Title: Memory lane; A power that doesn't rightfully belong 

Pairing: Loki Laufeyson x Avenger!Female!Reader 

Word count: 2.3k 

Published: 21 July 2021 

Author: Heloise Daphne Brightmore 

Notes: In this fic Loki didn't die in Infinity War

Warnings: Mention of blood, injury, slightly detailed surgical interventions 

Notes: If you enjoy my stories, please consider donating and supporting me on Ko-fi. Of course, it's completely your choice, I will continue updating for free anyway :) Thank you <3 [ ko-fi.com/heloisedaphnebrightmore ]

You were trying to clean your house before Loki's return, so you brought your ladder to the living room and stood on it, cleaning the higher shelves with a wet cloth, rearranging some of your items in the process. In the last couple of weeks, you have had quite the time to spend alone and do random, non-important duties around the house as the avengers have been lacking the necessary number of missions that would require your presence. Though you were happy things seemed to have calmed down, it was also driving you mad. Meanwhile you found your life utterly boring as you kept on doing house chores, Loki voiced his opinion about the opposite. He found it relaxing that he didn't have to worry about you, though his words were meant only to your ears, his mischievous image couldn't have been compromised.

Stepping higher on the ladder, you reached for the top shelf hanging on your wall, but your foot slipped in the process, your fluffy slippers flying in the air as you fell backwards. Before you could have hit the carpet, two arms caught your underarm with a sharp exhale leaving your saviour's lungs. You didn't need to think twice to recognise even the way he took an annoyed breath.

"Thank you, love," you giggled as you looked back over your shoulder, meeting Loki's deadly gaze.

"Can't I leave you alone without attempting to die?" He asked as he helped you up, steading you on the ground, but still keeping an arm around your waist in case you decided to fall over your own two feet.

"My leg slipped, it's not like I planned to fall down," you huffed as you removed his arm from your waist and picked up your slippers that flew in different directions.

"Regardless of your intentions, it keeps happening. You are beyond reckless and clumsy at times, perhaps I need to hire someone to guard you," he raised a questioning brow, his tone serious, but from the tiny smile in the corner of his lips, you knew he was joking around.

"I'm not going to babysit someone so you can feel better," you groaned, earning a stunned expression from him.

"I don't think we understand each other. They would babysit you," he corrected.

"I'm an avenger, I'm fairly sure it would be me who would end up looking after them," you offered him a sceptical look.

"Right, you are an avenger. I didn't know the title came with a life insurance," he scoffed, both as a result of his smart reply and knowledge on trivial information about mortals.

"If that was an attempt to be funny, it didn't work," you huffed, shaking your head.

"Need I remind you that the only reason you are alive is me?" He asked with a concerned look.

"Need I remind you how mad I was?" You retorted with a sceptical expression. He chuckled at your reply as he sat down on the side of your bed and pulled you on his lap, kissing your neck softly.

"Aren't you happy to be here with me?" He asked with the sincerest look across his face.

"I am and I can't thank you enough for what you did, but Loki, that was very reckless of you, it could have ended very differently," you tried to explain as you locked your arms behind his neck.

"I know, but I could not bear the thought of losing you," he replied with a serious expression painted on his face, the events still vividly replaying in his mind after all this time. "When I arrived at the compound and you were nowhere to be found, I thought you were just out on another mission, nothing out of the ordinary, but the sight that greeted me, made my blood freeze," he exhaled sharply.

Loki stood at the entrance of the compound, right beside his brother, Thor, before he decided to look around the building. It seemed to be empty, only the sound of computers and F.R.I.D.A.Y.'s greeting interrupted the silence. Heading back towards the entrance, he heard the significant sound of the avenger's plane. He didn't dare to admit how glad he felt to know you were coming back, you were rather new at the relationship phase, but regardless of the cool demeanour he tried to keep up, he hurried out to see you arrive.

4 women in white robes, perhaps doctors, rushed out of the building that Loki thought to be empty, two of them pushing a gurney towards the plane as Steve held a limp body in his arms. Loki couldn't see who the injured person was until Rogers placed the body down onto the stretcher and stepped aside. He felt his blood stop, air stuck in his lungs, incapable of breathing as he saw your body covered in blood and some sort of dust that seemed to be of ash.

He ran up to the stretcher, feeling as though his eyes betrayed him, but the sight disappointed his expectations, it was indeed you, laying on that bed, looking worse than he first thought.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y., I need an update," Tony spoke up as he attached a digital bracelet around your wrist.

"Life functions are critical," she said as one of the women placed a tube in your throat and attached an oxygen pump to the other end of it. Before Loki could have even interrupted the nurses, they rolled you away. Thor placed a hand on his brother's shoulder, heaving a heavy sigh.

"She will be fine," he tried to encourage him, but Loki shook his head.

"Are you blind?" He asked as he looked towards the door, they rolled you through. "She— she is dying," he stumbled through his words, feeling hopeless in the situation.

"You can't think of the worst, Loki," Thor squeezed his brother's shoulder reassuringly as he gently nudged him towards the entrance and forced him to take a seat beside the operating room. Loki was still in shock, the noises, the rushing people, none of it making sense to him. The last time he saw you, you waved goodbye to him with a wide smile across your face and he couldn't even recall it without the memory being blurry. The only thing he could remember clearly was your face covered in blood and dust, your limp form being held by Rogers.

