sat on a work surface again and tried not to overthink the situation when Loki joined us. It didn't go well. I was rather preoccupied during the first five minutes of Tony's speech, mainly due to the fact that Loki's hand was resting about two inches away from my thigh on the table. It was only when I heard my name that I rejoined the meeting and engaged with Tony's speech (which I had heard numerous times before anyway). This was the plan:

Me, Loki, Bucky, Clint and Nat (who had been outraged when Tony suggested she not go) would go to the party in disguise (Nat had seen to it that our fake identities had made their way onto the guest list). Once inside, I would find Penelope and make sure that she was out of the way as Tony had so deftly put it, and then I would cast my illusion to make myself an exact copy of her. After that, it was up to me to get Ricci drunk and lure him out the back of the mansion by the pool, where Tony, Steve, Bruce and Thor would be waiting nearby, and get him to the jet without a struggle. Loki, Bucky, Clint and Nat were essentially there for if anything went horribly wrong, which it inevitably would. There would be armed security there and CCTV cameras surrounding the mansion; it would be a miracle if I weren't caught. But hopefully, by the time they worked out what was happening, we would have Ricci and be out of there. There had been numerous arguments about whether I should even be attempting this with me in such a dangerous position, but with my consistent nailing down of my belief that I could get myself out of any bad situation I might get into with my magic, I finally won everyone over. Well, almost everyone, Loki still wasn't thrilled about the idea. But I have a feeling that that wasn't going to change anytime soon. Thankfully, the meeting only lasted half an hour, by which time it was just after 3 pm: five hours until we were scheduled to leave for Connecticut. Despite being glad that the meeting was over relatively quickly, I was now facing five hours of nervous anticipation, which I was not looking forward to in the slightest.
"Yasmin, do you want to go and practice the illusion? Last chance before tonight." Loki asked me as we left the room. I wondered if I was really successfully blocking him from reading my mind at all.
"Yeah, sure," I said gratefully and followed him to the training rooms.

"How are you feeling about it?" he asked, as we entered the training room and thankfully kicked off the stilettos, no longer being under Nat's watchful eye. I moaned happily as I wiggled my toes.
"Tonight? Okay, I guess, kinda nervous." I replied, trying not to show my surprise at his question as he nodded. He didn't often ask me how I felt.
"Right, show me, Penelope," he said, gesturing for me to cast the illusion. I closed my eyes and concentrated, picturing the woman's face and shape as best as I could as I cast the illusion. In theory, it would be easier when I had her in front of me to use as a guide; for now, I was going off pictures of her. When I was convinced I had done a good enough job, I opened my eyes to gauge how well I had done from Loki's expression. He looked mildly impressed.
"Well?" I said in my British accent.
"Good job. Of course, Ricci and this girl will be drunk by the time we make the swap, so if you're a bit off with appearance, hopefully he won't notice anyway," Loki crossed his fingers. I prayed that that was true, who knew how long I would even be able to hold this illusion, let alone get it right in the first place. "Just a small observation, I'm pretty sure Penelope's eyes are not purple. Or they weren't in the picture I saw," Loki said, a small smile playing across his features.
"I can't help it," I huffed, concentrating harder to try and cover my eyes with the illusion. Nothing changed, apart from a blinding pain shooting through my right temple, "Ow,"
"Okay, sit down," Loki instructed, standing up and conjuring a chair for me to sit in, pushing me into it gently. Either my eyes hated that, or Loki tried to read my mind.
"What am I supposed to do when that happens tonight?" I said bitterly, massaging my head.
"It won't happen tonight, and as I said, everyone is going to be too drunk to notice anything out of the ordinary."
"The guards won't be drunk," Loki didn't have an answer for that one.
"It will be fine," he said firmly, but unconvincingly. I threw him a look, "Why are your eyes purple? Who has annoyed you?"
"No one, just nervous," I shrugged. I could hardly tell him that he was the reason. I knew Loki didn't believe me. I didn't care. We sat in silence for a while, until finally the pain in my head dissipated and I managed to turn my eyes to the bright blue, which matched the appearance of Penelope.

I looked at Loki triumphantly, who smiled at me as if he was saying, 'I told you so'. I held the illusion firmly in place as my face flared red, before realising that he hadn't been smiling at me at all, but Penelope. A woman who is ten times prettier than me. That stupid feeling in my chest returned, and I internally cursed myself for being so naïve.
"So, who are you going as?" I asked, determined to keep things normal between me and him.
"Good question," he replied nonchalantly.
"You don't know yet?" I asked in disbelief. I had practised the illusion of the woman I was getting into the party as (Louise something-or-other, I couldn't remember her last name, Nat had made up the fake identities for all of us last week) numerous times, as well as Penelope, just to be safe.
"No, I'll work it out tonight. It's not likely to be a problem," he said.
"Well, I hope whoever it is you're cosplaying as... Can communicate with me through his mind. That might make things quite a lot easier for the mission," I remarked after a beat, not looking at him.
"I have my reasons for not letting you into my mind," Loki responded after a moment, a hard edge to his voice.
"I can't read your mind, though, I only hear what you want me to hear. I am guessing the same with me?" I probed, finally letting my illusion down and looking at him properly, forcing him to meet my gaze.
"You're getting too good at reading minds," Loki smiled. I shrugged nonchalantly, "It's just... I don't want you hearing anything you shouldn't."
"I had a pretty good teacher," I crossed my arms, "And what don't you want me finding out?"
"If I told you that would completely defeat the object of my not letting you read my mind." Loki looked at me out of the corner of his eye.
"Hey, don't pull that face. I'm just curious. Surely it can't be that bad?" I asked, conscious that I was pushing my luck.
"Alright, let me into your mind and I'll do the same," Loki challenged.
"Point proven," I muttered after a pause, with a reluctant smile.
"There are some things about me you are just better off not knowing," he told me. I rolled my eyes.
"There's nothing you could tell me that would change our friendship," I sighed. Loki frowned at me in confusion, "Well, it wouldn't. You are one of my best friends. Despite half the time, you don't talk to me,"
"I don't talk to most people," Loki huffed. "Come on, let's do some actual training, it'll pass the time. Get those shoes back on," he said, pointing at my discarded stilettos on the floor.
"Shouldn't I be preserving my energy instead of walking in those death traps?" I groaned, standing up and going over to pick up my shoes.
"You don't need it, but you can have a sleep before we leave if you really need to," Loki replied, watching me as I struggled into the shoes. "Here," he said, holding out an arm for support as I straightened up, wobbling slightly. I held on to his arm for a second before I regained my balance and swiftly let go with a quick smile.
"Thanks." This couldn't go on for much longer. I didn't know how much more I could take. We trained for about an hour and a half, maybe more; the time flew by as I had known it would. When I began to get tired, we stopped. And now the idea of having a quick sleep before going on the mission tonight suddenly sounded very appealing. Loki even agreed.

Ten minutes later, I was showered and ready for a good sleep. The moment my head hit the pillow, I passed out, and two hours later, I was woken up by my alarm.
"It's only 7," I groaned. I had an hour until I had to leave. I pulled on some jeans and a loose top and made my way into the living area.

which was relatively quiet, all things considered. Nat was... well, not Nat anymore. She had heavy make-up, a floor-length dress and a wig on; I only knew it was her because I knew her face so well. The disguise was amazing. She was currently surrounded by a ton of makeup, working on Bucky's face to turn him into someone else; his hair pulled back into a bun, which was to be hidden under a hat, while Clint looked on in trepidation. Loki was sitting at the table looking over some files while Tony, Steve, Thor and Bruce were nowhere to be seen.
"Damn, Nat. You look amazing," I said, walking around to inspect Bucky's face. "Well, that's an improvement," Bucky flagged me.
"Thanks, not all of us can just cast an illusion and look like someone completely different as easily as you," Nat replied, concentrating hard.
"I wouldn't call it easy," I muttered, joining Loki at the table and realising that he was looking at his fake identity for tonight. "Simon Lewis," I read over his shoulder and scanned the picture of a man who was actually from Ohio.
"Would seem so," Loki mumbled. Someone is moody... er than normal.

I retrieved my fake identity from the pile of files on the table: Louise Powell, that was her last name. She was a small, skinny thing, with dyed grey hair and bright green eyes. I was more confident with this illusion than Penelope; I didn't have to get this one right down to a tee. I looked up at Loki but saw instead Lewis Scott, his brow slightly furrowed as he read through the rest of the file. If I squinted, I could see Loki through the illusion, but not clearly. It was as if he were standing on the other side of translucent glass.
"Here, Kid," Tony spoke as he handed me Penelope's file. I have looked over it for what seemed like the hundredth time, pretty sure I had memorised everything on there. The plan included waiting until Ricci and his girlfriend were fairly drunk before the mission started going ahead, as it would be easier to distract them and get away with things if they were to go wrong. Convinced that I didn't need to look over the files any more than I already had, I sat next to Clint and watched the end of Bucky's transformation into a rather scary-looking man who didn't look at all like himself and then watched as Clint was transformed into someone completely different, too. It took the best part of the next hour, and by the time it was done, we were running late, as Tony kept reminding us all every four seconds.

Clint ran to grab something from his room whilst the rest of us headed up to the jet, which was reading to go on the roof. I was on my heels. Loki was in disguise. Nat and Bucky were in a dress and suits respectively, and Tony, Steve, Thor and Bruce were also in formal wear.
"Just in case," Tony said before glancing over at Loki. "All suited?" It had taken a while, but I had eventually convinced Loki to try on the gear Tony had supplied for him. It was only a black suit. Similar to what Nat, Clint and I wore. I could tell he liked it, even if he wasn't showing it.
"All suited," Loki replied. Clint rushed into the jet, pulling his jacket on, at twenty past eight.
"Looks like we're going to be fashionably late," Bucky said, sitting down as the ramp closed and the jet immediately started to ascend.
"The flight barely takes ten minutes, you'll be in there in twenty," Tony said, rolling his eyes as he walked over to the controls.
"Good, the sooner we're in there, the sooner we can get out again. With Ricci," Nat commented.
"And the sooner I can get out of these heels." I smiled as I looked over at Nat. She looked saddened by this comment. Tony shouted for everyone to buckle up as we flew towards the mansion in Connecticut, from which I was about to kidnap a criminal mastermind disguised as his girlfriend. Just your standard Saturday night.

Chapter Text

- Yasmin's Pov -

"Would you care for a drink, ma'am?" A waiter asked.
"Yes, thank you." I smiled as I took a glass of bubbly from the man. And we were in. Nat's fake identities had passed the guest list test and past security.
"Don't drink that. You need to be alert," Loki/Simon muttered to me as he tried to take the glass from me. I was hanging on to his arm tightly, trying not to look as nervous as I felt.
"It's for the nerves," I muttered back, before knocking back the whole glass in one and detaching my arm from his.
"Yasmin, if you get drunk, this whole mission is futile," Loki warned.
"I'm not getting drunk. I had one glass of champagne. And it's Louise, not Yasmin," Loki/Simon rolled his eyes, and I smiled at the expression of annoyance which I had become so used to.
"Let's split up, we need to scope this place out," I heard Nat say through my earpiece, and Bucky and Clint agreed. The earpiece had been disguised as a piercing so I could blend in better, as Penelope has several piercings in her ear.

It took half an hour to explore the mansion, and that was only the first and second floors, let alone the gardens, which housed two pools and a jacuzzi. The majority of the guests were now inside; however, as it was dark and cold and had begun to rain outside, and as the front doors were closed with a resounding thud, I couldn't help but feel like I was being trapped.
"I've got eyes on Ricci and Penelope. They're in the lobby." Bucky said discreetly. The lobby was so huge that, although I was also in there, I couldn't spot either Bucky or my two targets. Two identical and elaborate white marble staircases swept down from either side of the upper floor, which was open plan and visible from the bottom floor, and were currently swarmed by guests, all drinking and laughing. Finally, I spotted Bucky on the upper floor, who nodded in the direction of Ricci and Penelope.

I finally spotted them near the bottom of the right staircases. It was odd seeing them for the first time in person when I had spent almost two weeks studying them. I knew almost everything about them, right down to how they danced, because there would inevitably be dancing later on.
"I see them," I said, wondering if Bucky could even hear me over Nat talking to a random guest and Tony and Thor discussing something from the jet, hidden half a mile away from the mansion. This earpiece technique wasn't working out so well at a busy party. Suddenly, I had the weirdest sensation in my head, like someone was pressing softly against the back of my skull. I raised my hand to my head in confusion before realising what was happening. Mentally bracing myself, I took the wall down from around my mind and heard Loki's voice in my head for the first time in two weeks.
"It's just for tonight, don't make a fuss about it. Where are you?" Loki said softly.
"In the lobby with Buck. Why don't you just use your earpiece? I'll hear you on there." I sighed.
"There's too much going on there; it's easier like this." Yeah, maybe for him. But now I had to concentrate on keeping my mind half shut off while also holding up an illusion and kidnapping a criminal mastermind. I wasn't sure if I was up to this. Of course, I could always completely let my guard down and trust Loki not to go prying, but I couldn't risk it. I also wasn't sure if I trusted myself not to think something so audibly that he accidentally heard something I didn't want him to.
"Okay," This was so entirely not okay.

For the next hour or so, it was a waiting game, and I watched alongside the others as Ricci and Penelope got more and more drunk, and more and more affectionate. I mentally scrunched my face up. Ricci could hardly keep his hands off Penelope, and I was not looking forward to being in her shoes. And not just because she was wearing stilettos similar to the ones I had been wearing all week.

Finally, Penelope whispered something in Ricci's ear and made her way painstakingly slowly away from him and up the stairs, stopping at least every three steps to talk to someone, swaying dangerously in her heels as she laughed and hugged people along the way.
"Follow her," Loki spoke. I could see Loki/Simon standing metres away from Penelope as she crossed the landing to get to wherever it was she was going, and I walked as swiftly as possible up the stairs after her without making it look suspicious. She went down one of the many corridors which branched off from the landing and disappeared from my sight; I looked at Loki for reassurance, "Go, I'm right behind you."

I was shaking slightly as I followed Penelope down the corridor. I had been over this so many times that I couldn't quite believe it was happening for real.
"Hey, excuse me?" I called after her, running awkwardly to catch up with her. Penelope turned around in surprise and smiled politely as I approached her.
"Can I help you?" she asked in that clipped English accent.
"Well, I'm actually having a bit of trouble... I was wondering if you have any, urm, sanitary products that you would be willing to give up. I wasn't expecting..." I started biting my fingernail as my spare hand pulled my top down past my arse. Penelope held up a perfectly manicured hand to stop you from talking.
"Say no more, hun, come with me,"
"Thank you so much, you're a lifesaver," I told her, only half faking my relieved tone.
"Nice work, Kid," I heard Tony say, right as Loki informed me that he was right next to me. When I glanced to my left, I realised that he was invisible and had been talking to me through my mind, and simultaneously, Penelope began talking to me.

My brain struggled to comprehend what was going on for a few seconds, and I smiled at Penelope as I walked alongside her, hoping that the conversation wouldn't require me to talk. Her words were slightly slurred, I noticed. That was good; she was less likely to remember what was about to happen to her. I almost felt bad as she held open a door which presumably led to her bedroom, and gestured for me to enter with a friendly smile. I hesitated for a fraction of a second before entering. The bedroom was huge, and she directed me to a door on the other side of the room, which obviously led to an en-suite.
"You should find what you need in there, but be quick, I'm bursting for a wee!" Penelope said. And then she collapsed.
"The fuck?" I said. Just as Loki reappeared behind her and caught her as she fell, picking her up and placing her on the massive bed which dominated the room, "Nicely done. Also, is it wrong to feel bad?" I said, fighting down the ridiculous surge of jealousy I had just experienced.
"We don't have time for feeling bad. There was CCTV in the corridor outside, and if you are in here for too long, it'll look suspicious," Loki replied, looking at me expectantly. Apparently, he had no problem with knocking someone out and wiping their memories. But being an Asgardian Prince, He's probably done a lot worse. I moved around the bed to look at Penelope properly for the first time. She was exceptionally pretty, and I had to push down some more jealous feelings towards her before I took a deep breath and performed the illusion.
"How do I look?" I asked Loki when I was done, who was watching me with a glazed look. Snapping out of it, he looked down at Penelope and then back at me.
"She has more make-up on than that, and the hair is a shade too light," I made changes accordingly and then looked back to him for approval. After a few more adjustments to the dress and hands, I was ready to go.
"Come on, guys, you've been gone ages. Ricci will get suspicious if you're much longer," Nat said through the earpiece.
"Almost done here and one more thing," I replied, and then reached up and took my earpiece out "Bye," and turned it off. Loki saw this and smiled.
"Is that a good idea?" Loki asked.
"Probably. But I don't care. It's getting annoying, I can't keep up with you in my head, and them in my ear and other people talking around me,"
"How will you know what's going on?" I smiled at Loki.
"You've got your earpiece in, right?"
"Yes, and you should hear them complaining," Loki sighed and rolled his eyes. "Yasmin has turned her earpiece off," Loki winced a little, "I'll be her correspondent," I nodded at him.
"Will she stay asleep?" I asked Loki, moving towards the door.
"Until I let her wake up, yes," he replied. He then stopped me with a cool hand on my arm before I opened the door.
"What?" He looked as though he was internally wrestling with himself, opening his mouth and closing it again twice before finally speaking, "Use your words."
"There's CCTV outside. It'll look pretty suspicious if Louise and Penelope walk in and then Penelope comes out with a random man," he said, transforming into Louise in front of my eyes. He made it look so easy.
"Hah. I'm taller than you," I smirked.
"Get going," Loki spoke in his mind. Why hadn't he answered me out loud? There was no time to dwell, however, because as I left the room, I saw that Ricci was walking down the corridor towards me.
"Well, shit," I mentally groaned.
"There you are, babe. You've been gone ages! And who is this?" Ricci asked, sliding an arm around my waist and looking inquisitively at Loki, disguised as Louise. I suddenly had the overwhelming urge to laugh. This was surely the weirdest situation I had ever been in. Suddenly, the situation was a lot less scary.
"This is Louise. I was just showing her around. Let's head back downstairs, yeah?" I said, perfectly matching Penelope's English accent and steering my 'boyfriend' back towards the party, attempting to get back to the safety of the crowd as quickly as possible.
"Sure, and oh, I found Smithy, there's this other girl who he..." Ricci started talking about something meaningless as we headed back to the lobby, and I chanced a glance over my shoulder. Loki was gone, probably somewhere out of sight of the CCTV, to transform back into Simon.

I spotted Nat on the other side of the landing as I emerged from the corridor, who pulled a face at me.
"Sorry." Nat mouthed at me, nodding at Ricci. It would have been nice to have some warning about his whereabouts, but it was pretty busy, and she, Buck and Clint were trying to blend in. As I walked down the staircase with Ricci, I was overcome by a sudden wave of anxiety. I felt as though I was in a dream, and not a good one.
"Hey, Loki,"
"What?" He spoke. I couldn't tell if he was snappy or not.
"Where are you?" I asked.
"On the landing, I can see you," I looked up briefly and saw him as Simon again, observing the scene below with a haughty air. It was reassuring to know he was there, and I could see Nat too, watching me.
"Stay where I can see you,"
"Why?" Loki narrowed his eyes at me.
"Just in case,"
"Just in case what?" Loki mentally sighed.
"Just... please, Loki," I didn't care that it sounded needy and pathetic, I was worryingly close to panicking.

"Yasmin, as if I was going to let you out of my sight anyway. You know I wasn't happy about this plan from the start," my heart performed a small backflip. I had known, alright, I had thought of little else for two weeks. Ricci was leading me towards a large group of people whom I would be expected to talk to.
"Thank you." Now it was time to test my knowledge about Penelope.
"Hey, baby? Are you okay? You're kind of quiet," Ricci informed me in his thick Italian accent, stopping me before I reached the noisy group of people and looking at me in concern.
"I'm alright, Albie," I smiled, employing the nickname Penelope used for Ricci to throw him off the scent. It seemed to work.
"If you say so," he said, kissing me on the forehead before leading me over to the group. "Who is up for shots?" I prayed that that would be the extent of kissing I would have to do, before plastering on a huge smile as I was introduced to a load of new people. Thankfully, I had a drink in my hand, and there was one in Ricci's too. That was helpful.
"Stop drinking," I ignored Loki's protests as I necked another drink and smiled at the cheers it provoked from the crowd of people around me.
"It was for the nerves."

Chapter Text

- Yasmin's pov -

An hour later, I was feeling a lot better. Granted, I probably had a few more drinks than was sensible in my position, but I was doing fine so far. I had been dancing in the next room across from the lobby, which had been turned into a nightclub for about an hour, maybe more and even though I was technically on a serious mission, I was having a great time. I wasn't having any trouble keeping up the illusion; my stilettos had been discarded long ago, and I was feeling fine. I was feeling great.

Mid-song, I spotted Nat over at the bar, who discreetly nodded for me to join her, and I reluctantly departed from the dancing crowd to see what she wanted.
"How drunk is Ricci? Can you get him out the back without raising suspicion, or should we give him a few more shots?"
"I reckon he's pretty far gone already, but a few more shots wouldn't hurt," I suggested, looking over to Ricci, who was currently dancing with another girl.
"Good idea," Nat said, gesturing to the bartender for a round of shots, "Take some of these to him, and find me again when you reckon it's time. Do you know how you're gonna get him out back?"
"I'll just say I need to show him something," I shrugged, picking up the shots and going to drink one myself, but Nat put her hand over the top of the glass.
"You've had too much already, we can't risk it, Yasmin."
"You're right. Okay, I'll take these to him, stay here so I can find you in a bit," I said to her, before making my way through the dancing crowd back to Ricci with the shots.
"You listen to Nat but not me?" Loki asked. I smirked as I walked towards Ricci.
"That is because I am more afraid of Nat than you."

"Albie!" I yelled, trying to attract his attention away from the brunette he was currently dancing with.
"Oh, hey! Are these for me?" Ricci yelled, downing all four shots one after the other and handing me back the empty glasses before turning away again, "Penny, this is Georgina." Ricci smiled as he looked down towards the girl's breasts. "Babe, I need you to get another round in. Pronto"
"He seems like a good boyfriend," Nat observed as I made my way back over to her and dumped the empty glasses back on the bar.
"I feel bad for Penelope. She seemed really nice," I made a mental note to tell Penelope about her cheating boyfriend.
"Before you knocked her out?"
"Hey, that was Loki, not me. I wanted to gag her and tie her up. Maybe shove her under the bed," I tried to sit down next to Nat, but she shook her head and turned my shoulders back towards the dancefloor.
"It'll look suspicious if you're not out there having a good time. Go find some men to dance with, try and win Ricci's attention back." I scowled, knowing she was right, and headed back onto the dancefloor. I had no trouble finding some men to dance with, or rather, Penelope had no trouble. I wondered what it was like to have men constantly looking at you like they looked at Penelope – must be nice.

After about ten more minutes of dancing and looking pretty, I felt a possessive arm slide around my waist and reluctantly turned to find myself pressed right up against Ricci, who incidentally smelt strongly of vodka and whose eyes were bloodshot.
"And what do you think you're doing, dancing with these guys?" Ricci muttered in my ear.
"What were you doing dancing with that brunette just now?" I replied, mimicking his tone and hoping I hadn't pushed it too far. Luckily, it didn't seem like I had. Shame, I really wanted to punch this idiot.
"She was just a friend," Ricci defended himself.
"Then these guys are just my friends," I smiled, and he chuckled in my ear. I was starting to feel vaguely sick; I needed to get out of here. Turning my head to see if Nat was still around, I was relieved to see that she wasn't, having obviously pre-empted what was about to happen when Ricci approached me.
"Babe, listen, there's something I want to show you. Will you follow me?" I asked Ricci, and he smirked at me through half-glazed eyes.
"Anything for you, gorgeous?" Fighting the almost overwhelming urge to run, I led him through the crowds and to the nearest doorway, which was currently being blocked by two burly-looking security guards.

"Let us through, boys, will you?" Ricci shouted over the music.
"Yasmin! Don't go through there, they won't let anyone else through, and we won't be able to follow you if something goes wrong," Loki spoke urgently.
"No can do so, sir," one of the guards replied, and a look of utter indignation crossed Ricci's features.
"Don't you know who the fuck I am? This is my party and my house, and if I want to go through a door I..." Ricci trailed off as he realised the security guards were not going to budge. "Why can't we go through then?" Ricci asked. My heart dropped as I read the guard's mind before he had a chance to reply.
"Loki... We have a problem."
"They know, don't they?" Loki hissed. I replied that they do, "Stark and the others are on their way now. We need to move quickly."
"What are we going to do?"
"I'm waiting for someone to come up with a plan. Nothing much is happening," Loki kept trying to talk to the others.
"How did they find out?"
"You need to change your illusion; they saw you on the CCTV."
"You know what? We are going. Come on, babe, we'll get around another way," Ricci slurred, tugging me away from the guards and back across the dancefloor.
"What do I do, Loki?" I started to panic. We hadn't rehearsed this.
"You need to get Ricci outside. I'll distract the security guards by that door, and then you run with him through those doors outside, understand?"
"Wait a minute, how will you-"
"Dance with him, now," Loki interrupted me. I had to trust him. Grabbing Ricci's arm, I swung him back onto the dancefloor and started dancing again, praying that he was too drunk to notice that his so-called girlfriend was acting extremely suspiciously. Luckily, he just went along with it, pulling me close to him while I watched with my heart in my mouth as Loki walked casually over towards the guards.

I heard their thought process as they were told over their earpieces that they should follow him, and they moved away from their posts on the door to advance towards him. Loki looked at me pointedly before pretending to notice the guards for the first time and turned around swiftly, walking back through the crowd of dancing people. One of the guards quickened their pace to follow after him, but the other had stopped and was staring at me.
"That's her," I heard the message through their earpieces as clearly as if I heard it in my own ear. "We've just found Penelope Whittaker unconscious in her room, whoever that is with Ricci, it's not her."
"Run," Loki yelled at me.
"Quick, the security guards are gone!" I yelled at Ricci, yanking him towards the now unguarded door.

I thanked god that I wasn't wearing my heels as we reached the door, only to find it was locked.
"Bollocks," I mentally hissed. I was going to have to use my magic, despite the fact that Ricci was right next to me and there were people all around, the closest being only about two metres away. Turning my back, I concentrated on the lock, managing to keep my mist mostly under the illusion as I unlocked the door successfully.
"Wow, how did you do that?!," Ricci exclaimed, before stopping short as the sound of a gunshot, unmistakably loud over the music, echoed through the room. There was a split second of silence as the music stopped before chaos erupted. People were screaming and yelling, and started stampeding towards the front doors. Why had the idiots started shooting? Had someone been shot?
"Loki!?"
"Get Ricci out of here!" Loki shouted. But before I could respond, Clint was with me, dragging Ricci away from the chaos and down the corridor behind the door I had just unlocked.
"They're outside, quickly!"
"They went that way!" I heard a yell from behind me, and then there was another gunshot.

But this time it was different. It felt like an iron fist had clenched around my heart, and suddenly I couldn't draw a breath. I stumbled to a halt, barely registering Clint yelling at me and Ricci starting to put up a fight, realising something was wrong. Then Nat was bolting towards me out of the crowd, taking out a few guards as she did so and grabbing my arm as she passed by to try and drag me along after Clint and Ricci.
"Yasmin, what are you doing?!" I looked back down the corridor.
"Loki..."
"He's gone the other way," Nat gripped onto me tighter. But then I spotted what I feared had happened.
"No..." I was shaking, my heartbeat loud in my ears as I stumbled forward, pushing a few stragglers out of my way, looking for Loki, praying. My hand covered my mouth.

Loki wasn't Simon anymore; he was himself again, but he wasn't the Loki I was used to. The Loki I knew didn't make a habit of lying on the floor. Nor was he usually white as a sheet and covered in blood. His hands were pressed tightly over the right-hand side of his stomach, and his breathing was shallow, jaw clenched tightly as though in concentration.
"Loki," I was on my knees beside him in seconds, unaware of the fact that Nat was yelling my name and trying to pull me away, or that guards were running in from the other side of the room through the masses of scared guests, all trying to get out of a locked door. Pressing my shaking hands over his, I tried in vain to remember what it was I was meant to do in this situation, but my mind was blank, "Loki!" His eyes flew open, with a horrified look when he realised that I was still here.
"What are you doing? Go, get out of here!" he said through gritted teeth.
"I'm not leaving you. You need to get up," I told him firmly, but his eyes were already half-closing again. I tried to talk with him through my mind, but there was nothing; his mind was cloudy with pain, and I couldn't hear anything. "Loki, get the fuck up," I said fiercely, getting angry now and borderline panicking as the guards closed in on us, knowing that if he wasn't already trying to move, I couldn't make him.
"Yasmin, let's go! He'll be fine," Nat spoke, firing her gun at a few guards.
"He's dying!" I shouted at Nat, feeling tears well up in my eyes. I was so incredibly useless. Why was I not doing something heroic to save him? I was an Avenger now. I was meant to know what to do in these situations.
"Yasmin, listen to me. I can get myself out of here, but not both of us. You have to leave while you still can," Loki said, his voice hoarse.
"Promise me that you will be okay," The childish request had fallen from my lips before I could do anything to stop it from happening. "Promise me that you will come back," I was so scared. Loki actually smiled at me (or it might have been a grimace of pain) and moved one of his hands to squeeze mine.
"I give you my word," he breathed, even managing half of an eye roll.
"Yasmin! It's now or never!" Nat was struggling to hold back the guards by herself. I had to believe him. Bracing myself, I detached myself from Loki and left him lying on the floor covered in his own blood, ignoring every fibre of my being which was screaming at me to go back and help him. I channelled this emotion into a powerful blast of magic, which sent at least ten guards flying backwards into the wall, and then Nat and I were sprinting down the corridor and bursting out of the end door into the pouring rain, where the Quinjet was getting ready for take-off. Only then did I realise how warm it had been inside; I was freezing almost instantly.

It looked like they had had to sedate Ricci, and Thor was helping to lift his unconscious form up the back of the ramp as we arrived, breathing hard and soaked to the skin. Bucky was thankfully already safe in the jet. Nat started up the ramp into the jet, and then, seeing that I had turned around and wasn't moving, walked back down again, grabbed my arm and pulled me into the dry, warm interior of the jet.
"Are we all here?" Tony asked, scanning our faces to make sure everyone was there before he closed the ramp.
"Where's Loki, Yasmin?" Steve asked me with a little concern in his voice. I tried to speak, but my throat seemed to close up and all that came out was an odd choking noise. Thor was staring at me, and then he dumped Ricci unceremoniously on one of the seats and came to my side.
"Come, Lady Yasmin," He said, leading me to a chair and making me sit down.
"We can't leave without him... can we?" I heard Bruce saying quietly to Tony, I looked up at them hopefully. Suddenly, a bunch of guards tumbled out of the door of the mansion, and Tony swore from the cockpit, slamming some levers and buttons, and then we were in the air, the ramp was closing, and we were flying away.

As soon as we were flying away, Tony was kneeling in front of me.
"Are you hurt?" He asked. I looked at him in confusion. He pointed to my hands, which were stained with blood.
"This is not mine," I whispered. Thor looked at me.
"Yasmin, what happened?" Tony asked.
"I don't know. He got shot... he got shot... he..." I replied, looking at my hands.
"What do you mean you don't know? Weren't you there?" he asked me.
"No, she was with me," Clint replied.
"It's impossible. Loki wouldn't be stupid enough to get himself shot." Thor was saying in disbelief.
"He was literally a distraction for our plan; it's not unbelievable," someone said, but their voice was muffled.
"Yes, but he knew he was bait; he would have been expecting it," Thor started pacing.
"But even he wouldn't have been expecting guns; none of us were."
"He can read people's minds; he would have known about it," Thor said firmly. I had tuned out, guilt rising in my throat as I thought about what had just happened. I should have stayed with him. He could be dying, and I was all sat here having a chat about whether he had deliberately got himself shot or not. Suddenly, a very loud thought of Bucky's drifted across my mind.
"Maybe it wasn't an accident," Bucky spoke. My head snapped towards him, "Did you just read my mind?" he protested. He saw me staring and looked back at me in shock.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," I apologised, still staring at him in disbelief.
"What's going on?" Steve asked, looking between the two of us. Bucky sighed.
"I don't think it was an accident that Loki got shot. The security guard was aiming for Yasmin, down the corridor, or it might have been you, Clint, I don't know." A very loud silence ensued. I felt ill. It should have been me. He had saved me, and I had left him. If he dies, it will be all my fault.

Chapter Text

- Yasmin's Pov -

"So you are saying he deliberately got himself shot?" Steve was saying. My mouth dropped open. Nat closed it, but it dropped open again.
"That's what it looked like, but that's only what I saw," Bucky shrugged.
"That settles it then. He wouldn't have done it if he didn't think he'd be okay," Tony said, patting my knee before standing up "God, I need new knees,"
"Jumping in front of a bullet isn't exactly a thought-out decision, is it, though?" Nat stopped talking as Tony threw her a glare.
"We have to go back," I said hoarsely, looking to Tony for confirmation. I didn't get any. This only reinforced my belief that I should have stayed in there with Loki. I knew that the team, or at least Tony, would go back for me in a heartbeat; I wouldn't even have been left behind in the first place.
"How are we going to get him out, Yasmin? How are we even going to get back in?" Tony crossed his arms. I fought to come up with an idea, anything, but it didn't happen. "We have to go, we need to get Ricci to S.H.I.E.L.D." Tony reasoned with me, gesturing at the unconscious man slumped across two seats.
"Lady Yasmin, my brother will be alright. He's been through much worse," Thor told me. Yeah, as if that was going to make me feel better. I left him, after he had been shot, surrounded by guards who wanted to capture him. I felt sick as Tony returned to the cockpit.

