Author's Note: Thanks for reading and reviewing my story, and big sorry that I take so long with the updates lately. University and writer's block don't mix well, I guess.
As a fair warning – I know nothing about physics, mechanics, or science above High School level, if at all (not my favorite subjects). So the account I make here on this field of study is perfectly made up – I have no clue how that works. I just figure that Loki with her magic can actually do more things than could be estimated. I want to underline that when I wrote this story, I hadn't seen Thor: The Dark Kingdom, so I didn't know about how actual film-Loki traveled the realms. So this is obviously AU again, just so that we are all on the same page ;) So I apologize for these errors in advance, but I hope you see past them for the sake of the plot ^_^
As always, I hope you'll like it.
Read, review and hopefully enjoy ;)
Tony is walking around his lab, humming Black Sabbath tunes, while at the same time working on a small electronic panel. He just always needs something to do or else he goes crazy... or crazier, according to the rest of the Avengers, not that he listens, though. Tony goes over to one of the tables to grab a new instrument for the fine-tuning when the door opens with a swooshing sound. He turns around, smirking at the sight, "Now look who's crawled out of her cave again."
Loki smirks at him softly as she walks up to the brunet man, "I actually expected to find the lab in ruins, after you had to take care of it all by yourself."
"Don't get cocky, my little Empress. I invented and built things long before you bumped... into earth," Tony scolds her mockingly, to which she replies with a mischievous smile, "And you should know that I invented and built things long since before your mother and father decided to conceive you."
"... don't remind me of that," Tony makes a face. "I don't want to picture... that... my parents, ugh."
"So? What are you up to?" she asks, folding her hands behind her back.
"Other than being amazing, you mean?" Tony smirks. "Nothing much. I just did some fine-tuning on the amplifiers and some other weapons, the usual troubles of a genius."
"Aw, so you missed me after all," she snickers.
"Well, you made yourself rare over the last couple of days," Tony shrugs. "You and Thor, that is..."
He wiggles his eyebrows at her. Loki rolls her eyes, snipping her middle finger against his forehead, which makes Tony cry out, "Ouch!"
"You should know that it does not befit to ask someone about such private matter," she scolds him. "Now you will always remember that pain when you think of it – and most likely leave it."
"You are violent," Tony whines playfully.
"I'm not violent, I'm just... still eager to teach you some common sense," she shrugs. "And it's not like it's a grand secret anymore, is it? About Thor and I..."
"Not really. We had bets going on," Tony says, but then bites his tongue... bad moment to admit that. He already means to cringe away, but Loki just tilts her head at him, "Who won?"
"... Coulson," Tony grimaces.
"Well, then I think it's good. I caused him some trouble before, so if he has gain from our hearts' affairs... only the better," she shrugs nonchalantly.
"So generous," Tony chuckles softly. Loki walks around him to glance at the objects on the tables.
"Anything you like, Princess?" Tony snickers.
"Not really," she sticks out her tongue.
"So? What brings you here?" Tony asks. "Don't you want to hang around with Thor or Bruce?"
"Oh, did I hurt your feelings by not paying enough attention to you?" Loki huffs. "I'm so sorry."
"Yeah, totally," Tony snorts. "But now seriously. Any certain reason that brings you here?"
"Hm, hm, in fact. I need your... and I can't believe I'm saying this... expertise," she grimaces, as though the words were choking her. Tony's grin broadens to the point that Loki's corners of the mouth involuntarily twitch – that must hurt, no?
"What can I do for you, my dearest Empress?" Tony smiles at her.
"A counseling. I have something new in mind," Loki shrugs, running her long fingers over the surface of the table absently. "Two things, actually."
"Go ahead. Your last idea rocked," Tony nods, folding his arms over his chest.
"Well, since the spell took my energy from me for a given time... I had to ask myself once again about what to do with my powers," she explains, her voice a soft humming. "I had to realize that I stayed still when it comes to my magic. I made no attempt to enlarge it."
"We have the amplifiers," Tony argues.
"I mean the powers inherent to me. After all, those machines merely cover up for something our bodies don't manage, no?" she argues in a soft voice.
