Merely curious.

My first Character x Reader fanfic. I've been reading a few of them myself and wanted to try to write one. This one is a Loki x reader if you haven't figured that out, jk I know you guys are brilliant and smart enough to read the summary thing. If enough people like it I may turn it into a full story instead of a one shot.

Merely curious.

A cool wind whisks past you, playing with your (h/l, and h/c) hair. It carried a few brightly colored fall leaves along with it, one blowing into your mouth. You sputter, making 'blah, plah" sounds while trying to get it out. Using your hands you finally manage to get the leaf out.

"Darn wind." You mutter. You think to yourself as you wrap your favorite green scarf tighter around your neck. It was the first thing your grandma had taught you to knit and you were actually able to finish. Snuggling down into your scarf and hunching your shoulders against the cold, you check your watch again. Why wasn't she here yet? Looking down the road, you sigh as another gust of wind makes you shiver. Nothing like an English autumn to chill you to the bones and humiliate you. And to think you had always wanted to live here, instead of that small town you left back in the states.

"(Y/n)!" A familiar voice calls to you.

"Jane!" You turn and acknowledge your old college friend. You exchange hugs, her hair blowing into you face.

"Sorry about that." She laughs. Gathering up her hair and throwing it over her shoulder.

"No problem, looks like everything just wants to get up in my face today." You joke. Jane laughs and you both walk to the closest cafe and order a hot drink.

"So how's life been treating you? Are you still single or has miss study-like-crazy finally found a man?" You ask. Jane blushes and looks down at her cup of tea. You've known Jane long enough to know that whenever she did that she was hiding something. "Spill." You urge her.

"I actually, kinda… met a guy." She admits.

"Oh, when, where? Tell me everything!" You say excitedly.

"I met him in New Mexico..." She went on to tell you of how she met this guy and had only recently met up with him again. The whole time you wish she'd tell you his name, and was she being incredibly vague on purpose? All the same you can tell she's absolutely smitten with the guy.

"Awe, you should see how you look right now." You gush. She blushes again. She opens her mouth to respond but her phone interrupts her.

"Hold on…" you nod, knowing that specific ring meant it was Jane's mom calling, really it was kinda funny how much Jane had changed yet remained the same, "hey mom. She what? Ok, I'll find someone else. Wait a second," Jane looks up at you, "hey so I know this is sudden but my intern bailed on me so could you house sit my mom's place for a few days?"

"Uh sure." Surprised by the sudden request you accept without thinking.

"Thank you, Darcey can be so unreliable." Jane returned to talking to her mom, telling her the good news. You stir your tea absentmindedly, thinking how fortunate it was that you recently got a job working from home. You were an editor and you were so happy when the publishing industry you worked for offered that instead of an office job. Before that you had worked for a small survey company and you swore if you ever had to sit in a small cubical and read one more stupid person 'on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being not satisfactory and 10 being very satisfactory how satisfied were you with your insurance?' You would personally throw yourself off a cliff. A sudden glint of something caught your eye outside the window. When you glanced over, there was nothing there. But you could've sworn you saw someone turn a corner suddenly, as though trying to keep out of sight.

"(Y/n)? (Y/n)!" Jane brought you back to reality.

"Hmm, what?" You say, returning your attention to your friend.

"I said, come on, let's go." She stood up from the table, having already paid for your drinks. You stand, leaving a tip for the waiter. You and Jane continue catching up as you walk to her mom's home.

"How's your book coming along?" Jane asks.

"Pretty good, I'm surprised you remember." You reply. Truthfully you had been trying to write the same chapter for the past month.

"Of course I remember, I loved it when you'd let me read what you had." She says. You wouldn't think someone who loved science so much would like fantasy novels but that was Jane. You continue to talk, a sudden chill that had nothing to do with the wind travels up your spine. You pause to look behind you but there was only a few kids running across the street.

"What?" Jane asks.

"Nothing." You said, turning around you and she continue to your destination. You stop by your apartment to grab some clothes and some other necessities before continuing on. Upon your arrival Jane's mom greets you both with a hug. She'd always been a kind lady, even treated you as one of the family whenever you visited. Both Jane and her mom list off everything you need to know, where everything is, and their numbers in case you need to call them.

"I'll be fine, go have an adventure." You said as they headed out the door to the awaiting car.

"Good bye!" They call out the window as they wave.

"See you later!" You call back from the doorway, waving back as they leave. The house is now incredibly quiet, but this doesn't bother you. Your apartment was always this quiet, only the clicking of your fingers on you laptop and the music from your Ipod breaking it up. Luckily you had both in your bag. Your stomach gives a growl, so you find a bag of crisps and fill a bowl with them before going to the family room. You grab a fuzzy blanket, the remote and plop down onto the couch. You flip through the channels before coming across your favorite live action movie. You've watched this film so many times you could preform in it. You watch, contentedly munching on the crisps. You notice the gleam of the sunset on the tv but it doesn't bother you. Soon the crisps are gone and your eyelids are feeling heavy. Before the end of the movie your fast asleep.