It was five minutes or so later that I realised that I had dropped my illusion. When had that happened? Not that it mattered. I had failed in all aspects of the stupid mission. If not for Clint and Nat, Ricci would have got away, and I would probably be stuck back at the mansion with Loki. I should have let them catch me, at least then I'd know if Loki was okay. But he gave me his word. He will come back.
"He'll be fine," Thor was saying, for the tenth time in the last minute.
"We don't know that, though," I replied bitterly, finally having had enough.
"I think we can," Thor said, surprising me. He then sat down next to me.
"How?" I pulled a blank face.
"How did you know Loki had been shot, even though you didn't see it happen?" I hadn't thought about that yet: the metal fist which had so definitely clenched around my heart when he had been shot, and the fact that I irrevocably knew what had happened, even though I had no reason to.
"Gut feeling... Painful one at that," I struggled to find the words, bringing my hand to my chest and clenching my fist to try and demonstrate. Thor was nodding thoughtfully. I narrowed my eyes at the god. "You know something, don't you?"
"Lady Yasmin, on Asgard, there's a well-known old wives' tale. It's about soulmates," he said, somewhat tentatively. I stared at him.
"Soulmates? That's not a real thing, it's just superstition," I rolled my eyes.
"That's what Loki said, too. Complete with the same eye roll too."
"You talked to him about this? What did you say?" I asked quickly, feeling embarrassment rise at the thought of Thor suggesting to Loki that the two of us might be soulmates. It was a ridiculous notion.
"I only mentioned the fact that legend says soulmates can read each other's minds. And now this, you felt it when he was hurt. The tale says--"
"Will you stop? It's not a thing," I snapped. Thor fell silent, "I'm sorry, it's just... he's... he might be in trouble, and you're sitting here talking about old wives' tales," I said, a few seconds later.
"All I meant was that I think we would know if something was seriously wrong," Thor replied, squeezing my shoulder. I was 99% certain that soulmates didn't exist, but I had felt something when Loki was shot. I knew that he wasn't okay. The thought that I might know if something awful had happened reassured me a tiny bit, even if I didn't want to admit it. Mainly because I didn't want to think of him being injured and alone.

By the time we arrived back at the tower, it was past midnight, and everyone was visibly tired. S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were waiting for us on the roof with a helicopter, and they moved Ricci from the Quinjet into their helicopter without so much as a word to any of us. I was too preoccupied to care. I trudged to the elevator after everyone else.

I made a beeline for the kitchen sink, scrubbing my hands until they were raw to get every last trace of blood off them. Then I sat on the sofa.
"Yasmin, I'm only going to tell you this once. Go to bed. You're tired, and sitting here worrying isn't going to change a thing, and you know it," Tony implored, sitting down next to me on the sofa.
"You're one to talk. When was the last time you got a full night's sleep?" I asked.
"She has a point," Nat agreed, entering the room alongside Steve.
"Okay, I feel like we are missing the point here," Tony said.
"I am perfectly fine here," I said, forcing a smile. Tony opened his mouth to argue, but before he could say anything, Nat started talking about something completely unrelated. I loved her for it.

After a while, the whole team joined me in the living room, and every single one of them was completely shattered.
"Guys, you need to go to bed," I yawned.
"Yasmin, go to bed," Tony mimicked me, and I almost laughed.
"Fine, maybe I will," I countered. Clint looked up hopefully.
"You heard the little lady, let's go," he said, half-standing up before Nat yanked him back into his seat. "Hey!"
"Maybe you will? Or maybe you're just saying that to get us to leave." Tony said to me. From the armchair by the fire, Thor started snoring loudly.
"Thor's snoring in the chair. I won't be alone," I stated, looking around the room expectantly.

Nat was the first to leave. About six minutes after Nat left, Clint left, closely followed by Bruce and Steve, and then a few minutes later, Bucky, who hugged me on his way out.
"I'm sorry, doll." Okay, that almost made me cry.
"Thanks, Bucky," I smiled. Nat went next, an impressive fifteen minutes later, until only Tony remained, aside from Thor, who was still snoring loudly from his armchair. I pointed at Tony and then to the door.
"Okay, Kid. I'll go to bed," He said, standing up. "I'm not going to say that he will be fine, I'll just say that he probably will be. He took a beating from Hulk. He can survive this," he told me with a hint of a smile, and I nodded, not knowing what to say, "Try and sleep," he said, finally standing up and walking to the doorway, where he turned around and looked at me sadly, "Night, kid," Tony said, flicking the lights off and leaving me with only the lights of the city and the roaring fire.
"Night... Tony," I almost called him Dad. I was so tired. But I was also so worried that I still felt sick, and it was purely this which had been stopping me from passing out before now. I had carried off some insanely difficult magic tonight, and it had drained me both physically and emotionally. But I couldn't fall asleep, I was far too preoccupied. Besides, Thor was snoring loud enough to keep me awake, no matter how tired I was. But surely it wouldn't hurt to shut my eyes. Just for a minute...

- Loki's Pov -

It was getting light by the time I made it back to the tower. I constantly found myself wondering why I was voluntarily going back there when just a few months ago, I would have done anything to get away. But now that I had nowhere else to go, I was here. I hadn't stopped thinking about Yasmin since last night. Actually, I don't remember a time in the last year when she didn't cross my mind.

For the last few hours, though, I had been specifically thinking about the moments after I had been shot: her small hands covering mine, the raw and palpable fear in her eyes when she looked at me. Her desire to know that I was going to be okay before she left me. And she had left me, but that was okay. I would never be angry at her for that. Because in that moment, I had cared more about her getting to safety than myself. A point I had proven to myself when I had thrown myself at that idiotic moron who had been about to shoot her. I cannot describe the fear I felt when I realised what was about to happen had been unprecedented; never in my long life had I experienced anything like it. And it frightened me.

Of course, I had not meant to get myself shot, however. I do not regret it. Yasmin got out safely. And for a moment, A fraction of a second, I hadn't been certain that I would be able to make it out. But I had given her my word. And I am a man of my word.

I was standing outside the Avengers Tower trying to look nonchalant (and failing miserably; I had already attracted some odd looks from passers-by), and trying to summon the energy to teleport up fifty-two floors as the first light of the day started to softly illuminate the buildings surrounding me. I doubted I would be allowed to walk in looking like I did and just go on up in the elevator. Fury would be notified, and that wouldn't be good news for my freedom. But I also wasn't sure if I was going to be able to pull this off. I had lost a lot of blood, and I pushed my magic to the limit trying to teleport out of that mansion and then from there back to New York. I had no idea how I had even managed it. I just did. And now all that was left to do was get up fifty-two floors. To her. If she was even up there. She might not be up there, and she might not be okay. I wasn't sure that Yasmin and the others had even made it back safely, and I couldn't hear her. Which meant one of two things: she was either not up there or asleep. I wanted nothing more than to get up there and make sure Yasmin was okay. Almost dying last night had changed my perspective on things pretty drastically; the thought of dying without ever getting to tell her how I felt, or getting to hold her in my arms, or experience how it might feel to kiss her... that wasn't a prospect I wanted to face.

This time yesterday, the thought of Yasmin knowing how I felt towards her would have mortified me, but now that was all I wanted. I wanted her to know. Even if I was what I was. I would have to tell her about my heritage, too. That was the scariest part. But that wasn't my biggest problem right at this moment. Praying that Yasmin was asleep, I closed my eyes and readied myself for one last effort, reminding myself of the promise I had made her. I wasn't planning on breaking it.

- Yasmin's Pov -

When I woke up, at first I thought I was still dreaming. Half-asleep and disoriented from having not woken up in my bedroom, it took me a moment to work out where I was, taking in the surroundings in confusion for a moment. Then I spotted Thor, still sleeping in the armchair, and slowly remembered the events of last night. My chest became very tight; I wished that I could return to my worry-free dreams. But now I was awake.
"I need a drink," my mouth was drier than a desert. Or when Clint tried to make a Beef Wellington. That meat was so dry. I feel sorry for his wife. She has to put up with his cooking.

But as I stood up, I saw Loki slumped against the wall, half hidden by the edge of a sofa on the other side of the room. It took me at least four times as long to react as I normally would have. I did wonder if I was just imagining him; he physically couldn't be here, but then I remembered: it was Loki. He happened to be a god, and it occurred to me that he appeared to be dead. That woke me up.

I almost ended up tripping over my two left feet and the sofa in my haste to get to his side, shouting at Thor to wake up as I did so. Kneeling beside Loki's lifeless form, I grabbed his arm and felt his wrist desperately for a pulse, unable to find one. His arm was ice cold. Did gods even have pulses? Was I even doing it right? I looked back over my shoulder, and Thor hadn't moved.
"THOR!" I yelled his name again furiously and threw a pillow at him; finally, he stirred.
"Hmmm," These gods are going to drive me into an early grave. Was Loki always this cold? I knew his average body temperature was way lower than normal; he was a Frost Giant after all, but his skin literally felt like ice. Surely that wasn't normal. "THOR!"
"I'm up..." Thor groaned, rubbing his eyes. "What tis it, Lady Yasmin?"
"Loki's here," I spoke. That made Thor jump up and groan because he gave himself a headrush. But I didn't care. I repeated Loki's name. I don't know if he could hear me, but then his eyelids twitched, and his head moved a fraction of a centimetre, and a tidal wave of relief crashed over me, "He's alive,"
"And he needs the medical ward," Thor croaked from behind me. I nodded mutely, searching Loki's face for more signs of life, "JARVIS, I need you to wake Bruce up and ask him to get to the ward, ASAP."
"Certainly, Sir," JARVIS replied. Thor said he was going to get a towel for the bleeding. I took Loki's hand in mine.
"Please be okay," I begged.
"Yasmin," Loki said. I barely heard it; it was so quiet, but it was there.
"I'm here. I'm here," I gripped his hand tighter.
"You're okay," He winced. I laughed out loud at that, but it sounded more like a strangled sob. Here he was, half dead on the floor after I had abandoned him while he was injured, and he was relieved that I was okay.
"Loki.... I am so so so so sorry," Loki didn't reply to that. He was either too tired to think or he hadn't accepted my apology. I didn't care. He was here. And he was alive. Barely but alive.

Thor had to carry him to the medical ward; the fact that Loki didn't put up a fight showed just how injured he was. Bruce was already there when we arrived, hooking Loki up to machines and giving him injections the moment Thor deposited him on the bed, by which time he was already unconscious again.
"You guys can leave. This might take a while," Bruce told me, carefully cutting open Loki's suit to expose the gun wound underneath. The three of us froze as his entire torso was uncovered. There was so much blood, but apart from that, there was hardly an inch of skin which wasn't scarred. They were everywhere, and by the looks of it, they spread to the rest of his body, too. I looked away quickly, sympathy rising in my throat and threatening to suffocate me.
"What had happened to him?" I mumbled.
"Come, Lady Yasmin," Thor said to me, his voice gruff. When I refused, Thor threatened to pick me up and remove me. I reluctantly agreed. Thor placed a very large hand on my shoulder and led me out of the room to leave Loki in the competent hands of Bruce Banner.
"Don't worry, Yasmin. He will be fine," Banner smiled at me. It was only half past seven in the morning. This was going to be a very long day.

Chapter Text

- Yasmin's Pov -

8.10 am

I swear it said that time, 5 hours ago. I even checked the batteries and my phone. Several times. I knew it was going to drag, but not like this. This was pure and simple torture. First, I got out of my gear and showered, climbing into some joggers and a hoodie afterwards and not bothering to dry my hair. I shoved it into a messy bun. Then breakfast, which I was forced to eat by a very stubborn Steve. I found myself obsessively looking at the clock as if that was going to change anything.
"How has it only been forty minutes?" I swear it was 8 hours ago. Thankfully, there was a distraction a few minutes later as Tony arrived with news of the mission yesterday. Ricci was in his rightful place, Penelope was unharmed but understandably upset (as it turned out, she hadn't known that her incredibly rich and good-looking boyfriend had been a criminal mastermind and a cheater), and was planning on flying back to England imminently. No one else had been hurt at the party, just very confused and hungover. Overall, it had gone as well as I could have hoped it would. Apart from Loki, it seems he was the only injured party.
"What did Fury say about Loki?" Would Fury be mad or pleased at how Loki had acted to benefit the mission? What would happen as a result of the decision he would have to make?
"The remains to be seen," Tony said finally, directing this at me and Thor "And yes, I did defend him," I couldn't deal with all of these what-ifs. I just wanted to know how my... I mean, Loki was actually going to be okay before any of that.

This was a question which would be answered about twenty-five minutes later when Bruce entered the room. My heart dropped, but then Bruce smiled at me.
"He's fine. It's incredible how fast he is healing. I've only ever seen that rate of healing with Thor before," he said, heading to the kitchen for some food.
"It's because we are Asgardian. We heal quickly," Thor supplied helpfully. I didn't. Well, not as fast as though two.
"And gods," I added, smiling for the first time since last night. Relief didn't even begin to cover how I felt.
"That too," Thor nodded. He walked over to Bruce and clapped him on the shoulder, "Thank you, my friend." Banner patted Thor's hand.
"Can we see him?"
"Not yet. He's on a lot of drugs, so he'll be out for a few hours, I expect," Bruce continued. I couldn't help but feel disappointed. I tried not to show it on my face.
"You're a star, Bruce. Thank you," I told him, receiving a smile in return.

The day continued to drag; now I was waiting for Loki to wake up rather than news, and while I wasn't as tense, I was still eager for him to wake up so I could talk to him. There was a lot to talk about. I needed to know why he felt the need to take a bullet for me. My heart rate sped up every time I thought about talking to him about it, but it wasn't exactly a topic I could avoid forever. I just had to cross that bridge when I finally came to it.

An hour passed, then two. It wasn't even midday yet. Tony offered to take me driving again, but I declined, wanting to be at the tower when Loki woke up. And I didn't fancy being behind the wheel when I was in a bad mood. When Nat offered to do some training with me at about half twelve. Not going to lie, I jumped at her offer.
"She needs rest. We only just went on a mission yesterday!" Steve protested. But it fell on deaf ears as I practically ran to get changed.

Two hours later, after a dedicated training session, I finally admitted to Nat that I should probably stop and have some lunch before I collapsed or starved to death. A quick shower and change of clothes later, I was eating lunch with Nat and Bruce, and being reassured that it was perfectly normal that Loki hadn't woken up yet.

The hours soon passed by. A familiar sense of worry had settled on my chest again.
"A few hours, my ass," I scoffed. The others' incessant reassurance was beginning to drive me slightly insane.
"He will be fine," Tony replied, tinkering away at some helmet of his. In the end, I retreated to my room to try to distract myself.

I read a book, then watched some Netflix, then rearranged my wardrobe and tidied the bathroom. Five o'clock came and went, and I had resorted to lying on my bed and staring at the city. What would I say to him when he woke up? I desperately wanted him to know how I felt, but actually having the guts to tell him... that was a different matter. But he almost died. And for me, of all people! What if he had really died, and I never got the chance to tell him? I felt like slapping myself. How many times do I need to give myself a reality check? Loki. Is. A. God. It was never going to happen, and the sooner I accepted that, the easier things would get.

But I loved him. I groaned loudly as I flung a pillow over my face. The thought thrilled me almost as much as it utterly terrified me. I was in love with him. Why do I fall for people that I cannot have?

I returned to the kitchen for food a while later and tried to seem involved with the conversations that were circulating around the room between various people. After I had eaten, I helped to clear everything up.
"Yo, Yas! Wanna watch Hazbin Hotel? Season 2 just dropped," Clint shouted.
"I thought you were meant to be back home tonight?" I raised my eyebrow.
"Laura's mother is visiting and we do not get along," Clint huffed.
"So you are using us as an excuse?" I crossed my arms. Clint nodded. I vaulted over the back of the sofa and took the popcorn from Clint. I wished that everything were normal so that I could enjoy sitting in the company of my friends, who all seemed happy and relaxed.

After several hours of talking, watching and listening, it was almost half past ten. Slowly, everyone started drifting off to bed, and eventually, I stood up too.
"Oh my god, are you going to bed?" Tony asked, looking mildly surprised.
"I'm tired from training earlier. I don't fancy another night on the sofa, as comfy as they are," I replied with a smile, "Laters." The guys left in the living room all shouted goodnight as I left the room, and I gave them a tired wave.

Once in my pyjamas and in bed, I tried not to think about anything and fell asleep quickly. I was especially not thinking about Loki. Not worrying, or pining, or thinking about him at all. It took me almost forty minutes to finally fall asleep.

When I woke up again, it was still dark. I rolled over to look at my alarm clock: it was half past two in the morning.
"Why am I awake?" I rolled back over and shut my eyes again, getting comfy and already feeling myself falling back asleep.
"Yasmin?" My eyes flew open again. I didn't even bother to get dressed, only stopping to grab a hoodie before running pyjama-clad and half asleep through the dark, silent tower to get to the medical ward as fast as I could, the only audible sound my feet hitting the floor as I ran.

When I finally arrived, I thought I had made a mistake: Loki looked like he was still asleep. My heart sank almost as fast as it was beating.
"Hey," Loki whispered. I collapsed in the chair which he usually occupied next to the bed, "You came,"
"Hey," I whispered, scooting my chair a bit closer and pulling my knees up to my chin, removing my feet from the cold floor "You did call,"
"Pretty sure that's my spot," Loki jested as he glanced at the chair I was sitting in.
"Not tonight," I smiled.
"Did I wake you up?" he asked, in a voice so quiet I had to strain to hear it.
"Well, yeah, it's half two in the morning," I told him, noticing the end of a scar protruding from the neck of his gear, which Bruce had thankfully covered him back over with. He still wasn't using magic. Good.
"Sorry. How long was I out for?"
"I found you early yesterday morning, so almost a day," I said.
"Found me?" he asked, his eyes still closed.
"You were out cold on the floor in the living room. think it was like gone 7 in the morning," At that, he gave the smallest of smirks, exuding something like satisfaction, "How did you get back? Connecticut is almost a hundred miles away from New York," I asked in disbelief.
"That's not so far for a god. Even if he had been shot and left to die," His words were like a punch in the stomach. Several, in fact.
"Loki... I'm so sorry... I didn't want to leave you," I breathed, my throat suddenly very tight.
"I know that. I was only joking. You did the right thing." Loki told me, a hint of a smile on his face. There followed a very long silence, in which I was sure we were both thinking about the moments after he had been shot. I had spent so long thinking up things to say when he woke up, and now I couldn't think of anything at all. I knew what I wanted to say, but now didn't seem like the best time. What would I say?
"Yes, I know I left you to die, sorry about that. By the way, I'm desperately in love with you." Yeah, that ain't going to happen. Definitely not. The silence lasted for so long that I thought he might have fallen back asleep, and I was considering returning to my room when Loki spoke again.
"I got back because I told you I would be alright. I keep my word," I looked at him, to find that he was looking at me too.
"I'm so glad you are okay," I whispered as if saying it quietly might disguise the genuine feeling behind it. I reached out and grabbed Loki's hand.
"Tis but a scratch." Loki smiled.
"Okay, Mercutio," I rolled my eyes.
"You know Shakespeare?"
"Only Romeo and Juliet. Now stop downplaying this 'scratch'. You were shot," I exclaimed, smiling when I saw that he was smirking again, properly this time. He moved a hand to press gently against his wound, and I winced as he inhaled deeply, obviously in pain.
"Despite the pain, it's healing quickly; it should be pretty much gone by tomorrow," Loki told me before freezing as he caught sight of something on his hand. He pulled his hand back swiftly. I was confused, but then I realised that he was looking at a scar on his hand. One which he usually hid with an illusion, along with all of his other scars. He looked at me sharply, before visibly deflating when he saw that I wasn't fazed, "You saw," I nodded. He looked away swiftly.
"Why do you hide them?" I asked tentatively, after another long pause.
"Because they are hideous," Loki replied, with a scornful laugh, still avoiding looking at me.
"No, they are not."
"Easy for you to say," Loki whispered.
"Yes, it is, because it's the truth," I told him, slightly more forcefully than I had intended. More silence, "What happened?" I asked tentatively, aware that I was crossing a very thin line. Loki looked at me, "Sorry. You don't have to tell me," I backtracked swiftly.
"You know what happened. Thor told you about Thanos, didn't he?" Loki said, still looking at me.
"Yeah," I nodded. I had known Loki had been through some shit, but those scars represented more than just some shit. And now he would have another one, because of me.
"Don't look at me like that," he told me bluntly; I quickly tried to rearrange my features into a less sympathetic formation. When this failed, I just looked away instead. "What happened to me was my fault, I should have..."
"That's not what Thor told me," I interrupted.
"And what did Thor tell you?"
"Everything." Loki froze.
"Define 'everything'?" I was confused. Why did this matter?
"Well, everything," I said, throwing him a confused look. He looked almost scared. I let out a sigh "He told me about the war between Jotunheim and Asgard, and how Odin found you and took you back to Asgard so he..." I trailed off, unsure how to proceed.
"Use me?" Loki finished for me, a bitter undertone in his voice. I didn't reply, searching for an alternate way of putting it. And giving up. "Do you know what I am?" The abruptness of his tone threw me off, and I looked at him in surprise, blanking out when I saw that he was almost glaring at me.
"A Frost Giant?" He was now staring at me as if I had just announced that I enjoyed killing puppies.
"How long have you known?" Loki started to sound panicky. Did he really think that I would run off because the cold never bothered him?
"A while. Thor told me ages ago, before you even got here. Why is it such a big deal?" I replied, borderline scared at the expression on his face, "Did you not wonder why I called you Frosty? Other than for your icy exterior,"
"Honestly, I thought it was because I have developed a fondness for the stuff," Loki chuckled.
"Did you think it would bother me?"
"You don't understand. I'm not human, I'm not even Asgardian, I don't belong anywhere. I'm a creature. A monster," After months of him showing next to no emotion and not once even mentioning talking about his feelings, it was safe to say that I was thrown by this declaration of self-hatred. I reached for his hand again.
"Loki, you are not a monster,"
"Yes, I am. I've killed so many people," Loki whispered.
"That doesn't make you a monster," I insisted, feeling my heart contract as Loki closed his eyes and shook his head. He looked like he was going to cry. I was all for expressing emotions, but I wasn't sure how to handle this; it was breaking my heart. What I wanted to do was throw myself at him and shake him and tell him how stupid he was being, and then hug him until he stopped talking nonsense, but I couldn't. I would probably break his ribs. Using my spare hand, I reached out and cupped his face. "Everyone in this tower has killed people, but that doesn't make all the monsters, does it?"
"You make it sound so simple," he said quietly.
"I can't see why it can't be. I am a monster. I've killed people," I sighed heavily.
"You are not a monster, Yasmin," Loki whispered, leaning into my touch.
"Because it is part of the job. We do stupid things because we were paid to or because we were brainwashed. How we choose to be now is what makes us different from monsters." This time, the silence stretched for so long that I started falling asleep, my head dropping to the side as my breathing became slower.
"Yasmin, you're shivering. Go back to bed,"
"No, I'm fine," I declined. Loki tilted his head at me, "Ok. Only a bit. I forgot to put socks on," I conceded.
"Go to bed," Loki said. I didn't want to leave him down here on his own. He must have heard me think that because then he was rolling his eyes at me and telling me to leave again. Looking around for inspiration, my eyes fell upon the blanket on one of the other beds, and I got up to get it, feeling Loki's eyes on me as I walked back around the bed.
"There. Now I am toasty," I said, sitting back down in the chair, this time with the blanket.
"Why are you so stubborn?" he asked. I think deep down, he was glad that I was staying here. I could tell.
"Not stubborn. You slept in this chair for me; now it's my turn," I responded, already feeling sleepy again.
"Stubborn," Loki repeated. I rolled my eyes shut.
"I am not,"
"You are,"
"Am not," I yawned.
"You're quite literally contradicting yourself by continuing to argue as you yawn," Loki smirked. I half laughed, almost asleep already. Loki tried to say something else to me, but I was already passed out. Tiredness won me over.

Chapter Text

- Loki's Pov -

I didn't go back to sleep. I was too busy thinking. She knew. Yasmin knew what I was. She had known from the very start what I was, and it didn't seem to bother her. Perhaps it was sympathy. Or maybe she didn't understand what it actually meant to be a Frost Giant. She can't have known what a Frost Giant looked like, or did she? I'm not sure how much Thor has told her. Did she know that I wasn't even a proper Frost Giant? I was the runt. Cast out because I couldn't even be good at the one thing I actually was? I ran a hand down my face. I didn't know whether to be furious or grateful that my brother had told her so much. But I wonder if he hadn't told her about it at the very start, would things be different now?

It was getting light outside now; the clock on the wall read 8:05. Yasmin was asleep in the chair, breathing evenly, curled underneath the blanket she had stolen from the other bed. I had been awake for just over five hours. I had slept more in the past day than he had in the past year, not needing to sleep apart from to recharge my magic or when I was healing. In last night's case, I needed both, which is why I had slept for so long. I was still healing, but he didn't need any more sleep, just rest. I had thought about using my magic to speed up the healing process, but knew that that wouldn't be a good idea so soon after being badly injured. So I sat. And waited. And I hated it.

I had a lot of time to think in the last five hours, listening to the sounds of the city. 'The city that never sleeps', that's what Yasmin had told me Midgardians called New York. I have had enough sleepless nights since getting here to know that that was an apt title; there was never a moment of complete silence, even in the dead of night. This contrasted drastically with the cell I had come from on Asgard, where there was rarely a moment which wasn't silent. I decided that I preferred the noise to silence.

Truthfully, these thoughts had only been present to stop me from thinking about what I should be thinking about. Why didn't I tell her how I felt? Just yesterday, I would've given my right arm to let her know about my feelings for her, but then the moment actually presented itself, and I said nothing. I just lay there, internally yelling at myself that I needed to tell her, and I did nothing. The fear of rejection outweighed my need to tell her. I was a coward. Yasmin shifted slightly in the chair, frowning in her sleep and exhaling as she settled into what must have been a more comfortable position. She had been doing that a lot through the night; that chair wasn't a comfy place to sleep. I tried not to stare. I had been trying not to all night, realising that it was odd to be watching her sleep, but I had failed. More than once. I resigned myself to just watching her dream. She had a small smile on her face. I was watching now as she moved in my sleep, wondering how long it would be until she woke up.

It was a while before I noticed that he was being watched, and I caught sight of Thor out of the corner of my eye. He almost startled me. Normally, I can hear the oaf bounding down the halls. My illusion was back up in an instant, without me even having to think about it. Scars covered. Vulnerabilities hidden. Just like always.
"You're awake," Thor said, moving from where he had been leaning against the doorway to sit on the other side of the bed. I sat up, forgetting for a second why I had been lying down in the first place, and I couldn't help the hiss of pain which escaped me as pain shot up my side. Thor said nothing, which I was grateful for.
"Yes. I'm fine." I said, trying to lean back discreetly to dull the pain.
"You didn't look that fine yesterday morning," Thor sighed.
"So I have been told," I replied, turning to look at Yasmin again. It was like a reflex. Thor looked at her, too and smiled.
"Did she tell you?" He spoke. I was instantly nervous.
"Tell me what?" I tilted my head.
"Obviously not then," Thor chuckled.
"Tell me what?" I repeated, slightly more urgently than I had anticipated. Did she have someone else in her life? Was I going to be cast aside?
"She knew you were hurt before any of us realised that you were in trouble, at the party," I frowned, confused. Thor waited, and sighed when he realised that I had no idea what he was talking about. "She said she felt it in her chest when the gun went off, and that she knew you weren't okay without seeing you," Thor trailed off as I understood what he was trying to say.
"Not this again," I groaned.
"Yes, this again! How else do you explain it?"
"I don't know Thor, but it's not soulmates..." I then stared at my brother, "Hang on, you didn't tell her about this, did you?" Thor's silence told me all I needed to know. I sighed, closing my eyes, letting my head drop back in despair, "Why?"
"Because it is so obvious that there is a spark between you," Thor waved his hand between Yasmin and me. I rolled my eyes. "You should know that she had the same reaction as you did," I was about to respond, but I heard shuffling from the chair. I pushed a finger to my lips. Yasmin's eyes opened slowly. She still managed to look beautiful, even when she had just woken up from sleeping in a chair for five hours.
"Stop it, Loki. Stop staring, you fool,"

- Yasmin's pov -

When I woke up, I saw Thor and Loki both sitting watching me. My hand jumped to my hair self-consciously. I probably looked like a right mess.
"Morning, sleepy head." Thor greeted me.
"Morning Sparkles," My head then snapped to Loki, "Loki! Are you okay? Is it healed?" I asked, rubbing my eyes to try and get them to open properly.
"Yes, I am fine," Loki replied. I tilted my head and raised an eyebrow in disbelief, "I am fine. Almost healed," Loki conceded, moving a hand to where he had been hit. It was then that I noticed that his scars were gone. "So why are you here, Thor? Cannot be just to visit me?" Loki sighed.
"I have some news," Thor said. I felt a lump in my throat. I reached for Loki's hand. He gripped it before I had even clenched my fingers around his, "First, Fury was pleased that you risked your life for the mission, but he still wants that 'Cuff' on you at all times," Thor informed Loki, nodding towards the cuff.
"Not what I was expecting," Loki pulled a confused face, "Any interesting news?" Loki asked.
"Mother has requested that we visit home," Thor continued. Loki shuffled, "With... Lady Yasmin," he added. My mouth fell open as both Thor and Loki looked at me.
"Me? She asked for me. Specifically?" I asked in astonishment. Thor nodded, "But are you sure? How does she even know who I am? She must have mixed me up with someone else," I insisted, heart pounding.
"She asked for you," Thor shook his head, smiling. Loki was watching me with concern. I stared at Thor with my mouth slightly open for a good ten seconds, waiting for him to laugh and tell me it was a joke. When he didn't, I let out a sudden, delighted laugh, covering my mouth with my hand. I was going to Asgard. Then a light bulb went off in my head, "Do you think I will be able to find out about my parents?"
"I don't see why not?"
"When are we leaving?" I asked, my brain moving at a hundred miles an hour.
"Tomorrow morning. Is that okay? Just as long as you are up for it?"
"Yes! Of course." I said happily. Loki still hadn't spoken. At least not out loud.
"Can you go? I need to talk with Thor."
"Charming. I slept in that chair all night to keep him company, and this was the thanks I received," I joked. I then stood up, stretched, and cracked my neck. "Right, since you are here, Thor, I am going to go shower and get dressed,"
"Sorry," Loki spoke softly in my head.
"Don't worry about it," I gave Loki a quick wink.
"Lady Yasmin, we can talk more about this later," Thor told me as I returned the blanket I had used to its rightful place on the bed.
"Yeah, sure, see you two later," I smiled, tugging the sleeves of my hoodie down over my hands as I left the room. My neck was killing me from sleeping in that chair. But I was curious to know why Loki sent me away. I'll question him later.

- Loki's Pov -

I tried so hard not to watch Yasmin as she left the room. Thor then frowned at me.
"You asked her to leave. Why?" Thor asked. He was getting good at noticing when we talked through our minds. It was disconcerting.
"Are you sure this is a good idea? Why has Mother asked her to come with us? I have a bad feeling about this," I said, the minute I knew for sure that Yasmin was out of earshot.
"You have a bad feeling?" Thor said, with a pointed look.
"Thor, Soulmates. Do not. Exist," I said through gritted teeth. This was getting tedious.
"Look, I don't know why Mother wants Yasmin to visit Asgard with us. Maybe she's getting fed up waiting for you to make a move, like the rest of us," Thor suggested, his eyes sparkling. I glared at Thor. "Okay, okay, sorry," Thor said, backing down, visibly trying not to smile.
"Will Fury even let me leave here? I doubt he'll be very happy about letting me off of Midgard."
"I'll have to talk to Stark about that. I'm sure it'll be fine." Thor replied.
"And what if her parents are dead? Or, I don't know, abandoned her for some reason?" I said, looking at Thor in concern.
"I'm sure it's nothing that bad. And if it is, at least she'll know. Anything is better than not knowing." Thor replied.
"Perhaps not," I countered. I do not want to see Yasmin's heart get broken. It was a sight that I did not dare think of.
"Why are you so set on making yourself unhappy?" Thor asked, after a beat.
"What do you mean?" I sighed.
"You're in love with her, aren't you?" he said blatantly.
"I'm not in love with anyone. Don't be so ridiculous," I scoffed. I was in love with Yasmin, but I wasn't going to admit that. Well, at least, not to my brother.
"You may be the God of Lies, brother, but you are not fooling anyone this time. Especially me," I was on the verge of teleporting far, far away and never coming back. But I couldn't leave Yasmin "Admit it," Thor demanded.
"No,"
"Why? I've seen the way you look at her. And I see the way she looks back at you," I allowed the smallest spark of hope to ignite in my chest at those words, and it obviously showed in my eyes because then Thor was leaning back in his chair and looking at me triumphantly. I scrunched my face.
"Stop looking at me like that?"
"You are," Thor grinned, "Then what are you waiting for?"
"I refuse to have this conversation with you," I closed my eyes and turned my head away.
"You have to--"
"I don't have to do anything," I injected vehemently. This wasn't happening. Thor just sighed, finally seeming to realise that he wasn't going to help the situation.
"Whatever the reason for Mother wanting Yasmin to visit Asgard, it must be important."
"That's why I am worried," I said.
"She's strong, she can handle whatever it is," Thor said confidently. But I didn't want Yasmin to have to handle the truth if it was going to hurt her. Maybe Thor was right, maybe it would be fine, but why would she need to go to Asgard if it wasn't serious?
"Whether I am allowed or not, I do not care what Fury says; I am coming to Asgard with you and Yasmin," I announced. It would be good to see my mother again. And as for Odin... As much as I didn't want to see him, I would have to face him for Yasmin and rely on the hope that he didn't condemn me back to that awful cell. As for how I felt about Yasmin, I would just have to close my mind off again and wait for the right moment to say something. But first, I needed to work out what exactly it was I was going to say to her.
"I knew you would anyway," Thor replied before tilting his head at me.
"What are you staring at?" I snapped.
"Are you okay?" No. Nothing was okay. Everything was horrible.
"Yes, I am fine,"
"You've lost your touch, Brother. I can see right through you. So-called God of Lies," Thor smiled. I clenched my jaw so hard, I thought it might actually get stuck there. Thor could be so aggravating.
"What exactly is it that you want from me?" I asked, my voice dangerously low.
"I want you to tell her how you feel."
"Thor... I..." The words never left my mouth. "There's nothing to tell."
"I see the lie, Loki. You're tricks do not work on me. I am not going to fall for it. Just tell her. I promise you, it'll be worth it," Thor replied honestly. I was hating every second of this. Mainly because I knew Thor was right: I had to say something to Yasmin. And the harsh truth was I had absolutely no idea how. There was a long pause while I wrestled with myself, head and heart yelling totally contradictory things at me. Eventually, for the first time in a long time, my heart won.
"Thor?" I spoke as Thor stood up to leave.
"Yes, Brother?" Thor spun around.
"How do I tell her?"