"True," Tony nods.
"So you see, as much as I appreciate it that we have them now to our aid... technical difficulties are still an issue, and will possibly always be," she goes on.
"With you on that one," Tony agrees.
"Well, since I start to relearn and adhere new magic from now on, or so the plan... I couldn't help but think about other ways to aid the team," Loki explains.
"I guess I'm already looking forward to this," Tony winks at her.
"Well, as you may remember, Odin banned certain abilities of mine, which include interdimensional travel whatever the form," the trickster goes on to say, to which Tony nods his head, "Yeah, sure."
"Yet, I still inherit the ability to travel short distances on earth in the blink of an eye," Loki shrugs.
"It's still creepy when you pop in out of nowhere," Tony grimaces. He always knew Loki was a sneaky thing, but he still jumps when he turns around, thinking nothing, and then she is already standing there, beaming at him viciously. When Loki came to stay with them in the first place, she actually did that once when he was about to fall asleep, just staring at him from the side of the bed, hiding in the shadows – though she never admitted it. Tony knows he saw those flashing green eyes staring at him, he swears.
"Well, I was thinking about how long it takes us at times to reach a battleground once it's no longer within the neighborhood," Loki goes on to explain, "And it costs valuable time that we waste... on matters of transportation."
"True, even if we have those badass ships and planes... it's not the fastest way at times," Tony has to agree. He is faster with the Iron Man suit most of the time anyways, but not all are rewarded with absolute awesomeness.
"Well, maybe we can make it possible for us to travel around the earth in a shorter amount of time by applying what I know of interdimensional travel, just that this would be intradimensional travel, accordingly," Loki goes on.
"And you think that's possible?" Tony grimaces. "I mean, even if they sound similar, inter- and intradimensional travel are not the same."
"In their more basic patterns they surely are," Loki argues. "Didn't already your Einstein postulate such theorem?"
"You mean more like a Einstein-Rosen-Bridge and thus fold space," Tony nods, getting the idea – and liking it.
"That is the main idea," Loki shrugs.
"But no one could actually build a machine or whatever that would allow for such travel," Tony argues. "And I wouldn't know how either."
"Well, the way I see it, we just have to find out what I do to fold space – because I honestly don't know what that is," Loki says.
"So we would run some tests to maybe figure out how you manage to do the intradimensional jump, or rather find the moment you do it, and work from there. From that we may derive the general principle of how to fold space. And then we'd just have to build a machine that actually does what you do, for all of us to use, and not die," Tony grimaces mindfully. "Yeah, no, that sounds like a piece of cake."
"Right?" she smirks softly.
"... but there is something else behind that, and not just that you don't fancy the long travels," Tony grimaces, now with surprising severity in his voice.
"What? don't you agree that this is something very valuable for the team if put into practice?" Loki argues, but Tony is having none of it, "Little Empress, it might be that you are the God of Lies or whatever, but I know a concerned face when I see one."
"I liked you much better when you didn't question such things," Loki narrows her eyes at him.
"What's the matter with you, huh? I mean... you're back to health, magic's back as far as that's possible, and you and Thor are... you and Thor. Whatever that is that you have, and I don't want any details either. Yet, here you stand and you look at me like world's about to explode tomorrow," Tony grimaces. "Is the world about to explode tomorrow?!"
"A sense of foreboding, no more," Loki eventually admits, her voice no more than a whisper.
"Foreboding?" Tony knits his eyebrows.
"Call it an air of madness, but I just have a feeling that something bad is looming above us. And I say so without trying to act as the pessimist here," she exhales.
"Well, all were upset about Maya Apocalypse, too... and that was also just a hype because people are too stupid to read the calendar," Tony shrugs.
"I don't say that it will be the end of the world, it's just that...," she grimaces, but then grunts, "ugh, I don't want to have that conversation."
"You'll have to, or else I go tell Thor," Tony smirks at her. The trickster narrows her eyes at him, "You really want to threaten me?"
"I could try, but I don't think this would work," Tony shrugs. "But still. I think we know each other long enough by now. That is your I'm-moping-for-some-reason-face."