CLANK! The sudden sound startles you awake. The sun is well gone now, the TV providing the only light, apparently it was an action/horror film because a silhouette could be seen down the hall making its way up the stairs. You look around the room carefully. Nothing seems out of place. Looking down, you see the bowl you'd been using for the crisps.

"Not even the first night and you're jumping at shadows," you chuckle to yourself, as you turn off the TV. Picking up the bowl, you go out to the kitchen, tripping over a rug in the hall on your way. That darn thing had always seemed to be trying to kill you. You would've avoided it if you hadn't been too lazy to turn on the lights. Making it to the kitchen, you wash the bowl and put it on a rack to dry. You stretch your arms above your head, sighing as your back pops pleasantly. You look out the window at the quarter moon, noting the frost starting to form on the window pane. You spend a few more minutes looking up at the moon, realizing this is a much better view than your apartment. Giving one last sigh you decided to go upstairs and get ready for bed. You don't bother turning on the lights, relying on the moonlight to help you. You step around the rug and suddenly freeze. A shadow of a man stands by the door. You can't make out any features through the dark, except he's wearing a long coat and a hat. You act instinctively. Grabbing the butchers knife from its block, you throw it. As though in slow motion it flies end over end through the air until it hits the man with the handle, not the blade. The man falls back, that's when you notice he has no legs, just a long pole with a circular base. You let out a groan of embarrassment and a sigh of relief. It was the stupid coat stand! You laugh to yourself as you retrieve the blade and return it to the kitchen.

"No more late night action horror stuff." You scold yourself. You grab your bag and go upstairs to the guest room. After brushing your teeth and changing into some warm sleepwear you get a sudden idea for your story. Sitting down in the queen sized bed, you fish our laptop out of your bag. You quickly flip it open and on. You start typing, but as soon as you had the idea it's gone.

"Dang it!" You shout, tossing the laptop off your lap and hiding your face in your hands, "why can I never think of how to keep this story flowing?"

"No idea, maybe you're out of inspiration." A smooth voice replies. For a moment you think it's in your head, but then you turn around. A man, a real man not a coat stand, stood there. He was tall, slim yet muscular, pale completion, with black hair and green eyes. He was handsome, drop dead gorgeous in fact, but that didn't really register as much as the fact that there was a stranger in your room.

"Who are you and how did you get in here? I locked the doors!" You demand to know.

"Midgardian locks mean nothing to me, but perhaps you could tell me where I might find Jane Foster? I was told this was her current place of residence." He took a step toward you as he spoke. You scramble off the bed, keeping an eye on him at all times.

"She's gone out, I'm just house sitting for her." You reply, trying to keep cool even though your heart was beating madly in fright. Like a wolf sensing a rabbit's heartbeat, he looks at you with a predatory gaze.

"What a shame." He says, he takes another step. You glance towards the door. When you look back at him, he's even closer. You make a run for the door. You make it just outside and into the hall before he catches your arm in a vice like grip.

"Let go of me you bloody creep!" You struggle to get your arm out of his grasp. You continued to scream profanities at him, both English and American swears, hoping one of the neighbors would hear the commotion and call the police.

"Do shut up, it's not like anyone will hear you." He mocks you in a condescending tone. You turn and punch him in the face, not hard but it shocks him enough to release you. You run, still shouting for help. You can sense him right behind you and your heartbeat speeds up even further from fear. You see the front door, your so close, but then… that darn rug. The last thing you see is the ground coming up to meet you. The fall knocks the wind from you. As you choke in a breath you look up to see he'd somehow gotten in front of you and was blocking your closest escape. Continuing to gasp you scramble backwards only to collide with the wall to your back. He stalked toward you, a feral smile turning up the corners of his mouth. You stand up, preparing to fight. You swing your right hand to punch him, he catches it. You swing your left, caught again. He pushes you back against the wall, arms pinned above your head. His eyes cold and calculating in the dark. Like a mouse caught by a snake's stare, you freeze. He moves your wrists into a one handed hold. Absolute terror engulfs you as he moves his free hand by you face. You close your eyes, waiting for a blow, a punch, a slap, a sudden knife stab, anything! But he doesn't, he just brushes a few strands of hair out of your face. Surprised by the nonviolent act, you open your eyes and stare at him. He seems to just be looking at you, his eyes full of curiosity. He runs his hand along your face, sending chills down your spine. At one point he grabs your chin and tilts your head from side to side.