- Yasmin's Pov -

Curiosity got the better of me. I hadn't got any further than the other side of the doorway, just out of sight and in the shadows. I closed off my mind. That was where I had been standing for the last few minutes, listening, with my heart in my mouth. And that's where I heard Loki say How does he tell me? That changed everything. Everything about my parents was forgotten as I tiptoed quietly away from the door and then ran back the rest of the way to my room, just as I had last night. When I got there, I collapsed on my bed and tried not to feel too ecstatic. I had to calm down; this didn't mean anything yet, and I had to act as if everything was normal. All I had to do was wait.

Chapter Text

- Yamin's Pov -

Luckily, Fury had been fine with Loki travelling to Asgard with me and Thor, apparently because he trusted Odin to keep him under control. He had been the person to lock him up in the first place, after all. Perhaps he thought Loki would be locked up again once he was back in Asgard. Out of pure worry, I had talked to Thor about that; he had reassured me that Odin wouldn't try to lock Loki up again, but I wasn't so sure. From what I had heard about Odin, he was terrifying and a bad father, so all in all, I wasn't looking forward to meeting him. Frigga was a different matter; she sounded lovely. I was trying not to feel too optimistic about meeting or finding out about my parents after overhearing Thor and Loki's discussion, but deep down, I couldn't help myself.

I spent the rest of the day wondering what to pack and trying desperately not to think about Loki. The second part had not gone well. I showered and got dressed and then ventured to the kitchen for some breakfast; to my disappointment, no one seemed to be up yet, so I had to sort some food out for myself. I sat alone to eat, content to watch the city grind to a slow start on a chilly December Monday morning and found myself thinking about Christmas. It was only about two weeks away now, and there was a massive tree in the corner of the room, along with various decorations around the rest of the living quarters in the tower. I had never really done Christmas properly before, and I was looking forward to finally having a proper holiday, and maybe even presents.

Around half-eight, Thor joined me, and then slowly the rest of the team started to appear. They all seemed genuinely pleased when they found out that Loki was awake and okay. The rest of the day had passed fairly uneventfully; Loki had only appeared in the evening, claiming that he had been enjoying the peace and only left the medical ward to get some food. That was a lie because he wasn't in his gear anymore and was walking with a tiny limp, which thankfully no one mentioned. I was surprised to find that his mind was closed off again, but this time I didn't mind. I had closed mine off, too.

As much to everyone's surprise, I went to bed early that night, wanting to be awake and alert in the morning. When I knew I would be travelling to Asgard, it still hadn't sunk in properly that I was actually going to Asgard. Instead of trying to sleep, I sat for a while and stared at the picture of my apparent parents.
"I hope you left me for a good reason," I sighed.

The next morning, typically, it was chucking it down with rain. The team had all gathered in the penthouse to say bye before we left. I still wasn't entirely sure how we were getting to Asgard; all I knew was that I needed to head up to the roof.
"Make sure you bring her back in one piece," Tony said to Thor. Bucky was the last one that I hugged goodbye.
"Only going for a few days. We'll be back before you know it," I said, moving to stand next to Thor.
"Just make sure you don't get into any trouble while you are up there. Please behave," Tony said.
"Yes, Dad. I won't get into any trouble," I replied, stifling a laugh and turning to follow Thor, who was heading towards the staircase, "And by the way, Misbavhing is still behaving," I noticed that Loki smirked.
"Farewell, my friends," Thor called over his shoulder as I ascended the staircase towards the roof, and I turned and gave a small wave to everyone before they disappeared.

"So, how are we getting to Asgard?" I asked Thor, trying to avoid his cape, which billowed out behind him as he walked up the stairs ahead of me. I was wearing my gear to look less Midgardian. Thor said that I wouldn't need to bring anything with me. So I left everything behind, apart from the picture that I needed tucked inside my back pocket.
"The Bifrost, Heimdall will open it for us," Thor replied, tossing his hammer up in the air and catching it again as we reached the top of the stairs. I looked at him in confusion.
"We are flying," Loki supplied helpfully, holding the door open for me.
"We're... flying?" I repeated in disbelief, feeling my stomach drop. I hate flying.
"Don't worry, it doesn't take long," Loki reassured me, creating an umbrella with his magic above our heads as we walked outside into the rain. Thor was for some reason not under the umbrella, and I laughed as he scowled at Loki, becoming soaked almost instantly. Loki was in a great mood. He shrugged at Thor, his eyes glittering. He was happy to be going home. Loki extended the umbrella as Thor held an arm out to me, gesturing for me to hold on to him. I looked inquisitively back at Loki.
"I'm right behind you," he told me in my head.
"I'd hold on tight if I were you." Thor advised, before lifting his face to the skies, "Heimdall, open the Bifrost!" The umbrella disappeared as I held Thor in a death grip, pushing my face into his chest as we rocketed into the sky. It was only about thirty seconds, but it felt like at least an hour. I kept my eyes firmly squeezed shut, trying not to think about what was happening, imagining that I was just flying to the top of a tall building rather than travelling to a different realm.

Finally, my feet hit solid ground, and my knees would have buckled if not for Thor holding me up.
"Are you okay?" he asked, and I nodded, not trusting myself to open my mouth in case I threw up and suddenly felt light-headed.
"Welcome back, My Princes," a deep voice said, and I turned to see a huge man in golden armour standing behind me. His eyes were also pure gold.
"Heimdall!" Thor exclaimed, leaving my side to greet him. My legs still hadn't recovered, and I managed to stand upright for about four seconds after he let go of me before my knees started trembling. Loki appeared by my side and offered me an arm, which I grabbed before I fell over.
"I got you," Loki whispered as he helped steady me. Once he made sure I was okay, he turned to Thor, "Thor, you great steaming nitwit!" Loki hissed. Thor then turned back and saw me wobbling. "Honestly, you are such a quim,"
"Oops, sorry. Was just excited," Thor apologised. I was about to say something, but as I looked up, I saw Asgard. At first, I thought I had died and gone to heaven because surely this was what heaven looked like. It was like nothing I had ever seen before, and it rendered me totally speechless for the first time in my life. The palace was... I had originally thought 'out of this world', but I wasn't even on Earth anymore. And this was Thor and Loki's home.
"That... that's where you grew up?" I eventually managed, turning to look at Loki. He nodded, looking at the palace with something like sad nostalgia. I realised my mouth was hanging open and quickly closed it before Loki could look back at me.
"Lady Yasmin, welcome to Asgard," Heimdall said. I didn't ask how he knew my name. The guy had golden eyes. I wasn't about to question him.
"Thank you," I replied, turning to see him observing me as if I were an interesting artefact and Thor smiling at his home. The sight of him so happy made me smile.

In comparison to Thor's good mood, there was a frosty atmosphere between Heimdall and Loki. I didn't know the fine details, but I am guessing there had been some sort of clash between the two of them when Loki had been king for a short while. I made a mental note to ask Thor what had happened later on.

After bidding Heimdall farewell, I followed Thor onto the Bifrost, where three horses were waiting for us.
"While I am glad we don't have to walk or fly, whoever assumed I could ride a horse assumed wrong. I can't ride a bike without supervision," I said, stopping when I saw the huge creatures. I pretended not to notice as Thor glanced ever so briefly at Loki, who shot Thor a death glare in return and climbed up onto one of the horses as if he had been doing it all his life. Which is quite possible.
"Lady Yasmin, you can ride with me. I'll have to teach you how to ride properly one day," Thor said, and I avoided looking at Loki as I clambered (so not elegantly) onto one of the horses. Thor swung himself up behind me, and we set off towards the palace. I still couldn't believe the view, still half convinced that I was in fact dead and arriving in heaven.

When we reached the palace, Thor dismounted the horse and then helped me down. I was attracting a lot of attention from Asgardian citizens, most of whom had stopped to stare as I walked towards the palace. At least I think it was me. They could be staring at Thor and Loki, after all, they were royalty. Walking up the steps into the palace, past the heavily armed guards, I couldn't help but feel nervous. I was completely out of my depth here, whereas Thor seemed completely at home. Loki was walking with his head down, no longer seeming happy or excited to be returning home. As we walked through the palace, I opened my mind, trying to reach out to him and talk even though his mind firmly closed off. Now, I have never tried to get into his head, and it made me feel slightly light-headed as I walked. But eventually, it worked.
"Can I help you?" Loki asked.
"Just wanted to know if you are okay?" At first, he didn't reply, but then he slowed down and allowed me to catch up with him, letting Thor stride ahead of the two of us. Not that he noticed, he was too busy catching up with a load of people.
"There's still a lot about me that you don't know; I don't think Thor told you everything. Coming back here... It's just a reminder," Loki told me quietly.
"He said he told me everything," I protested, frowning at Thor's back.
"Did he tell you I tried to kill him?" I missed a beat, almost tripping over my feet. Loki smirked briefly, but his eyes remained downcast. "I thought not." We walked in silence for a bit while I struggled to come up with something to say. I was desperate to know the full story, but now wasn't the right time. Thankfully, Loki misinterpreted my silence as nerves. "Are you okay?"
"Nervous." That was the only thing I could say. I didn't want to push my luck with Loki. I knew he would open up to me in time. "What if your parents don't like me?"
"Don't worry, my mother will love you," he told me confidently.
"And Odin?" I asked. He didn't reply.
"Remember, my mother can read minds, too," Loki said, and then we were in the throne room. If you could call it a room.

"Holy shit, this place is huge!" I exclaimed quietly. Loki and Thor smirked. It was the size of the interior of a cathedral, if not bigger, and a huge throne occupied the far wall. And occupying that was Odin. Well, I assumed it was Odin anyway; he looked like one would expect a king to look, and he only had one eye. Next to Odin stood a beautiful, kind-looking woman who could only be Frigga. This was confirmed as we walked into the room.
"My sons, welcome home," she said happily, descending gracefully down the stairs which led to the throne to embrace Thor and Loki. Odin remained silent. I get the feeling he's a pompous arsewipe. "And Lady Yasmin. Welcome to Asgard," she smiled, moving forward to clasp my hands in hers.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty," I replied, returning her smile.
"Please, call me Frigga. I believe we have much to discuss," she said, returning to stand by her husband's side. Odin was regarding me with something like displeasure, his hands resting lazily on the arms of his throne.
"Mother, we did wonder why you summoned Lady Yasmin to Asgard with us," Thor prompted, looking back at me. Loki was admiring the ceiling as if the conversation were boring him. I could tell he was nervous.
"Then perhaps it is best that I get straight to the point. I'm afraid Odin and I have somewhat of a confession to make." Frigga explained, turning to Odin for support. He simply nodded at her to go on. "Yasmin, when you were a child, you didn't understand that you possessed magic. When you were 3 years old, there was an incident with another child, and again when you were 4. You weren't allowed to attend school, and eventually, it got to a stage where you couldn't interact with anyone other than your parents. You weren't like the other children, and that scared people. On your sixth birthday, your father decided to take you outside as a treat... There was yet another incident in which a man was almost killed. After that, the decision was made that it wasn't safe for you to remain on Asgard, so you were moved to a children's home on Midgard."
"And you thought that would be safer?" Loki asked in disgust, suddenly involved in the conversation.
"I suggest you remain quiet, Loki," Odin said. I was reeling.
"Then why don't I remember any of this? If I had been five, surely I would have some recollection of my life here?" I frowned.
"That was not the confession," she continued, and I looked back at her. She sighed deeply before continuing, "The reason for your lack of memory of this realm is because... We took your memories,"

Chapter Text

- Yasmin's Pov -

I stumbled when I heard that Frigga and Odin were the reason I had no memories of my life.
"Mother! How could you?" Thor exclaimed.
"We had to, for her safety as well as ours. We couldn't have an Asgardian child going down to Midgard and telling everyone about us. Not that anyone would have believed her, but better safe than sorry," Odin said bluntly.
"Oh, but it was fine to become Norse Mythology Gods?" Thor continued to yell. I was shaking. Of all the scenarios I had come up with in my head, none of them had even come close to this. I didn't know how to feel. No, that was a lie. I knew how to feel. I was pissed.
"So why not teach me how to control it? Or, I don't know, something other than abandoning a child on another planet?" I yelled.
"Are you questioning our decision?" Odin asked in a voice that suggested I shouldn't argue with him. I should back down, but I am not going to.
"Hell fucking yes!" I said defiantly.

- Loki's Pov -

I didn't think I had ever been more in love with Yasmin than in that moment, watching her stand up to Odin with an utter disregard for the fact that she was speaking to the King of Asgard. I can't say I blamed her for feeling reckless. She had just found out that Odin and Frigga had stripped her of her memories and family and dumped her in a different realm when she was a child. Still, she probably shouldn't have spoken to him like that.
"You are a fucking idiot," Yasmin yelled at Odin. "What cell in that walnut-sized brain thought it would be a good idea to send a child with powers to earth with no training!?" Odin stood up threateningly, and I found myself moving towards Yasmin purely out of instinct.
"Yasmin," I mumbled. Frigga placed a gentle hand on Odin's arm, which at least stopped him from killing Yasmin on the spot. She then whispered something in his ear, causing him to glare at Yasmin vehemently, and then at me. What did I do?
"This was a bad idea. If this goes wrong, I will not hesitate to lock him back up, along with the mortal." Then he strode from the room, hardly glancing at any of us. Frigga sighed again, moving down the steps towards us. I wanted to shout after him and dare him to put me in the dungeons, but I kept my mouth shut. Mainly because he had already left the room. Stupid old man. At least Frigga was taking responsibility.
"You'll have to excuse him, he's not having a good day," Frigga said. When did Odin have a good day? Had he ever had a good day? I very much doubted it. Yasmin was shaking; I wished I could do something about it.
"Can I have my memories back?" Yasmin asked Frigga.
"Of course. I'm afraid Odin disapproves, but you deserve to have them," I opened my mouth, and then somehow found the restraint to close it again. Mother threw me an appraising look and then turned to Yasmin and placed her hands on either side of her head. "This won't hurt," Frigga said, and then her eyes glazed over as she performed the difficult magic which gave Yasmin her memories back. I could have seen what she was seeing if I wanted to, but I didn't want to pry. Thor was watching me watching her, but Loki didn't give him the satisfaction of letting him know he'd seen. After a minute, Frigga withdrew her hands, and Yasmin swayed where she stood. All eyes were on her as she bent over. I wanted to rush towards her.
"Lady Yasmin, are you well?" Thor spoke as he stood by her side. Yasmin waved her hands at Thor.
"I'm fine... I think," Yasmin sighed before straightening up, "Where are they?" she asked eventually, her voice shaking. I feel sorry for her parents when she sees them.
"They're waiting outside in the courtyard," Frigga said, nodding in the direction that they were, and Yasmin immediately turned to walk away. "Lady Yasmin, please, wait one moment," Mother continued, moving towards her again.
"No offence, but I wouldn't come near me right now," Yasmin hissed. Mother stopped a few steps away from Yasmin. I briefly considered trying to talk to her in my mind before realising that my mother would likely hear whatever I said to Yasmin. And I was not ready for that discussion. Bad enough having it with Thor.
"I am sorry, I hope you can forgive Odin and me where your parents could not," Yasmin forced a smile and nodded.
"I understand why you had to do it," She sighed. It was such an obvious lie, which Mother, Thor and I all saw straight through. "Excuse me, I need a minute," I turned and walked quickly out of the room. I wanted to shout after Yasmin, but I knew her pain all too well. I would give her the space that she needed.

"You seem very fond of that girl," Mother said once Yasmin was out of sight and earshot: a statement rather than a question. I looked at the floor, and then back up to find my mother and brother smiling at him.
"Why, Yes. Lady Yasmin is a wonderful person. I am honoured to call her my friend and teammate," I scowled at Thor. Feeling a tad jealous of how he spoke about my... I mean Yasmin.
"Thor, perhaps it is time for you to leave. I wish to talk to your brother," Mother suggested. I sighed. I really wish I were back in Midgard. Where I would be left alone in peace. But then I wouldn't be here with Yasmin.
"I'll go and find Sif and the Warriors Three, it's been too long," Thor said happily, and strode off, his cape billowing out behind him. Mother observed me for a moment and then gestured towards the palace gardens.
"Let's take a walk," Mother said softly. I sighed. I had never been able to lie to my mother, and I wasn't about to start now.

- Yasmin's Pov -

I kicked several rocks on my way to the courtyard. I asked the guard where to find them, and he pointed down the corridor and out the door on the left. The memories had been hazy, but they were there. The clearest memory of the stories I had been told was of my great-grandmother on my mother's side, who had been a sorceress and an outcast from old Asgardian society because of her ability to use magic. Specifically, purple magic. My mother had told me it had skipped two generations to come to me, and that it was an amazing gift that not many people understood. It was hardly amazing if it got me cast out of Asgard.

Best of all had been one of the final memories, which had been of my mother sneaking the picture of her and father into the small bag I had taken with me to Midgard: the very same picture which was currently in my pocket. One question I do have is, how did I have a picture of them if there was no technical stuff in Asgard? Still not sure if I was excited or nervous to see them.

As Frigga had promised, they were waiting in the courtyard outside the throne room. They were older, but they were the people in the picture, alright. My mother was already sobbing by the time I reached them, and my father's eyes were filled with tears as he pulled me into an embrace. Oddly, it was the smell of them that made me cry rather than anything else. That long-forgotten scent.
"Please tell me that you remember us. That they gave you your memories back?" My father asked.
"Yes. Frigga was most apologetic. Odin not so much. He didn't want me to have my memories back," I explained, gently detaching myself from my mother, who was still crying.

Once we had all composed ourselves, we sat and talked. There was a lot to catch up on. I told them about my life on Midgard, showed them the picture of them I always carried with me and tried to downplay how ultimately miserable everything had been before the day Thor had almost flattened me with a bus. I told them about life with the Avengers, and my mother visibly worried when I told them about the missions I had been on.
"I don't like that you have been spending so much time around Prince Loki. Surely you know what he's done?" My father said.
"No, listen, not many people know this, but he had been brainwashed when the attack on New York happened, and--"
"He attacked your city?!" My mother exclaimed. This wasn't going well. "Do you know that he tried to lead an attack on Asgard, which almost resulted in the death of Odin? Was he tortured before that happened?" she continued.
"No, but Odin only ever used him as a bargaining chip; he was trying to prove himself to him. Or something," I said, unsure who I was actually trying to convince.
"Yasmin, he killed his own father. He's a Frost Giant. He is not safe to be around." Wow. I had a bone to pick with Thor. He had left out some very major details when he said that he told me 'everything'.
"Loki killed Laufey?" I asked, and both my parents nodded. From their perspective, I could see how he probably didn't look like the best person for their daughter to be spending practically every second of every day with.
"Please tell me that you are not in love with him," Mother said suddenly, staring at me. Something weird happened in my chest.
"No, I'm not in love with anyone," I said dismissively, and then my father was staring at me instead.
"You're as bad at lying now as you were when you were five," My mother sighed, her eyes filling with tears again. I struggled to find the words under the gaze of my parents. Eventually, I just gave up, resigning myself to staring at the table. I could hear my parents' worried thoughts loud and clear. They did not trust Loki or the royal family.
"How old am I?" I asked, suddenly remembering the question I had been so desperate to ask. And to change the subject.
"A question we have often wondered about, too. Time works differently on Asgard and Midgard, so we can't be entirely sure, as you've spent time on both realms. We think about a thousand in Asgardian years, give or take," My father told me, apparently thankful for a change of subject.
"A thousand?" I asked, gobsmacked.
"I suspect so. The average life span for an Asgardian is around five thousand years. You are quite young," Mother laughed.
"I'm sure Frigga will know exactly how old you are, or perhaps Heimdall," my father said, somewhat bitterly. I couldn't believe it. Had you stayed on Asgard, I would have been a thousand years old. And that was considered young. I was only 50 years younger than Loki.
"Enough about me, tell me about you, and Asgard," I requested, and that took another half an hour of talking up. No one had told me that I couldn't leave the palace, so after that, I walked from the palace to my childhood home, which I was delighted to find hadn't changed a bit. My bedroom had remained untouched. I could tell by the dust. It was almost like a shrine. I spent a while sitting on my bed looking through my old toys and storybooks. Then I had lunch and talked with my parents some more. Avoiding any topic that had Loki in it.

After a while, there was a knock on the door, and my mother opened it to reveal Thor, flanked by three men and a woman. My parents instantly sank into a deep curtsy and a bow, and Thor smiled and bowed his head graciously.
"Hey Sparkles," I smiled. I could hear in my mother's mind that I should be bowing.
"Lady Yasmin! Mother said we might find you here," Thor replied, smiling as I got up to stand next to my mother.
"Thor, allow me to introduce my parents, Ingrid and Sigurd Lindström," I beamed. I laughed at how starstruck my parents seemed as Thor greeted them both.
"You don't mind if we take Yasmin for a bit, do you? I wish to show her around Asgard." Thor asked my parents politely.
"No, of course not, Your Highness," My mother smiled, covering her nerves with charm. I hugged your parents goodbye, thanked them for lunch, and then joined Thor at the doorway.
"Mr and Mrs Lindström, you have been invited to dinner at the palace tonight if you so wish to attend," Thor mentioned casually as we were about to leave. My parents looked at each other. I knew what they were thinking: they hadn't forgiven Frigga and Odin for what they had done to our family.
"We'll think about it. Thank you for the invite," Father said with a smile.
"Very well," Thor replied, before turning to leave.
"Hang on a minute, Thor," I said and moved back towards my parents. He nodded and walked back outside the door.
"Please come tonight, I want to spend as much time with you as I can before I go back!" I begged. Mother and Father looked at each other. I knew that look all too well. My foster parents pulled it when keeping secrets, "What are you not telling?" I pushed my parents to the other side of the room.
"There were rumours, when you were a child, that you were somehow a child of Tyr, Odin's right-hand man. But Tyr was and still is married. We think he may have sent you to Midgard to protect his reputation. That's why the court didn't want Frigga teaching you how to control your magic," my father explained quickly and quietly.
"So, you might not be my father?" I questioned. Father nodded, "And when were you planning on telling me this?" I was used to people keeping things from me, but I did not expect it from my family. Now I see why Loki reacted the way he did. I would rather choose Midgard than this.
"It is false rumours. Sigurd is your father, despite what the maids say at the palace, but I fear it may come up in conversation," Mother sighed.
"You don't trust them, do you?"
"No. We don't. We don't know the reason they sent you away, and we fear we never will. So please be cautious," Father told me, turning me back towards the door, "Now go and have some fun. We'll see you again before you leave."
"Okay... I'll see you later," I said to my parents with a wave, who waved back and went to find Thor outside.

"Lady Yasmin, are you well?" Thor asked me as I joined him and his friends outside, "You look a little pale."
"Yeah, it's just a lot to take in," I replied, looking back up at the palace, which dominated the skyline. Thor looked at his friends, and they all nodded.
"We can talk about all that later. Now it's time for a tour of Asgard!" he announced, and I laughed, aware that he was trying to cheer me up. I couldn't forget what your father had said. Would Odin really have dumped an innocent Asgardian child on Midgard just to protect his right-hand man's reputation? After what Loki had told me about him, it wouldn't surprise me. And there was another thing: Loki. The way my parents had listed all of the undeniably awful stuff he had done, was I being blindsided by how I felt about him? I vowed to myself that I would talk to him about it at some point; hopefully, he would be able to explain what had happened properly.
"Unlike some people," I thought, glancing fondly at Thor. But I pushed it all to the back of my mind and tried to concentrate on the moment. I was on Asgard! Time to enjoy myself.

Chapter Text

- Yasmin's Pov -

"Lady Yasmin, allow me to introduce my friends. This is Volstagg, Hogun and Fandral: The Warriors Three. And this, of course, is Lady Sif," Thor said, introducing me to the three men and woman he had been accompanied by at the door of my parents' house. Volstagg was massive; he looked like a proper Viking and shook my hand like one, too. Hogun was smaller but quite terrifying to look at; however, his smile was a friendly one. Fandral was stupidly handsome, like some sort of fairy tale Prince Charming, and I couldn't help but blush slightly when he bowed and kissed my hand as Thor introduced him. Sif was gorgeous and had a firm handshake, which I was slightly taken aback by. "I'm so happy you're all finally getting to meet," Thor smiled happily.
"I've heard great things about the Warriors Three and Lady Sif," I grinned. It was true. Thor told tale after tale about the adventures he used to go on with his friends.
"And we've heard great things about Lady Yasmin in the last few hours at the palace," Sif joked, making me and the others laugh.
"Come on then, you lot, or it'll be dark by the time we finish this tour," Volstagg said, and Thor strode ahead, gesturing for us all to follow.

The 'tour' lasted for about two hours. The first half of the tour was spent actually showing me around, and Fandral telling me tall tales of his many conquests and battles at various locations, the others chiming in regularly to tell the story how it really had been, and once even to claim that one battle hadn't even happened as Fandral told it at all.

Funnily enough, Thor's tour ended at the tavern, where I was introduced to countless people, all with difficult-sounding names and different faces. It was there that we spent the second hour of the 'tour', getting slightly tipsier than I should have when I was about to attend a royal dinner at the palace.

Eventually, Thor announced that it was time to leave, and the six of us made our way back up towards the palace, laughing and joking loudly all the way. At the palace doors, the Warriors Three and Sif said goodbye.
"We'll see each other later tonight, I'm sure," Fandral spoke, kissing my hand yet again while Sif rolled her eyes in the background before dragging Fandral away.
"Is he always like that?" I asked Thor.
"Only when he takes a shine to someone," Thor sighed.

Thor led me back through the palace, past another cathedral-sized room which had been prepared for the meal and up several staircases, then down a long corridor where we met Loki walking the other way.
"You're late. They are expecting us down there in fifteen minutes," Loki told us both, looking me up and down, sending what felt like a jolt of electricity through my body. I fought hard to maintain a poker face; he was wearing his Asgardian formal wear, whereas I was still in my gear and Thor in his. I desperately tried not to stare or think about how good he looked at this moment in time.
"I don't have anything to wear." I suddenly realised, looking at Thor.
"Don't worry, you'll find something you like in there. This is where you're sleeping tonight, by the way," he smiled, gesturing to the door to my left.

I opened the door and peeked inside; the room was huge, dominated by a massive four-poster bed, beyond which double doors led out to a balcony which looked out over all of Asgard.
"Holy smokes!" I breathed.
"Go and get changed. You don't want to be late." Loki sighed, smiling as I pulled a face at him before he shut the door.

I squeaked as I made a beeline for the wardrobe, which I discovered to be full of gorgeous dresses along with matching shoes. I was fully aware that I didn't have loads of time, so rifled through them in an attempt to pick my favourite, but failed; I loved all of them. I was holding a dark green and a navy blue dress in either hand when I was interrupted.
"I think the green one suits you," a voice emitted from the doorway, and I turned in surprise to see a maid standing in the doorway. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. Prince Thor sent me to help you get ready," she smiled, curtseying.
"Oh, that's kind of him, but I'm actually okay," I smiled.
"He said you would say that and then told me to tell you that you need to let me do your hair at least," the maid said, and my hand flew to my hair, suddenly self-conscious. Reluctantly, I agreed and waited for her to leave so that I could get changed. Only she didn't leave, but she did turn around. I tried to reach behind and do it up, but I realised that instead of a zip, there were about thirty buttons.
"Miss...?" I said as I turned back to the maid, defeated.
"Helga, My Lady," she smiled. "Would you care for some help?" I nodded. Helga smiled and gestured for me to turn around. Holding my hair up for her as she started on the buttons, I admired the room once again.
"Well, it is nice to meet you, Helga. I'm Yasmin," her fingers working impossibly quickly to do up the back of the dress.
"I know. Thor has been telling everyone about you," she said, finishing with the buttons and guiding me to sit down on the stool in front of the dressing table and removing a hairbrush from one of the drawers. "Now, what shall I do with your hair?"
"I don't mind, whatever you think," I told her, thinking back to the time when Nat had done my hair at the tower for the party. I felt a million miles away from the tower and my friends there. I missed home. Helga nodded and transformed my hair from a tangled mess to an elegant updo in about one and a half minutes.
"And done,"
"How did you do that?" I asked in astonishment as she used nothing but a strip of fabric to hold it in place.
"Practice. You have lovely hair," Helga replied, moving from my hair to a jewellery box on the dressing table. She revealed the contents of the box, and I was rendered speechless. It was like looking into a treasure chest that was from the movies. The earrings that she handed me were set with real emeralds and weighed a ton; my ears protested as I put them in "Don't worry, you'll get used to the weight," Helga told me, handing me a simple necklace to go with the earrings, which also weighed a lot, although the actual jewel was smaller than my little fingernail.
"There, all done. You look lovely," Helga beamed from behind me. As I stood and looked in the mirror, I realised that I actually didn't look half bad.
"Thank you, Helga, it turns out I did need your help after all," I said, and she smiled.
"Don't forget your shoes." Luckily, the shoes were nowhere near as high as the stilettos I had been walking around in, so I was able to walk around in them with ease. And I sent a silent thank you to Nat before checking my reflection one last time in the mirror. The dress was a ballgown and quite heavy; it floated just above the floor as I walked, and I struggled not to feel ridiculous as I walked to the door in it. It was like nothing I had ever worn on Earth before, and I tried not to laugh as I imagined what Nat and the others would think if I turned up to one of Tony's parties wearing this.

Hoping that I wasn't about to turn up to dinner with the royal family late, I thanked Helga again and stepped outside to find Loki waiting in the corridor.
"You took your... time," he said, missing a beat as I appeared at the door. I tried not to feel too pleased that I made him speechless.
"Am I late?" I smiled.
"Yes, you took ages. Come on," he said, starting to walk briskly down the corridor ahead of me.
"Thanks for waiting for me. I would have got lost," I told him, struggling to keep up with his long strides.
"I know. That's why I waited," he replied. It would seem that someone isn't in a talking mood.

I followed him in silence the rest of the way to the hall where we were eating. It was half inside, half outside, so I could hardly call it a hall. The ceiling was about sixty feet tall. I lifted my dress up a fraction as I made my way down some stairs, suddenly feeling immensely self-conscious. What if I looked hideous and they all started laughing at me?
"You look... nice," Loki suddenly said. I struggled to comprehend the fact that he had paid me such a blatant compliment.
"A compliment? From you? It must be a special occasion?" I replied, looking away slightly, "But thank you. You scrub up well, too," I replied, praying that I had not gone red. Loki stopped in the corridor just before the huge doorway to the hall and turned to me. I looked at the floor nervously.
"Don't be nervous. It'll be over soon," He whispered. I took a deep breath in and slowly exhaled.
"Easy for you to say. You're used to this sort of thing. I, on the other hand, don't know how to be like that. You've seen me at Tony's parties," I said, glancing towards the doorway through which voices and the clinks of glasses were emitting. This was a bad idea.
"Yasmin, just be yourself. I doubt Mother or Odin will take any notice of you anyway," Loki said, reassuringly. I noted his use of Odin's name, not father, especially as he had called Frigga mother.
"Come on then, seeing as we're so late," I grinned, and he fake bowed, gesturing towards the door.
"After you, My lady," He grinned. I rolled my eyes and walked ahead of him.

As I walked into the room, I tried not to look as nervous as I felt. My nerves deflated slightly in relief when I saw that Odin and Frigga's chairs at the head of the table were not yet occupied, along with a few other seats around the long table, set for about fifty people. There were names placed on every plate. Thor waved at us both as we entered the room, seated near the head of the table, and I waved back, dismayed to note that Loki was making his way to sit opposite him. So who was I sitting next to?

I spent the next few minutes trying to find my name when I heard it being called. Oh, come on. This was going to be a long evening.
"Lady Yasmin, how splendid!" Fandral exclaimed, jumping out of the seat to pull the chair out for you, "Allow me, My lady." Funny, hearing Fandral call me that did not have the same effect as it did when Loki said it.
"Thank you, Fandral," I said, sitting down and resigning myself to a long dinner. I had a feeling that this seating arrangement had not been an accident. To my immense relief, Sif sat opposite me; hopefully, she would swoop in if Fandral started laying it on a bit too thick again. She smiled at me broadly and booted Fandral in the shin a few times when he got too close to me. I lost count of the many times I thanked her.
"How unlucky for you to be sitting next to Fandral," Loki laughed.
"Loki, get out of my head," I glared down the table. Loki said something else, but I didn't quite catch it as Fandral started talking to me.
"Lady Yasmin, might I say that you look rather exquisite tonight?" Fandral muttered in my ear. The man was acting as if we had known each other for years rather than 3 hours.
"Thank you. You don't look so bad yourself," I complimented him over the sound of Loki's voice in my head, "Loki, Care to repeat that?"
"Not really," Loki sighed. "Fandral seems to be over-friendly with you."
"You sound jealous. Anyway, I like him. Didn't you hear what he called me? I'm exquisite,"
"I could have told you that." I wasn't entirely sure whether he had meant for me to hear that last comment, but I had. My heart stopped for about three seconds and then started beating double time. Was he flirting with me? Surely not.
"Lady Yasmin, are you talking to Loki?" Sif frowned, staring at me and then up the table at Loki, who was playing with a fork. Was it that obvious?
"What? No, why?" I laughed, and thankfully, Sif didn't get a chance to reply because Frigga and Odin had arrived.
"All rise for the King and Queen," someone announced, and everyone pushed their chairs back to stand as Odin and Frigga took their seats at the head of the table. As Odin gestured for everyone to return to their seats. There were two extra seats, but the guest never appeared. I sighed heavily as I realised that two unoccupied chairs had been for my parents. I couldn't say that I blamed them for not wanting to attend. But it would have been nice to see them.

As the first plates of food began to appear, I nearly drooled. Okay, maybe this wasn't going to be so bad. Nice food, Good company and I was sat next to a handsome man who was openly flirting with me, and just along the table from me was another very handsome man who also may or may not be flirting with me.

Chapter Text

- Loki's Pov -

The next two hours were terrible. The food was nice enough, but I had to spend the majority of the dinner trying not to listen to Fandral flirt with Yasmin. And while I can't say that I blame him, she did look like a princess in that dress, I hated it. I just wanted to walk over to him and stab him. Several times.