"And couldn't we just agree that I'm moping for some reason, but none in particular?" she bargains.
"What sense of foreboding and why?" Tony asks calmly.
"I can't even put my finger on it. I had... strange dreams lately. I had such before, and when I had them... bad was about to come, each time," Loki admits. She never told that to anyone other than Frigga, not even Thor is aware of those premonitions, if they are. The trickster leans against the table, one hand clutching the cold metal, the other absently rubbing over her upper arm against the suddenly spreading cold within her.
"So you can actually look into the future? Like... glass ball and everything?!" Tony exclaims.
"I don't know what you are trying to hint at, but if this is supposed to be a joke about me being a witch, rest assured that I'm not about to put a spell on you," she snorts, but then turns more serious again, "I don't say that I can look into the future. I just have... impressions of what may be... and at some point those maybes come about. Now I have such dreams again and... as foolish as it is, I don't like to just stand by and watch it happen, whatever it is that will happen. I want to... do something, be it ever so little. I want to be productive. Move something. Anything."
Tony grimaces at Loki now almost sadly. She bows her head, "When you have the feeling that you are about to lose something important to you... you try anything to put up the barriers, you see? And that might be a barrier, one of them. I... I don't want to just stand by and watch."
"So you really think danger is in tow?" Tony grimaces.
"I don't know, I'm just... well, actually speaking from experience," she shrugs.
"How is that?" he frowns at her.
"I am... good now," Loki sighs. "And when I had the feeling that my life went well... that is when I had one of those obscure dreams... and short time later, I found myself amidst the ruins formerly my life and happiness."
"That's morbid," Tony grimaces, though it's clear that he feels sympathy for Loki.
"Actually, it's more of an observation," Loki argues. "I am not pessimistic, well, I am, but... not as much anymore. I... I just see that now I am at a state where everything might fall apart again – and I can't stand the thought to just silently watch it happen. Be it that I can't move the big things anymore, but... but the little things I can. This is something we may change, may move out of its spot. I want to... to shape my life for as long as I'm granted to."
"So actually more than a simple sense of foreboding, huh?" Tony grimaces.
"Yes," she agrees.
"Well, honestly? I get your feelings. I mean, okay, I'm no Norse God, but I had my time when I... almost died, thanks to that funny device in my chest that keeps the shrapnel out," Tony says in a more hushed voice, suddenly perfectly serious. He taps against his chest absently once.
"I remember reading that in one of the reports, yes," Loki nods. Tony doesn't bother to ask her how she got them – Loki always gets any file she wants. She can just zap into a room of needed anyways, so they are past the point where actually anyone questions what Loki knows. She knows everything.
"Well, and then there was the time when I was getting poisoned from the fuel running my engine," he taps against his chest another time, "before I was being amazing again and just popped up with a new element. You know me. But honestly? That SHIELD actually pushed me to... work again, do something productive... it felt good, made me feel less helpless in this mess. It's hard to stand by, stand still. So that I wouldn't be forced to do that anymore, I created the Iron Man suit in the first place, too. I wanted to change something... and of course the fans."
"Well, I wasn't always like that. I'm a sneaky thing, you may recall. I'm actually better staying out of trouble than join it... though I find myself in such situations way too often," Loki shrugs. "Misfortune for the God of Mischief, I guess."
"Then how comes you changed your spot?" Tony smirks.
"The way I figure... it revolves around what I said earlier. I have something to lose now. I didn't really have it back then, or didn't see it like that. You protect what you can't live without, right?" she hums.
"Yeah," he nods.
"Well, now I have something that I consider... worthy the protection. So I shall protect it. It might be that I don't necessarily care about the human race, because they are not my race, but... you feel attached to them because you share a common ground, literally so. And Thor means to protect this realm, also, and I am bound to walk upon it... so I suppose it stays the same. I have to make sure this place is a safer place," she shrugs her shoulders at him.
"So... folding space, intradimensional travel is one of the new fun projects... but that's only half of it, you said it's two things you need my expertise for," Tony argues, smirking towards the end.
