A/N: To those of you who enjoy my crossovers, this one's for you! I will admit first and foremost that this is my very first Marvel/Harry Potter Crossover, so please don't hate me if this is terrible. I was inspired to write it by a close friend.

The prompt this story is based on is one of xxDustNight88's prompts: anxiety, teardrops, unbreaking, "You can't build a foundation on lies and smiles."

I am dedicating this story to her in honor of her love for both of these beautiful characters. Thank you DustNight for letting me write them for this, even if you didn't originally know that this was my plan. I hope you enjoy it.

I'll apologize for all the angst in here, but with a prompt like the one I was given, it was bound to happen.

This story wouldn't exist if it weren't for SquarePeg72 and GaeilgeRua who were my alpha and beta. SquarePeg was also the one who came up with the wonderful title for this story.

All typical disclaimers apply. I don't own Marvel or Harry Potter and I don't write for profit. In all honesty, I only write for me.

Interested in checking me out on other platforms? Look for starrnobella and you'll be able to find quite a few!

Be sure to let me know what you think!

Love always,
~starr

"I know not what is upsetting you," his cold voice called after her, causing her to falter just steps before reaching the door. She had been so strong for so long, but now her walls had begun to crumble.

Taking a deep breath, Hermione slowly turned around to face him. Her tearstained face caused him to recoil slightly. She shook her head as she fought back the tears that were beginning to well up in the corner of her eyes. "Of course you don't, Loki."

Furrowing his brow, Loki took a few steps toward where she was standing. Hermione's breathing hitched as he closed the gap between them. His eyes met hers and she saw a sadness there. He wanted to be help, but he didn't know how.

Slowly, Loki started to reached out to her, but she stepped away shaking her head furiously. As much as she wanted his touch at that moment, she knew the second she felt the coolness of his skin that she would completely crumble. Even just the thought of his touch would cause her unbreaking, and it was something she wasn't ready for.

Taking a deep breath, she shook her head and stepped back. "Don't." She wrapped her arms around her stomach and continued stepping back until the backs of her knees hit into the couch. She collapsed into the seat and brought her knees up to her chest, curling into a ball.

"If I have done something to upset you, Herm-," he began, stepping forward to join her on the couch. His heart ached seeing her so upset, knowing that it was quite possibly his own fault that she was in such a state.

"Do you have any idea what it's like to have anxiety, Loki?" she asked. Her voice was barely above a whisper, but he had been able to hear her. "Do you have any idea what it's like to be so unsure of yourself and your surroundings that it scares you to open up to others?"

She glanced up at him from behind her knees and batted her eyelashes quickly. She watched as his face shifted when her question hit his ears. He frowned and furrowed his brow at her.

Loki thought about her questions for a moment. Certainly, he knew how difficult it could be trusted by someone else. He was, after all, known for his ability to lie and deceive people. However, he was uncertain as to how anxiety could be related to trusting someone.

"I am familiar with trust and the difficulties that surround it," he said, finally breaking the silence that had settled around them. He watched quietly as she took a deep breath and opened her mouth as though to speak, but she closed it again as well as her eyes.

In the silence that followed, Loki's mind continued to focus on the word that she had chosen to use. It wasn't that he wasn't familiar with the word, the emotion, however, was a different story entirely.

There were times in his life that he felt anxious. Many of those time revolved around those of whom he was supposed to be able to call family. Not that many of them considered him to be one in the same. Maybe that was because he wasn't the most trustworthy person.

"I wish it was as simple to explain as the feeling of not trusting someone," Hermione said, standing from the couch and taking a few steps toward the door.

He reached out, placing a gentle hand on her waist. She, however, side-stepped his reach and stopped just short of being within arm's length. He moved to take a step forward, only to be stopped by her hand as she stepped backwards, shaking her head.

"I can't be near you right now," she said, hanging her head as she brushed past him.

Making her way from the God of Mischief and Lies, Hermione allowed a few stray tears to roll down her cheek as she wrapped her arms around her stomach. It was times like this that she wished she could make the world disappear, then maybe she could forget about everything.

"Hermione."

His voice was soft. Her name like a prayer on his lips. It was enough to stop her where she stood as she reached for the door. Tipping her head back, Hermione inhaled sharply and closed her eyes.

"You can't build a foundation on lies and smiles, Loki. Until you realize that, maybe we shouldn't see each other," she said, leaning her head forward once again. Quickly, she pulled the door open and made her way outside before he could say anything.

Once she was on the other side of the closed door, she leaned her back up against it and slowly slid down to the floor. Then and only then, she allowed the tears to fall freely that she had been holding back.

As a sob ripped through her body, she threw herself forward, wrapping her arms around her knees as she allowed herself to feel. She finally allowed herself to succumb to the darkness that was surrounding her. She allowed herself to lose track of time.

It wasn't until she felt someone's arms wrapping around her small frame, picking her up from the floor that she realized she hadn't moved from the spot. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked upon the face of the person moving her.

"Loki…" she whispered.

"Save your strength, Hermione. Rest now," he replied, carrying her into the small flat that they shared. She needed her strength. They could continue their discussion another day.

He placed her gently down on the bed that they shared before pulling the covers up over her small frame. As he rose from his hunched over state, he took a few brief moments to look at her. She seemed so small, but he knew that inside of her beat a heart so strong.

He noticed that a few small teardrops had formed at the corner of her eye. Reaching down, he swiped it away with the pad of his thumb and she shivered beneath his touch. Exhaling sharply, Loki carded a hand through his hair. When she awoke, they would have to work out their issues.