It didn't help that my mother kept looking at me pointedly and then down the table at Yasmin, which was horribly embarrassing. She had made her feelings about my reluctance to tell Yasmin how I felt very clear during our talk earlier today. I cannot tell you how embarrassing that was. If it wasn't for the fact that Mother was raised by witches, then I would have left my clone and teleported away. I knew that she was expecting me to talk to Yasmin tonight, and I had no excuse. Soulmates. The word still sounded stupid and made up, but Mother had seemed determined to push the idea that Yasmin and I had some sort of special bond. The thought wasn't entirely awful.

Thor seemed in an exceptionally good mood, but that was probably because he had been to the tavern before the meal. Especially since he went with his friends and Yasmin. I was glad that Yasmin had been sensible enough not to get overly drunk. I was planning on staying sober, however. I didn't want any more slip-ups like earlier, when I had accidentally let Yasmin know that I thought she looked exquisite. Which, for the record, she did, but I hadn't meant for her to hear it. I didn't know how she had taken it, as she had remained silent since then. Whether that was a good or bad thing remained to be seen.
"Brother?" Thor was speaking. My head snapped up as I realised that everyone was standing up to allow the tables to be cleared for dancing, and I quickly vacated my seat. "I see someone has plagued your thoughts."
"Yasmin has not plagued my thoughts," I sighed as I denied the accusations. even if they were true. I was trying not to look over at her. And naturally, I failed at doing so.
"I never said it was Lady Yasmin," Thor smirked. I glared at my brother.
"Please, both you and Mother know my feelings towards her. Tis not hard to guess," I rolled my eyes.

While the servants and maids worked quickly to remove the tables and chairs to make space for dancing, I moved away from Thor and Odin to stand next to his mother.
"I see that Lady Yasmin is wearing your colour," Mother smiled softly at me, "Green most certainly suits her."
"Yes, it does," I glared at Fandral as he led Yasmin away from the hall. I watched this with a deadpan expression, trying not to worry. Fandral was all talk, but when it came to the walk, he knew what he was doing. But surely he wouldn't try anything, would he?
"Do not fret, my son. He is only teaching her to dance," Mother placed a hand on my upper arm as I moved towards the door.
"That is beside the point," I sighed, trying not to snap.
"Maybe you should have offered Lady Yasmin a dancing lesson," Mother smiled. I might be regretting my choice of not getting drunk.

- Yasmin's Pov -

After everyone was done eating, the tables and chairs were cleared to make room for dancing. This was the part I had been dreading. Dancing.
"Why do you look so nervous?" Fandral asked, noticing my stiff posture.
"I don't dance," Fandral was actually really nice, despite my first impressions of him being a massive flirt. And he was a massive flirt, but there was more to him than that, as I had found out after spending two hours with him over dinner. He liked to put on a show to wind other people up.
"I can teach you, it's not hard. Come with me," he told me, holding out his hand. I took it and allowed myself to be led away down the steps of the hall to outside on the grass, casting a slightly alarmed look back to Sif, who simply laughed and waved. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Loki standing next to Frigga at the far end of the room. Jealousy etched on his face. If I were being totally honest, I was a tiny bit disappointed, having half hoped that someone else would offer to teach me how to dance.

Outside, it was cool; the sun was low in the sky, and the sound of insects was loud in the air. They sounded like crickets; were there crickets on Asgard?
"So, there are two different types of dance that you need to know. One is just a casual dance and one is a group dance," Fandral explained.
"There's a group dance?" I repeated fearfully. Fandral laughed.
"Don't worry, it's really easy. I'll show you the casual one first," he reassured. Thankfully, he had been right: it was easy, and soon, He had me dancing in circles on the grass with him, one hand holding his and one hand on his shoulder, "You're a quick learner! Now for the group dance," he said, once again going through the basic steps with me. This one was slightly harder to practice as it involved turning to my left at the end, where I would end up dancing with someone else.
"That was slightly easier than training in heels," I smiled. I sighed in relief, glad that I wasn't going to look like a fool in front of everyone. Well, less of a fool anyway.
"You're a good dancer," Fandral complimented, leading me back up the steps to the hall. A few people were already dancing. I think I might need a drink before I think about this dancing marlaky.
"Thank you for teaching me." I smiled, and he bowed deeply.
"It was my pleasure,"

I spotted Thor, Sif and Volstagg standing together nearby, and I made my way over to them, swiping a wine glass from a passing servant as I did.
"Having fun?" Thor asked, his eyes sparkling and his cheeks red. How much has he had to drink?
"Yeah, Fandral taught me how to dance," I told him, grinning at how happy and at home he looked.
"Come on then," Thor said, handing Volstagg his drink and holding out a hand to me.
"Oh, no, Thor, maybe in a minute... hey!" I protested as Volstagg plucked my drink from my hand and Thor dragged me to the middle of the dance floor. "Thor, this is not gentlemanly," I reprimanded him, as he mock bowed to me, making me laugh. I returned the favour by mock curtsying back. Thor smiled as he offered me his hand again, which I took, and started to dance.

It was actually quite nice once I got used to it; I became more confident as I moved around the dancefloor with Thor, who was a surprisingly good dancer. Lots of people followed suit once Thor and I began to dance, and before long, I was amid a flurry of swirling dresses and tailcoats. Thor laughed aloud at the expression on my face, which was one of pure joy. I was sad when the song ended; there was a polite round of applause, and then a new, slower song began to play.
"My lord, may I have this dance?" a voice requested from behind me, and I turned to see a man I had never seen before holding out an arm.
"You may," Thor answered for me with a grin, and he raised his eyebrows at me before I reluctantly let go of him and accepted the stranger's arm. Thor turned away and was instantly met with about five other women waiting to dance with him.

After 10 minutes, I found out the man's name was Alfred, and he was also a very good dancer. I tried to pay attention to him, but I kept 'accidentally' catching sight of Loki. Who was still standing in the same spot where I had seen him earlier, not dancing and looking pretty bored.

After a while, I caught sight of a group of girls clustered against the wall near him, and one was pushed forward away from the group and towards Loki, giggling. I didn't need to read any minds to know what was going on there. The girl was extremely pretty. Prettier than me by a long way. And now she was walking towards Loki.
"My Lady, are you alright?" Alfred asked me.
"Yes, sorry," I replied, vowing that I wouldn't look at Loki again. That lasted all of fifteen seconds; when I glanced back, he was walking towards the dancefloor with that girl on his arm, and she was looking gleefully back at her friends. I allowed a gigantic wave of jealousy to crash over me before reprimanding myself. He was perfectly entitled to dance with whomever he liked. He did not belong to me.

The song ended, and I tried to escape. I was not feeling like dancing much anymore, but then Hogun asked me to dance, and I couldn't refuse, so I ended up dancing some more, and then with Volstagg. By the time that song had finished, I was smiling again. Volstagg wasn't the best dancer and made no secret of it; it was a laugh trying to avoid getting my toes trodden on and steer him in the right direction.
"I think I'll leave the dancing to Fandral," he grinned at the end, and I readily agreed, thankful to follow him away from the dance floor towards where the drinks were being served. He had successfully managed to distract me from watching Loki dance with that girl, and then another, and another. Okay, so maybe he hadn't totally distracted me, but at least I had fun.

I barely had time to finish the new drink, which I had picked up before, when suddenly Odin and Frigga were making their way towards the dancing crowd, which apparently signalled the start of the group dance. I mentally groaned as I was hoping to hide somewhere before this dance happened. Fandral was by my side in an instant.
"Shall we?" He led me to the middle of the dancefloor, where I did not look at Loki, who was now back with that girl from earlier. I ignored the almost overwhelming need to read her mind and listened to Fandral, who was whispering the steps through to me again. The music started; the men bowed and the women curtseyed, and then I was dancing again.
"How long does this last for?" I whispered to Fandral, and he pulled a face.
"About ten or fifteen minutes, I suppose. You usually dance with everyone at least once," he replied. I grimaced. As much fun as this was, I was starting to get tired. But I could handle this. I was pleased to see a few people getting the steps wrong in the first few seconds of the dance as I glided along seamlessly with Fandral.
"Ready to go solo?" Fandral asked, spinning me around alongside all the other women and preparing to pass me along.
"I hope so,"
"See you later then," he laughed, and I let go of him and spun to the left, finding myself face-to-face with Volstagg again.
"I'll apologise in advance," he chuckled, and I laughed as I set off dancing again. I pushed my tiredness aside as we danced, concentrating on not getting the steps wrong. It started to feel like clockwork after a while, however, allowing me to relax a little and make small talk with the people I danced with.

After a while, I came face-to-face with Thor, who smiled broadly at me.
"Lady Yasmin, are you having fun?" he asked.
"Yeah! I'm tired, though," I confided in a low voice, as if I would get into trouble if someone overheard me.
"It'll be over soon enough," Thor told me.
"But it's not even dark yet!" I exclaimed, catching a glimpse of the sun.
"This isn't one of Stark's all-night parties, Lady Yasmin," Thor chuckled.
"Thank god... I don't think I would have been able to cope," I grinned, catching Fandral's eye as he swept past, throwing me a wink.
"He's become very fond of you. Try and let him down gently," Thor teased, seeing the exchange and smiling.
"We're leaving tomorrow. I don't think he seriously thought we could be a thing," I told him.
"Besides, you clearly have your sights set on someone else," Thor grinned. There was no time to argue because then he was spinning me around, and I was turning to dance with someone else, throwing Thor a look over my shoulder as I did so. He beamed back at me, now dancing with his mother, who also threw me a smile, and then I turned to realise that I was dancing with Alfred.
"Hello again," he smiled.

I made small talk with him while we danced, and then spun into the next person's hold. Odin looked just about as pleased to see me as I felt to see him. I danced in silence for most of our time together. I was trying to avoid eye contact while he seemed to be scrutinising me with his one uncovered eye.
"You dance well," he told me suddenly; I looked at him in surprise as he spun me around slowly.
"Thank you," I smiled politely, thinly veiling my shock. I'll take that as a win. I was relieved to be rid of him as I spun to my left, hoping that my next partner was a slightly better dancer than Odin.

And my wish was well and truly granted. Loki smiled as I spun around to face him, and I smiled back, falling into step with him easily, acutely aware of his hand suddenly resting on my waist.
"Hello," he murmured; my smile widened unwittingly.
"Hello," I replied. He was an amazing dancer.
"How was that?" he asked.
"How was what?" I replied, having to concentrate twice as hard on talking when our faces were this close together.
"Dancing with Odin," he said, nodding at him over the top of my head.
"Could you not tell? It was an absolute delight," I said, and Loki grinned at me. I loved it when I could make him smile; it was a rare privilege. "He told me I danced well." I continued, with the tiniest hint of pride.
"Did he?" Loki asked, sounding surprised.
"What's that supposed to mean?" I teased, raising an eyebrow.
"Nothing. You're an excellent dancer," Loki sighed.
"I had a good teacher," I smiled, glancing over at Fandral. Loki didn't reply to that; We danced in silence for a few seconds. "You're tired," he said suddenly, a statement rather than a question.
"A little," I shrugged. Although I was having a great time, it had been a long day, and I wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and sleep. Then he was spinning me around, and I reluctantly let go of him and turned to the left to find myself face-to-face with Hogun.
"My Lady," Hogun nodded. I nodded back.
"Do you want to go somewhere quieter?" Loki said in my head as he danced with another.
"Yes," I replied with hesitation.
"After this is over, then. Wait for me in the corridor where we came in," Loki spoke. I giggled softly.
"What's so funny?" Hogun asked me, with a hint of a smile.
"Nothing," I replied, smiling broadly. "I'm just in a good mood, and I think the wine has finally hit me."

Chapter Text

- Yasmin's Pov -

The corridor was cooler than the hall; You could almost call it cold. I was leaning against the wall with my arms wrapped around myself, trying to look inconspicuous in case anyone happened to walk past. A few minutes went by, and I was starting to get bored, wondering if I had made some sort of mistake. Was I imagining that Loki asked me to meet him? No, Loki had definitely been talking to me. Unless there was someone else in the room whom he could communicate with through his mind. The thought made me feel vaguely sick. Just as I was thinking this, Loki walked out of the hall.
"Apologies, I got stuck talking to someone. Come on, quick," he said, not stopping. I wondered who he had been stuck talking to.
"And why did we have to be quick?"
"You'll see," was his reply, leading the way up a different staircase.
"Okay, now I am intrigued," I probed, wanting to find out more and trying to work out where we might be going, but it was impossible in this maze of a palace. Loki didn't reply. When he's like this, it is hard to tell what he's feeling. Annoyance, happy or murderous. It was hard to tell when he was practically speed-walking away from me. "What's wrong?" I asked, frowning.
"Nothing. Hurry up," I stopped. After a few paces, he stopped too and spun around to look at me, almost angrily. Thereafter followed a very intense staring contest, which only lasted about five seconds, and which I won. Loki's shoulders slumped, and he performed what was possibly the best eye roll I had ever seen him do and sighed dramatically, "Do you enjoy being so stubborn?" he asked, walking back towards me.
"Do you enjoy being so rude to people?" I countered, fighting down a smile.
"Yes," I tried to look at him disapprovingly, but I couldn't hold back the smile which ruined it. "Not to you, though. I'm sorry, it's just some of the people down there..." he said, glaring back down towards the hall, not finishing his sentence.
"Ah. That explained your mood," He looked back at me.
"Go back down if you want. This was--"
"Fuck no. One, I have to find out what this secret is we have to rush to and two, get me away from the dancing," I told him, pointing ahead down the corridor.
"Come on then," Loki said, and I was pleased to say that he seemed slightly cheered "I am sorry, I didn't mean to come across as rude," Loki sighed, walking alongside rather than ahead of me.
"I know. Who annoyed you, out of interest?" I asked casually.
"Who didn't?" he scowled, and I laughed. "Odin, for one. He can't seem to look at me without frowning. And then-- in here," he said suddenly, pointing to the door on my side of the corridor. I pushed it open. And stared. Loki carried on talking, but I didn't hear a word he said.

The library. Of course, it was the library, and it was huge, seeming even bigger because it was mostly shrouded in darkness now that the sun was going down.
"Whoa!" I said. Loki walked past me and beckoned me to follow. Imagine the library from Beauty and the Beast, but times it by three.
"This isn't what I wanted to show you, although it is lovely. I spent most of my childhood in here," he said. I smiled, imagining a tiny Loki sitting in here reading one of the massive books which lined the shelves.

I followed him through the dark, musty room, trying not to trip over or walk into anything. When I looked up again, Loki was gone.
"Loki?"
"Through here. You might have to duck," I heard him, but still couldn't see him, until a hand appeared behind one of the bookcases, which appeared to be pushed all the way against the wall but wasn't.
"Is this safe?" I asked doubtfully, peering at the rotten-looking wood behind the bookcase.
"Probably not," Loki replied before narrowing his eyes at me, "And since when do you care about safety?"
"...Okay, you have a point," I said, taking his hand and ducking behind the bookcase into the darkness. It was only dark for a second or two, and then, to my surprise, I was outside.

There was a balcony set into the wall, even though there was no door leading to it, only the small gap through which we had just clambered to reach it. The view was incredible, as it was from any of the palace balconies, but now the sky was painted pink by the crimson red sun, which was just disappearing below the horizon. The golden city was bathed in a pink glow. I walked to the edge of the balcony and stared, wanting to ingrain the view in my memory forever; it was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.
"It would have been better five minutes ago," Loki said, coming to stand next to me.
"It's still amazing," I exhaled.
"Yes, amazing," he replied. But he wasn't looking at the sunset.

A minute passed, maybe two, and we both watched the sun disappear below the horizon. Today had been great, but I had also discovered a lot of new things. And not great stuff. Loki had tried to kill Thor. Loki had killed his real father. Frigga had stolen my memories. Odin had possibly sent me as a child to Midgard to protect his right-hand man's reputation.
"Yasmin, what's wrong?" Loki asked.
"There's something I want to talk about," I said, turning to face him. I saw something flash behind his eyes.
"About?"
"My father told me that you... He told me that you killed your father," Saying it out loud like that to him, so bluntly and plainly, almost made it worse. Loki just looked at me, that perfect poker face remaining intact, unmoving. I could see past it, though, to the raging emotions behind his eyes. I just didn't know what emotion.
"Did he?" he finally said, turning away to look back out at the view.
"Did you?" I tilted my head.
"Yes," He said it without any emotion, just one word which held so much meaning. A long silence followed.
"Thor is awful at telling stories," I finally said, and Loki looked at me with an almost grateful expression.
"Did he tell you about Jane?"
"Who the fuck is Jane?" I exclaimed.
"That'll be a no, then," Loki smiled. I shook my head, waiting for an explanation. "He was in love with her. She is from Midgard," Loki explained. My mouth flapped open. I was flabbergasted. How had Thor never mentioned that? I felt slightly offended that he had left out so much of the story, but then again, it was a long time since he had told me anything. We had barely known each other back then.
"Will you tell me about it? Everything, that is, not Thor's version of everything, which wasn't everything at all," I asked Loki. He looked at me.
"Are you sure?"
"Well, yeah. Hence why I asked," I replied with a confused smile. Loki looked like he was struggling with something. "Please,"
"Okay. It's a long story."
"We have a long time," I countered. Loki moved to sit on the stone bench, which was the only other thing on the abandoned balcony, and I joined him. "Fuck, it's cold." The bench was freezing, and I shivered. A second later, Loki was holding a blanket and held it out to me. "Thanks," I smiled, unfolding it and wrapping it around my shoulders. "Tell me everything, and please do a better job than Thor."

And so he did. I had no idea how long I sat out there for, with him talking and me not interrupting, just listening. But by the time he was finished, the sun had gone down, and it was almost pitch black.

His version of events had been the same as Thor's, but from Loki's point of view, and contained the important parts Thor had left out. He got to the part where he, Thor and Odin had been on the Bifrost and stopped there.
"And then you know what happens next," he said.
"Thanos and the battle of New York," I said, and he nodded. Loki was watching me almost intently, even though neither of us was talking. "What? Is there something on my face?" I asked, looking straight back at him.
"No, nothing on your face. It's just... You and Thor are the only two who don't hate me," Loki sighed, looking at the floor. "I hope this hasn't changed anything between us," he sighed.
"Don't be stupid, the others don't hate you," I replied sharply, and received an unconvinced look in return. "Yes, it's taking some time for you to earn their trust, but that doesn't mean that they hate you."
"I'm not just talking about Stark and the rest. Everyone on Midgard knows what I did. A whole realm that considers me an enemy," I couldn't argue with that.
"Not everyone on Midgard hates you. You telling me a story that I already knew most of hasn't made me hate you if that's what you were worried about. You are still one of my favourite people," I told him matter-of-factly.
"Good," he said, and it sounded like he meant it.
"There's something else I need to tell you as well," I continued. My heart rate quickened as he turned and looked directly into my eyes. For the love of all things holy. Why could I not just say something... anything... Something stupid would have been better than this silence. I need to tell him that right at this moment in time, I would like nothing more than to throw myself into his arms and kiss him and make him mine and that I hated seeing him dance with those other girls earlier because I was in love with him. I swallowed hard. "It's about Odin." Loki's face remained totally impassive, apart from a raised eyebrow.
"What about the old man?"
"When I was with my parents earlier today, my father told me that there were rumours that I was actually Tyr's kid. My father said that they thought he may have sent me to Midgard to protect Tyr's reputation, and that's why he didn't want Frigga teaching me how to control my magic," I told him. Loki seemed lost in thought.
"Don't take this the wrong way. Is there any proof that you are not actually Tyr's child?" Loki asked.
"My great-grandmother was a sorceress; I get my magic from her," I said defensively.
"Okay! Just checking. It wouldn't surprise me, is all," he shrugged.
"You really think Tyr would do that to his wife?" I asked. I picked the skin around my fingernails.
"I don't know. Maybe," he said. It was really dark now; I could just make out Loki's pale features, close enough that I could have reached out and touched him if I wanted to. I watched as people started leaving the palace; the dancing must have finished.
"We should go back inside, it's bloody freezing," I said decisively, standing up with the blanket still wrapped around my shoulders.
"Is it?" Loki asked, not moving.
"Come on, Frosty," I sighed, walking backwards towards the gap in the wall. Loki sighed and stood up, following me back through the gap in the wall.

This time, the way back had been illuminated with my magic so that I didn't fall over. I walked out of the library and retraced my steps to the staircase by the hall, and then back to my room, neither of us speaking.
"So, how do you like Asgard?" Loki asked me as we reached my room.
"It's incredible. Today has been the most fun I have had in ages," I told him with a smile.
"Good. I thought you might like it here." Loki nodded and smiled.
"I love it. And I could get used to living in a palace and having my every need waited on." I said, looking around at the extravagant décor and high ceilings.
"Trust me, the novelty wears thin after a while. Especially when you go from royalty to being held in a cell down there." Loki told me, looking down as if he could see through the floor, his jaunty tone so clearly hiding something else. I smiled at him sadly.

There was a beat of silence, in which the mood swung from light-hearted to something else completely, and I noticed he was discreetly picking at the palm of one of his hands. He stopped the minute he saw me looking, and cleared his throat, appearing to almost brace himself.
"Does it really not bother you? Everything I've done?" he asked me.
"I may not fully understand some bits, but you're still you," I told him.
"Even though I'm a..." Loki whispered.
"I don't care. It doesn't matter." I told him firmly. He nodded, just staring at me.
"Did you hear me? Earlier, when we were at the table," he asked. My heart started beating slightly faster than necessary again.
"After Fandral called me--" I looked up at him.
"Exquisite," he finished the sentence, holding my gaze, suddenly serious. I don't think I could have looked away even if I had wanted to.
"I heard. I just wasn't sure if you had meant it or not," I said, my voice barely more than a whisper.
"Oh, I meant it," he told me. I smiled weakly, trying to remain calm. And then, he slowly reached out and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear, still looking right at me. "How could I not mean it?" I held my breath, wondering if my heart had stopped beating. I was frozen, stuck gazing into those crystal blue eyes, my mouth slightly open, not breathing. Loki took a step closer to me, letting his hand drop from behind my ear to graze my jaw, and I let out a swift exhalation, suddenly remembering that I needed to breathe. Had I been in a more observant state of mind, I might have noticed that his hand was shaking like a leaf, but as it was, I was so absorbed in his eyes I probably wouldn't have noticed if someone had set off a bomb in the corridor.
"Loki..." I breathed. He smiled at me, but his eyes were nervous, searching my face, and asking for permission. I had never actually been in a trance before. Vaguely wondering how much longer my legs were going to remain fully functioning, I answered Loki's unspoken question by lifting my face a fraction of a millimetre. I could hear a distant ringing in my ears as he hooked a finger under my chin and lifted it the rest of the way, and then my eyes were closing.
*Crash.*
Spell broken, we both turned towards the sound of something very large and expensive being broken.
"Volstagg, you oaf, that's an antique!" Thor shouted.
"It wasn't me!" Volstagg bellowed.
"It was you! You just fell into it!" Thor shouted.
"That is a false accusation!" The sounds of Thor and Volstagg yelling at each other while Fandral and Hogun roared with laughter reached my ears, and Loki's hand dropped back to his side as I started to laugh too, biting my lip as I looked down at the floor. As Thor and the Warriors Three appeared around the corner, roaring with laughter and extremely drunk, Loki stepped away from me and turned to face them instead.
"I think I'm gonna disappear before drunk Fandral spots me," Loki nodded, not looking at me, glaring down the corridor. A muscle was going in his jaw.
"I should probably go and fix, uh, whatever that was," he said, sounding actually flustered.
"Yeah, good idea. I'll... urm... see you tomorrow." I said, backing into my room, unable to look at him. Loki nodded distractedly and then strode off, ignoring Thor's overjoyed greeting.

I waited a while, until the sounds of Thor and the others had completely disappeared, and then sank to the floor with my back against the door, letting my emotions run riot.
"Holy fucking shit,"

Chapter Text

- Yasmin's Pov -

Despite not being able to fall asleep for a while after I went into my room, I slept surprisingly well. It was no mystery to me why that was. I woke up early because the sun had just come up when I got out of bed. It had taken me a second to realise that what had happened last night hadn't been a dream, and when I did, I couldn't suppress the massive grin which spread across my face.

After an hour, I remembered the promise I had made to my parents about visiting them again before I returned home. I got dressed and made my way through the palace (assuming I was allowed to leave), eventually managing to find my way out after several wrong turns.

There was hardly anyone around as I made my way to my childhood home. I once again found myself struck by the sheer beauty of Asgard. I loved it here, and as much as I missed my friends and the tower, I wasn't ready to leave yet.

Luckily, my parents were up and answered the door when I knocked, inviting me in for breakfast. I spent the best part of the morning there.
"I wish you could stay for a little while longer," Mother said as Father placed the fruit on the table.
"It is a beautiful realm," I glanced out the window.
"Will Loki be going back with you?" Father asked as he poured some water.
"We do work together on Midgard, so I would assume so," I nodded. Mother and Father looked at each other. I rolled my eyes. "I don't have to read minds to know what you are thinking. Loki is changing. He is not the asshole he once was. While he might not officially be an Avenger, he is working with them to right the wrongs that he has done. You don't have to like him, but at least give him a chance," I snapped. I could have said more, but then there was a knock at the door a few hours later, "I'll get it,"

As I opened the door, Thor stood on the other side. And he did not look good. He didn't suit being hungover.
"Hey there, Sparkles," I smiled as I spoke loudly. Thor's face scrunched up. My parents stood behind me and were in total shock at how I was speaking to Thor as they bowed and curtsied.
"Please, not so loudly," Thor grumbled.
"Oh, I am sorry. Is someone feeling fragile?" I patted Thor's massive arm. He took a deep breath in and loudly exhaled, "Not even sorry. How can I help you?"
"Lady Yasmin, it is almost time for us to depart. I'm to escort you back to the palace," he winced as he covered his eyes from the sun.
"Sure, can we have a minute?" I asked, and he nodded and stepped away from the door.

My father pushed it shut. My mother cried again, saying goodbye and was adamant that I had to visit regularly.
"I will do my best," I smiled.
"Please, be careful around Loki," my father asked, right as I was about to leave. I rolled my eyes.
"Just give him a chance to prove he can change. But to ease your hearts, I will be careful," I had to leave quickly before I got emotional.

Thor didn't say a word to me as we walked back up to the palace, sensing that I wasn't in a talking mood. And he probably had a splitting headache. I wondered how much the literal God of Thunder had to drink before he got drunk enough to have a hangover the next day.

The throne room was less daunting without Odin sitting on the throne; Frigga was talking to Loki at the bottom of the steps leading up to the huge golden seat. When I reached them. I received a glance of acknowledgement from Loki, nothing more. Which was more than could be said for Thor. I could sense the anger Loki felt towards Thor just from standing near him. I struggled not to feel happy about it. He was angry because Thor had interrupted the two of us last night.
"Lady Yasmin, I'm so sorry this visit was tainted with bad news. I hope you can forgive Odin and me for what we had to do, and know that you are always welcome here on Asgard," Frigga was saying, and I snapped out of my daydream to listen to what she was saying.
"Thank you," I said simply, neither confirming nor denying that I would forgive them. It wasn't as though Odin was overly bothered, having not even shown up to say goodbye. I wouldn't forgive them completely, but I wasn't about to say that to her face, especially when she was looking at me with such kindness and concern. I expected that she already knew.
"And before you go, I'm aware there has been some speculation about the fact that Tyr may be your father." At this, Thor turned to look at Frigga incredulously, but she held up a hand, "I want to assure you that this is not the case. Your parents are your biological parents, as I'm sure they reassured you,"
"They did. I do not doubt them," I found out from a very drunk Volstagg last night that Tyr cannot have children. He had his balls smashed in about 3000 years ago. "But thank you for the reassurance," I said, unsure of how else to reply. Frigga smiled sadly at me and turned to say goodbye to her two sons.
"Be sure to visit again," Frigga smiled as she hugged her sons. Both said they would soon.

I followed Thor back the way we had come, taking one last look back at the magnificent throne room, but I was glad to be escaping outside. Loki caught my gaze as I turned and half smiled at me, not looking directly at me.
"Have you ever seen him this hungover?" I asked Loki in my head as I slowed down: an invitation. He accepted, coming to walk beside me.
"Yes, it's not pretty, is it?"
"Makes me want to mess with him," I smiled. Loki tried not to smirk.
"Come on, let's go home," Loki chuckled.
"The God of Mischief turning down a chance to cause mischief? Now I am in shock," I placed a hand over my heart, feigning shock.
"Wait till we get back to the tower. Tis because my mother has eyes and ears everywhere and does not want to get in trouble with her," Loki admitted.

As we exited the palace and walked back the way I had come only yesterday, I found myself thinking that yesterday felt like a lifetime ago. So much had happened in the last day.
"Lady Yasmin, wait!" I turned at the sound of my name being called to see Fandral rushing towards me, flanked by Volstagg and Hogun. Loki groaned exaggeratedly, and I tried not to smile. "You weren't going to leave without saying goodbye, were you?" he asked when he reached me, looking concerned.
"I thought you would be too hungover for me to say goodbye," I sighed. Thor approached to say goodbye to his friends, and Fandral drew me to one side, away from the others.
"It has been a pleasure, Lady Yasmin. I hate to see you leave so soon."
"I know, but my place is on Midgard, not here," I told him, not breaking eye contact and hoping he would understand.
"I understand. Very well, safe travels," he said, looking vaguely disappointed, kissing my hand yet again.
"Thank you, and I'm sorry," I smiled. I felt a little guilty to let him down, but it had to be done.
"Do not worry, my fair maiden. Tis but a mere moment in our long life. Maybe in another life. But tis water under the bridge. I wish you all the happiness in the world," he said firmly, waving his hand as if it had happened longer ago than ten seconds.

I returned to the group, determinedly ignoring Loki's pointed looks and said goodbye to Volstagg and Hogun, asking that they say goodbye to Sif for me. They agreed that they would. No one said goodbye to Loki.

This time, only two horses were waiting for us, instead of three. The same thought flashed through both mine and Loki's heads at the same time, and we couldn't help but laugh, causing Thor to turn and frown in confusion.
"What is so funny?"
"Nothing," I replied. Loki was smiling.
"Do you want to ride with me?" Loki asked me.
"I think that would probably be a good idea," I grinned, looking at Thor, who was standing contemplating his horse unenthusiastically, "He is not having a good day and I do not fancy being thrown up on," Loki swung himself up on to the horse, and then turned to offer me a hand to help me up behind him. I grabbed his arm and managed to seat myself behind him on my first try without making too much of a fool of myself.
"Nicely done. We'll get you riding sooner than you think," Loki smirked playfully. I realised I didn't know where to put my hands. Thor was slowly making his way to the top of his horse, and when he got there, he had to have a rest, looking rather out of breath.
"Is it wrong that I want to leave him behind?" I asked Loki.
"Not at all," Loki shook his head, turning the horse around to face the Bifrost and doing something with his feet to make it go forward. Trying and failing not to laugh at Thor, who did not look like a God of Thunder at this moment. I was surprised by the movement and grabbed onto the thing nearest to me. Which just so happened to be Loki, "You've never ridden a horse before?" he asked; I could hear the smile in his voice.
"City girl all the way," I beamed.

Eventually, the sound of hooves behind us confirmed that Thor had managed to make his horse move at least. I twisted around to look at him and then immediately wished that I hadn't when he raised his eyebrows and pulled a face, nodding towards Loki. I retaliated by mouthing something I probably shouldn't have at him, and then ignored his outraged response with an innocent smile, directing my gaze instead back at the palace and Asgard, which was slowly getting smaller. I would miss it here, but I missed my bed.

Heimdall was waiting for us at the end of the Bifrost, his expression deadpan as usual as he watched us approach and dismount our horses. Loki dismounted first and then helped me down from the horse; the feel of his strong hands on my forearms distracted me so much that I forgot to laugh at Thor as he half fell off his horse. I walked to the spot where we had arrived, and Heimdall followed me to take his place at the top of the golden podium-like structure in the centre of the huge sphere-shaped room.
"Farewell, Heimdall," Thor said, saluting him.
"I have a feeling we will see each other again soon. Sooner than you might think," Heimdall responded; Thor looked up at him, confusion flashing across his features. Before I could say anything, however, Heimdall was opening the Bifrost, and the whole room started moving and spinning. Would I be alright on my own? I did not have to be worried, however, because Loki's arm was around me in an instant, and I grabbed onto him in relief slightly faster than was necessary. He chuckled, and I scowled up at him, only to have the breath knocked out of me when I found myself at such close quarters with him.
"I recommend keeping your eyes open this time," Loki whispered as I felt my feet leave the ground, and I squeezed my eyes tight shut, instinctively tightening my hold on Loki.

The falling sensation in my stomach and the sudden loud roaring in my ears confirmed that I was hurtling back to Earth, through space, which gave me no inclination whatsoever to open my eyes.
"Darling, I've got you. Open your eyes," Loki whispered in my head. Retaining my death grip on Loki, curiosity got the better of me, and I peeked my eyes open.
"Oh. My. God," I whispered. The sensation was still horrible, but the sight of space, infinite space and stars and planets was almost enough to make up for it. Loki, Thor and I were encased in a literal rainbow; if I looked up, I could see it stretching as far as I could see, the colours glittering and merging as I was transported away to a different realm. Looking down, I could see Thor, and then suddenly there was Earth, getting closer and closer until I was approaching it at such speed that I had to close my eyes again.

My feet hit the ground, and I stumbled, letting go of Loki from the impact. We were back on the roof of the Avengers Tower, and it was bright and cold. Thor was bent double a few feet away, looking vaguely green, eyes shut. I sat down on the floor and put my head between my knees, concentrating on breathing, and more importantly, not throwing up.
"Look at you two. It's as if you are not used to hurtling between realms at unholy speeds." Loki smirked.
"FYI... I'm not used to this. This is my second time," I lifted my head and scowled at him again, and Thor just made a noncommittal sound, unmoving.
"Come on, it's cold," Loki said to me, holding out a hand.
"Sure thing, Frosty." Smiling, I took it and let him pull me to my feet, and at that moment, there was a loud bang from the doorway which led to the stairwell.