"I regret that choice of words, will possibly to the end of my days," she grumbles, to which Tony just lets out a hearty laugh. Loki walks up to one of the big screens and wipes her palm across it to remove Tony's work into a separate folder. Loki types in a few sequences before she reveals a set of construction plans, diagrams and algorithms. Tony turns around, curiously glancing at the screen, making a mental note that this woman is too fast to be true. Only his little Empress manages to work that out while still in recovery. If Loki didn't already work on their team, he'd definitely want to hire her for Stark Industries. He should try to talk her into it, now thinking about it...
"Is that... is that what I think it is?" Tony grimaces.
"I don't know what you think," Loki snorts. "And believe me, even if I inherited the ability to see into your head, I'd know a million better places to dig into. No, I don't want to know what you breed out inside that brain of yours."
She shudders to make her point.
"Well, what I think what this is... is a warning system for extraterrestrial activity whatsoever, all the way to observing movement in other universes to know about attacks before they try to destroy our little party," Tony says.
"Then we think the same thing for once, though I would phrase it differently. It wouldn't allow us an actual glance into the other realms, but we may profit from my knowledge of traveling the realms nevertheless. Just smaller steps," she says.
"Explain," Tony demands.
"Well, as you can see here," she points at a few figures and diagrams, enlarging them, "the idea is not to have a picture of the realms, like... TV? It's solely a signal that tells us if something happens."
"Alright," Tony nods, taking in the information.
"I traveled the realms often enough to actually conceive the moment of travel a little more attentively than most people would. No, actually no one pays special attention to it... Well, in the flux, so to speak, there is just one moment in which the realms collide, touch, meet, to allow the transgression to take place. In that instant, space is actually unfolded, increased, though. Not decreased, as it is true for all the other way of the transgression. That is the way to reach into the other realm. And even if it is just a moment...," she explains, and Tony completes, "Mathematically, that's a great distance into the other universe we get when this tunnel is opened. Both sides extend into each other."
"Exactly," Loki nods. "The fine line is that we don't penetrate the other realms, but reach in just deep enough to know if they try to get into touch with us, which is what they do when they travel here. That way we would know sooner if someone tries to come here. After all, it's a moment of extension in time as well as space. We'd have more time to prepare and prevent bigger harm."
"Okay, that's pretty sweet," Tony nods with a smirk, but then grimaces, "But why the secretiveness, then? And why is Bruce our little Jekyll and Hyde not in here with us?"
"Because I am no mechanic. That would be you. And before I even bother Bruce with this idea of mine, I want to know from you if we can actually build a device to do that," Loki argues.
"Oh, so you bother me, but not him?" Tony cries out mockingly.
"Let's make this a deal. You try your best to build it, which means that you shall build it – and for that I may think about the toaster again," Loki argues. "And for that, no word to anyone until this is not worked out."
"And for that I get the toaster?" Tony smirks at her.
"For that you get the toaster," she shrugs.
"Secret handshake?" Tony narrows his eyes at her with a smirk.
"Why?" she huffs.
"Coz it's cool?" Tony replies simply.
"Why do it with me? Because I couldn't care less?" she goes on to argue.
"That's exactly the challenge I want," Tony grins at her. "It's coz you don't want it that I want it ever the more."
"Why?" she keeps asking.
"We can go on with you asking 'why' and me saying 'just coz', or we can make a deal," Tony huffs. She contemplates for a second.
"... toaster, simple handshake," she narrows her eyes at him.
"toaster, simple handshake, and water to wine," Tony challenges her.
"I know now what that means. For someone who calls himself an atheist, you are far too attached to myth and religion," she huffs. "And doesn't that make me your God?"
"Well, you are a God, no point in arguing," Tony winks at her. "So?"
Loki rolls her eyes as she extends her hand to a simple handshake. Tony takes her hand with a big smile. "Always a pleasure making deals with you, little Empress."
"I would return that compliment, but I'm supposed to lie less," Loki snorts.
"Ow, that hurt, Loki. That hurt very much," he mocks her.
