Tesseract: Introduction A Loki x reader that I started over 4 years ago in high school. I've done my best to fix it but please, I WOULD LOVE FEEDBACK! Takes place during the first Avengers. This is just the introuction, I have a whole story planned out but I need to fix what was already written and finish writing it! Photo credit to Google, if you know the original artist, please tell me so I can tag them!

I hadn't asked to be a part of the tesseract project, but just because I hadn't asked didn't mean that I wouldn't be placed there. I think that my older brother, agent Phil Coulson, had something to do with it. I was placed there as a part of security, working under special agent Barton to guard and monitor the tesseract. My name is Y/N Coulson, and this is the story of myself, and the tesseract.

Though at first quite boring, and at times rather infuriating, I soon found small parts of my new job enjoyable. Dr. Selvig was friendly, though he often poked fun at the way I was constantly misplacing my glasses. It was never enough to cause any ill will. Erik also explained some of their findings to me in words that I could understand. I had never been a science person in school, but there was something about the way Erik would describe things to me that was soothing in a way. It made the mundane description of a simple electric current seem more interesting than what I thought possible.

Weeks into the research project, the Tesseract began acting very strangely, throwing off slight bursts of mild gamma radiation. I began to wonder if Barton wasn't smarter for sitting in the rafters, watching from afar. My post walking around on the floor wasn't exactly the safest position to be in. Suddenly, three large arcs of energy shot out from the Tesseract, all in different directions. Two went towards the cement wall, and one came straight for me, knocking me to the ground before I could dodge to avoid it. I hesitantly got up, not wanting to discover the hard way that I had been injured. Dr. Selvig and a few others rushed towards me as I stood up, Barton sliding down from his perch up above. Aside from a slightly bruised backside, nothing seemed to have hurt me.

"Coulson, are you feeling alright?" Barton asked, his face concerned.

"Yea," I said, then joking, "Why, am I glowing, radioactive or something?"

"You should probably take a look at yourself." Selvig said, gesturing for a reflective surface to be retrieved for him.

They handed me the stainless steel tray, and I peered at my reflection. For a moment, I noticed no difference. Then my eyes met those of my reflection. My blue eyes seemed to glow, a shade lighter to match the Tesseract. I stumbled back in shock, and my eyes dimmed slightly. Curious, I took a few steps towards the Tesseract, my eyes brightening with every step. I walked away from the glowing cube, and my eyes resumed their natural state when I was about a hundred feet away from it.

"What is this?" I breathed.

"I.. I don't know." Erik responded, "But I'll try to find out." he walked into his work station, muttering about finding some kind of meter gun.

"I'm calling Fury." Barton said, beginning to climb back up to his nest in the rafters.

I sighed as I picked up my glasses and placed them on my face again. Perhaps the gamma radiation the cube threw at me had been enough to affect my eyes, but apparently it wasn't going to fix my sight.

Dr. Selvig walked over, waving some kind of instrument around my body like a TSA agent at an airport.

"This makes no sense!" he scoffed, "This reads no different on you than it does on myself… and I wasn't struck! I need to find out how to test this…"

A few days passed, the research team becoming more tense as time wore on. Barton's retelling of the Tesseract's fit had been enough to merit a visit from Nick Fury himself. Not wishing to look like a slacker, I posted myself between the main entrance and the tesseract, eyes shifting all around the room as I stood at attention with my hands behind my back. Dr. Selvig assured me that he would vouch for my usefulness, but I declined, insisting that I let my actions speak for themselves.

The PA system announced Fury's arrival, and I began pacing slightly back and forth, noticing that Barton still calmly sat in his 'nest' in the rafters. Soon enough, Fury emerged, with my brother following, only to have Phil turn around and leave at a word from the director. As soon as Fury walked up to the scientific monitors, Dr. Selvig launched into a debriefing of the entire mission's progression, including the unusual behavior of the tesseract itself. Barton descended from his post, speaking with Fury about what they might do.

Before Dr. Selvig could begin telling Fury of the accident with me, the tesseract began to flux and wane, energy again visibly arcing off of the small cube. I stepped to stand behind some equipment as the cube continued to throw off energy in increasing both volume and quantity.

Suddenly, the whole room seemed to glow with energy, the tesseract the brightest point of light in the room. A large, circular portal opened up in the research facility, around ten feet away from the cube itself. I could see what looked to be galaxies and clusters of stars in the portal, the world I lived in barely reaching into the strange doorway. Energy spread out, and the portal closed in a flaming flash, the energy rising and gathering at the high ceiling of the facility. The ceiling seemed to groan and crack, but I could not see well through the glowing blue energy field.

I looked down to where the portal had been, and saw a figure kneeling on the ground, slight traces of Tesseract energy still rising from him like tendrils of smoke. The figure appeared to be male, clad in dark black and green leather from his shoulders to his feet. In his hand was a long, golden spear, with a sharp silver blade. The spear itself also glowed blue from one point near the blade, as if it also had a small Tesseract attached. The man glanced up, long black hair slicked back behind his head, a menacing grin on his face. He seemed pale, and almost gaunt. His eyes had dark circles around them as if he hadn't had sleep in years. Director Fury began to speak with the strange person. Instead of respond to Fury's questions, the man slowly stood, smiling, and began to shoot energy blasts from his spear, the tip of which glowed like the tesseract.