Tony stumbled onto the roof, looking first relieved and then extremely confused as he clocked Loki and me hand in hand and then did a double glance at Thor. He looked like he'd just recently stepped out of a washing machine.
"Tony!" I swiftly dropped Loki's hand and smiled a bit too innocently at Tony. I grinned as I started making my way towards him. Steve and Bucky appeared behind him, closely followed by the rest of the team, all of whom looked overly happy to see me after only a day.
"Where have you been?!" Tony yelled, and I stopped walking in confusion as he rushed towards me and pulled me into a tight hug.
"Asgard," I replied, returning the hug in confusion, "Why? What was going on?"
"You said you would be gone for a day or two!" he said accusingly, glaring over my shoulder at Loki as if this was somehow all his fault.
"We were. Weren't we?" I asked, a sudden sinking feeling appearing in my chest, "How long were we gone for?"
"You've been gone for over a month, Yasmin. It's Christmas Eve," Tony spoke, holding me away from him by the shoulders and scanning my face as if he were looking for signs of damage. He had been worried about me. They all had. The thought of them all being worried about me made my chest swell with a feeling which wasn't entirely unpleasant. Quite the opposite.
"Time moves unpredictably between realms. Odd for it to have moved so quickly, though," Loki commented from behind me, and I turned to see him leading Thor towards the stairwell, "He needs to get inside, quickly."
"What did you do to him?" Steve asked in trepidation as Thor walked mutely past everyone, nodding in a way of greeting as if he was afraid to open his mouth.
"He's hungover," Loki and I both explained quickly, seeing Loki practically bristle in indignation and wanting to avoid a confrontation.

In the elevator, Nat squeezed my hand quickly and discreetly, with a look which told me she was glad that I was alright. I squeezed back and smiled gratefully. Once in the living room area, I saw that it was half past eleven in the morning on the 24th of December and that travelling between realms made me very hungry.

I sat in the living room eating from a massive plate of toast Bucky had made while I talked, and watched the others steal slices from it as I told them everything. Well, almost everything. Occasionally, a slice of toast would disappear from the plate on the coffee table, and I looked over to see Loki sitting on the kitchen counter, chewing inconspicuously.
"What? Travelling makes me hungry," Loki shrugged. I smiled. Eventually, I got bored with answering questions about Asgard and asked about what had happened while I had been away. And it turns out that nothing had happened. There had been no missions. Nat said that she had been bored without anyone capable of training, earning glares from both Clint and Steve.
"Well, I hope none of you have bought me Christmas presents, because if I was unorganised before, I'm definitely unorganised now," I grinned around the room, and luckily, everyone assured me that they hadn't got me anything either.
"Your present to me can be training a bit later on," Nat smiled at me, and I eagerly agreed. Amazing and beautiful as Asgard had been, I was glad to be home.

Chapter Text

- Yasmin's Pov -

What Nat failed to mention was that 'a bit later on' meant almost immediately, and so half an hour later, we were in a training room stretching before we got started.
"So, a royal dance in an Asgardian palace, huh? Meet anyone you liked the look of up there?" Nat teased, and I rolled my eyes at her.
"Hardly," I scoffed and then felt bad as I remembered Fandral. While he was charming, my heart belonged to someone else. "There was this one guy, but he was very eager. And I doubt a long-distance relationship between two realms would work out anyway," I grinned.
"Honestly, you go to Asgard for a day and you're already talking like them. Realms," she laughed.
"Two things. One, I call them realm because that is what they're called, and two, I talk like them because I am from Asgard," I said defensively. Nat placed a hand on my shoulder.
"I'm joking, it's great that you got to see where you're from and meet your parents. Odin sounds like a dick, though," she said.
"Oh, He is," I agreed, waiting for a lightning bolt to strike me down. It didn't.
"So this eager guy. What's his name?" Nat asked.
"Fandral," I replied, straightening up and reaching to tie my hair back.
"And how does Loki feel about Fandral?" I faltered, turning my gaze to Nat. She had this smirk on her face.
"And what's that supposed to mean?" I asked, already feeling myself turning red.
"Come on, I know you can read my mind," she grinned.
"If you insist," I grinned back mischievously, delving into her mind. She knew that I liked Loki. And she thought that he liked me back, "Like seemed like such a trivial word." The dislike that she still felt for Loki was prominent, too, but I pushed that aside. I could see flashes of memories: me and Loki smiling at each other, and him watching me across the room - that rare smile I hardly ever got to see, but loved so much. And then there was another thing, "You guys made a bet?!" I asked, outraged as I withdrew from Nat's mind. She blinked a few times before replying, recovering from having her thoughts intruded upon.
"Yes, we did," I covered my face, groaning loudly, "Did you kiss him, or did he kiss you?" she asked. She was being serious.
"Not that it's any of your business, but we didn't kiss," I replied indignantly. Nat looked outraged, "I can't believe you lot!"
"It was Bucky's idea. Tony obviously wasn't happy about it; he's in denial, but we all know what's happening between you two. In fact, none of us is very happy about it. Why did you have to go for him of all people?" she replied, moving to stand in the middle of the room and gesturing for me to follow.
"You sound like my parents," I rolled my eyes, "Maybe you lot don't have all the facts," I suggested, following her to the centre of the room.
"I think the fact that he has murdered a load of people and tried to kill every one of us here speaks for itself," she told me, not joking anymore.
"And you haven't wanted to kill a teammate or two?" I crossed my arms, "Maybe you should reserve your judgment until you've listened to what he has to say for himself. It might make you think about him a bit differently,"
"Maybe you're right. Even so, it's clear to see that you're crazy about him, and he's crazy about you. Hence the bet," she replied.
"Out of interest, who bet what?" I asked, slightly cautiously.
"Everyone bet that he would kiss you apart from Tony." I didn't know whether to be offended or not that no one thought I would have the guts to kiss him first. But I wouldn't blame them, I didn't have the courage. "You're not telling me something. What happened up there?" I looked at Nat, who was now regarding me with suspicion. She wasn't going to let me get away with this one.
"We might have almost kissed,"

My training session very quickly turned into a gossip session, which lasted for just under an hour and a half. After my lengthy chat, I decided to do some actual training, which meant that we were in the training room for a total of over three hours, and when I emerged back upstairs, I was hungry again.

I had a quick shower and made my way back to the kitchen on the hunt for food; then I sat eating the massive sandwich I had made myself in front of the TV in the company of Bucky and Clint. The afternoon passed quickly, and soon everyone apart from Thor and Loki was gathered around the TV. Tony had cracked open some champagne and announced that it was steak for dinner, in honour of it being Christmas Eve. At about five pm, Thor made an appearance, earning a slightly tipsy cheer from everyone. He sat next to me on the sofa and waved away the champagne he was being offered, still looking quite queasy.

I was on my third Christmas film of the day (I had to make up for being gone for most of December), Tony was wearing a Christmas apron and chef hat in the kitchen with his sous chef Pepper, who had insisted on helping with the steaks in case he 'burnt the whole tower down' (He once burnt salad. Don't ask how,) and there was talk of a game of monopoly later on which I was thoroughly looking forward to. I was utterly content. Well, almost content. Someone was missing.
"Loki?"
"I wondered how long it would be before you asked. I'm not joining you."
"Please? It will be fun. I bet you've never even tried steak before," I mentally pleaded.
"It's just meat. I've eaten meat before,"
"It's really, really nice meat," He was smiling at that. I just knew.
"Please. For me?" I begged.
"It's not exactly my scene. And they don't want me there,"
"I want you there," I said softly. "Please, I need you to be my board game partner later. We can cheat at that and beat them all?"
"Yasmin..."

Safe to say that I won that conversation.

And it turns out that Loki had never had steak before, and he quite liked it. As we ate the food, everyone was complimenting Tony and Pepper on the food, but mostly Pepper, who had taken over when Tony had almost dropped the tray of tomatoes that were to be cooked along with the steak and cut his finger so badly it had bled through three plasters. For dessert, there was ice cream, tubs of it, which was devoured by the ten of us. Loki discovered a newfound love for strawberry ice cream that night.

I insisted on helping with the dishes, using my magic to speed up the process considerably, and then Tony left the room and returned triumphantly with Monopoly, which was met with various degrees of enthusiasm.
"Alright, pair up," Tony instructed, setting the game down on the coffee table. Tony and Pepper, Nat and Clint, Steve and Bucky, and Loki and I squashed ourselves onto the sofas around the board; Thor had eaten an obscene amount of food and was currently snoozing on the floor with a pillow under his head. (Pretty sure he was sucking his thumb) And Bruce was happy to look on as the banker.
"This had better be worth it," Loki was looking at the board and cards unenthusiastically. And I was hyper-aware of how close I was to him on the sofa.
"It will. We'll win. We just need to be careful."
"Who says we'll have to cheat?"
"We are playing with two spies and Tony. Just wait," The rules were briefly explained for the benefit of Steve, Buck and Loki, and then the game began.

It got heated very quickly.
"You can collect rent when you're in jail! Look in the rules, it says--" someone yelled. I think it was Barton.
"Too late, sorry, Tony already rolled." Bruce sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"No! Go back, that's cheating!"

This went on for about two and a half hours; Loki and I got an hour in before we started to lose money fast and had to have a diplomatic discussion through our minds.
"Now, can we cheat?" I sighed, trying not to look at Loki.
"We are going to have to because you're losing so fast that we won't be here past midnight."
"Try and be less snappy if you mind," Loki decided that it was in our best interests to start stealing 100 notes out of the bank using illusions and a few times even from Nat and Clint's pile (They were the ones currently winning) when they threw the dice before poor Steve or Bucky had time to realise someone had landed on their property. Inevitably, they were out first, and then Nat and Clint when they landed on Tony and Pepper's Oxford Street with a hotel.

It got to eleven pm before Pepper and I managed to convince Loki and Tony that we had run out of hotels, and it was time to count the money and see who had the most to announce the winner. 'Shockingly, Loki and I had the most, which Tony was most unamused with and resorted to reminding everyone of how much money he had in real life, so technically he had won the only monopoly that really mattered: real-life monopoly. That did nothing to wipe the smug smirk off of Loki's face.
"You realise we cheated our win, don't you?" Narrowed my eyes.
"But we won,"
"Yeah, by cheating,"
"But we've got to beat Stark. I'll take the win," I decided to give up and let Loki take the win, deserved or not.

Thor went to bed first, despite the protests from everyone else that he should stay until midnight. Twelve o'clock came and went, and it was Christmas Day. With the prospect of a long day tomorrow, everyone else followed in Thor's footsteps and started to leave the room; I was torn between wanting to go to bed and wanting to be alone with Loki for a bit. I hadn't spoken about last night yet. I didn't know whether I wanted to or not.

Eventually, my nerves got the better of me, and I stood up and announced that I was going to bed. Nat, Bruce and Loki were the only ones left in the room at this point, and following my announcement, Nat and Bruce swiftly stood up and said goodnight too. I felt unnecessarily nervous and a bit guilty as I followed them from the room, leaving Loki on his own in the living room.
"Yasmin?" I stopped and turned around slowly. Why was my heart pounding?
"Yeah," I replied, trying to slow my heart rate. Loki stood up and beckoned me over, walking towards the window.
"You should take a look at this," Confused now, I crossed the room to stand next to him at the window and looked outside. It was snowing.
"Snow! This is so cool, it'll be a white Christmas," I enthused, watching the snow fall thick and fast outside the window. How had I not noticed it before?
"Midgard is odd. It's just frozen rain and yet everyone will think it's some sort of miracle," Loki said, shaking his head.
"Loki, it's Christmas Day. Could you try to refrain from making unnecessary sarcastic comments for just one day?" I teased.
"I suppose. But the whole concept of Christmas is just baffling. Why is there a tree over there? And why are there plants hanging from the ceiling?" he asked, gesturing towards the mistletoe Bucky had insisted on hanging in almost every doorway in the tower. Why did he have to bring up the mistletoe?
"That plant hanging up is mistletoe. People are meant to kiss under it, I don't know why or what the story behind it is," I said, turning my gaze back to the falling snow outside. "If you ask me, it's kind of..." I trailed off as I caught sight of something happening above my head in the reflection of the window. Slowly, I lifted my head up and stared at it for a moment, confused. I saw the mistletoe growing from the ceiling above my head as if by magic. Specifically, Green magic. Something weird was happening in my chest. Like someone had stolen the air from my lungs. Or was it common sense leaving me?

Eventually, I remembered that Loki was actually standing next to me and dropped my gaze from the ceiling to his face. He was blushing.
"Kind of what?" he prompted me, searching my face in the same manner as he had the previous night, like he was trying to find something. I was certain that my ribcage was about to explode. There was a loud thundering noise in my ears. Suddenly, I was overcome by the overwhelming urge to laugh and erupted into giggles. Loki's face split into a relieved, almost apologetic grin. He took a tentative step towards me, and as he did so, I was flooded with a sudden surge of utter adoration towards him. I loved him. And if he didn't make a move very soon... I wasn't going to be held responsible for my actions. I bit my lip as I stopped laughing, and when I looked back at him, his eyes were fixated on my lips.
"Kiss me," Loki was staring at me as though I was some exotic creature he had never seen before in his life, a small smile still tugging at the edge of his mouth.
"Kiss you?" Loki teased, cocking an eyebrow as he took a step forward to close the gap between us. Then his hands were reaching for my waist and pulling me towards him, and my arms were circling around his neck, and he stopped as our lips were mere centimetres apart.
"What are you waiting for?" I whispered, feeling increasingly lightheaded. Loki smirked at me and then leaned down, closing his eyes and brushing his lips against mine. It was barely a kiss, but if he hadn't been holding on to me, I felt sure I would have been knocked off my feet. When I opened my eyes, he was resting his forehead against mine, gazing softly at me.
"Yasmin," That did it. Hearing him say my name like that, in a sort of hoarse whisper, tipped me over the edge, and I pressed my lips against his, hard. Loki kissed me back readily, his hands sliding from my waist up to the small of my back, crushing me against him.

After a while, it suddenly hit me: I was actually kissing him. And he was kissing me back. I laughed into the kiss, or it might have been a relieved sob. Either way, suddenly Loki wasn't kissing me anymore, and I reluctantly opened my eyes as he pulled away.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"Nothing," I breathed, smiling. "Nothing has ever been less wrong, ever."
"Good," he said, and then he was kissing me again, and I was in heaven, surely this was heaven.

After another unspecified amount of time, I suddenly remembered that I needed to breathe; I pulled away and gasped, feeling more than slightly elated. Loki was smiling, keeping a tight hold on me. When the thundering in my ears had decreased slightly, I looked back at Loki, still trying to remember how to breathe. He was looking at me in such a way that I thought that I might just melt into a puddle on the floor.
"Are you okay?" I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. I just stood there blinking at him, wondering how and why this beautiful god had decided to kiss me, of all people. I would have to rely on my mind.
"My vocal cords appeared to be broken. But yes, I am okay," His smile stretched wider, and I smiled too when he closed his eyes and rested his forehead against me, squeezing me gently.

Chapter Text

- Yasmin's Pov -

I do not know how long we stood there like that, just holding each other next to the window, but I was sure that neither of us wanted to move. Ever. Apart from that, after about five minutes, my arms started to cramp, so we moved to the sofa instead.

As we sat down, Loki took my hands in his, and I smiled at him, only to become instantly concerned when I saw that he was looking at me seriously.
"That was..." he nodded towards where we had just been standing at the window and fought to find the words, which I couldn't help but feel quite smug about. "Amazing," he finally concluded, looking back at me. I smiled nervously. There was a but coming. "But I just... I need you to be sure. I need you to be certain that this is what you want, because-"
"I am," I interrupted, and he swallowed, still looking unsure.
"Are you? You've been drinking, and I don't know whether..." he was rambling. I have never heard him do that before; he was usually so literate and composed. While he talked, I was suddenly struck with an idea. I only hesitated for a moment before letting my mind open fully, completely, for what was perhaps the first time since I found out that Loki could hear my thoughts. There was hardly any need for that now. As I let go, I experienced a blissful sort of relaxation descending upon me; it was as if I had a headache that I didn't realise was there, but now it was gone, and I felt a million times lighter. Loki faltered in his explanation as he realised what I was doing.
"You want to know how sure I am?" I asked, feeling oddly calm about letting someone into my mind with no filter. I trusted him. "Read it."
"Are you sure?" his voice was so clear in my mind than before. It made me smile. I nodded, closing my eyes, my hands still encased in his. It felt weird when he entered my mind. Not unpleasant exactly, just odd, but I'll soon get used to it.

After a few minutes, the feeling disappeared, and I opened my eyes to see Loki looking so totally shell-shocked that I burst out laughing.
"I... You... Since..." he stuttered, staring at me in disbelief, and I just nodded, unable to stop smiling. After a few more seconds of this, he abruptly pulled me towards him and kissed me again. Time became extraordinarily irrelevant while I was kissing him, so again I wasn't sure how long it lasted, only when he pulled away, this time I would have much rather he didn't. I made a noise of protest and opened my eyes; he was frowning in concentration, listening?
"What is it?"
"Someone's coming."
"Shit," I said aloud in a sort of shout-whisper and made to get up from the sofa, but Loki pulled me back down swiftly, and I felt an illusion descend over the two of us as the sound of footsteps reached my ears. I was half lying down, practically on top of Loki on the sofa, now invisible, and I had to bite my lip to stop myself from laughing when I thought of what Tony would think if he knew what was going on. "Oh no. What was Tony going to say?" Actually, I knew exactly what he was going to say. He was going to go off on one. Loki met my gaze, having heard what I had thought and cocked an eyebrow.
"Who cares what Stark thinks?"
"Me!" The footsteps had now entered the room, and someone was now padding barefoot around the kitchen. I tried to work out who it was from the sound of their movements. "I wonder who it is?"
"It's Barton,"
"How can you tell?" I narrowed my eyes.
"I can hear him hating me." I rolled my eyes.
"He doesn't hate you,"
"Yes, He does, and with good reason," I didn't have an answer for that one.

After another minute or two, Clint left the kitchen, and Loki waited until it was silent again before lifting the illusion, and we both sat up.
"How are we gonna tell the others?" I asked nervously.
"Simple. We won't," Loki replied simply, wrapping his arm over the back of the sofa. "Why do we have to? For starters, what is going on between us has nothing to do with them, and secondly, surely they'll work it out for themselves sooner or later," he countered. I conceded, deciding to let it drop for the moment.
"Isn't your turn now anyway?" I grinned, prodding at his head, referring to him opening his mind to me. He hesitated "Sorry... you don't have to," I backtracked quickly.
"Darling, I want to. I'm not trying to hide anything from you, I promise. It might just... take some time," Loki said to me, looking at me in concern as if that wasn't perfectly fine.
"You don't have some secret lover back on Asgard that you're not telling me about, do you?" I joked, and his face split into a relieved smile.
"No. It would appear that you do, though," he added with a pointed smile, thinking of Fandral as he spoke. I whacked him on the arm playfully.
"Fandral's not my type," I told him as I narrowed my eyes. Loki smiled.
"I hated watching you dance with him," he continued, suddenly serious, shifting so that we were sitting closer together.
"I hated watching you dancing with those Asgardian girls," I scowled.
"But you weren't watching me. I was too caught up with Fandral. I was only dancing with them because I couldn't stand watching you dancing with anyone else," Loki insisted.
"What's this? Could it be jealousy? Surely not," I teased, smirking.
"I wasn't jealous. Slightly... envious, perhaps," he corrected me.
"You do know that envious means the same thing as jealousy?" I laughed.
"... maybe I was jealous," Loki admitted. I couldn't believe my ears.
"Why, though? You had your pick of the girls in that room," I grinned, only half joking.
"Why was I jealous that he was dancing with you?" Loki asked, suddenly looking at me rather intensely. I couldn't do anything other than nod "Where to begin? When I first got here, to Midgard, you were the only interesting one here, not to mention the only one besides Thor who wouldn't rather I were dead." I made some sort of protest, but Loki ignored me "The fact that I couldn't read your mind drew me to you, and then two days later, you were asking me to throw a knife at you. You knew what I had done, who I was, and you handed me that knife and told me to throw it at you,"
"And you did throw it," I reminded him.
"You asked me to," he countered, smiling when I laughed.
"I'm trying to prove a point here. I couldn't read your mind. You asked me to throw a knife at you. You threw yourself down nine flights of stairs in training behind Thor's back and broke both your legs. You watched a bomb go off in a building, and your first thought was to run towards it and try and hold the building up on your own."
"You had to save me from that one," I said.
"Yes, but that is not the point. Yasmin... You're amazing. Not to mention you are the most stunningly gorgeous creature I have ever laid my eyes on," Loki told me, and my face flamed red under his gaze.
"You're going to have to up your game, I'm afraid. Fandral told me I was--"
"Exquisite, yes, I am aware," he smiled.
"Well, point proven, I guess," I muttered, my skin still unbelievably bright red. Thankfully, it was still dark in the room.
"Good," he said, leaning back in satisfaction.
"So mistletoe, huh? How long had you been planning that one? Hmm?" I asked. Now it was his turn to go slightly red.
"For about five minutes before it happened," he admitted.
"So you do know the tradition," I smirked. Loki rolled his eyes.
"Of course. The story comes from Norse mythology in Midgard. I'm part of it," Loki informed me, with a slight bitterness in his tone.
"I'm guessing you don't come off well in the story?" I asked and received a stoic smile in return. I reached out to take his hands in mine and stop the stream of thoughts, but he withdrew his hands before I could touch them. "To me, it would seem that you don't come well in any Norse Mythology. They blamed you for nearly everything."
"It would appear so," Loki mumbled.
"It does not matter to me. Your past does not matter. What matters is now and the future. Your past does not scare me." I sighed, reaching up to run my fingers through Loki's hair.
"How can you absolve me of everything I've done so readily?" he asked me; the guilt he felt was now clear for me to see in his eyes. I wished the others could see this side of him; maybe they would finally forgive him, if only partially. But he would never show vulnerability in front of any of them, not like this. That triggered the memory of seeing his scars, and I now realised that he was covering them with an illusion still.
"Your scars, you're covering them," I said, momentarily forgetting the question he had asked me. If he was thrown by the sudden change of topic, he didn't show it. He just shrugged.
"Force of habit,"
"You don't have to hide them. In front of me or the others," I told him sincerely.
"It's just easier like this," he replied, in a tone which suggested it might be wise for me to change the subject.
"Back to what you had said earlier... I'm not absolving you of anything. I don't know how you can blame yourself wholly for what happened here when it wasn't--"
"But it was," he insisted.
"Physically, yes. But back on Asgard, you told me that he, the walking, talking grape ballbag toxic twatwaffle who we shall not name because that cockwomble doesn't deserve to be named... altered your memories. And you were being controlled by the stone in that staff thing," Loki smiled, even if it looked painful. "And I don't care what it is called. So how can you say that it was you, truly?" Loki blamed himself entirely. Even after all that he had to endure. He shook his head mutely. I hated listening to him loathing himself. I decided to put a stop to it, scooting across the sofa to lean against him and take his hands in mine. He pulled them away from me again, but this time it was to shift into a position where he could wrap his arms around me, tight "You're not a bad person, Loki," I whispered, pressing my face against his arm. He just shook his head, resting his chin against the top of my head "You jumped in front of a bullet for me. That doesn't make you a bad person." I felt his head jerk up at that.
"You know about that?"
"Yeah, Bucky saw you," I twisted around to look up at him. He was frowning lightly "I don't think I ever said thank you for that," I said, making him look at me, our faces inches apart.
"It was nothing," he told me, the corner of his mouth quirking up as I scowled good-naturedly.
"And listen, I almost killed a man when I was a child, so if you're going to insist upon being a bad person for something that wasn't entirely your fault, then we can start a club," I sighed, making him laugh involuntarily, his chest vibrating with the noise next to my head. Was it possible to hear him laugh like that and not smile? I doubted it.

I was silent for a while. I curled against him with his arms around me and my head on his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat in utter contentment.
"Question... Did Thor say anything to you about us being soulmates?" Loki asked after a while, emphasising the word as if it made him nervous.
"Yeah, he did. Did you know about the superstition?" I replied.
"Yes. But I never even thought about it until he mentioned it. I don't know if I believe in it or not," he said.
"Same. When you got shot back at the party... I didn't see you, but I knew something had happened. It was in my chest, I couldn't breathe properly," I told him, thinking back to how awful the feeling had been.
"I haven't had anything like that. Except when you were kidnapped on that mission. I thought something was wrong before the others got back, and I was right. I don't know if that has anything to do with it, though," Loki said, his arms tightening around me an infinitesimal amount. I smiled at the thought of him worrying about me all those weeks ago. "I looked in the library when we were on Asgard; mother said there might be some books with information about the myth. I only found one; it was quite vague, but it said that the connection isn't noticeable until the two people meet. That's when it starts to get stronger. That would explain why you didn't feel anything when I've been in danger before," he continued, and I nodded, intrigued.
"And here I thought Thor was just saying it to try and set us up," I grinned and practically heard Loki roll his eyes.
"I wouldn't put it past him. My brother is a nightmare."
"He loves you. And I know you love him too," I said, smiling when he huffed in indignation. But there was no counterargument.
"What if we are actually soulmates? What happens?" I asked
"I don't know. Nothing, I suppose. Apart from the fact that we'll always know when the other is in danger or feeling a particularly strong emotion, and according to that book, if the connection is really strong when one of the pair dies, the other will feel like a part of them is dead or missing too," Loki said.
"That's a bit morbid. Did you have to tell me that?"
"It doesn't matter; neither of us is going to die anytime soon," Loki sighed. I slapped his arm playfully.
"Don't jinx it!" I exclaimed in horror.
"Saying it won't jinx it,"
"It might,"
"You're ridiculous," Loki said, smiling at me fondly.
"Well, you're stuck with me now. So get used to me being ridiculous," I informed him happily.
"I can live with that," he replied, squeezing me. We lapsed into silence again. Loki used his magic to get the fire going, and after a while, I began to feel my eyelids drooping. Soon, I was fighting to stay awake, and then Loki started lightly running his fingers through my hair. That did it. I had never fallen asleep quickly in my life. Or felt happier.

Chapter Text

- Yasmin's Pov -

When I woke up, I was in my own bed. Remembering what had happened the night before felt like getting slapped across the face, but in a good way. Fleetingly, I wondered if it had all been a cruel dream and the kiss hadn't really happened at all, but I felt different. My mind was completely open; I wasn't hiding anything anymore. It had happened; Loki must have carried me to bed.

And it was Christmas! Never before had the prospect of Christmas Day been more exciting to me. Normally, I would go hide in my room as my adoptive parents would be drunk or high. One year, I think they were both. A glance at the clock told me that it was just after eight am; I got out of bed and had a quick shower before getting dressed and making my way to the living room.

Outside, the snow was still falling thick and fast; New York was quieter than I had ever heard it without the usual sound of traffic and commuters going about their daily business drifting up from the streets below. Bruce, Thor and Loki were already up, an unlikely trio occupying three different sofas, and Tony and Pepper were sitting at the kitchen island reading something on a tablet. As I entered the room, there was a chorus of 'Merry Christmas!' from everyone apart from Loki.
"Merry Christmas, guys," I replied happily, receiving a hug from Pepper, and then sat myself down on the same sofa as Loki, far enough away for it not to be suspicious but close enough that Thor gave me one of his pointed looks. Loki smiled at me briefly as I sat down, but then looked away when Thor turned to me.
"Good morning, Darling,"
"So normal. As nothing had happened," I sighed, leaning my back on the sofa to watch the snow. "Hey. I don't seem to remember going to bed last night."
"That would be because you didn't. I didn't think Stark and the others would appreciate finding us here this morning," Loki picked up a book and started reading. I fought back a smile. Thor was very audibly thinking that something was different between Loki and me, and I turned to look at him questioningly. He just shrugged innocently and pulled a face, clearly conveying that he knew something was going on.
"We're not gonna be able to keep this from Thor for long, you know that. Or any of the others for that matter,"
"As I said last night. What is going on between us... has nothing to do with them," Loki sighed almost imperceptibly.

Over the next half an hour, the rest of the team filtered into the living room and exchanged a lot of greetings and hugs, and then some other people arrived (they looked like waiters) to turn the kitchen island into a long table for ten and set it for what you assumed would be Christmas dinner later on. I was proved wrong when Tony came and sat next to me. And when I say sat down, he squished himself in between Loki and me rather than on my other side, where there was plenty of room, which Loki wasn't exactly pleased about, and said that he had hired a team of kitchen staff to cook for the ten of us today. I dreaded to think how much they were charging, but I couldn't say anything as it was Tony who was wasting his money.

We ate all together and then had our plates cleared by the waiters, and then, to my horror, when we all gathered back in the living room, there were presents.
"Oh, these are yours," Tony smiled as I was handed a small pile of presents.
"You guys said you didn't get me anything!" I protested.
"Really? Don't remember you saying that?" Tony shrugged.
"I was telling the truth," Clint held his hand up, and Thor, Steve and Bruce nodded in agreement.
"Don't feel bad, it's only small," Nat told me, as I unwrapped a pair of gorgeous earrings set with amethysts.
"Totally denied. I feel awful as I didn't get you anything," I frowned. "But even so, thank you so much, I love them!" I exclaimed, getting up to hug her.

Tony had made me a simple-looking silver bracelet which, when activated, connected to everyone's earpieces and projected a screen onto my arm, allowing me to see everyone's locations alongside a whole bunch of other cool stuff which he said he'd explain to me another time.
"You didn't have to," I hugged him. Stark shrugged as he walked away. Stating that I should blame Pepper.

And as for Bucky, he got me something silly, an inside joke from when I first started. It was when Steve did something stupid. After that, I was content to sit back and watch everyone else open their presents. Loki had nothing, which I supposed I shouldn't have been surprised about, but it still made me sad.
"No sympathy, please," Loki sighed, still reading his book.
"I'm sorry."
"Were you really expecting them to forgive me so quickly and eagerly that they bought presents?"
"I guess not. I'm sorry I didn't get you anything."
"Yes, well, as you can see, I am crushed," I couldn't help the smile which forced its way onto my lips, and determinedly avoided looking at Thor, who was looking between Loki and me almost gleefully.

Once all the presents had been opened, the TV was switched on, and the first of what I was sure would be many Christmas films started to play. Tony pulled more champagne out of the kitchen cupboard.
"Tony, it's half past ten, put the alcohol down," Steve ordered.
"Oh, don't be such a killjoy. It's Christmas!" and forced a glass on each of us, even Loki, who eyed it suspiciously before taking a sip. He looked pleasantly surprised at the taste. "Merry Christmas!" Tony toasted, and we all raised our glasses.

The next few hours passed in a haze of laziness and happiness. Bruce became outraged when he learned that I didn't know how to play chess and insisted on teaching me. which was more funny than anything, with Tony trying to coach me at regular intervals over my shoulder and Bruce telling him that he had no idea what he was talking about. After I had played Bruce four times with no success, I decided that chess wasn't one of my strengths and never would be. I instead joined Thor on the sofa with Nat, who was trying in vain to explain the plot of Elf to him.

It did not go well as he ran around the house trying to find the elves. I might have made one or two appear with some magic.

No one else could see these elves (apart from Loki) and thought he was going a bit doolally. Then someone (Barton) produced Trivial Pursuit, and I had to quickly explain to Loki that this wasn't a game we could easily cheat at before he got himself into a difficult situation. I sat on the floor around the board with Nat, Bruce, Tony and Clint and played for about ten minutes before Loki got the gist of it and started thinking of ways to cheat.
"Just read their minds when they have the answer in front of them,"
"No!"
"Why not?"
"Did it occur to you that I might be able to win without cheating?"
"No, because you're doing terrible," I suppressed an eye roll and rolled the dice. It landed on one. I could practically feel the smugness radiating from Loki, who was sitting on the sofa behind me.
"Shut up,"
"I didn't say anything!" Loki chuckled.
"You didn't have to." Yeah, I lost. Terribly. Luckily, though, there was no time to dwell because there were some delicious-looking trays full of food being delivered to the table in the kitchen, filling the room with gorgeous aromas. Everyone gathered swiftly around the table; breakfast had only been a few hours ago, but it had been perfectly portioned so that I was all hungry enough to want to eat again now. I sat with Loki to my right and Bucky to my left, opposite Nat, who threw me a particularly unsubtle look, which was obviously a gesture to the fact that Loki and I had chosen to sit next to each other. Loki noticed this and brushed his hand against my leg under the table; Nat thought that I flamed red because of her look. She was wrong. Loki was smiling.

Tony cut the turkey: an extraordinary feat because it was about the size of a small car. Eventually, everyone had food on their plates, but Pepper stopped everyone before they started eating, waving her cracker in the air.
"Crackers first!" I grabbed the cracker in my right hand and passed it under my left arm to Bucky, holding my left hand out around my chest to Loki, who looked bewildered, but soon cottoned on when he saw everyone doing the same and forming a chain around the table.
"This is absurd,"
"This is Christmas!" I counted down from three, and everyone pulled, causing an inconsistent series of bangs around the table. I was left holding two ends; Loki had bested me, and Thor, who was sitting to his right, was winning two crackers. He looked at least vaguely pleased as he noticed that I was empty-handed and handed one of his crackers to me. "You do have a heart," I muttered, accepting the gift with a smile.
"Only where you are concerned," he replied in my mind. I had one of those ridiculous oversized paper clips which would never realistically be used for anything, and jammed my paper hat onto my head.
"I always get the rubbish stuff," I complained when Bucky laughed.
"Since when have crackers been full of decent stuff? Not to sound like an old man-"
"Which you are," I replied.
"But back in my day, we got even crapper stuff. Like printed flowers. I think Steve got a Yo-yo once that had no string," Bucky continued, ignoring my comment.
"I would be happy with a fortune fish. Or a mini stapler, they're really useful," I decided, scowling when Clint waved a fortune fish at me from across the table "I'm going to steal that from him,"
"I got one of them when I was a kid and stapled my thumb accidentally. That was not a fun Christmas dinner," Pepper told me, causing me and Bucky to cackle with laughter. Loki was regarding the paper hat and mini spinning top he had pulled from his cracker with suspicion, whereas Thor was delightedly examining the tiny card set he had won.
"This is still absurd," Loki muttered.
"Just wear the hat, you Scrooge," I rolled my eyes.
"What's a Scrooge?" Loki asked.
"It's from a film and a decent story." Then we ate. And ate. And ate some more, until I was convinced that I would never be able to move from the chair I was currently sitting in ever again. I couldn't remember ever being this happy. Finally, I knew how it felt to have a proper Christmas Day. With a family. I thought back to last Christmas, which I had spent in my room, present-less, listening to my adoptive parents get drunk with some of their friends from across the hall.
"Are you okay?" Loki asked. I didn't think he was paying attention as he was fixated on an intense debate with Thor about some Asgardian politics and shifted slightly in his chair to press his leg against mine under the table. He had heard my thoughts.
"Yeah," I was suddenly overcome by an intense urge to be back in his arms again.
"Later, Darling," Loki said.
"I'll hold you to that. "
"I would like nothing more than to hold you." The waiters came back and cleared the plates, and at the mention of dessert, there was a collective groan from around the table.
"Would it be possible for us to have dessert a bit later on?" Tony asked one of the waiters, who nodded.
"Preferably in about two weeks," Clint added.