"Then do what I do – ignore. So anyways, you keep in mind that you will not tell a soul about this. If I hear anyone of the Avengers or whoever else bragging about this, I will kill you, slowly, with a spoon," she narrows her eyes at him.
"Fine, fine. I guess that you wouldn't work on the project anymore if I screwed this up either, huh?" Tony grimaces.
"Correct," Loki nods with a vicious smile tugging at her lips. "Very well. Then I shall leave you to your business. Just let me know once... or if you find something."
"Bring it on, girl!" Tony mocks her, but Loki waves her hand at him dismissively before she leaves the room again. He turns around to glance at the diagrams again, "JARVIS? Music?"
Black Sabbath fills the room again as Tony's fingers dance over the screens, a smile spreading across his face. The mini modules can wait till later. This sounds more like fun – who wouldn't want to kick Einstein in the ass by building such a machine, huh?
Loki walks down the hallways, feeling a little lighter, a little warmer, actually. The God of Mischief wants to focus on the sensation that she can move something, can usher those vengeful shadows away for at least a while longer. She has to protect what she has now, whom she has now, with all her powers, with her last breath – and maybe this new project will make sure just that, keep that bubble intact a while longer. The trickster soon finds herself in front of the door leading to the gym. She shakes her head before she enters – only Thor could actually make her. Speaking of the thunderer, the blond man is already waiting for Loki in the huge metal room designed especially to withhold Thor's and Loki's attacks, which is why Tony started calling it the "Norse Gods' Playgrounds".
"Ah, there you are," Thor smiles at her happily. "I was already waiting for you."
"As can be seen, since you were here earlier than me," she huffs.
"Then what took you so long?" Thor smirks.
"That is none of your business," she snorts playfully. "I suppose we should simply get started."
Thor grins at her toothily, "I think we should start with something easy."
Loki shakes her head as she walks a little closer. It clearly has its advantages that Thor doesn't always see it when she lies, though he sees it more often than she'd like to admit. However, once you mention battle and glory, there hasn't ever been and won't ever be a holding back for the God of Thunder. And that is what the trickster builds on for now. She protects.
"Oh, so sparring it is?" she huffs. "God of Thunder, are you scared that someone will beat you in your own game?"
"I just thought I'd give you a fair chance," Thor snickers.
"If only such taunts worked on me," she rolls her eyes before she sucks in a deep breath to change her attire into a training outfit of Aesir fashion, with simple silver metal plates on arms and legs, accompanied by a loose olive shoulder-free tunic and simple black trousers, and high boots with a short heel to allow free movement. Similarly, Thor is also dressed in the usual Aesir training outfits without the heavy armor. He wears a red shoulder-free tunic, also black trousers and black boots with buckles. His arm and shin pads are like Loki's, only that they have a golden outline.
"And I hope that you remember I only do this to ensure that you are back to your level of strength you had before the battle with Gorr," Loki snorts, getting into position. "Because otherwise, be sure I would spend my time in much more valuable ways."
"What? Why do you hate sparring that much?" Thor snickers as he gets into position, too.
"Because, since early days, it was your way of boasting yourself," she shrugs. "And it's not like this is something we haven't seen before."
"Well, then bring it on," he smirks. "Lady's first."
Loki rolls her eyes once more before she advances the thunderer. She means to punch him in the face, but Thor, with a smug smile, stops her hand, holding it in his, "Nice try."
However, Loki already brought up her leg to kick him into the stomach, just to use the momentum to break free from Thor's iron grip. The thunderer wipes the back of his hand across the cheek, smirking in a wolfish way before he seeks the opportunity to attack and advances Loki now. He hits her shoulder, knocking the trickster off her feet, but Loki quickly turns around on the ground to use her legs like a windmill to knock Thor off his feet also. However, as the thunderer goes down, he grasps her by the ankle to send her a few feet flying. Both get up hastily just to attack again and again, where their fists just collide and send them further and further apart each time. The room almost shakes thanks to the force the two put into their attacks.