I dove behind a computer lab station, taking my pistol out of it's leg holster. Taking calculated aim, I fired at the strange man that had now leapt an impossible distance off of the ground and forward, and stabbed another security officer with his staff. Bullets bounced harmlessly off of him, and I shuddered, knowing this was getting hopeless.

As the man continued to take down security, I scooted around carefully to get between him and the tesseract while remaining hidden. I noticed Fury doing the same. I placed my pistol back into its holster, knowing that bullets could not harm this strange newcomer. I stood by the tesseract, watching helplessly as the man lightly touched people in the chest with the spear, their eyes darkening, then lightening to match my own when I was near the tesseract.

Fury took out a metal suitcase that he had taken off a shelf, and took the tesseract, placing it inside the silvery box. He winced as it burned him, closing the suitcase quickly. The ceiling began to crack more from the energy trapped there, small pieces falling to the floor. As we tried to leave with the tesseract, the man spoke up for the first time since he had appeared.

"Please don't. I still need that." I couldn't quite place his accent, it was unusual, like he had come from time past. There was confidence in his voice, but also the slightest hint of desperation, perhaps exhaustion.

"This doesn't have to get any messier." Fury responded, stopping.

"Of course it does. I've come too far anything else." the man said, his voice deep and intimidating. "I am Loki, of Asgard, and I am burdened with glorious purpose." The room seemed to chill by a few degrees as the words left his mouth, a smile spreading across his pale face.

Dr. Selvig interjected briefly, "Loki, brother of Thor."

At the Dr.'s statement, Loki glared at him with such an intense stare, I felt weak at the knees. The hatred seemed to radiate off of him at the mention of his brother.

"We have no quarrel with your people." Fury said, and I slowly began to realize what was going on.

"An ant has no quarrel with a boot." Loki responded, seemingly less irritated now.

"Are you planning to step on us?" Fury responded, confirming my theory.

Fury was stalling for time.

"I come with glad tidings, of a world made free." Loki said, smiling a bit.

"Free from what?"

"Freedom. Freedom is life's great lie. Once you accept that, in your heart…" Loki answered, touching Dr. Selvig with his staff, turning the Dr.'s eyes the unearthly blue. "…you will know peace."

The ceiling cracked further, the energy that had collected beginning to fluctuate as it had before Loki's arrival. The room rumbled slightly, putting myself and Fury even more on edge.

"Yeah, you say "peace," I kind of think you mean the other thing." Fury said. I realized that unless I wanted to die, I should probably play along that I had been changed by the staff. My eyes already glowed, all I had to do was stay close to the tesseract, or possibly even just the staff that Loki held. It was a foolhardy plan, but it was all I had. Better to live to fight another day than die pointlessly unable to prevent anything.

Barton soon spoke up, blue eyes in startling contrast from his normally brown ones. "Sir, Director Fury is stalling. This place is about to blow and drop a hundred feet of rock on us. He means to bury us."

"Like the pharaohs of old." Fury said, resigning himself to his own death. He looked at me sternly, and I understood. I made like I was walking away from Fury, aligning with Loki, and hoping that the angered god would fall for the trick.

"He's right. The portal is collapsing in on itself." Selvig said, checking a few monitors. "We've got maybe two minutes before this goes critical."

"Well, then…" Loki said, nodding to Barton.

Barton took aim and fired at Fury, knocking Fury to the ground and leaving the tesseract defenseless. I followed Loki as close as I dared, hoping my assumption regarding my eyes and his staff was correct. It seemed that it was, as he merely glanced at me before moving on, Barton grabbing the case and following both of us out towards the vehicles.

We marched out towards the jeeps, passing a confused agent Hill. I tried to shoot her a warning look as I sat inside the backseat of the jeep, Loki climbing into the truck bed portion. Barton was the last to enter, taking the driver's seat after a few gunshots echoed in the area. We careened down the corridors, followed by several SHIELD vehicles.

Somehow, agent Hill got in front of us, slamming into us with her own jeep, trying to prevent our escape. Unfortunately, Barton was a skilled driver, and evaded Hill's Jeep. Her vehicle was spun around, and we left it in the dust.

We burst out of the compound's entrance just as the corridor behind us collapsed upon itself, leaving us no one to run from. That is, until Fury's helicopter showed up. I expected to be shot down by my own, which was rather saddening, but a blue burst of energy flew up from behind the cab, and struck the helicopter. With the chopper careening out of control, I was only able to see one figure leap from the whirlibird before it came crashing down to the ground. A few shots were fired at us, but none met their mark. My bluetooth fizzled in my ear, signaling that my radio was out of range. I had no way to contact anyone within SHIELD. I yanked it out and threw it on the floor of the vehicle, silent tears streaming down my face.

I was officially alone.