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I loved your Unintentional fic I hope you do another part!!!!
Part 1
Pairing: Loki x Shy!Autistic!Fem!Reader
Summary: Loki tries to explain himself to you. Things don't go as either of you planned.
Warnings/tags: Soft Loki (probably OOC), angst, upset reader, minor character death (mentioned), mentions of mind control, mentions of delusions, mentions of alcohol, Frigga is a sweetheart, mentions of hospitals, implications of sensory overload, mentions of meltdowns, mentions of autism
A/N: I'm so sorry, this one isn't my best writing…
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"L/N? L/N, can you hear me?"
Groaning softly, you open your eyes to see Romanoff sitting by your bed.
She breathes a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank goodness."
Thank goodness? What's she on about?
Then a wave of dread hits you.
Loki.
You were supposed to protect him if he got captured again.
And judging by the fact that Romanoff's sitting by your bed, that means he has been captured.
"Where is he?" you demand.
Romanoff looks confused. "Where's who?"
"Loki. Where is he?"
"Oh… Loki." Romanoff shrugs. "He's in a holding cell for the time being. Don't worry, we'll make him pay for what he did to you."
Make him pay? But he didn't hurt me! "I need to see him."
"L/N…"
There's a commotion outside the room, and Romanoff goes to investigate.
"What's going on?" she demands.
"Stark wants to see L/N," sighs someone. It sounds like Agent Hill.
Romanoff shrugs. "That's all?"
"The doctor said that she wasn't supposed to be excited or stressed out."
"Look, just send him in. The sooner we get this over with, the better."
"How about we send Cap in instead?" suggests another voice.
Dr Banner? What's he doing here?
"Hey, why does Cap get the special treatment around here?" someone else (presumably Stark) complains.
"Because he knows how to deal with people, and you don't," snaps Romanoff. "She's awake, Cap; you can go in."
"Thanks." A blond guy pokes his head around the door. "Am I okay to come in?"
You nod, and immediately regret it as a wave of pain washes over you.
The blond guy - presumably the aforementioned 'Cap' - sits in Romanoff's chair. "Look, I know this isn't going to be easy," he begins, his voice gentle. "But we need to know everything that happened to you after you were - captured."
"Captured?" Since when was I captured?
Cap leans forward. "L/N, I don't know what Loki said to you, or how he manipulated you into going with him, and I know it's going to be hard to hear, but - you were captured."
You take a deep breath. "Look, just - just tell me what happened - how you found Loki, what you did with him."
He sighs. "We don't know how Loki got hold of you, but we found him at Stark Tower, with you. You were in a pretty bad way. Do you have any idea how that happened?"
"The Destroyer gun."
"What?"
"It was a prototype weapon that Coulson fired at Loki. He took the brunt of the blast, cannoned into me, and we both went straight through a wall. That's why I was hurt."
Cap looks carefully at you. "No other reason?"
You shake your head. "Not that I can remember."
"What did you do afterwards?"
You pause. "I - my memory's not very clear. I…"
Cap waits as you pretend to try and recall what happened. You know full well what happened (how could you forget?), but you have no intention of telling the truth yet, at least until you've seen Loki, and agreed either to a plausible story, or to tell the truth.
"I'm sorry, I really don't remember," you say. "I suppose I was on autopilot. I probably just ran away, and then fainted or something. I did hit my head, so my memory's not very clear."
"That's okay," says Cap kindly. "So, just to recall, Agent Coulson fired this destroyer weapon at Loki, and you got caught in the crossfire. Is that what happened?"
"Yeah, but I was behind him - Loki, I mean. So it wasn't really the crossfire, as such. But you could call it that."
Cap nods. "That'll be all for now. Thank you for your time, L/N."
You're not really sure how to respond, so you just smile, and nod, trying hard not to wince as another wave of pain hits you.
You feel a bit guilty lying to him, because he does seem like he genuinely wants to help, but you really don't want to tell the truth until you've had the go-ahead from Loki, because whatever you say will impact him, whether positively or negatively - but most likely the latter.
You can hear hushed voices in the corridor, and even though it gives you a headache, you strain to try and hear what they're saying.
"…seemed quite lucid…"
"…fairly trustworthy…"
"…most valuable source…"
The voices fade away as you fall back asleep.
***************************************************
You're woken up by yet another commotion outside your room.
This one's louder, and sounds a lot more violent, so you strain to hear what's going on.
"…can't let him see her…"
"What if he…"
"…wants to see him…"
"…could kill us all…"
There's a knock at your door, and Romanoff pokes her head in.
"Hey, L/N, sorry to disturb you, but - Loki wants to see you. He - um, he threatened to break out of his cell and come see you by himself if we didn't let him…"
You try hard to suppress a smile. "That's fine. Him wanting to see me, I mean."