It was another twenty minutes before I recovered enough from the enormous amount of food I had just eaten to move myself from the table to a sofa, where I collapsed. The others followed suit, splaying across the sofas or, in Clint's case, the floor.
"I'm going into a food coma," he groaned.
"Agreed," I slowly sat up. "So, how come you're here and not home?"
"Laura is still with her mother, so we are doing Christmas again tomorrow. Just not on this scale," Barton lifted a hand and pointed to the kitchen.

Home Alone was playing; after a while, the urge to lie back against Loki and just go to sleep became almost overwhelming.
"My arms are always open," Loki spoke in my head.
"You know I can't," I declined.
"And why not?"
"Four reasons. Tony will have a heart attack. Nat and Clint will try to fight you. Thor will explode with happiness, and I am too full to move." I leaned my head back and sighed, "I know we have to tell them, though. Just not today,"
"Maybe," Loki sighed. I rolled my eyes. Thor beamed at me, and then Loki.
"Tony, what's happening with the New Year's party?" Nat suddenly asked, taking my attention from the conversation.
"Urm... It's happening on New Year's Eve. That's all that's planned at the moment," Tony replied.
"Soooo... Is it just us getting drunk and some music? Like last year. Because someone forgot to plan it," Steve asked.
"I won't forget this year. It's going to be amazing," Tony asserted. I was filled with excitement at the thought of another party. Loki not so much.

By the time the film ended, Steve, Thor, Bruce and Tony had all fallen asleep. Nat and Clint were lying on the floor engaged in an intense game of Battleships, Bucky was reading a book, and Pepper had disappeared downstairs to ask the kitchen staff if they could bring dessert up.

I was comfy enough to go to sleep, and might actually have drifted off if Loki hadn't suggested going up to the roof through my mind. He left first, largely unnoticed, and I followed about three minutes later.
"I need some air," I groaned exaggeratedly as I removed myself from the sofa, earning a laugh from Clint and a knowing grin from Nat as I waddled out of the room.

Loki was waiting in the hallway and held out a hand for me as I approached him. I took it, and suddenly I was on the roof. I staggered, blinking a few times to make sure I wasn't hallucinating.
"Will you warn me when you're about to do that next time?" I suggested to a grinning Loki.
"Sorry. It's quicker than taking the elevator," he replied, pulling me towards him and putting his arms around me "I have been wanting to do that all day." It was still snowing, but not as heavily now, flurries of snowflakes falling gently and chasing each other through the air rather than hurtling straight towards the ground. I leaned my head against his chest and gazed out at the city. New York was painted white: the snow was a colourless blanket which covered everything and muffled any sound which tried to emerge from amongst it. And it was cold.
"It's so beautiful," I said. Loki made a noncommittal sound in response, and I turned to look up at him. He really was beautiful, especially with little bits of snow getting stuck in his hair. I smiled at the sight, and then he was kissing me again, and everything else was forgotten; for a minute, the only things I was aware of were the feel of his lips against mine and his arms wrapped tight around me.

Eventually, though, the chill which was slowly making its way to my bones became too much, and a violent shiver ran through me, which made Loki pull away.
"We should head back inside." Loki insisted.
"Not yet," I insisted, turtling inside my hoodie for warmth and wrapping my arms around him tighter. I fit exactly underneath Loki's chin; he rested his head on top of mine "I don't want to have to hide from the others. They deserve to know anyway," I said and felt Loki nod.
"Yes, but you'll just have to find the right time to tell them,"
"I think you mean we? I ain't doing telling them on my own," I lifted my head and narrowed my eyes at Loki.
"Okay, we need to tell them. But I am not telling Stark. I'll tell Thor," he said, and I laughed.
"You do know that he might try to hug you?" I tilted my head. Loki's smile dropped.
"I choose Stark. I only accept hugs from you," he grimaced, making me smile.
"Tony will be fine about it. Eventually. They all will," I told him. I wrapped my arms around him again.
"Maybe," We stood like that for a while longer before I started shivering almost uncontrollably, and Loki forced me back inside out of the snow.

The rest of the day passed in a happy blur of dessert, lots more alcohol, an intense couple of hours of Wii Sports on the Switch and drunk dancing until late at night. The Avengers, as it turned out, knew how to do Christmas properly.

Chapter Text

- Yasmin's pov -

The next few days leading up to New Year's Eve and the party passed in a blur. I had never been so happy; like the rest of the world, the days in between Christmas and New Year's in the Avengers Tower consisted of doing absolutely nothing apart from watching reruns of Christmas films, eating and sleeping. I did suggest training a couple of times to Nat, who had said that we would tomorrow, but I just never seemed to get around to it.

I also still had not got around to telling the others about the situation with Loki and me, but I didn't want to ruin the blissful atmosphere which had been gracing the tower recently. I might wait until next year. Besides, I suspected that at least half of them already knew, and Loki wasn't exactly eager to share this information with anyone. We had been snatching moments together when we could, but it wasn't often; someone was always around, and when they weren't, we were constantly listening out for footsteps. This is why the last couple of nights, I might have been sneaking into Loki's room after everyone had gone to bed to make up for the time we weren't getting to spend alone with each other during the day. It was completely innocent, but I knew that Tony would have a fit if he found out about it. Loki had reassured me that he wouldn't fall asleep, so that if Tony did come knocking for whatever reason or there was a mission, he could get me back in my room before he realised anything was off.

I had been staying awake with him until the early hours of the morning, talking about anything and everything, and then falling asleep only to wake up back in my own bed later that morning. Last night, however, I had tried to get a full night's sleep because tomorrow was New Year's and I had a strong feeling that there would not be a lot of sleeping going on.

I woke up early on the last day of the year, having gone to sleep earlier than I had in a long time last night, and was surprised to find myself still in Loki's room. Loki was lying on his back with his eyes shut, one arm around me and one arm behind his head.
"You said you wouldn't fall asleep," I mumbled into his chest, shifting closer to him. His arm tightened around me, and he ran his cool fingers lightly over my back.
"I am not asleep, nor have I been. I'm resting." Spending so much time alone together had taken its toll on our communication skills; sometimes we had been talking aloud and gradually lapsed into talking through our minds instead, without even realising we had done so until five minutes later.
"Why am I still in here then?" I shouldn't be complaining.
"Because I'm quite enjoying this, if that's alright with you," I smiled, humming my agreement. "However, my arm has been dead for about three hours. Can we swap sides?"

I fell back asleep after swapping sides for a few hours, and only woke up again because Loki woke me.
"Darling, the others will wake up soon," Loki told me, reluctantly untangling himself from me, and I reluctantly got up and crept invisibly back to my room across the hall.

Half an hour later, my alarm went off, and I got showered, dressed and had breakfast in the kitchen with Tony, who had obviously tried and failed to sleep before the party tonight. He looked tired, as per usual, as he scrolled through something on the tablet on the table in front of him. Once or twice, I inadvertently heard his thoughts, and Peppers. I knew of the nightmares and flashbacks he had of the New York attack and the wormhole, the reasons he had such trouble sleeping. It was no surprise that he was finding it hard to forgive Loki.
"Kid? You with me?" he asked, and I nodded, returning to the conversation.
"Not even in the slightest. I zoned out while you were droning on about another party. What were you saying?" I yawned. Tony continued to talk about the party, but I quickly became distracted again when Loki walked into the room. He really was very attractive. This rather loud thought earned me an appraising look as he walked over to the kettle behind me, and I grinned at him. He had acquired a taste for tea since living here: black, of course.
"And fireworks at midnight, of course," Tony was saying, and I shifted my attention back to him.
"It sounds amazing. I can't wait," I told him, drumming my fingers against the kitchen island.
"The guest list has been checked extremely thoroughly so that we don't have a breach like last time," he continued, opening something else up on the tablet and looking at it intently.
"Don't look so stressed out, Tony, that organisation was put to bed by S.H.I.E.L.D., wasn't it?" I reminded him.
"Yes, but that's not to say others won't have had the same idea. Speaking of S.H.I.E.L.D., I need to talk to you. And you Reind... I mean, Loki," Tony told me, spinning around on his stool so that both Loki and I were in his eyeline. I spun around to face Tony, and Loki leaned back against the kitchen counter and crossed his arms "Fury has said that there has been a certain amount of unrest within S.H.I.E.L.D. regarding you two, especially Loki, for obvious reasons," Tony said. Loki raised an eyebrow, but his bored expression remained unchanged. I wished I could get up and stand with him, but I stayed put."Okay..."
"As you know, the Avengers Initiative was created by S.H.I.E.L.D. and Fury, so whether we like it or not, we answer to them. Fury was reluctant to let you join, Yasmin, as you know, and agents are concerned about the fact that Loki is living here and practically acting as he would as if he were an Avenger already."
"May I remind you that I am living here because my father ordered me to and also because Thor made me," Loki added, rolling his eyes. "Fury has nothing to worry about. In fact, S.H.I.E.L.D. and its precious council have nothing to worry about. I have no intention of joining your little club," Loki said, and I closed my eyes briefly.
"That's good, because you are not going to," Tony replied sharply. Loki looked at me, and then across the room.
"Will you two play nice, or do I have to use force?" I turned my eyes on. Both men backed down.
"The point is, S.H.I.E.L.D. are getting worried, especially since Loki was allowed to come on our last mission, which means that if you want to carry on staying here... you might have to jump through some hoops." Loki opened his mouth in outrage, before catching my gaze and closing it again, swallowing hard.
"What does that mean? Hoops?" I asked Tony, slowly turning my powers off.
"I don't know exactly. Fury just said that you two would be called in sometime in the foreseeable future. So that's it. I just thought I should warn you," Tony finished, looking at Loki once more before swivelling back around on his stool to look at his tablet again. Loki and I shared a look before I turned back around, too.
"Thanks for telling us," I smiled.

Eventually, enough of the others had entered the room to distract Tony enough that it didn't seem suspicious when first Loki, and then I left the kitchen. He was sitting on his bed when I entered the room and shut the door behind me, moving to sit next to him.
"You know they will try and find an excuse to send me back," Loki said shortly. He was scared. Scared of being sent back to Asgard, where he would be condemned to a cell by his own father. I knelt in front of him.
"Like hell they will. You've been here for months now, and nothing has happened. They're not completely stupid," Loki tilted his head at me. "I said not completely, they know that you could have escaped and wreaked havoc by now if you really wanted to. Once you prove that you are safe, which you are, they will back off," I reassured him as I cupped his cheeks.
"I can't go back to that cell," Loki muttered softly.
"You're not going back there," I asserted. Loki smiled weakly. Aware that I wasn't going to be able to make him feel better with empty promises, I stood and pulled him to his feet, wrapping my arms around him instead. He followed suit, sighing heavily, "And if the worst happens and you do get sent back to the dungeons, I'll go back to Asgard and do something stupid so that Odin locks me up too. Given that he hates me, it won't take much. I could make some little puppies run around the hall and nip his ankles," I told him, smiling when it made him laugh, although it might have been in exasperation rather than humour. He planted a kiss on the top of my head and then pushed me gently towards the door.
"Go on, before they get suspicious," he said.
"Bored with my company already?" I teased, resisting.
"On the contrary, I simply wish to avoid attempted murder when Stark finds out about us," he replied, pulling me back towards him and kissing me again, on the lips this time. I smiled.
"Tony won't try to kill you, he'll be too busy going into cardiac arrest," I said, walking to the door.
"And what when he recovers?"
"I suppose I will have to protect you," I winked, earning a smile before I slipped out the door.

I took two steps away from the door before I bumped straight into Thor's chest. I looked up at him guiltily.
"Lady Yasmin, who were you talking to?" he asked, barely managing to suppress the smile which was so clearly fighting its way onto his face.
"Myself, who else?" I replied.
"So, you weren't in Loki's room?"
"No," I said rather unconvincingly.
"Why would Yasmin be in my room?" Loki's voice emanated from behind Thor, who spun around to look at him in shock as Loki emerged from the hallway and pulled the door shut behind him. I grinned from behind Thor's back.
"What a stupid thing to say, Thor," I said, shaking my head and making my way back towards the living room, almost feeling sorry for him. I wished I could just tell him, just not yet.

The rest of the day seemed to fly by in anticipation of the party, which was to start at nine pm and would be held upstairs in the penthouse and on the roof this time. Suddenly, it was eight pm, an hour to go, and I was being dragged away from the leftover food Bucky and I had raided from the fridge by Nat because there wasn't enough time, and I needed to get ready right now.

I had a quick shower and then climbed into the dress I had been wanting to wear for a while, it was a little black sparkly number which finished just above my knee. I grabbed my shoes and made my way down the corridor to Nat's room. Once I arrived, Nat and Pepper practically pounced on me, and another twenty minutes later my hair and make-up were done too. I sat on the bed and wrestled with my heels for a few minutes while discussing how late I thought the party would last, and then Nat and I made our way to the living room while Pepper disappeared upstairs to check on the last-minute preparations and tell the doormen to open the doors and start sending the party-goers up.

Steve walked out of the living room as Nat and I walked in, giving him a twirl as we walked past.
"You both look gorgeous," he said with a smile. Bucky was still eating in the kitchen, this time joined by Thor and Clint. Tony and Bruce were discussing something in the living room. Loki was in his usual position on the sofa, with a book; I fought not to notice as his eyes went on a journey. I resisted the temptation to meet his gaze across the room and walked to the kitchen instead.
"Have you moved since I left?" I laughed, assuming Steve vacated the stool and looking longingly at the ice cream Bucky had now moved on to.
"Yes. I am in my party attire, thank you for noticing," Bucky smiled, spinning on his stool to show me and almost losing his balance, grabbing my outstretched arm as he wobbled.
"How am I steady in heels and you are not?" I chuckled as he righted himself, only to find that his ice cream had been stolen by Clint.
"Hey, give me that back!"
"Right then, let's get this show on the road!" Tony announced, checking his watch, "Three minutes to go. Where's Pep?" he asked, looking around.
"She went upstairs to check on the prep," I supplied helpfully.
"Ah, that's not good. I'll meet you up there," Tony clicked his tongue "Reindeer Games, stay down here, keep out of trouble and don't let anyone see you, got it? The rest of you get upstairs ASAP," Tony instructed, and I felt a pang of indignation on Loki's behalf.
"Come on. I need a drink," Bucky said, getting to his feet and gesturing towards the door.
"You guys go. I'll meet you up there," I replied. Bucky nodded as he cast a glance over at Loki and then back at me.

I put away the food which had been left out on the kitchen island as an excuse to hang back, and when everyone was gone, I turned around to find Loki standing directly behind me. He wasted no time in catching me by the waist and pulling me flush against him. I reached up to rest my arms on his shoulders, lifting my chin.
"You are beautiful," I smiled unwittingly and closed my eyes, turning my head away "You are. And all those drunk Midgardians up there are about to see that too," I looked back at him incredulously.
"You're not worried, are you?"
"Of course not," Loki scoffed.
"For a God of Lies, you cannot lie to me," I sighed, tilting my head.
"Of course, I am," Loki rolled his eyes. I smiled again.
"You shouldn't be."
"But I am,"
"Well, you should come up with me then, and make sure I'm not getting into any trouble," He raised an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth quirking up.
"I'll say it again, it's not exactly my scene."
"You enjoyed steak and Monopoly. You might enjoy this, too," I smiled.
"Maybe later then," I sighed, knowing it was the best I was going to get. This only served to make his smile wider. "I'm grateful that Stark trusts me enough to stay here by myself this time. I intend to make the most of it."
"Enjoy your peace then,"
"Oh, I will," He moved to kiss me, but stopped suddenly, opening his eyes and freezing.
"What's wrong?" I asked. Slightly panicking. He sighed, closing his eyes again, this time in resignation.
"We have a problem," Loki nodded behind him. I frowned, peering around Loki's arm towards the door.
"Oh bollocks," I sighed as I saw Thor standing in the doorway, looking very ecstatic.

Chapter Text

- Yasmin's Pov -

I said goodbye to Loki and told him that I would handle Thor. I swiftly made my way to Thor, who looked like he was about to explode into a song and dance. and ushered Thor from the room towards the elevator as quickly as I could, wishing to avoid any unfortunate incidents involving the two brothers and a knife Loki had been about to conjure.
"Thor, you need to calm down," I hissed.
"I cannot! This is brilliant news. How long have you two been together? Was it when we went to Asgard?"
"Thor, please," I grinned, holding up a hand.
"I just wish to know,"
"I can't tell you if you keep rambling like a monkey," Thor quickly shut up. "It wasn't in Asgard, it was Christmas Eve."
"I knew it!" Thor beamed loudly. I had to cover his mouth.
"Although it would have been Asgard if you and the Warriors Three hadn't intervened," I remembered, grinning at the horrified expression on his face.
"What do you mean?! When?"
"After the dancing, Loki and I were outside my room, and Volstagg knocked something over and broke it."
"And that was... You were... and we...?" Thor panicked, then something clicked in his brain. "Oh, that explains why Loki threatened to stab me that morning."
"Yep. Thanks for that, by the way," I added sarcastically.
"In my defence, I was slightly drunk, I don't recall a lot of that night,"
"Slightly sounds like a bit of an understatement," I smirked.
"So, tell me everything," Thor begged.
"You sound like a teenage girl," I rolled my eyes. Unfortunately, it was at that moment that we reached the penthouse, and the elevator doors slid open.
"Lady Yasmin, you're not getting away with this. I want to talk to you later on," Thor said sternly, unable to keep his smile from his face. His excitement was affecting me, making me smile widely.
"We can talk, but you need to listen," I grabbed Thor's upper arm. "Please keep your trap shut and don't tell the others." Thor's face fell.
"But why not?" I looked around to make sure that no one was around.
"I think you know. I doubt the others will be as pleased as you are," I whispered as I spotted Nat in the corner of my eye. Thor quickly nodded, "I don't fancy giving Tony a heart attack just yet,"
"You're right, Lady Yasmin. I won't say anything,"
"Thank you,"

Thor pulled me to one side as we stepped out of the elevator and into the corridor leading to the penthouse; I turned to look at him in surprise.
"Yasmin, you and Loki... he... it's..." he faltered, searching for the right words. I smiled, hearing what he was trying to say in my mind very clearly, feeling his happiness and relief as though it were my own. Placing a hand on his arm to stop him talking, I nodded.
"Thor... I get it," Thor suddenly enveloped me in a very tight hug. I returned it in surprise, abruptly feeling an unexpected swell of emotion in my chest. He released me just as swiftly and grinned widely.
"Let's get drunk."

We entered the crowded penthouse and rejoined the others, and had barely started on my first drink.
"Are you okay?" Loki asked.
"Yes, why?"
"I felt something. A feeling which wasn't mine,"
"Thor and I had a moment." There was a pause in which I would have bet my life on the fact that Loki was rolling his eyes.
"Are you on the roof?" Loki asked.
"No, I'm in the hall near the penthouse."
"Last time, you tried to talk to me from up there, you said it gave you a headache." I had forgotten about that. I was talking to him now as clearly and easily as if we were sitting next to each other. All of a sudden, Tony appeared by my side and steered me towards a large crowd of people, introducing me rather loudly, "Have fun, Darling"

And I did. The party didn't properly kick off until about ten, when the music got turned up, and the lights were turned low, and that's when the dancing started. Nat, Bucky and I convinced Steve and Bruce to do shots, which was one of the funniest things I had ever witnessed, and then I danced for about an hour, which brought me to ten past eleven.

I was having such a good time that I didn't even notice right away when Loki joined the party. It was only when I was dragged back over to the bar by Bucky that I noticed a familiar-looking face leaning against the wall, his eyes on me.
"Bertie!" I laughed, leaving Bucky to make a beeline for Loki/Bertie. "You look dapper as ever," I grinned, running a finger down his tie and thinking back to the first party all those months ago when I first realised that I could see through his illusions. That seemed like a million years ago. I hadn't had a lot to drink, but I had to squint a bit to see Loki's face properly through the illusion. He looked vaguely annoyed.
"Thank you. You seem to be having fun."
"I am!" I nodded as Bucky yelled my name from the bar.
"Yas! Shot?!"
"Yes, please!" I yelled.

I pulled Loki/Bertie over to the bar with me and handed him a shot glass, picking up one for myself and clinking glasses with Bucky. That's when Tony came over with more shots. We all drank and pulled the obligatory faces as the liquid burnt the back of our throats. Loki hardly winced, whereas I squeezed my eyes shut and pursed my lips at the taste.
"Want to dance?" I said to Loki/Bertie, turning to return to the dancefloor, but Loki/Bertie held me back.
"Yasmin," Loki/Bertie whispered in my ear. I tilted my head at the man in confusion. I noticed a hint of mischief in Loki/Bertie's eyes, but before I could say anything, we were on the roof.

I half fell against Loki, who caught me. It was freezing out here.
"Will you warn me?" I exclaimed, lowering my voice dramatically when I realised other people were on the roof too. Luckily, no one seemed to have noticed that two people had just materialised out of thin air. Why would they care? This is the Avengers Tower. There are a bunch of weird people here all the time. "And anyone could have seen us just disappear or reappear! You are not even meant to be able to use your magic; someone could see," I reeled off, pushing him away from me.
"They can't see us," he told me, and I realised that we were invisible.
"That's not the point,"
"I am sorry," he apologised, looking so put out by my outburst that I immediately moved back towards him.
"I just don't want you to get into trouble," I muttered.
"I know," he sighed, pulling me into an embrace. Something was wrong.
"So why did you bring me out here?" He may not have opened his mind completely, but that didn't stop me from hearing the rush of thoughts which sprang to the forefront of his mind as I asked him the question.
"Couldn't you hear all of their thoughts down there? I wasn't even trying to, but because they're all drunk, they have no filter."
"You're jealous," I pulled away from him so that I could look at his face properly.
"I'm not jealous, I just didn't need to hear a bunch of Midgardians thinking inappropriate things about you," Loki scoffed.
"We'll call it being protective rather than jealous, shall we?" I teased; Loki scowled.
"I'm not going to pretend that it doesn't bother me," he told me plainly, and the smile fell from my face.
"I can't do anything apart from reassure you that you have nothing to worry about," I told him, entwining my fingers with his, and then involuntarily shivered violently. It was so cold. He drew me back into his arms and rested his chin on the top of my head.
"You're mine," I heard Loki say in my head. Whether he had meant for me to hear this or not was entirely irrelevant; It felt as if a few thousand volts of electricity had just surged through my veins and quite possibly stopped my heart for good. The cold instantly vanished from my skin, which was now flushed. I looked up at him, and he looked back; there was a look in his eye which I hadn't seen before. The kiss was different, good different, charged by the electricity running through me and then something shifted in the air around us. We were holding on to each other so tightly, and the kiss was so profound that I found myself going slightly lightheaded.

The temperature increased dramatically, and when I opened my eyes, we were back downstairs in the living room, the noise of the party reduced to just the throbbing sound of the bass. Loki didn't miss a beat, letting himself fall back onto the sofa and pulling me down with him so that I ended up on his lap. I giggled as he started kissing along my jaw and down the curve of my neck.
"You should know that I don't usually let strangers pull me from a party and seduce me," I whispered, sounding only slightly breathless.
"Why are you whispering?" he whispered back, bringing his lips back to mine almost hungrily. I shifted closer to him as he kissed me again, tangling my hand in his hair at the base of his neck and causing him to make an unholy sound in the back of his throat, which did nothing to help my situation, "I want you," My eyes flew open to meet his gaze, which looked almost dazed as he took me in. I was completely sober, I've only had 3 drinks, but I knew that this wasn't a drunken mistake I was going to regret in the morning. It was Loki. He heard this thought process and looked at me in such a way that for a few seconds... I forgot how to breathe.
"You can have me," I nodded almost imperceptibly, and in one swift motion, Loki stood up with me in his arms and carried me towards his room. I sent a quick prayer up to the sky that none of the others would come looking for me, and then Loki kicked the door shut behind me.

Afterwards, the only reason I made the effort to return to the party was that it was almost midnight, and I was conscious of the fact that I had been missing for a while; soon the others would begin to wonder where I had got to. I even persuaded a reluctant Loki back upstairs with me, firmly stating that I wanted him to watch the fireworks with me, and it wasn't just because I couldn't be bothered to walk but because I wanted to see the New Year in with him.

Once on the roof, I left Loki/Bertie briefly to find Nat and the others, all of whom seemed relieved that I hadn't been kidnapped but hadn't been worried enough to leave the party and search for me. I did tell them that I needed a minute as I needed to calm my mind after hearing too many people's minds.
"Either way, there are three minutes to go! Quick, find a drink," Nat exclaimed, casting around for anything alcoholic and eventually grabbing my arm and following Clint to the temporary bar, which had been set up on the roof. She bequeathed upon me a glass of champagne, and I swiped another one stealthily before making my way back over to Loki/Bertie, handing him one of the glasses.
"Two minutes," I told him, stamping my feet and rubbing my arms to try and find some warmth. Luckily, Bertie came equipped with a jacket, which was soon around my shoulders, along with his arms, as the countdown started.

As the clock struck midnight, there was a resounding yell of 'Happy New Year!' from the crowd, and then everyone was kissing and hugging and drinking. Loki was shaking his head, once again marvelling at the absurdity of Midgardian traditions, making me laugh.
"Happy New Year." I smiled, tilting my head back and sideways to view his bewildered expression affectionately. He kissed my forehead, and then we both jumped as the first firework exploded above our heads. There was an 'oooh' from the crowd, and I turned my face skywards instead to watch the display. It lasted for about ten minutes, and I found myself wishing that I could capture the moment and keep it in a jar; I was so happy.

After the display and applause, everyone piled back down into the warm penthouse for more drinking and dancing; Loki/Bertie and I were roped into doing more shots after being told I wasn't drunk enough by Tony.

The night slowly descended into chaos, which was only to be expected. Things started to get a bit blurry just after Thor, and I attempted to dance the Asgardian dance I had learnt on Asgard, knocking a few people over as we went by them. Then Bucky wanted to learn it, so I taught him, shouting instructions over the deafening music in the middle of a dancing crowd. There was a lot of laughing, so much that my stomach ached. Following that, I did more shots with Nat and Clint, and then things became too blurry even to try and remember. Had Loki been dancing? Something about stairs. Things went completely black after having pulled some blinds or curtains down to block out the sunlight which was streaming through a window.

A blinding pain woke me up. At first, my dazed mind thought that it might have just been my body aching from the night before, but then a wave of pain so intense washed over me that I cried out and sat bolt upright, reaching out for something to hold on to. I felt as though I was on fire. The minute I opened my eyes, however, the pain ebbed and then vanished. My eyes were watering. I had never felt anything like that before in my life.

Unfortunately, the moment that pain had vanished, a new sort of pain arrived in the form of a splitting headache. I closed my eyes and pressed my palms into my eyes, groaning. When I opened them again as I took in my surroundings properly. I was in Loki's room, but on the floor. A familiar-looking hand hanging over the side of the duvet next to my head suggested that Loki had made it onto the bed where I had not.
"Did I fall out of bed?" Smiling, I tried to recall any memories of drunk Loki, but I drew a blank. Shit, what if he hadn't kept the illusion up while he had been drunk? Anyone could have seen, but no, everyone would have been too drunk to notice last night.

Slowly, so slowly, I stood, glancing at the clock which read 8:30 am. It had been light when I had fallen asleep. Which meant I had only been sleeping for a few hours, maybe less. That would explain why I was still bone tired. I wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed with Loki and go back to sleep for at least half a day, but before I had even sat down on the bed, I realised something was wrong.

Loki was asleep, but he was frowning, and his jaw was set; there was a vein throbbing at his right temple. Even as I watched, he turned his head to one side, making a face which looked as though he was in pain, and then his whole body convulsed. He was having a nightmare and a bad one.
"Loki," I said or rather tried to say, making a rasping noise which made my eyes water the first time around. I cleared my throat, only now realising how thirsty I was, but I had more important issues to deal with first "Loki," I said again, moving to sit on the bed and placing a hand on his arm, shaking him gently. He didn't wake up. I couldn't leave him like this; he looked awful. It was then I realised what was so wrong. His arm was warm, almost the same temperature as mine. Alarm bells were ringing loud and clear in my head, "Loki, you need to wake up," I said, slightly louder than before, gripping his arm.
"Please. No... I can't..." Fear gripped me as I realised what was happening. The pain I had felt when I had woken up hadn't been mine, and Loki wasn't experiencing a nightmare. It was a memory.

Chapter Text

- Yasmin's Pov -

I knew that Loki was haunted by a certain memory that he never wanted me to see. But now, as I watched him conceal a scream, I knew I needed to wake him up. I struggle to come up with a plan, but ultimately decide to try to enter Loki's mind and bring him back to reality. Despite feeling unsure about how to do this, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, focusing all my energy on reaching out to the person with my mind.

However, the attempt caused me immense pain and panic. I felt a wave of pain engulf me, and a wild sense of panic rose in my throat. Despite the pain and fear, I remain determined to save Loki, fighting down a sob and pushing through the discomfort. As I do so, I feel myself losing consciousness of my body. I begin to slip away, feeling lightheaded and as though all the blood has been drained from my brain. Everything goes black.

When I came to, I found myself in a dark and rocky place, floating through space. I had landed on my knees on the hard, rocky ground and felt a sharp pain spike through my kneecaps and thighs. I looked up to see that everything was dark, except for the tiny amount of light provided by the stars, which glimmered far away. Despite the pain, I gathered my strength and tried to take in the surroundings. I feel a fresh bout of horrendous pain spreading up my torso, but I grit my teeth and straighten up, determined to find Loki. I needed him to wake up.

I know that I must find Loki, even though I did not have a clue how to do it. I was in a dark, rocky place, with no clear direction on where to go. I felt lost and scared, but my determination kept me moving forward. I kept my eyes open for any signs of Loki, hoping that I would find him soon.

And it turns out that I didn't have to look very far. Voices were coming from behind the huge mound of rock I had landed next to; I cautiously made my way around it, driven only by my desire to wake Loki up, and not wanting to see what I already knew was just the other side of this rock.
"Thanos," I knew it was Thanos inadvertently, for who else could this horrifying-looking purple ballbag-looking creature be? He was crouching on the floor in front of a large throne, which had been cut into the mound of rock I had landed on the other side of.

In front of him, there was a dark shape: a slumped, broken human form, which I turned my gaze away before I had even looked properly, my heart was contracting painfully. Thanos was speaking in a low voice, but I didn't stop to hear what he might be saying, because across from the memory version of Loki, who was sprawled before Thanos, was my Loki, kneeling on the floor and watching his memory unfold with a stunned expression about twenty feet away.

Relief, a welcome respite from all of the horrible emotions I was feeling at this moment, coursed through me, and I quickly made my way towards him. Before I reached him, however, I heard memory Loki speak. The sound of his rasping voice, fraught with pain, drew an involuntary sob from deep within my chest. He said only one word.
"No," I could practically feel the anger radiating from Thanos and knew what was about to happen before it did. The pain, when it hit, was the most excruciating, unbearable agony I could have ever imagined. Every fibre of my being was alight with agony; the extent of it so severe I didn't even notice as I hit the floor. Only after the feeling had subsided did I realise I had also been screaming. Memory-Loki was shaking as Thanos spoke to him again, much like me as I staggered to my feet and stumbled the rest of the way towards my Loki, who hadn't batted an eyelash while I had been feeling what his memory self had felt.

When I reached him, I dropped to my knees in front of him and grabbed his shoulders, shaking him roughly.
"Wake up," I said, my voice laced with desperation. He blinked slowly, but didn't look away from the memory, "Loki! Wake up!" I half sobbed, gripping his arms tightly. What if I couldn't get him out? What if I were stuck? The thought made me panic, and dread overwhelmed me, or maybe it had been memory-Loki who had felt that because it wouldn't be long until the torture returned, "Loki, wake up the fuck up!" I yelled, and his eyes slid from the memory to my face. There was a split second of liberation before pain exploded inside me again, and I slumped sideways, marvelling at the fact that I wasn't already dead. Again, the pain reduced slowly, but this time I didn't get up; I couldn't. My face was wet with tears.
"Yasmin?" Loki was frowning down at me, confusion finally beginning to emerge.
"Loki," I sobbed, and then finally realisation, immediately followed by horror, passed over his face. He reached for me, and then I felt myself slipping again, losing consciousness.

I sat up on Loki's bed with a sharp inhale, relief crashing over me like a tidal wave and making me go slightly dizzy. I had done it. I had found him and got him out. Loki jerked upright abruptly, staring at me and taking deep, shuddering breaths. I was about to reach for him when he seemed to compose himself, turning his face away and closing his eyes, inhaling deeply. Then his face crumpled.

An enormous wave of emotion hit me square in the face: half his, half mine, and I climbed across the bed to sit in his lap, wrapping my arms and legs around his torso. He pulled me towards him and pushed his face into the curve of my neck, holding me tight against him.
"I got you," I held him while his shoulders shook. I started caressing the back of his neck gently, my eyes closed. His skin was cool again. I much prefer the cold. It never bothered me anyway.

I don't know how long we stayed like that. I only knew that I wasn't going to move until Loki wanted to. Which, at this moment in time, he didn't. After a while, he stopped shaking, and his breathing returned to normal, but his hold on me remained firm, his face hidden against my neck. Something felt different. It took me a few moments to work out why. His mind was open. Completely open.
"I didn't want you to see that," Loki sniffed, his voice thick with emotion and slightly muffled. I didn't reply, not trusting myself to speak, shaken to the core by what I had just seen, what I had just felt. "I am sorry." At this, I shook my head violently, gripping him so hard it almost hurt.
"Don't. Don't apologise. Ever," I said furiously, fighting down my tears. I had no right to cry, not after what I had just seen. But now the shock was wearing off, and I was beginning to realise, fully, what I had just experienced. The tears came, flowing down my cheeks even as I tried to stem them with my sleeve, or rather Loki's sleeve. Now he sat up, looking at me worriedly, but the sight of his red-rimmed eyes only made me cry harder. My head was already pounding from last night, and now I had the added pain of a crying headache too.
"Please don't cry," Loki murmured sadly, pressing his forehead against mine. I fought to calm down, squeezing my eyes shut and trying to breathe normally.
"I'm sorry, it's just... I felt it all; I can't stand the thought of you--"
"I know," he said soothingly, trying to avoid another sobbing fit. He did know. He could hear my thoughts clearly, just as I could now hear his.