And neither one can deny that it feels more than good to do it. It's as Loki said, Thor always enjoyed sparring, enjoyed the challenge, the fight, to win. To Loki, it was more of a superfluous task before, because back then Loki wasn't able to outmatch Thor when it came to physical strength. At least everything faltered when Mjölnir was brought to the game. That was a weapon Loki couldn't win against, at least not without the use of trick and scheme. However, over the past years, Loki spent more time gaining physical strength, if only to withstand the Chitauri or to be well-protected in the other realms, where he stood alone against entire armies at times. However, now for the first time in a long time, the battlegrounds doesn't feel like prison to Loki. Perhaps it is that no one is watching them, except for JARVIS, but there are no spectators standing in the front row to watch the show – and watch Loki fail. The trickster makes no secret of it that she can't stand the Warrior Three and the Lady Sif much anymore, and it was in those instances, already as children and adolescents, that Loki's heart felt heavier about them. A little more with every cheer only for Thor, and every boo directed at him. Though Loki knows it's childish, she also sees that perhaps it's not the four she blames, but rather that they represent the entire Aesir race to her, who can't stand to be near her, because she is different, perhaps weaker, but most importantly different. However, at this moment, there are no people to judge, to watch, to see. Again, it's just them. And honestly? Loki only wants Thor and her as them. Needs them as this unity that already emerges from two fists colliding, two worlds meeting in one. Maybe it's different now because neither one feels the pressure of coming in first or second, it's simply... about enjoyment, living this moment. It hushes the cold away from her again, as her body heats up in excitement and anticipation.
She is pulled out of her thoughts as Thor connects a series of punches that send her flying to the ground. Her curly raven hair falls over her face, leaving it behind a dark curtain. Thor makes a triumphant pose, turning around mockingly, "Ah, it's good to see that some things never change, right, Loki?"
He turns back to her, but Loki hasn't stirred since. Thor grimaces, waits another second, but still detects no movement. He quickly runs up to her, "Loki?"
He crouches down above her, worry washing over him. Maybe he should have slowed down a gear. In training, Thor often forgets that not all bear his physical strength. And sadly he very often forgot that when it came to Loki when they were still younger, which resulted in the trickster often ending up injured. Thor just enjoys fighting that much that the familiar sensation of fists colliding and pain and numbing make him forget what is around him altogether, and he only sees that body that he has to overcome to gain victory.
"Are you alright?" he asks, his voice full of concern. "Loki, say something!"
He means to clasp her cheek, but that is when he suddenly finds himself glancing at the ceiling, lying on his back, with Loki sitting atop of him, flashing her white teeth at him, "It's truly good to see that some things never change. You are still so easy to fool, God of Thunder."
"That was one foul trick, Loki!" Thor cries out, though he can't help a smirk either.
"We didn't say that this is forbidden," Loki shrugs.
"Even if we had said so before, you would have done it," Thor rolls his eyes.
"True again," she smirks, glancing upwards as she reflects upon it. Thor uses her moment of inattention to roll her over again so that he is on top again. His blond hair is only inches from her face. He flashes an almost canine-like smirk at her.
"Yet, in the end, I shall be at the top," he snickers.
"Och, you wish," she snorts. "If you think that you now won the battle of dominance, you're badly mistaken."
"Oh, so is that the price of this battle?" Thor grins.
"Most certainly not," she rolls her eyes as he moves closer to her face.
"Doesn't it remind you of what went on in the garden also?" he asks suddenly, much to Loki's surprise.
"Except that we both just fought each other, are sweating profusely, and that we are lying on metal?" Loki huffs.
"Yes," Thor smirks, coming closer again.
"Not really," she shrugs before twisting her lower leg around his back to turn them over once again.
"To me, it feels just like it was when we were still children. Just fooling around," Loki smirks. Thor laughs to himself.
"So a game of dominance after all," Thor shrugs.
"Actually," she nods. Thor then grasps her by the shoulders and pushes her back lightly, not to make her fall, because he still holds on to her, but enough to make her pedal back a bit, which allows him to straighten up against the wall so that he sits, with Loki kneeling over his lap.
"I'd call it a truce," he suggests.