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
Romanoff doesn't look too impressed, but nods. "Okay. He'll be here in a minute."
You can hardly contain your relief at the fact that Loki's finally coming to see you. Or the delight that he wants to see you. It's been a few days since you first woke up, and you've asked about seeing Loki a couple of times, but the Avengers usually deflect, or (in the case of Stark) firmly say no.
The door opens, and Loki steps in, handcuffed, with Thor just behind him, presumably in case he should try anything.
Oh, darling… Loki's face is impassive, but you can see that his eyes are glassy. I was so worried.
You sigh. I'm sorry I didn't hold up my end of the bargain.
Loki shrugs. It matters not. I just want to make sure you're alright. Are you?
You bite your lip. I'm tired, achy, and I feel like I never want to move again.
Loki moves to sit down by your bed. How have they been treating you?
Surprisingly well. They all seem to think that you captured me, and tortured me, or something, and I've been too nervous to tell the truth, in case they think my brain's turned to mush or something.
They probably would. Loki sighs. I'm sorry I wasn't able to protect you.
You smile shyly. You did your best. And you know, it's kind of ironic that the organisation that was supposed to protect me turned out being the one that injured me.
Loki's eyes darken. That fool Coulson. I wish I could make him pay for what he did, but he's already dead.
Dead?
He died of that stab wound I gave him.
So you kind of got preliminary revenge.
I was acting in self-defence, but I suppose you could look at it that way.
Your heart gives a guilty leap when you remember that Thor's right there. Can he hear us?
Loki shakes his head. Not under these circumstances, although he can sometimes read thoughts.
You breathe a sigh of relief. Good.
Loki turns to Thor, who's been staring at you like you're both crazy. "Do I really need these handcuffs?"
Thor glares at him. "Yes. And they're not coming off."
You glance at Loki. Are those Asgardian handcuffs?
Loki shakes his head. I think they're just hoping that Thor can overpower me, should I try to escape.
Kind of stupid, if you ask me. Then you get an idea. What if I try to convince Thor to take the handcuffs off you?
Loki shrugs. You can try.
Okay. You take a deep breath. Look, Thor-
Out loud, sweet.
You blush, take another deep breath, and begin again. "Thor - does Loki really need to be handcuffed? Couldn't he just break out of them anyway?"
Thor stares at you like you've gone crazy. "Lady L/N…"
Now that you're over the first hurdle, your confidence begins to grow. "Look, I don't know what he's told you, or if you've even interrogated him, but he didn't hurt me. You must believe me."
"Lady L/N, you were very badly hurt - you were unconscious - when we found you. You said yourself that your memory was hazy-"
"Well, I lied."
Thor stares at you in utter shock and disbelief.
Your heart's jumping about wildly, but you keep going. "I didn't want to say anything that would negatively impact Loki."
Now it's Loki's turn to stare at you. You did - you what? How - why…?
Taking a third deep breath, you continue. "Anything I said - the Avengers could have twisted it to make an excuse to torture him - to - oh, I don't know - double his sentence, give him a worse punishment…"
"Well-" Thor looks like he's desperately trying to collect his thoughts. "What actually happened?"
You glance nervously at Loki. Should I?
Loki nods, his face impassive. Go on.
So you tell Thor exactly what happened.
His face turns from shock, to disbelief, to something you can't quite place.
Finally, he turns to his brother. "Is this true?" he demands.
Loki nods.
Thor turns back to you. "Lady L/N - why would you keep this from us? We were trying to help you."
"But you weren't trying to help Loki. And - well…" You look helplessly at Loki.
Loki mumbles something.
"Speak up!" snaps Thor.
"She's my soulmate."
"Who?"
"Y/N. She's my soulmate. She could read my thoughts. That's why I was protecting her."
The air in the room suddenly shifts. Soulmate? What's he on about? That's why I could get into your head? Then why-
Thor grabs Loki's arm roughly enough to make him wince. "We're going. Now."
***************************************************
You suddenly fling your book aside, sighing in frustration.
It's been several weeks since Loki last visited you, and the Avengers have been acting really weird. You thought they'd be angry, but they've been weirdly nice. They seem to be under the impression that you were mind-controlled by Loki, which you know is ridiculous, since neither of you had even been near the Sceptre when you first decided to help him.
You haven't really recovered from your injuries yet, but you're well enough to get out of bed, which is a relief, because now you can hide from the Avengers if they take to whispering outside your door again.
"Hello."
You jump in fright when you hear Loki's voice.
"Oh - I'm terribly sorry, darling. I didn't mean to frighten you."
It's fine.
Loki smiles. "It's alright. I already soundproofed the room. We can talk freely here."
"Okay."