Finally, I regained control of my tear ducts and slid from Loki's lap onto the duvet, wiping my face with his sleeve yet again, noticing for the first time the smudges and blotches of black that covered it. I had forgotten about my makeup, I must look a right mess. Loki shook his head, reaching for my hands.
"What did I do to deserve you?" I half laughed, letting him encase my hands in his. "Do you want to?" He was referring to me going inside his head. With no filter.
"Are you sure?" He nodded. And so, tentatively, I did.

It was dark. So dark. I had never done this with another person before, but I was sure that if I did, it would be drastically different to this. I watched as hundreds of memories played out before me in a matter of seconds:

Odin and Frigga, much younger than I knew them, and smiling, Thor as a young boy, as a teenager, as a young man ready to ascend the throne of Asgard.

Jotunheim. Loki watched in horror as a Frost Giant held his arm, and his skin began to turn blue. Odin tells him that his whole life is a lie. When Odin decided to take a nap while Loki was shouting at him.

Thor getting stripped of his armour and cast down to Midgard. The Warriors Three and Sif, and then a feeling of hatred and jealousy, so strong that it wiped everything else out.

The Bifrost, and then he was falling. I might have skipped forward here, not wanting to see any more than I already had.

A feeling of utter loss and detachment. The Tesseract, Germany, The Avengers. New York. Hulk. And then back to Asgard, listening to Odin tell him that his birthright was to die and that he was condemned to rot in a cell beneath the palace for all of eternity.

Then Thor, a year later, told him he'd convinced Odin to let him go to Midgard.

And then there was me. I was handing him a knife and telling him to throw it at me.

Falling through the air in the stairwell. Loki realised half a second too late that he wasn't going to be able to catch me. An unexpected feeling of guilt as he healed my shattered legs.

Realising that he could use his magic to escape, and then realising that he didn't want to. I asked him to come to my initiation after we had argued.

Holding up a block of flats, half buried in mud, my eyes were a vibrant shade of purple. Did not realise that's how bright they were.

The fear he had felt when the team had returned without me, and he had realised I had been taken, and the need to have me in front of him, to know I was okay. The relief when he got me back. Realising what he felt towards me.

Hearing Ricci's guard's thought process as he turned the gun towards my retreating figure, and felt a fear so intense that for a second he was unable to move. Then he was on the floor, and I was there, my small hands covering his, panicking, shouting at Nat, and then he was telling me to leave him, even though he wasn't sure he could make it out alive. Getting back to the tower alive, and the relief he felt when he had woken up the next morning, and I had come running.

Then, Asgard again, but this time his only concern was how beautiful I looked and the fact that I was dancing with Fandral of all people. Jealousy, sharp and painful in his chest. The balcony, and then my face was inches away from his, and it was happening, until Thor and his idiotic drunken friends arrived. Me, pressing myself against him as we returned to Midgard through the Bifrost. Then Christmas Eve. Nerves, and then everything had been worth it.

When I opened my mind. Then the last couple of days, last night, and now, I saw myself through his eyes, messy hair, red-rimmed eyes and mascara streaked down my face. I looked like a right mess, but Loki didn't care; he thought I looked beautiful.

I retreated from his mind, feeling slightly dizzy, feeling Loki withdraw his hands from mine as I did so. When I opened my eyes, I involuntarily jerked backwards in shock. Loki smiled sadly, his gaze cast downwards.
"You're blue?" He was blue. This was what he really looked like, in his Jotun form. I immediately felt awful and shifted back towards him, unable to take my eyes off him. His hands were shaking; I could feel how nervous he was. Instinctively, I reached out to take his hands in mine, but he drew away from me sharply, "Loki..." I began sadly, but he shook his head.
"Tis not what you think. I'll hurt you. My skin will give you Frostbite. You can't touch me like this," he told me, looking at me for the first time. His voice was the same. His eyes were not. They were red. And I couldn't hide your shock from him/ "I don't want any secrets from you. Even if that means..." he trailed off.
"Even if that means what?"
"You know what. That you don't... that we don't..."
"What, you think I can just stop loving you because you have blue skin? If you can put up with me having purple eyes, I can put up with... what?" I asked. He was staring at me, returning to his usual appearance as I spoke.
"You just said... you..." His mouth flapped open. I then realised what I had said. I smiled as I took two steps towards the flabbergasted God.
"Of course I love you," I replied, almost defensively. He just blinked at me in shock. I wasn't bothered that he didn't say it back. Maybe he isn't quite there. I waved a hand in front of his face, starting to smile, "Loki? Anyone home?" His expression changed from shock to amazement.
"I could hear you so clearly,"
"I could too when I let you in."
"It is better. Like I had a headache I didn't know about, and now it's gone," My brain was officially fried; I was very hungover, possibly still slightly drunk and mentally drained. Loki looked to be in a similar state.
"Right, I'm gonna go wash all of this off," I told him, referring to the streaks of black mascara which were currently all down my face, "and then I'm going to sleep for the rest of the day,"
"Sounds good to me," Loki replied, getting up with me and tugging his shirt off. I didn't know where to look for a second before reminding myself of what had happened last night. Loki seemed to be thinking along the same lines, "I think it's a bit late for chasteness, Yasmin," he said, catching hold of my waist and pulling me back towards him. I giggled, turning to see him grinning at me. "As much as I like laughing, that hurt my head." Unfortunately, drinking comes with the side effect of feeling like my head was being split in two. We both ceased to do so rather quickly. Suddenly serious, Loki met my gaze and held it.
"As for you thinking that I am not there, I am. More so than you think. I love you too," I couldn't think of a coherent reply, so I decided to just kiss him instead.
"I thought you..." I trailed off once I pulled my head away.
"I know," Loki smiled.

I'd just finished removing my makeup, and I changed into one of Loki's tops. After I drank a glass of water that Loki had brought me, I felt like I had finally quenched my thirst after being in a desert without water for weeks. As I finished my drink, Loki turned to me and said.
"Don't ever let me drink again." I chuckled and agreed.
"Roger that. I hope no one was sober enough to recognise you." Loki then opened up the duvet and held out his arm for me to join him. Without opening his eyes, he pulled me close to him, and I could feel his chest rise and fall with each breath.
"It'll be fine," he said reassuringly. I mumbled in response.
"I'm glad you think so," as the familiar sound of his heartbeat in my ear began to lull me back to sleep. I glanced at the clock and saw that it was 9:15 am on the first day of the year. I couldn't help but think that this was one way to start off the new year, wrapped up in Loki's arms.

Chapter Text

- Yasmin's Pov -

A week had passed since the New Year's party, and life was slowly but surely returning to normal. Loki and I had stayed in bed for the best part of two days afterwards, insanely hungover, and I discovered later that so had everyone else, only occasionally seeing someone on my infrequent ventures to the kitchen.

I had started training again with both Nat and Loki (which had been extremely painful after over a week of eating more food than I usually did in a month with little to no exercise,) Obviously, I hadn't been able to hide what had happened between me and Loki from Nat, and by now I suspected the others knew about it as well. Or perhaps we were just coming up with excuses not to have to explicitly tell anyone about us. Loki wasn't exactly what I would call publicly affectionate anyway. He still looked at Thor like he wanted to stab him whenever he projected a particularly loud thought about to two of us across the room. Which he did frequently. I had spent one too many afternoons keeping Loki and Thor apart.

I began to spend a lot of time training with Loki. It seemed, however, that everyone else was just as reluctant to talk about it as we were, which suited me just fine. Now that Loki and I had both opened our minds, training had become a whole new playground. I was picking up magic quicker and easier than I had ever done before, and Loki had even agreed to try and teach me how to teleport, which I was insanely excited about.

I was in the training rooms with Loki right now, practising conjuring objects from thin air, sitting cross-legged on the floor, frowning in concentration at the palm of my hand. I had a lip balm in my back pocket, which I was trying to make appear in my hand. Loki was sitting against the wall, twirling a knife which he had used to demonstrate between his fingers, watching me. Silently, letting me concentrate. But then I heard the sound system crackling.
"What's up, JARVIS?"
"Miss Yasmin, Mr Stark requires your presence upstairs. There may be a mission," I reached into my back pocket and yanked the lip balm out, gripping it in my hand.
"Thanks, JARVIS," I called out.
"The second it took you to reach for that could be the difference between life and death," Loki said, standing up and offering me a hand.
"Yeah, this deadly weapon would really help in a life or death situation," I grinned, letting him pull me to my feet, tossing the lip balm in the air and catching it again as we made our way to the door. "I wonder what the mission is?"
"Perhaps Coulson has lost the keys to S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Loki joked.

Once upstairs, we were greeted by a tense atmosphere.
"What's up?" I asked, and Clint pointed to Thor for his cue to look towards the sky, looking shocked when he didn't.
"I've learnt your Midgardian ways now, Barton, don't look so surprised," Thor said. Barton started to sulk.
"We don't know, Tony's talking to Fury now," Bruce told me, and I turned to see Tony over the other end of the living room with a serious look on his face. He mouths to us all to suit up. We all groaned and ran to get ready.

I was suited up and ready to go in less than two minutes, equipped with the bracelet Tony had made me and given to me for Christmas. He had shown me how to use it properly earlier this week; it had loads of cool settings, which, on the one hand, I didn't want to be forced to try, but on the other hand, I really wanted to try them out. I was just about to get Loki to come in when he materialised in front of me. He had a worried look on his face.
"I'm not worried,"
"Liar," I rolled my eyes.
"Standing," Loki jested, making me smile, "Just don't get hurt. Or kidnapped," I laughed, reaching up to kiss him.
"I'll do my best. And don't you get into trouble while we're gone," I told him, wishing that he was allowed to come with me.
"I'll do my best," he said, giving me a gentle push towards the door, but I resisted. It was ridiculous, but you didn't want to leave him. He rolled his eyes.
"You don't need to be so worried,"
"I'm not worried," Loki rolled his eyes, "Midly concerned,"
"Liar," I whispered before I gave him a playful shove, grinning.
"Seriously, you need to go before Thor comes and finds you. Or worse, Stark. And no saying hello to any bad guys,"
"Would I do that?" I smiled.
"Just be careful, darling," Loki kissed me again and then took a step back and disappeared. Why was I so cut up about leaving him? Goddamn feelings

I went out into the corridor and decided to take my mind off of it by racing Thor, Bucky and Steve in the elevator up the stairs. I lost as I sort of forgot that I was up against two super soldiers, but at least it got me ready and raring to go. I couldn't help but feel slightly excited as I entered the Quinjet. My good mood didn't last long, however, as Tony explained the situation to you. It didn't sound great.

As the Quinjet took off and flew away from the tower, I told myself that I was just imagining the tugging feeling in my chest. I tried to ignore it as Tony spoke to me all about the mission. Apparently, this was just something I was going to have to get used to. And boy, was I hating it.

The journey to wherever it was I was headed had taken about twenty minutes, and the mission itself had gone on for just over two hours. I spent most of the time keeping watch with Bucky while the others surrounded the buildings I was infiltrating and took down guards, but I wasn't complaining. I was starving, as my stomach was reminding me every couple of minutes. I had been sitting with Bucky for about an hour and ten minutes, regularly checking in with the others through the earpieces, when finally three cars approached the gates I was watching.
"Yasmin, looks like we've got company," Bucky told the others, and then gestured for me to proceed. "After you," I rubbed my hands together as I jumped down from my high perch on a grassy bank where I had been hidden by bushes and foliage to land in front of the first car, using my magic to break my fall.

The first car slammed its brakes on, and the car behind almost went into it. In the space of about ten seconds, I had about seven different guns aimed at my face. I held my hands up.
"Hello, bad guys. Shall we have a chat before you shoot me?" I suggested amicably. One of the men pointing a gun at my forehead barked something in a language that I didn't understand, and I pulled a face, "Sorry, dude, no comprende. Do you speak English?" The man looked confused, and turned to another man in the car behind, shouting something else in the language that I didn't understand "Do. You. Have. Someone. That. Looks. After. You?"
"He says, move or be moved," a heavily accented voice emerged from the car behind the first.
"Are you sure you don't want to talk about it? Maybe we can work something out," I asked, taking a step towards the car before me, pre-empting what was about to happen and surrounding myself with magic. The bullets flew through the air towards me, but simply ricocheted off the protective shield I formed. As I picked at the dirt around my nails, the shooting ceased pretty swiftly when the men realised that they weren't hurting me."I did give you the option to talk," Bucky jumped down from the bank and joined you. The men in the two other cars were piling out and aiming their guns at us both.
"I'll handle these guys. Can you take care of them?" Bucky asked, nodding towards the men who had just got out of the back two cars.
"I'd love to," I replied, right as an alarm started blaring from inside the building the rest of the team was in. The men launched into action, and so did Bucky and I. Once they had been taken care of, we joined the others inside and helped carry some stolen equipment and files back to the Quinjet while the others cleaned up.

No one had been hurt too badly (Barton had a broken nose), and the mission had been an ultimate success. Apart from the fact that I might faint from hunger at any minute, as the Quinjet took off again.
"Tony, you got any snacks stashed around the jet?" I asked. Tony sighed from the cockpit and threw me a chocolate bar and a bag of crisps "Thank you,"

As we approached the tower, I felt the tightness in my chest begin to lessen; I had almost forgotten about it while I had been away.
"Are you okay?" I had asked Loki.
"Yes, fine. I was worried,"
"And there was no need to be," I smiled. I then heard Loki groan, "What?"
"Why did you say hello to the bad guys?" Loki yelled at me.
"I was trying to be polite before I punched them in their face," I shrugged. I think I might be in trouble, and frankly, I would rather take my chances with the bad guys.

The second I got back, I made straight for the kitchen, craving any food I could get my hands on quickly and easily. Loki waited until everyone had gone to get changed before appearing, giving me a once-over and healing the tiniest scratch I had acquired on my cheek.
"Thanks," I smiled. So did Loki before he gave me a quick forehead kiss and disappeared back to his room. And here I thought I was about to get shouted at for saying hello to the bad guys.

Most of the others joined me, and we ended up having a late dinner all together. Not long after, I went to get changed out of my gear and had a quick shower before putting my pyjamas on, before re-joining the others back in the living room, knowing I wasn't going to last very long having tired myself out on the mission. Thankfully, the others seemed to be thinking along the same lines as me and started drifting off to bed, which gave me an excuse to go as well.

Loki was already in your room when I entered, lounging on my bed and watching something on the TV.
"You look comfortable?" I teased with a smile. I didn't mind. My room had sort of become our room in the past few weeks.
"This show, do you know it?" he asked, keeping his eyes fixed on the screen. I knew it just from a quick glance.
"That's Lucifer. Do you like it?" I grinned.
"It's interesting," I chuckled, disappearing into the bathroom to brush my teeth before joining Loki, who was still trying to work out how to get Netflix up on the TV. I showed him how to do it, and then pressed play on the first episode of season one of Lucifer, knowing that I wasn't going to make it until the end of the episode. "Wait," Loki said, and I paused it.
"What?"
"When you left here earlier... did you feel a strange feeling?" Loki spoke, staring straight at me.
"Yeah, like a tugging feeling in my chest. Sort of ike a longing," I brought my hand up to my chest to demonstrate. "It was weird, wasn't it? Not painful, just uncomfortable if you think about it. Did the book you found in the library say anything about that?"
"No. But I don't know how else you would explain it," Loki sighed. This whole Soulmates thing still sounded ridiculous in my head. Despite everything that had been happening. Loki nodded in agreement as I thought this.
"I'm tired, I need to lie down," I said, giving Loki the remote and getting under the duvet. I was physically exhausted from using my magic on the mission and feeling pleasantly full of food.
"Are you not going to watch?" Loki lay down with me.
"Yeah, sure," I replied, turning around to rest my head on his chest so that I could see the TV. Minutes later, I was fast asleep.

Chapter Text

- Yasmin's Pov -

Two and a half uneventful weeks passed, and soon it was the end of January. I trained every day with both Loki and Nat and had finally grasped conjuring objects from my pockets to my hands and started working on teleporting, which was insanely difficult and dangerous according to Loki. And did he make me take it slowly so that I didn't injure myself? Yes, he did, and it was torture. There had been no more missions. Everything had been perfectly fine. That had changed dramatically yesterday afternoon when Tony told Loki and me that we were both being called into S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ tomorrow.
"Do you know what might happen?" I had asked nervously.
"Sorry, kid, I don't. I'm sure you will be okay, though."
"I don't think it's me we need to be worried about," I replied, casting a sidelong look at Loki, who gave a resigned smile, accompanied of course by a raised eyebrow.
"I've faced worse," Loki sighed before taking an apple. "Like when Thor stole Yasmin's favourite ice cream last month,"
"I will agree with that. You were slightly dangerous," Tony smiled at me. My jaw hung open. Loki closed it. I glared at both men. I think I preferred them fighting. "Look, neither of you needs to worry. Fury isn't cruel or unfair," Tony told us both. It was so obvious that he was lying that it was almost painful to hear. But he was trying to help. "I like to think he is not."
"Thanks, Tony," I smiled.

That had been yesterday. I didn't get a single wink of sleep, so I ended up accompanying Loki all through the night for once, as he didn't need to sleep anyway. I thought back to when Tony had told us this might happen on the morning of New Year's Eve. Loki had been worried that they were going to try and send him back to Asgard. Most of last night had been filled with his thoughts of going back to the cell he had been kept in beneath the Asgardian palace, despite my constant reassurances that that wouldn't happen. Although I wasn't exactly sure what would happen if they did try and send Loki back to Asgard, I knew for certain that I wasn't going to stand by and watch it happen. I'll get sent to Asgard too.

The morning had dragged painfully until finally, it was time to leave. I avoided saying goodbye to most of the team; it felt too much like I was leaving on some horrendous trip from which I wouldn't return. A black S.H.I.E.L.D. car was waiting outside to escort us to the headquarters.

It was a short drive, and I found myself wishing it could have been longer, wanting to postpone my imminent arrival at the headquarters indefinitely. I almost felt as if I were being driven towards my execution. Loki, who was sitting to my right, heard this thought and smiled tightly. I cast an illusion over our hands and reached across to lace my fingers through his, undetected by the driver or the agent in the passenger seat.
"An hour or two, and this will all be over. Everything will go back to normal."
"I hope so,"
"It will," I wasn't sure who I was trying to convince more, Loki or myself.

We reached the headquarters annoyingly quickly and were escorted inside by two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, where Nick Fury was waiting for us. There was no greeting, simply a nod in our direction.
"I know neither of you is overly pleased to be summoned like this, and certainly, there have been some misgivings about asking you here," Loki's mind was wandering; he gave me a small mental nudge as he noticed all of the guards that were stationed around the place, spaced out enough so that it didn't look threatening but enough of them to make me feel unnerved when I detected them. Every one of them had a gun on them. I could feel my magic wanting to explode "And this is a necessary precaution," Fury finished, observing me looking at the guards. There was a very pregnant pause, and then Fury gestured forward.

We followed him up several flights of stairs and down a long corridor with a high ceiling, where numerous doors lined each side of the corridor. Fury stopped outside of one and turned to the guards who had followed us down the corridor.
"You can wait outside," Fury ordered one of the guards.
"But Director-" one guard tried talking, but Fury just spun around.
"I said outside," Fury said, opening the door and gesturing for us to enter. We walked into the room, followed by Loki and then Fury, who shut the door behind us.

The room was huge, with floor-to-ceiling windows dominating one of the walls and a huge meeting table with countless chairs surrounding it.
"And I thought Banner was a neat freak," I mumbled, looking around. Loki agreed.
"Please, sit," Fury said, pulling out a chair from the table and sitting down heavily in it, leaning back and watching Loki and me as we sat down opposite him.
"He knows something," Loki spoke.
"What do you mean?" I resisted the urge to tilt my head.
"He's smug about something," Loki was usually right about these things. Fury sat up in his chair and placed his elbows on the table.
"You're communicating with each other through your minds, am I right?" If the shock on my face hadn't immediately given the answer away, my lack of an answer did. I went straight into Fury's mind. He knew we could communicate without speaking. He knew the cuff, which Loki still wore, didn't prevent him from using magic. He knew what was going on between the two of us, and he knew that he was having his mind read. He still hasn't changed his computer password.
"Yes," Loki replied. I looked at him sharply, and he shrugged. "There was no point lying to the man who already knew the truth."
"And I would appreciate it if you didn't read my mind, for now," Fury said as he pointed to me. I frowned. "First, we need to have a chat about how long your boyfriend has been able to use magic without S.H.I.E.L.D.'s knowledge," Fury said to me, leaning back in his chair again and kicking his legs up to rest them on the table. I was temporarily rendered speechless. The word seemed childish when pitted against the relationship that Loki and I had. But that wasn't the point. What would I have replied, anyway? Actually, we're soulmates, so back off. Yeah, not happening. I like being private. Loki heard this and fought not to smile; I turned to him to see his poker face beginning to waver. "Fine, but we know that you can use magic with that thing on, so you might as well take it off," he continued, nodding towards Loki's wrist.
"Is this a test?" Loki asked.
"I don't know. I don't think so," I wanted to shake my head. Fury rolled his eyes.
"This isn't a test. You need to trust me," I knew full well that he couldn't hear my thoughts, but the coincidence still threw me.
"Why don't you tell us why you have brought us here then?" Loki asked. Fury nodded.
"Agent Cassell, can you hear me?" That was Fury's voice, clear as day in my mind. He was projecting his thoughts; he wanted me to hear him. Which meant Loki could hear him too, "Am I doing it right? Nod if you can hear this," I nodded slowly, still very confused.
"Out loud, I am very confused." Granted, doesn't take much.
"Good. It may not be safe for me to tell you this out loud," I looked around. There was no one here.
"There's no one here other than us."
"Are you talking about the guards?" Loki spoke. Fury took his legs off the table and sat forward in his chair, clearly thrown by hearing a voice inside his mind. I wanted to chuckle.
"This is top secret information I'm about to tell you, so you can't go telling all your friends back at the tower."
"I am fine with that. They are not my friends," I doubted Fury had heard Loki think that; it had been a quiet thought in the back of his mind. I suppressed an eye roll.
"We believe there's a secret organisation being founded within S.H.I.E.L.D., amongst the lower ranks, maybe the higher too. We are unsure of how many people are part of it yet, only that it's large enough to be a threat. Depending on who is involved, they could have access to some pretty dangerous stuff," My head whirled. This was not what I had been expecting.
"Define stuff?" I asked.
"Classified files, weapons, technology," I turned to look at Loki, who was looking at Fury with the same expression he had when reading a book.
"Why can't you put a stop to it?"
"They don't know we are on to them yet. It would be unwise to try and disband them until we have an accurate idea of their size and the danger they pose to S.H.I.E.L.D." Fury sighed, leaning back in his chair "If we attempt to catch them and even one of the members escapes, we have no way of knowing where they will go or what knowledge they're leaving with." Loki leaned back in his chair suddenly, crossing his arms with an expression of almost grim understanding. Fury looked at him appraisingly.
"Care to share with the class?" I said aloud.
"What we need is our own mole," I stared at Fury for a few seconds before realisation hit me. Loki smiled thinly, shaking his head and looking away out of one of the windows.
"Fuck no," I said, loudly.
"You both know it's a good idea," Fury said. I looked at him in exasperation and disbelief.
"How is this a good idea?!"
"The other top-level S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who know about this didn't want me telling you two about it all, but I persuaded them that if we could use Loki to get inside..." I stopped listening abruptly, feeling Loki's anger wash over me.
"You want to use him?" I snapped.
"I am not your puppet," Loki hissed, his eyes burning into Fury's.
"No, quite the contrary in fact," Fury agreed, "But perhaps we could come to some sort of agreement."
"Like what?" Loki scorned.
"Like, perhaps, not having you sent back to Asgard," The silence which followed this statement spoke volumes.
"Blackmail," I finally managed to say.
"I wouldn't call it blackmail," Fury mused.
"Fucking asshole," I muttered.
"You're giving me a choice between doing your dirty work or being locked up for all of eternity. I would call that blackmail," Loki said bluntly. The hatred towards Fury, towards S.H.I.E.L.D., that suddenly bubbled up inside, must have shown in my eyes when I looked back across the table, because now Fury was holding his hands up.
"There were worse suggestions regarding ways to get you to comply, believe me. Involving you, Yasmin, and Thor," Fury sighed. I felt Loki's fear rise in my chest, and it caused my heart to twist painfully.
"You will not lay a hand on them," Loki hissed. I placed a hand on his arm.
"Why are you doing this?" I asked, glaring at Fury.
"And I elected to ignore them. No one was exceedingly keen about having Loki work for us, but it's too risky to send one of our agents in," Fury explained. Loki nodded.
"This is because I'm expendable."
"You are not expendable," I burst out, my voice contorted with rage, surprising myself with the malevolence with which I spoke. Fury was looking between the two of us curiously, his gaze lingering on me and my eyes, which I knew were on. They were burning uncomfortably.
"Then why am I here? I can cast illusions too, I'll do it," I said, receiving a warning glance from Fur0. "Do not look at me like that,"
"Be quiet, they might be listening," Fury pointed to his head.
"Then maybe you should have come to see us at the Tower," I scoffed, rolling my eyes. "Now answer my question," I said very loudly in my head. Fury groaned loudly. I smirked. I was determined to give this man a headache.
"You're here, Yasmin, because you would have found out about this anyway, and yes, we may need you to get involved in the future," I was shaking with anger.
"And what are we supposed to tell the others?" I asked.
"That's a discussion for when a decision has been made-"
"You know full well I have no choice but to say yes," Loki said, his voice filled with contempt.
"Good, then this meeting is over," Fury said, standing up abruptly "Loki, I'll show you where you'll be staying." It took me a couple of seconds to register what Fury had just said. Loki and I looked at each other and then at Fury. And when neither of us moved, he sighed again, "This is non-negotiable. There was unrest about you staying at the Avengers Tower anyway, and now that you work for S.H.I.E.L.D."
"He is not staying here," I said as I stood up, my voice low with rage.
"As I said, I'm afraid it's non-negotiable."
"I think you'll find it's very negotiable," Loki told him, standing up and taking my arm. Seconds later, we were outside in the cold.

"Loki!" I started looking nervously back towards the building we had just escaped from, expecting guards to come pouring forth from the doors.
"I can't stay there,"
"100% agree that you are not," I cracked my neck. "But two things first. One, I needed a warning, and two, you just let him know that you can use your magic," I stressed, grabbing his arm and starting to pull him away from the building.
"He knew anyway," Loki sighed, seemingly unbothered. I sighed in exasperation and then did a double-take as a red dot suddenly appeared on Loki's forehead. In a split second, we were both encased in a shield of my magic; I spun around quickly to see where the laser sight was coming from.
"What is it?" Loki asked, looking around in concern.
"Top window. Sniper," I replied, nodding towards the culprit who was hanging out of one of the top-most windows of HQ. It might be fun to let him fall and catch him at the last minute.
"They won't shoot, they need me," Loki said casually. I, on the other hand, was not calm.
"They could try," My eyes were painfully burning now. I heard alarms, and that's when the guards, followed by a very out-of-breath Fury. Loki retook my arm, but I shrugged him off.
"If you teleport away again, they'll just follow us to the tower. Let's have it out with them now," I told him.
"That requires you to drop your shield," Loki spoke, turning to face Fury.
"You better not shoot us when I drop this shield," I shouted, dropping my shield of magic and holding my hands up.
"That was an unwise antic, Loki," Fury yelled, the effect ruined slightly by the fact that he could hardly talk because he was so breathless. I smirked at Fury.
"I've said I'll work for you. That's the extent of my willingness, I'm afraid," Loki called back.
"Oh, I'm sorry, did you want to go back to Asgard?"
"You need me," Loki replied. Fury then looked at me.
"I am not making him do anything. And if he leaves because of you, I'll leave, and you won't get your own way." Fury didn't seem to have an answer for that: "Will that be all?" I asked, trying to hide the fact that my voice was shaking with anger.
"Stand down," Fury muttered, and the guards surrounding us lowered their weapons.
"I'll be in contact. You two can walk back to the tower," he told us, before gesturing for the guards to return inside.
"He does know that I can teleport us?" Loki whispered in my ear. I raised my middle finger at Fury.
"Yo, eyepatch!" I shouted. Fury turned around just as he reached the door. "Change your password!" I'm so telling Tony about Fury's password.

Chapter Text

- Yasmin's Pov -

A small crowd had gathered around the steps that Loki and I were standing on. As the S.H.I.E.L.D. guards and agents dispersed and disappeared back inside the headquarters, all attention was on us.
"Come on," I muttered, wishing to avoid all of the phones and cameras which were being pointed in our direction, taking hold of his arm and tugging him away down the street.
"Do you want me to teleport us back?" Loki asked once we were away from all of the attention. We quickly cast an illusion each, taking on the appearances of a couple we passed going in the opposite direction, and soon we were lost in the throng of people going about their business on the streets of New York.
"No. I need to calm down before Tony sends Banner for anger management."

The walk back to the tower seemed to last an age. My brain was working at a hundred miles an hour trying to process what Fury had just told us, and it didn't help that Loki wasn't exactly being quiet with his thoughts. I was nervous; he was radiating a sort of quiet rage and hadn't spoken a word to me while we had been walking, vocally or mentally. I guess that he needed to calm down before we got back.

When I finally arrived back at the tower, Loki stopped me before we could go inside.
"I need to leave," he told me. I saw through the illusion to his face, and then through his facial expression to his emotions. Past the anger and the annoyance and straight to the fear.
"I'll come with you,"
"No," I sighed in exasperation.
"I can't just let you--"
"Let me!" Loki shouted at me, "Why does everyone here think I'm some sort of prisoner? I can leave whenever I please!" I faltered, taken aback by the outburst.
"Loki, that's not-"
"Don't follow me," Loki snapped at me.
"Loki-" I reached out to stop him, but froze when I heard the thought which passed through his subconscious before I could grab him. My heart broke when the thought replayed in my head. But once I blinked the tears away, Loki was gone, and I couldn't get a tracker on him in time.
"Bollocks,"

"So where is he now?" Tony asked.
"Still at S.H.I.E.L.D. He'll be back later," I shrugged, munching on some crisps. I hated lying to my friends for him, but I figured that if Tony found out that Loki had gone off-piste, Fury would also find out, and perhaps then he would not be as generous with his terms. Tony, Thor and Nat were sitting around me on a sofa in the living room, and I had just told them about what had happened at the headquarters. Well, Most of it, anyway.
"How did he take being blackmailed? Badly, I assume," Thor asked, and I smiled wearily.
"Fury told him that he had to stay at S.H.I.E.L.D. while he was working for them, too." There was a profound silence.
"I'll make sure he stays here, kid. It's a bad idea to have him over there anyway," Tony told me after the pause, patting my hand and standing up. I was suddenly overcome with the almost overwhelming urge to cry.
"Thanks," I said, my voice sounding oddly constricted. Nat squeezed my arm and then stood and followed Tony from the room, leaving me with Thor.

"Now that they have gone, you need to tell me, Lady Yasmin. My brother is not at S.H.I.E.L.D., is he?" Thor asked me when the others were out of earshot, and I shook my head mutely, blinking back tears. "I may have to go and look for him."
"No, you shouldn't. He was so angry that it would only end badly," I whispered. Thor nodded.
"Lady Yasmin, Loki might be my brother, but if he has or is going to hurt you in any way..." Thor shook his head. "Then I will not hesitate to place Mjolnir on his chest. I've done it once, I will do it again,"
"Thor, he never hurt me. He would be in a crater if he had," I insisted, a sad smile creeping its way onto my face.
"I'm just saying. I consider you one of my closest friends, and I like to make sure my friends are okay," he told me firmly, as if that settled the matter. Now I felt tearful again; I placed one of your hands atop one of Thor's massive hands and smiled at him in gratitude. "You should go and get some rest; you've had a trying morning," he told me, and I agreed, retiring to my bedroom.

But the minute I sat down on my bed, I wished I had stayed in Thor's company. The last thought I had from Loki started replaying in my head.
"It's her fault," I was sure that Loki hadn't meant for me to hear it, but had he really meant it? Sure, he'd been angry, really angry, but how was it my fault that he was being blackmailed? It hurt more because I didn't understand. And now he was gone, off doing who knew what, who knew where, while I was sitting here, worrying about his ass and trying to ignore the tugging feeling in my chest, which was really starting to annoy me. This whole soulmates thing was all very well, but was it really necessary to have this awful feeling every time I wasn't in the same room as Loki? I hoped it would ease off as we spent more time apart, which I undoubtedly would be doing now that Loki had a job. The thought only made me sadder.

I fell asleep thinking horrible thoughts about S.H.I.E.L.D., involving what Fury might have meant when he'd said there had been worse ideas about getting Loki to accept their offer, involving me, Thor and me. I like to see him try and get me to do anything. Tony can't even get me to fold towels.

I slept fretfully, waking myself up during a particularly horrible dream only a few hours later. Loki still wasn't back, as the tugging feeling was still annoying me. The rest of the day passed slowly; I trained with Nat and then ate lunch, reassuring Thor every ten minutes that I was sure Loki was fine and that he didn't need to go looking for him. In reality, I wasn't sure. The others thought I was just worried because I had left him at the headquarters, which gave me an excuse to mope around all day. Thankfully, we didn't have a mission as my powers did not want to work today.

At about six pm, I gave up, telling everyone that I was tired even though I had never been less tired in my life, disappearing to my room to try and distract myself. Nothing worked, and I became increasingly annoyed at Loki. He knew I would be worrying, and it had been hours now. Why wasn't he back? I had a shower, then sat and tried to read a book, but only succeeded in staring at the same sentence for what felt like an age. After a while, a recklessness overtook me. Loki was being stupid; why couldn't I be too? Ignoring everything he had told me about teleportation being extremely advanced and dangerous magic, I stood up and closed my eyes, concentrating hard on everything Loki had told me about it. I pictured my destination: the roof.
"I can do this." Nothing happened. I wasn't surprised but quickly became annoyed. Focusing harder, I tried to block all other thoughts from my mind, but it was so hard when I felt this anxious, what if...?