"Let me go." You say softly, hoping against anything that he'd listen to your plea.

"Sssh." He shushes you. His long fingers brush a stray strand of your hair back behind your ear. You're breathing hitches, he was being so gentle, yet you knew with one move he could kill you. You'd already felt the strength when he tilted your head, he could've snapped your neck right there and have been done with it. But he hadn't. After what felt like an eternity he stopped examining your face and just stared into your eyes. At first you want to look away, but a sudden burst of courage helps you to keep eye contact. A little spark of indignation causes you to even start to struggle in his grip a bit. He soon ends your struggling by squeezing your wrists quite painfully.

"Who are you? And what do you want?" You ask.

"As I said, I'm looking for Jane Foster." He replies coolly.

"That doesn't tell me… who you are." You attempt to say confidently. But he smirks amusingly, like an adult smirking at a child for trying to act grown up.

"I am Loki, Loki Laufeyson of Asgard. And who are you?" Loki asked.

"I'm (your first and last name) of Chico, California." You reply, thinking about what he said. Loki? Asgard? Hadn't there been something's on the news about this guy?

"So (y/n), where exactly has Jane gone, and when will she return?" Loki asked in a condescending tone.

"Out of town with her mom, I'm not sure when they'll be back exactly. Even if I did, why would I tell you?" You try to sound brave, which may not have been the best option. Loki's eyes took on a menacing glint, his hand circling around your neck.

"I believe you could figure that out." He purred menacingly. Panic flooded your system as his hand began to tighten, torturously slowing down your air intake.

"I have no idea." You say.

"I don't believe you." He says, tightening his hold. Your vision is starting to go black on the edges. You desperately try to kick at him, but he's got you so closely pinned that you can't get enough momentum.

"I…don't know… I swear," you gasp. Just as your vision goes completely black you feel his hands release you. You fall to the floor, choking and coughing to get air back into your lungs.

"Well this complicates things," he says to himself. He starts to pace a bit while he talks, muttering softly so you can't hear him exactly. Your breathing is stabilizing and you figure now might be a good time to leave. Keeping low, you attempt to crawl to the front door. You make it halfway before you're leg is ceased and you are dragged back. Loki then puts his booted foot on your back to discourage you from trying that again. He continues to talk to himself. You suddenly realize just what he was on the news for, blowing up New York. This guy was a maniac bent on world domination, and according to the death toll he wasn't shy about stomping on people to get what he wanted. So why didn't he just kill you and be done already! What? Was he planning on using you like a toy until Jane came back? What did he want with Jane anyway?

"What do you want with Jane?" You ask. He ignores you. You angrily try to shake his boot off to get his attention, but he just increases the pressure until you stop.

"Could always use a hostage." You hear him faintly mutter. A small crazy idea begins to form in your mind, it might not work but you really don't want to be a bargaining chip. You take a breath and swing your legs around so they connect with his opposite leg. Surprised he falls backwards onto the ground. In a moment you're straddling his torso, hands pinning his arms to his side.

"For all that is good in this world answer me! What do you want with Jane?!" You shout at him. He stares up at you, at first surprise crossed his face, then anger, and then he started to laugh. He was laughing at you. "Shut up and answer me!" You demand.

"You may want to rephrase your demands." He mocks.

"Just answer the question." You say, growing impatient.

"Why would a god answer a mortal?" He continued to mock you.

"Maybe if the mortal had a knife," you pull the blade from his belt, "against the 'god's' throat." You exaggerate god. He clearly didn't take kindly to being threatened. He glowered up at you, but then it slowly turned back into his condescending smirk.

"You don't have it in you." He says firmly. He was right of course, your hand was shaking as it held the knife.

"This is getting us nowhere. Here's the deal, I get off you and we go talk this through like civil people?" You offer. He looked at you with a look that screamed, "seriously?" Then he looked like he was giving it some thought.

"How about…" in a moment he was the one on top of you, with his knife now pressed against your throat, "not." He said. Now you were really scared, cause you could see that he hadn't done that without a price. A faint line of blood emphasized his pale neck. A drop dripping down onto your neck. He saw it, using his free hand to wipe it up. He gently touched the mark, an amused smile crossing his face. He licked the blood off his thumb then pressed it along the wound, seeming to heal it instantly.

"You know… I was planning on leaving and coming back later when Jane got back. But now I think I'll stick around, I'm having far to much fun to leave." He says, pulling the knife away from your neck. You give an audible gulp. This was not going to end well.

AN: Chico California is a real place, I've never been there I just googled "small towns with warm climates" and it was on one of the lists. If you're from there or been there, good for you! If not, whatever I haven't and I'm still awesome.

Anyway let me know if you guys like this and want more :)