Loki goes to stand with his back to the fireplace. "I expect this is all very confusing for you, all this soulmate business. I'm sorry I had to tell you under those circumstances, sweet. If things had been different…"
You nod. "It's fine."
Loki sighs. "It still doesn't excuse my giving you such a nasty shock. You ended up relapsing, I heard?"
You shake your head. "They're exaggerating. My social battery died."
Loki frowns. "Your - social battery?"
"I was tired from socialising. It takes up a lot of my energy. And I was already tired from all those injuries."
Even though he tries to hide it, you can see him visibly relax. "Well - do you have any questions for me?"
Which one to ask first? "Why can you read my thoughts, but I can't read yours?"
"I can shield my thoughts - something I actually need to teach you."
You suddenly feel a hot wave of anger hit you. Wait… is he lying to me?
"Look," you begin, rather irritably. "Why are you being so nice to me? I know there's the soulmate thing, but you - you just don't seem like the sort of guy who's just going around calling pretty girls pet names, and being super patient with them. And I'm not even that pretty. What's going on?"
Loki opens his mouth to explain, but the look on your face shuts him up before he can speak, so he just watches you with a strangely sad look on his face.
Not that it matters to you. "You realise that I nearly helped you destroy New York, that I've managed to alienate the Avengers - who were genuinely trying to help me, and that I'm now on SHIELD's blacklist? All because I was trying to protect you!"
The pain in your muscles when you stand up nearly makes you fall, but you grit your teeth against the pain, ignoring Loki's outstretched hand. "I'm done. I'm sick of trying to protect someone against people who won't listen to me, because they think I'm delusional! If you want to explain yourself to me properly - then - well - just-"
Having run out of words, you simply storm out of the room, leaving a speechless Loki behind.
***************************************************
"I don't get it," you later complain to Dr Banner. "A few weeks earlier, I was trying to protect him, and now I'm storming off because I think he's lying to me?"
Banner shrugs. "You've got the wrong person. Talk to Thor."
"I know Asgardian relationships aren't your specialty-" you begin.
"Actually, I'm clueless."
"-but you're the only Avenger here who I haven't actually lied to."
"So you want me to talk to Thor."
You nod. "More or less."
"You do realise he's not mad at you?"
You shrug. "Well, maybe he isn't mad at me, but he's kind of - terrifying, to be honest."
"Who's terrifying?" asks Stark. "Oh, hey, Y/N. How's it going?"
You're more than a little weirded out by his sudden friendliness. Is it because I yelled at Loki? "Oh, uh, yeah - hi…"
"Stark, do you know where Thor is?" asks Banner.
Stark shrugs. "No idea. Probably the training room." As you turn to leave, he calls after you. "Oh, Y/N?"
You turn back. "Yeah?"
"It's Nat's birthday, so we're having a party. Do you want to come?"
In what world-? "Uh - yeah, sure."
***************************************************
Your mind is racing as you go to find the training room.
What was I thinking? I can't go to a party! I don't have anything to wear! I don't even know where it is!
Fortunately, the training room's now up ahead, and you hastily stop catastrophising in favour of trying to thing what questions you're going to ask Thor.
He's just finishing up his workout as you walk in, so you stay right near the wall, just in case.
He grins when he sees you. "Oh - Lady Y/N! What brings you here?"
"I - um - I have some questions for you." Why do I sound so businesslike?
"Is this about the soulmate situation?" asks Thor.
You nod. "I just - why do you guys make such a big deal out of it? On Earth, it's usually kind of a myth. Nobody really takes the idea too seriously - well, I certainly didn't. Not until now."
Thor shrugs. "I'm afraid I don't have much experience in this. I have sent for my mother - who I think will have more knowledge of this than I, so when she arrives, you could talk to her."
You manage a small smile. "Okay. Thanks, Thor."
***************************************************
This was a mistake.
You'd forgotten that Stark's parties are notoriously loud and boisterous. And that they're massive.
All of which is a very, very bad combination for you.
Fortunately, no-one's really noticed you, but the smell of alcohol is giving you a headache, the loud music is hurting your ears, and the crowd's beginning to feel suffocating - whether from actual lack of oxygen or sensory overload, you have no idea.
I have to get out before I have a meltdown.
You make your way to the exit, hoping that nobody notices you.
"Lady Y/N!"
Biting back curses, you turn around to see Thor waving at you.
"My mother has arrived! Shall I take you to her?"
You nod. Wonderful. Another social interaction.
But at least you can leave the party.
Thor's mother's face lights up when she sees you. "So, you are the Y/N that my sons have told us so much about," she says, with a smile. "It's lovely to meet you, dear. My name's Frigga."
"Uh - yeah… Nice to meet you too."
Once you're both settled, Frigga comes straight to the point. "I understand you have some questions on the soulmate situation."
You nod. "Why is it such a big deal with you guys?"