I gasped as a violent jolt of pain lanced through my head, temporarily rendering me blind, and then I was on my knees, and blood was pouring from my nose. Clapping my hands to my face, I got slowly to my feet, wincing at the remaining pain in my head and staggered to the bathroom in annoyance.
"I am not doing that again." When the bleeding had subsided, I made my way to the roof via the stairs rather than using my extremely limited teleportation skills. The sunsets from the roof of the tower never failed to disappoint, and tonight was no exception; I just wished I could enjoy the view without the worry which was now firmly settled in my chest. Loki had been gone for almost 12 hours, and while I knew nothing awful had happened, I would rather know categorically that he was safe.

The sun went down, and darkness began to close in, accompanied by a dramatic decrease in temperature. I was, however, reluctant to return downstairs to my bedroom, where my mind would be stuck back in a torturous loop. I drew my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around my legs, resting my chin on my knees with a sigh. Up here, it was easier to let my mind wander away from those thoughts and not think of anything at all.
"How the fuck is it my fault?"

I must have only been sitting up on the bench on the roof for 4 hours when all of a sudden the tightness in my chest disappeared, and I could hardly remember what had been so wrong. Loki was back downstairs, safe. Relief, sweet relief, and then anger. Rigid, belligerent anger. And I think there was some feeling of regret. It can't have been my regret. I did nothing wrong.
"Yasmin?" Loki spoke softly. He was a fool if he thought I would be okay with him after disappearing like that.
"What?" I snapped.
"Where are you?" He asked. I debated answering him. Perhaps I should leave him to worry, but there weren't many places I would hide after a long day of people being in my face.
"I'm on the roof," I finally answered.

He was behind me in an instant. For a while, he stood still, sensing my anger, before coming to sit next to me on the bench. As much as I wanted to hug him, I didn't move. He didn't speak, but I could sense him trying to find the right words. I could feel that regretful feeling again, and this time, I knew it was coming from Loki.
"I'm sorry," Loki spoke. I simply nodded, keeping my eyes fixed on the horizon "I needed to get away, I felt so... it was--"
"You were gone 18 hours, Loki," I interrupted.
"I know. I'm sorry," I dropped my feet back to the floor and turned to look at him.
"It's not... Okay," I trailed off as I caught sight of him, feeling as though I had been smacked across the face. Loki was avoiding my gaze, concentrating on something on the floor about four feet to my left and closing his eyes as I looked at him.
"What did you do?" I breathed, temporarily forgetting that I was angry with him. Loki had cut off his hair. Only this morning had it fallen down past his shoulders to reach his shoulder blades; now it barely reached the nape of his neck. It looked as though it had been cut off roughly with a knife.
"I would've thought that was fairly obvious," I stared for a few more seconds, trying not to feel too distraught, before snapping out of it.
"Why would you... I mean, can't you grow it back?" I asked.
"Why would I grow it back when I just cut it off?" Loki muttered.
"Don't you want it back?"
"No, but I thought you could make it look better," he said, still avoiding my gaze. I couldn't be angry with him anymore, as much as I wanted to be. Sliding across the bench towards him, I reached a hand out to run my fingers through the uneven ends of his hair at the base of his neck. Loki exhaled.
"You took a leaf out of that Disney Mulan film, didn't you? Where she uses a blade to cut her hair," I sighed.
"She made it look so easy," Loki nodded as he leaned into my touch, his eyes closed, a small frown appearing on his face. He was tired. I didn't know if I wanted to find out where he had been and what he had been doing for the whole time he had gone. But then I remembered what had flashed through Loki's mind before he had left.
"It's my fault," Loki must have heard me think this because his eyes immediately flew open in horror. I withdrew my hand, but he grabbed onto it, shaking his head.
"Yasmin,"
"Do you really think that it's my fault that they blackmailed you?" I asked him sadly.
"Listen to me. It is your fault. If not for you, I would have been out of here months ago." A feeling of dread descended over me, turning my blood cold. I tried to pull my hand away from Loki's, but he held on to it firmly. "It is your fault. But I wouldn't have it any other way. You're the only reason that I am staying here, and you know that; if I had escaped months ago, I would probably be dead by now." Here we both thought of Thanos, and then I was hugging Loki tightly, my face pressed into the space between his neck and shoulder. "I'm sorry you heard that and misinterpreted it. I shouldn't have left,"
"No, you shouldn't have. Don't do it again, or next time I'll have to actually stay mad at you,"
"Only if you don't try and teleport when I'm not here. Ever again," Loki frowned, pointing at the small patch of blood around my face. I drew back from his embrace slightly, feeling guilt and annoyance in equal measures.
"Disappearing for a whole day and reading my mind without letting me know? You're treading on thin ice," I told him, only half joking.
"Promise me," Loki demanded, looking at me seriously.
"Yeah, okay," I muttered, meeting his gaze. He reached up and pushed a strand of hair behind my ear, and I smiled, reminded of that night on Asgard. I mirrored his action, shaking my head at his new haircut. "Let's go downstairs, I have to sort your hair out."

Chapter Text

- Yasmin's Pov -

2 weeks had passed since Loki and I had visited S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ, and neither Loki, me, nor Tony had heard anything from Fury since then. thank the lord. Though knowing, Fury, he was probably trying to lure us into a false sense of security, but things had pretty much returned to normal. Except for Loki's hair. I had managed to make it look less like it had been brutally attacked by a pair of shears and more like it had been done properly.

The two of us were currently in a training room, and he was finally allowing me to try and teleport properly, after weeks of training for it. Granted, I was only teleporting to barely a metre in front of me, but it was still exciting. Or, it would be, if I do it. I was trying to clear my mind, but Loki was worrying about me very loudly and I couldn't stop thinking about how hungry I was, and I could feel a headache coming on.
"Are you sure you don't want to take a break?" Loki asked.
"I'm fine!" I insisted.
"You don't look fine,"
"Then stop looking," sometimes I wished Loki cared about me a little less. No, that wasn't true, but it did become quite tedious in training sometimes when he made me stop in case I hurt myself every three seconds.

"Yasmin, stop. We can try again tomorrow," Loki said after about ten minutes, touching my arm gently. I groaned in annoyance, but I knew that it would be stupid to try and carry on.
"I'll train with Nat instead. At least I can actually practice moves with her rather than just giving myself headaches and nosebleeds," I muttered.
"Magic is mentally draining; the training you do with Natasha physically drains you rather than affecting your mind." Loki smiled, handing me a towel to clean my face up.
"Yeah, but using magic is physically draining too," I argued, moving to sit down heavily on the floor against the wall.
"I suppose mental health and physical health are connected," Loki mused, sitting down next to me on a chair he conjured from mid-air.
"Show off," I rolled my eyes. Loki smirked at me.
"Training hard, are we?" Tony's voice emanated from the corridor. We both turned to look at him "Reindeer Games, it's for you," he continued, holding the phone he held in his hand out towards Loki. My heart dropped. I had known it was only a matter of time before S.H.I.E.L.D. got in contact, but I hadn't wanted to think about what would happen when they did.

The phone vanished from Tony's hand and appeared in Loki's, who looked at me for a moment before lifting the phone to his ear. I cheered up slightly by the astonished look on Tony's face as he stared at the hand he had just been holding the phone in, but the feeling didn't last long as I listened in on the phone call.
"Right now?" Loki was asking. Even Tony felt a pang of sympathy when he heard that. "A few days' notice might have been nice." I could hear from the phone that Fury was arguing that this was a developing situation that they couldn't have all the information all the time and that Loki couldn't afford to be making demands. Then he told him to be on the roof in 10 minutes and hung up. Loki and I stared at the phone for a few seconds, and then Loki stood up and crossed the room, returning the phone to Tony. "Thank you, Stark." Then he walked back towards me, and I stood up, correctly guessing what was about to happen as I held out a hand for him.

Seconds later, I was in his room, and he was sitting on the edge of his bed; I followed suit and took one of his hands in mine.
"It's this or Asgard. Locked in a cell for eternity," My grip on his hand tightened, but he continued, "I would rather be away from you for a few hours than forever," I laughed, albeit humourlessly.
"It's not about being away from me. It's about being made to work for S.H.I.E.L.D. because you have been blackmailed. Please let me troll him for a few hours."
"It is very much about being away from you," he contradicted, pulling me towards him so that he could wrap his arms around me. "And no, you can't troll him."
"We both know that depends on whether I choose not to listen to you." I smiled. We stayed like that for the two minutes we had left together, trying not to worry about what he would be doing and how long he would be gone for, running my fingers through his new, short hair. I had become used to it now, and while I missed his long hair, I couldn't deny that short hair suited him well. Eventually, he pulled away from the embrace and kissed me. It was definitely a goodbye kiss, slow and lingering, and it left me breathless. "I'll be back so soon, you won't even notice I was gone," I smiled weakly at him.
"I love you. Be careful," I whispered. I closed my eyes.
"I love you too," He planted another kiss on my forehead, "Please be a good girl. At least till I get back," I went to reply, but I looked up, and then he was gone. I lay back on his bed, waiting for the familiar tugging feeling in my chest. I grinned, wrapping my arms around myself. Now, here was the tugging sensation, growing stronger as he left the roof in what must have been a helicopter. Ten minutes ago, everything had been normal.

After a while, I decided that lying on Loki's bed, feeling sorry for myself, wasn't going to do me any good, so I got up and went to find Nat to ask if she would train for a bit. I wouldn't notice he was gone. HA! I missed him. This tugging feeling is so annoying.
"I either train with NAt or Fury's gonna find itching power in his eye patch." I looked on Amazon for a few minutes. "Hmmm. I could glue hair to his bald head. Thinking that man would look rather fetching with rainbow clown hair."

Through dinner. Through the rest of the evening, and then through the whole night, I didn't sleep from worrying. Through the morning, where I sat with Thor, who was visibly worried too, in the living room and watched the sun come up, through breakfast, through the next three hours, until finally, a distraction arrived in the shape of a mission.
"Guys, get suited and booted, we're up," Tony announced, jogging into the kitchen before leaving again immediately to give JARVIS some orders. This was perfect timing. A distraction was exactly what I needed. I leapt to my feet and ran to get changed, following Bucky and Clint into the corridor from the kitchen.

I only went to my room on the off chance that Loki returned while I was gone to leave. I hoped he didn't, I didn't want him sitting alone in the tower.

Five minutes later, I was in the Quinjet listening to Tony tell me about the mission as we flew away from the tower. Worry blossomed in my chest yet again, and I fought to push it down and focus on what Tony was saying.
"Stolen S.H.I.E.L.D. technology," I read over a file that Nat had given me. We were to recover it and detain the people who had taken it. I wondered if this had anything to do with the secret organisation being formed within S.H.I.E.L.D.'s ranks, which Fury had told me about, but I couldn't voice this query aloud because none of the others were meant to know about it. Not that I should care what Fury wanted. He blackmailed Loki. I really want to go to his office and change his password, maybe set his screensaver to a certain annoying meowing rainbow cat. And I could pretend to be Fury when I do it. The possibilities were endless.
"We're going to need to go in quietly; take them by surprise," Tony spoke, bringing me back from a revenge plan. He was casting around for suggestions. I answered the unspoken question by turning invisible and then reaching out to hold Nat's arm to turn her invisible, too.
"Bucky and I will go in with them," Steve supplied, and Bucky nodded.

A hasty plan was formed as we approached the landing area; the Quinjet became invisible as it entered the zone around the building I was infiltrating and landed a fair distance away. We all turned our earpieces on and stood up as the jet landed.
"Ladies first," Bucky grinned as the back of the jet opened into the ramp.
"You're too kind," I mocked.

I exited the jet, followed by Nat, then Steve and then Bucky, and the rest of the team waited a while before following to surround the building in a loose circle. The four of us held on to each other as we approached the building; my magic extending across our connected arms to make us all invisible in case of CCTV. I had never tried making four people invisible simultaneously before, and the sensation made me feel slightly lightheaded. I approached a back door, and I strained to hear any thoughts coming from within the building. Luckily, there was someone right on the other side of the door, presumably a security guard.
"I can hear one," I look at Nat. She nodded and then reached out and knocked loudly on the door. A few seconds later, it swung open, and for a moment, the security guard peered around in confusion, not seeing the four of us standing invisibly in front of him. Then I let go of Nat's arm, making us all visible. The guard barely had time to react as Nat flew at him, and Steve grabbed the door to prevent it from swinging shut. There was a thud from inside the door, and then a surprised yell.
"They're here! The Avengers, they--" This was spoken by an unfamiliar voice, followed by another cry and then a thud. A second security guard. Who, by the sound of it, had just revealed our arrival to the whole building.
"Bollocks,"
"You said there was only one!" Nat complained as we entered the building.
"I said I can hear one. Dickhead number two must have been asleep," I frowned.
"Yes, he was," Nat replied, gesturing at the now vacant chair which was positioned by the back door.
"So much for going in quietly," Bucky supplied, gesturing at the radio the second man had used to tell whoever else was in the building.
"Keep going. We're on the roof," Tony spoke through the earpieces. I started forward down the corridor, but Steve held me back.
"Let me go first," and Bucky followed Steve, and Nat took up the rear as we made our way deeper into the building, becoming more and more unnerved as we encountered no security guards.

"Do we have a location on the tech yet?" Nat asked over comms as we crept around another corner to find yet another abandoned corridor.
"I'm working on it. Although, by the looks of it, we'll just be able to physically search the building without much resistance." Tony spoke.
"Something isn't right," Steve muttered as we reached the end of the corridor.
"You're at the centre of the building now, it's a storage room," Tony told me.
"Allow me," I volunteered, turning myself invisible before anyone could protest. I pushed the door open slowly and slipped through to the other side.

Tony had been right, the centre of the building was a storage room, but it was gigantic. I was on a raised platform which ran around the whole edge of the room, about twenty feet above the floor; spiral staircases reaching down to the floor were situated at six points around the platform. The room must have been about two hundred metres by a hundred metres at least, and huge storage units and shelves filled the whole space.

For a moment, I was taken aback by the sheer size of the room, before snapping out of it and scanning the room for guards. I couldn't see or hear anyone.
"Tony, you were right, it is a storage space. I can't see or hear anyone," I addressed the team quietly through my earpiece. As I said this, however, I felt someone's presence appear on the other side of the room "Wait, wait. There's someone here," I whispered as the others tried to follow me into the room. I strained to hear the faint voice, which was getting closer as the person walked between the storage units. Their thoughts were muddled and excited. Something good had happened, but there were nerves present too.
"They haven't got here yet, but it's only a matter of time. Everyone is in position... yes, I know we need to leave soon, but if there's going to be a fight, it should be in here," my breath hitched in my chest as I heard the voice. His voice. But it couldn't be him, could it?
"Yas, you alright, kid?" Clint was asking me through your earpiece, and I shook my head, forgetting for a second that he couldn't see me. The person whose voice I had heard stepped out from behind a shelf, still speaking into a phone and completely unaware of my presence.
"Loki?"

Chapter Text

- Yasmin's Pov -

"Yasmin, talk to us. What do you see?" Barton asked again. I didn't reply. I couldn't speak, couldn't breathe. Nothing was right; this was impossible. I snapped out of the initial shock I had felt, blinking hard, and used my brain. Unfortunately, that wasn't easy when I had seven people practically yelling at me through my earpiece.

I slid back through the door quietly and gestured to Bucky, Steve and Nat to follow me a little way back down the corridor.
"What did you see? What happened?" Nat asked urgently in a low voice.
"I saw Loki, but-" Nat's face dropped. Steve took a step back and raised his face heavenwards, and Bucky moved forward to console me. There was a barrage of noise over my earpiece, too: Tony and Clint yelling and Thor asking loudly for clarification. I was still trying to work out what was going on.
"Are you sure?" Thor said.
"Will you all shut up and listen to me!" I whisper-shouted, and all was quiet again. "It's not Loki. I can tell, but someone's either using magic or technology to--" I was interrupted by the sound of Tony swearing.
"The stolen tech, they're using it. The agent said it was masks which can be calibrated to look like any face, and it changes the voice too," he explained. I felt guilty for feeling relieved.
"Hang on. How do we know that it's not really Reindeer Games down there?" Clint asked. I clenched my jaw, trying not to feel annoyed by the question.
"He would've seen and heard me." Besides the fact that my chest still ached, I wasn't about to mention that.
"What if he was pretending not to," Steve helpfully supplied.
"It's not him." That dumbass is not my Loki. I would know.
"But it--"
"He's working for S.H.I.E.L.D., not against them, that doesn't make any sense! He was blackmailed-" I pressed my fingers to my temple.
"Yes, but-"
"It is NOT Loki!" I hissed, slightly louder than was probably a good idea. Silence again. "Sort of sorry. The Loki we know has short hair. The pillock had long hair," I whispered, taking a breath.
"Did fake Loki say anything?" Thor asked, sounding vaguely relieved. I internally scolded myself for being annoyed by this fact. I myself had felt relief only a few moments ago.
"He was telling someone on a phone that we weren't there yet, and that everyone was in position."
"So, there are more masks?" Bruce asked.
"Maybe. I'm not sure," I replied.
"There are around a dozen of them," Tony said.
"Well, let's find out, shall we?" Clint asked.
"Hang on, we need a plan--" Steve interjected.
"We go in and get the tech. How's that for a plan?" Tony replied. Steve rolled his eyes.
"Let's go, visible this time," Nat told me, and strode towards the door, but I stopped her.
"Wait. I can get one of the masks off of this one guy so that we can see what we are dealing with."
"You want us to let you go in there alone?" Tony scoffed.
"I'm not alone, I have you guys for backup," I argued, walking towards the door.
"Yasmin, listen to me..." Tony said sternly. Steve nodded to me to go ahead.
"I'm listening," I replied, before pushing the door open.

"Loki!" I exclaimed, trying to inject surprise and relief into my voice. The guy looked up in alarm and quickly hid the phone he had been talking into behind his back. I vaulted over the railings of the platform and landed hard on the ground twenty feet below, using my magic to break my fall before standing up and jogging towards the guy. He looked terrified.
"What's wrong?" I asked, feigning concern as I neared him. He was trying not to stare at my eyes.
"No- nothing. Nothing's wrong... babe?" he said hesitantly. I gave him a pitying smirk.
"Not even close," Panic flashed behind his eyes, and I gave a satisfied smile as I were able to conjure a knife on my first attempt without very much thought at all. The guy swung for my face, and I blocked him easily with my magic once, twice, three times, before kicking his legs out from underneath him and bringing the knife down to hover over his exposed throat. I could hear doors banging open on the other side of the storage room. "Time for that backup, I think," I said to the others over comms. I ran my finger over the side of the guy's face, trying to find the edge of the mask and determinedly ignoring the fact that it was Loki's face looking up at me, making reluctant eye contact. After a few seconds, I found a tiny ridge and slid my nail under it, pulling up.
"Get your hands off of him," I heard from behind me.

I yanked the mask off the guy's face, drawing a hiss of pain from him and stood up quickly, backing away in shock. Tony was walking towards me, pointing the palm of his Iron Man suit towards me. Nat emerged behind him, then Steve, then Bucky and Thor. It took me a second to work out what was going on. The door on my side of the storage room flew open, and the real Avengers poured through, hesitating when they saw their doppelgangers watching them. I watched in a mixture of shock and interest as my look-alike appeared from behind a storage container, staring me down.
"Does my hair really look like that?" I asked. Tony flew over to land in front of me, facing his look-alike square in the face.
"Shit," Fake Tony said.
"Language," Steve said, at exactly the same time as his doppelganger did. My brain was working overtime. I was the only one present who could tell the real Avengers from the fake ones, being able to hear their thoughts.
"I can tell who is who," I announced, and all eyes turned to me. The guy who had been imitating Loki was getting off the floor and rubbing his throat.
"We can't," Nat countered.
"That's the point," her look-alike said and launched herself at real Bucky. Things escalated quickly after that. Real Steve and Thor turned to defend Bucky, but their doubles intercepted them before they could do anything. Tony flew at my look-alike alike and soon we were all locked in combat. I shoved the stolen mask into my back pocket, recognising as I did so that I should probably be treating such high-tech equipment with a tad more care, and met Clint's double with my magic, speaking over comms as I fought him.
"My double can't use magic, and her eyes are not my shade of purple. They are lighter and don't glow. Thor's has a fake Mjolnir; you can spot that a mile off. You can see the 3D-printed lines, and Steve's double Wish-shield is obviously fake. It doesn't have the same clang, and he doesn't wield it like a frizzbee. We've all trained together pretty much, so we should be able to--" I was cut off as Tony's double-slammed me to the floor. "Get the fuck off!" I right-hooked the son-of-the-bitch.
"Just go for the faces, get the masks!" Tony instructed.

I was quite easily able to keep Clint's double at bay with my magic, but the problem was that I needed to get close enough to him to get the mask off his face.
"Thor no, it's me!" I heard Steve yell, and the unmistakable sound of Mjolnir hitting vibranium resounded across the room. Seconds later, everyone was on their backs on the floor. I saw my chance and took it, launching myself at Clint's double to tear the mask off his face, but not before his fist had connected hard with my jaw. I reeled backwards in pain, my head spinning, clutching the mask in my hand. But Clint's double wasn't done with me yet. He stood to face me once again, this time alongside the guy who had worn my Loki's face.
"You really want to do this?" I sighed, shaking my head to try and fix my vision, which had gone slightly blurry after being punched in the face. Before I had a chance to make a move, a figure flew over my head: a streak of black and red. A quick glance into their mind told me that it was only Nat's double, and then Clint's double, and the other man was running at me.

Feeling only slightly bad, I moved my left arm towards Clint's double in a sweeping motion, flicking my wrist, which sent him flying backwards into a storage container. There was a loud echoing bang, and then he slumped to the ground, unconscious. The other guy didn't even flinch and came at me swiftly with a knife clutched in either hand, ironically, after having tried to imitate Loki.
"Why did you choose Loki to imitate?" I asked before he swung one knife towards my face, and then the other with deadly skill and precision. I dodged both and knocked him back with my magic before conjuring another knife of my own. "He's not an Avenger. It's not common knowledge that he's even on Earth," I continued.
"Wasn't my choice," the guy grunted, falling back before launching himself at me again. He was fighting to seriously injure me, and my heart rate picked up dramatically as I realised that if this guy wasn't messing around, the others probably had orders not to either.
"Oh yeah? Whose choice was it?" I asked, or rather panted, dodging another violent slash and using a technique Nat had taught me to try and disarm him. It didn't work, and he managed to catch my arm with his next swipe, causing me to hiss in pain. My magic swelled inside me, and I sent a blast towards him, which he dodged, and then swung back towards you, catching the side of your head with the blunt edge of his knife. I staggered backwards, feeling something warm and wet spill down the side of my face and obscuring my vision in one eye.
"Why would I tell you?" he sneered, coming at me again. I closed my eyes and teleported behind him without really thinking about it. Letting out a triumphant laugh, I used my magic to send the guy flying and knocked the knives out of his unsuspecting hands. He sprawled on the floor with a shout of pain but scrambled straight back to his feet, apparently unhurt and cast around for his knives. I opened my mouth to say something to the man in front of me, maybe to ask him whether he was part of the secret organisation within S.H.I.E.L.D., but he was staring at a point just above my right hip.
"And just what are you staring... at?" I followed his gaze and was as shocked as anyone to see the knife lodged in your side. Even as I watched, a red stain appeared and started to spread across the side of my suit. "Shit," The guy grinned a horrible smirk and launched himself back towards me, but was intercepted midway by Bucky. Then Steve's double was running towards me. I made a split-second decision and yanked the knife out of my side, gritting my teeth in pain. Fully aware that taking a knife out after having been stabbed was an awful idea, I threw it to the ground. The way I saw it, I could either keep the knife in now, be rendered unable to fight and die, or I could pull the knife out, fight, and hopefully not die from blood loss. Not the most ideal situation, but I would have to make do.

I met Steve's double and was very relieved to find that he wasn't half as skilled as the man I just fought had been. I overcame him fairly quickly, considering that I was partially blind and had just been stabbed, and looked up after I floored him to find that there were a lot of people lying on the floor, some with masks who still looked like the team and some of the actual team.
"What the hell?" Clint and Bruce both looked to be out cold, and Nat looked as though she'd broken something.
"We need to get out of here, tech or no tech," Steve was saying over comms, which I found odd as I looked down at his unconscious double on the floor in front of me. I bent down to retrieve the mask and groaned in pain, disguising it as a cough so the others wouldn't go into panic mode.
"I have three masks," I said, straightening up and pressing a hand to the wound in my side. When I looked down again, my hand was stained crimson red; my vision went blurry for a few seconds, and I swayed where I stood. Blinking hard, I made another questionable decision. I cast an illusion. I had to help them get out of here first. I would be fine, Asgardians healed quicker than Midgardians.

After all the masks had been counted and we were tying the thieves up, a large group of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents arrived.
"In the nick of time," Steve muttered, and I laughed, disguising my wince of pain with a smile.
"Let's go, quickly. Who's hurt?" Tony cast around the group for any sign of more serious injuries. Clint and Bruce had come to, and Thor was carrying Nat, who looked white as a sheet.
"There were three of them, I could've taken them, but--"
"I'm sure you could have." Thor agreed with her. I wiped the blood out of my eye and took a step forward to follow the team out of the building.
"So is anyone else injured?" Steve asked. I went to answer, but a second later, I was falling, and I didn't even think to try and break my fall. My nose connected hard with the concrete floor, and a fresh bout of pain washed over me, causing me to black out for a second. I willed myself to pass out, but annoyingly, I stayed conscious, and the pain remained. I had no chance of keeping up the illusion now; I felt myself lose control, and the stab wound became visible again. There was blood everywhere. Tony and Bucky were shouting, and then I was being lifted, and I couldn't help the cry of pain which escaped me as the wound in my side seemed to grow even bigger.

Bucky's face blurred in and out of focus as he ran with me towards the Quinjet, and then I was lying on the sick bed, Tony's hands pressed firmly against my side. It hurt.
"I'm... fine," I tried to tell Tony, who was shouting at Bruce, who still looked awful from being knocked out. I made the mistake of looking back down at my side, and saw that my suit was stained dark red all across the front. "fuck," I said numbly, and then my head fell back, and I lost consciousness for a few minutes again.

When I came to Steve was doing something to my side. I grit my teeth as a sharp pain shoots all the way up through my torso.
"Why didn't Tony make this thing stab-proof?" I muttered, and Steve smiled half-heartedly.
"You're really hurt, Yasmin. Try and stay still," Steve said, pressing something to my ribs.
"You don't say," I murmured, suddenly feeling awfully like I was going to throw up. Then my head started spinning, and I squeezed my eyes shut tight, making a noise which sounded like a constricted sob in the base of my throat, "Oh, fuck this hurts."
"You're gonna be okay, kid," Tony told me. When had Tony got here? Steve had been here a moment ago. Tony sounded terrified. He thought that I might die; I could hear him thinking it. Suddenly, fear rose in my throat, so strong and terrifying that it made me gasp aloud. It wasn't my fear; I was in too much pain to be feeling any strong emotions at this moment. "What's happening?" Tony asked loudly, sounding scared.
"Yasmin? darling, please, talk to me..." Loki. Relief hit me in the square in chest, and I relaxed for a second before I remembered that I might be dying. He must have felt me get stabbed and panicked. I loved him so much, and I tried to let him know that I was okay through my thoughts, but all I could think about was the pain. I couldn't lie to him about this even if I wanted to.
"Yasmin? Can you hear me?" Bruce was asking me, and I felt the jet touch down. That's how I could hear Loki, we were home, and he was here by himself.
"Loki," I slurred, forcing my eyes to stay open and trying to lift my head.

The ramp was opening just as the jet touched down.
"Get Yas and Nat downstairs." Tony was saying, and then suddenly he was pushed aside as Loki rushed towards me. I let out a relieved sob when I saw him, which turned into a gasp of pain as the agony I was feeling on my side seemed to intensify. My fear was reflected in his eyes.
"I've got her." The second he had me in his arms, the pain evaporated, and I fell into the relief of not feeling anything. I had never been more grateful for Loki's magic. "I've got you. I've got you," And that was the last thing I remember before I passed out.

I came to again minutes later as another wave of pain washed over me, and I moaned in discomfort. It felt like I had been hit by a bus. Loki was there, holding my hands tightly. I looked up at the ceiling and saw that I was in the medical wing of the tower.
"I'm sorry, I know it hurts, I know. You're going to be fine, okay?" I tried to focus on my face; it was blurred and swimming above me. He reached up to brush my hair, sticky with blood, out of my face. His hands were stained red with my blood. I was in the medical wing on the operating table. Bruce was moving around just out of my peripheral vision, "Sleep, my love. You'll be alright now." The darkness was already descending before he thought it. I kept a tight hold on Loki's hand as I surrendered once again to the void.

Chapter Text

- Yasmin's pov -

As I drifted off to sleep, my mind was blank. I had fallen into such a deep slumber that not even the searing pain from the stab wound on my side could awaken me. It was as if my body was trying to shut down, to escape the trauma that had been inflicted upon it.

When I finally opened my eyes, I found myself lying on my back in a dimly lit room. The only sounds I could hear were the beeping of the medical equipment and the soft hum of the air conditioner. It took me a few moments to realise that I was still in the medical ward, on the same operating table where I thought I had undergone surgery. I didn't have any bandages on, though.

As I tried to sit up, a sharp pain shot through my side, reminding me of the injury. I lay back down, cursing myself for being so foolish as to get into that situation in the first place. I closed my eyes and let out a deep sigh, grateful for their care and attention.

Despite the pain, I felt a sense of peace wash over me. I knew that I was in good hands and that I would eventually recover. As I drifted off to sleep once again, I couldn't help but wonder what the future held for me. But for now, all that mattered was the present moment and the knowledge that I was safe and protected.

I turned my head to the side and could just make out the shape of Loki, asleep, sitting on a chair next to the operating table and slumped forward, resting his face on his folded arms atop the table next to my torso, one hand holding discreetly onto mine. Gingerly, I lifted my other arm and moved my hand to his hair, running my fingers through it slowly. He must be shattered if he was sleeping this deeply. I didn't want to think about why he might have had to use so much magic that he had tired himself out like this.

Loki hummed quietly in appreciation in his sleep, causing me to not so much laugh as to breathe out heavily through my nose. This was a mistake. Pain shot through my side, and I tensed in pain, biting my lip in an attempt not to make a noise and disturb Loki. He was already awake, sitting up abruptly.
"What's wrong?" he asked drowsily, his voice thick with sleep, blinking sleepily in the general direction of my face. He moved to brush his hair out of his eyes, a force of habit, as now there was none there to brush away. I felt a rush of affection towards him.
"I'm okay," I whispered, smiling as he yawned "Are you?" Loki threw me a disbelieving look, which I then thought I might have actually imagined; the room was so dark I could barely see his face.
"You're recovering from a stab wound, two cracked ribs and a broken nose, and you're asking me if I'm alright?"
"I was worried about you."
"I'm fine, it was fine,"
"You're tired out,"
"Yes," Loki yawned.
"Why?" He moved his chair up so that he was closer to me and gently took one of my hands.
"You were in a lot of pain. It took a lot of magic to numb it," So he hadn't used magic on his mission. He'd used it on me. I closed my eyes briefly, squeezing his hand.
"Thank you,"
"So, what happened?" I started explaining to him about the technology they'd had, which made them look like the team, but he stopped me. "Thor told me about that. I mean, how did this happen?" he asked, gesturing towards the stab wound, which was now barely even there.
"I thought that was obvious," I rolled my eyes. Loki blankly faced me. "I got stabbed," Loki rolled his eyes endearingly.
"Obviously,"
"There were so many of them; it was hard to keep track. I was so caught up with fighting this one guy that I wasn't really thinking about any of the others," I explained. Loki ran a hand over his face.
"If I had been there... this wouldn't have happened,"
"But you weren't. Accidents happen,"
"Darling, Someone stabbed you," Loki stressed.
"Loki, I'm an Avenger. It's in the job description," I retorted humorously. Loki didn't smile "I'm fine. It hurts a bit, but I'm healing fast," I continued, deciding to prove my point by moving to sit up. The pain brought tears to my eyes, but I made it. Loki was shaking his head at my stubbornness, still half asleep. I lifted the hem of my shirt to examine the stab wound; it looked as though it were a few days old rather than only a few hours. Being Asgardian and having access to high-tech medical equipment probably had a large part to play in my inhumanly fast healing process. My back ached from lying on a hard table for a long period of time, and I looked longingly over at the beds which lined the far wall as I dropped the hem of your shirt.
"Come on," Loki sighed, getting to his feet in resignation. "Let me carry you." Before I had a chance to protest, Loki was already gently lifting me off the table; I screwed my eyes shut and turned my face away as pain lanced across my side.

Never before had a bed felt so soft or inviting; I was half asleep again before Loki had even put me down properly. I could feel how tired he was, even over my own fatigue.
"Stay with me," I murmured as he set me down, keeping hold of his arm.
"Yasmin, no," I yanked on his arm, ignoring how much it hurt, and he practically collapsed on the bed next to me. "I'm not going to be able to stay awake," He was worried about the others seeing.
"I don't care. They know," Relieved, he moved his arm behind my head so I could rest my head on his shoulder and remain on my back. Eyes already closed, I reached up with my left hand and intertwined my fingers with Loki's left hand, which was next to my head. He squeezed my hand briefly before falling straight back to sleep. "I love you,"
"I love you too," Loki mumbled as he passed out. Trying to ignore the dull ache which remained in my side and nose, I just had time to wonder if the stab wound would leave a scar before I too fell back asleep.

It was a tense situation when my friends caught me and Loki sleeping on the bed together. Tony, Barton, and Bucky were furious and wanted to attack Loki. Nat was extremely disappointed, but her spirits were lifted when Steve handed her a twenty-dollar bill. Bruce didn't speak to me for a whole week. Thor, on the other hand, was over the moon with excitement, jumping up and down like a kid who had too much candy. It was clear that he was thrilled to see us together. Despite the tension, I know that we will eventually be able to move past the incident and continue our friendship, albeit with some awkwardness at first.