"Truce? The last time it was a truce, you almost cried," Loki argues, the memories of a younger Thor still vivid in her memory. The thunderer always declared that there is only one thing worse than loss, and that's a truce. And on that certain occasion when they were both young lads and even after hours of battle neither could bring victory home, Sif, as the umpire, had called it a truce. Thor pouted in days and bothered Loki about an instant rematch, but the trickster, of course, had so much better to do – namely to leave Thor in the dreadful state of having to face what he detests, being at truce and thus have no victory.
"I learned by now that a truce has its advantages," Thor smirks.
"Yeah?" she cocks an eyebrow at him, but that is when he already grasped her chin and pulls her towards him for a kiss. Loki leans into the touch, into the warmth once again, her body seeking what it seemingly cannot do on its own, spread warmth within her, melt the ice that engulfs her way too often still. Thor leans into her touch equally, seeking the passion, seeking the cold fire within her that reaches all the way to her ebony skin, which is soothingly cold against his.
"That," Thor breathes as they part from the kiss, catching their breaths. "That's an advantage."
"Flattering," she smirks as she pulls away slightly, but then her eyes soften as they meet his, and with them this tenderness that Loki had believed had only met her when she was Maya for this one night. However, now that tenderness and warmth, the pure love is right in his eyes and thus right in his heart also, all directed at her. And that is what she fights for, silently.
Loki leans her forehead against his shoulder, her soft hair loosely falling over her back to the front. She takes in the scent of his tunic, the softness of the fabric, the familiarity, that there is no distance between them in these moments. Skin against skin. Touch against touch.
"Everything alright?" Thor asks in a hushed voice. It's still not that common for Loki to seek proximity like that, at least not in that... needy way, is it? However, before he can contemplate any further on the topic, Loki straightens back up, gracefully maneuvering out of his lap, a mischievous smile tugging at her lips. She folds her hands behind her back as she almost dances in front of him, twisting on the heel each time she takes a step. She doesn't want to think of this now, and she doesn't want Thor thinking about this either.
"What?" Thor frowns, spreading his arms and shrugging his shoulders.
"What?" she mimics him. "I thought we were here to fight, God of Thunder, not to lie on the ground, acting like lovesick youths. If you want to win the battle, you have to fight for it."
With that she produces her daggers into her palm and expertly twists them in the rhythm of her steps. Loki knows it's a mean trick once again. That she uses her movements, her words, her gestures to lead away from the topic that should probably be addressed more urgently, but she finds herself unable to withstand the urge to take this moment for what it is – a moment of joy she can share with Thor. Trouble can wait until later, can't it?
"So round two, is it?" Thor grins as he gets up also.
"Please," she scolds. "That was no more than a warm-up."
"Good, I feel the same," Thor smirks as he stretches out his hand to command Mjölnir to him. He swings the hammer once as it meets his palm, getting into position.
"Well, who begins?" he smirks, but Loki already sends one of her daggers flying his way. He uses Mjölnir to dodge the attack, letting out a throaty laugh, "My turn."
However, Loki already stepped upon one of her magic disks to take off the ground, "Catch me if you can."
"Oh, I will catch you," Thor smirks as he swings Mjölnir to take off the ground also. He will catch her. Not tame her, catch her. Thor vowed to himself not to let her slip away again. That he will always hold her close, pull her back if it has to be. Even if that means that it will always be a constant back and forth, a constant fight. Because isn't that what Thor enjoys the most? A fight? And if Loki is the price, then this battle is the best of them all, at least to him.
Loki sends the next daggers his way, escaping his attacks. And she smiles. Smiles honestly. Not because of the fight necessarily, but because she battles Thor without anyone getting hurt. For the first time in a long time, Loki is granted to use her powers against Thor while not using them against him. Fight him without fighting him. Punch without punching him. Simply touch. Be close. She is more herself again. Maya gave Thor chase also, but only with a dance. Loki, as the God of Mischief who tried to take over once, however, gives Thor chase also by means of fight.
And already that kind of fight is worth the protection, worth the fight.
Yet, those thoughts drift away, float from her.
She won't accept a truce.