Frigga smiles. "Well, on Asgard, it's expected that you marry once you reach a certain age - what Midgardians would call your twenties, I believe. We have not the option of divorce, which means we must either find our soulmate, or make an eligible match with someone similar. Meeting your soulmate before then is very rare, and being soulmates with each other - that is even rarer."
"But how do you know if you're soulmates?"
"There are several stages. The first is being able to read each other's thoughts. Loki can read yours, I understand."
"But I can't read his. At least - he claims it's because he can shield his mind, but-"
Frigga sighs. "It is difficult to know whether my son tells the truth or not. He's always been one for mischief, and he is an excellent liar, but-" She sighs. "I have talked to him about this, and something about his manner leads me to believe that he is being truthful, but - he has deceived me before."
"What's the second stage?"
"The need to protect the other."
"Well, I certainly experienced that," you say. "And I think Loki might have?"
Frigga nods. "He did. And he still does, I believe."
"And the third stage?"
"The third stage depends on your soulmate's honesty. If your soulmate is generally dishonest, then you won't believe anything they say, even if they are telling the truth."
"Hang on." You hold up a hand. "Does that mean that my getting mad at Loki was because we're - soulmates?"
"Strange as it may seem, yes. But it won't last long. And the fourth stage is sharing your feelings with your soulmate."
"Like hyper-empathy?" you ask.
Frigga nods. "Yes, except that you feel your feelings as well as theirs."
Oh, no. You feel shivers run down your spine. "Is - is there any way to stop that from happening?"
"How do you mean?" asks Frigga.
You sigh. How to explain autism to an Asgardian? "I - I was just curious."
Frigga shakes her head. "No, you weren't. I know there's a reason."
You stare at the floor, fiddling with your hands. "Well, I - I already have hyper-empathy - it's not a special ability or anything, it's just the way my brain works - and…"
"You're worried your feelings might overwhelm you?" asks Frigga.
You nod.
Frigga smiles. "Don't worry, Y/N. The 'feeling each other's feelings' that I told you about - it's little more than just a twinge, an inkling of what the other is feeling. It's rarely overwhelming."
"And I think it's happening right now," you add.
Frigga leans forward. "What do you feel?"
"I just felt a twinge of disdain. Which I'm guessing is Loki, because he doesn't get along with Stark, and absolutely hates his parties. I guess Thor must have dragged him along."
She chuckles. "That does sound like Loki. He's never liked parties, or large gatherings of any kind. Perhaps we should go and rescue him."
***************************************************
As you both enter the party, you immediately spot Thor engaged in a drinking game with Captain America.
"I ought to have brought him some Asgardian mead to make it fair," laughs Frigga.
"Captain America's got some sort of super serum in him," you explain. "I think he might last longer than average, though I think Thor's going to win."
As you scan the room, you suddenly notice Loki in the back, looking very grumpy and out of it, but his face softens slightly when he sees you and Frigga.
"Hello, Mother," he says. "Hello, Y/N."
You manage a small smile. "Hi. Um, look-"
Loki shakes his head. "Outside." He offers you his arm. "May I?"
You're surprised, but take it, while Frigga takes his other arm.
As you walk out, Loki and Frigga talk about what you're guessing is Asgardian things. It's too loud for you to really catch anything specific.
It's nice walking with Loki, even if he isn't talking to you. He's surprisingly courteous, making sure to walk you and Frigga around the clean areas on the floor.
"Mother! Loki!" bellows Thor suddenly, making you jump. "Join me!"
Frigga, laughing, lets go of Loki's arm. "I will see you later, Loki and Y/N."
Loki smiles at his mother, before frowning at Thor, and then continuing towards the exit with you.
Once you're outside, Loki turns to you. "I'm terribly sorry about my oaf brother. Are you alright?"
You nod shyly. "I'm okay."
Loki nods. "That's good."
"Your mother's so nice," you tell him. "I really like her."
Loki smiles. "I'm glad you like her."
"Oh, yeah - um, Loki, I'm really sorry about storming out on you a few days ago. I know there's the soulmate thing, but - it was wrong of me, and I'm sorry."
"It's alright," says Loki gently. "It wasn't your fault. Listen, I've been thinking. We got off to a bad start, and I'm sorry about that. I know it's too late to turn things back, but-"
He sighs. "I suppose what I'm trying to say is that I love you, and I do want a relationship with you. But I want a real one, not one based off - obligation."
Your heart jumps. "Are you asking me out?"
Loki nods. "If that's what Midgardians call courting, then yes."
You take a deep breath. "Okay. Yeah. I'd - I'd like that."
Then you feel a sudden warmth in your chest, a warmth that matches the smile on Loki's face.
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Part 3 coming soon
As always, I do not give permission for anyone to copy my work, repost it, etc.