"Chances of survival: 29%," F.R.I.D.A.Y.'s voice came from behind the closed doors as Loki tightened his fist in his useless state. He wanted to do something for you, he wanted to be there beside you, encourage you to wake up, but as he stood up, Tony stopped him.

"Let them help her," he replied with a stern look as though he believed the doctors would be successful. But Loki felt nervous, there was a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach that sent shivers through his spine. He knew something was wrong, he saw the way you looked when he first laid eyes on you. It was hard for him to believe that some mortal healer would be able to snap a finger and fix you up.

"Chances of survival: 17%," F.R.I.D.A.Y.'s voice announced once again. Loki exhaled sharply through gritted teeth, his leg bouncing up and down in his nervous state.

"It will be okay," Thor tried to calm his brother down, but even his voice wavered.

Loki could hear the ticking of the clock, the silent noise frustrating him even more as though time itself wanted to remind him that there was a time limit on your life. Without hesitation he stood up from the seat and kicked in the door, scaring the doctors working on your body to heal you.

"You can't be in here," one of them attempted to grab him by the arm and drag him out, but he just harshly shook her off as he stood beside your bed, breathing shakily.

"Chances of survival: 10%," F.R.I.D.A.Y.'s voice announced once again as Loki held his hand up and placed it on your chest. He wasn't sure of what he was doing but he knew if he didn't try his possibly ridiculous idea, you were to leave him anyway and he couldn't let that happen.

A green flash of light beamed between his hand and your chest as he tried to transfer some of his powers to you, hoping it would save you, hoping he would never have to lose another person he finally let close to himself. A sharp exhale left your lungs as your wounds started healing on their own and eyes fluttered open. Looking around the room in shock, you were slightly confused about where you were and what happened, but as you laid your eyes on Loki, a small smile spread across your face.

"Loki," you whispered as you grabbed his hand on your chest. He let out a relieved sigh at the sight of your warm smile. "What happened?" You asked as you tried to sit up, groaning, your body feeling sore.

"You were in the middle of an explosion," Steve spoke up as he stepped inside the room followed by Tony and Natasha who were standing behind him with a stunned expression.

"How long was I out for?" With Loki's help you climbed off the table and steadied yourself on the ground, Loki's arm wrapped around your waist securely.

Steve took a sharp breath as though he was debating what to say, so Tony spoke up. "Three hours," he nodded, his eyes still wide in surprise at the events he witnessed.

A loud chuckle left your lungs, Stark's unexpected humour catching you off guard. "Come on, how long?" You attempted your question once again.

"Three hours," Natasha replied this time, her words making you frown.

"I don't understand," you spoke in confusion, your gaze falling to the ground as you tried to process the situation. "How?" You asked as you looked at Nat, who clearly stared at Loki beside you, then you turned to Tony whose gaze also fell on Loki, before you moved onto Steve who tilted his head with a questioningly raised brow as though he was asking 'what do you think?'. You turned around, furrowing at the God of Mischief, his eyes wandering anywhere around the room but never meeting your gaze. "What did you do?"

"I'm sorry, I had to do it. I didn't have a better idea," he attempted to explain his situation to you as his eyes fell on you, but you were having none of it.

"What did you do?" You asked firmly this time.

Loki let out a heavy breath as he spoke up. "I transferred some of my powers to you," he bit the inside of his cheek nervously.

"You did what? Are you mad? I'm a human, Loki, my body can't possibly carry some god's power," you replied in complete astonishment, your heart's rate increasing in your angered state. "Get out!" You shouted, pointing at the door, but the man didn't move. "I said get out!"

"What was I supposed to do?" He retorted in frustration, feeling helpless, an emotion he has never experienced before that day.

"I don't know, but certainly not giving me your power," you raised your hands in the air, as though you were stating obvious facts.

"I'm sorry," he apologised with a stern look across his face as he raised his voice. "I'm sorry, but I couldn't bear to see you die. I just couldn't let that happen. If you are mad at me for making a stupid decision, then be it, but I wouldn't take it back even if I knew how. I couldn't lose you. I wasn't going to risk that," his tone was firm, but the words leaving his lips couldn't have held more feelings. It was the first time you ever heard him speak so passionately, so emotionally.

You took a deep breath as you thought about it and you knew if it came to a situation where Loki came back injured, you would do anything in your power to heal him, regardless of how dangerous that would be. You placed a hand on the back of his neck and pulled him down to meet you halfway, closing the gap between you. The action surprised him at first, but he quickly wrapped his other arm around you and pulled you into his chest as he put all his feelings in that one kiss.

Pulling away, you offered him a sceptical look. "I'm still mad though," you spoke, earning a loud laughter from him, a wide, but soft smile taking over his worried look.

"I never want to experience anything like that ever again," he shook his head as he buried his face in your neck, the memories weighing heavily on his chest.

"I mean, I obviously don't want that either, but it has had some benefits," you chuckled as you lifted your hand and green lights sparkled above your fingers. "I kind of grew close to these little magic tricks," you smiled warmly.

"I'm glad you like it, but I wish the story behind it was different," he hummed against your neck.

"At least, now we know it's not dangerous," you smiled as you hinted a small kiss on his temple and ran your fingers through his long, black locks, soothing him.

He lifted his head and gazed into your eyes as he opened his mouth to talk. "At least we do," he heaved a heavy sigh. "I don't know what I would have done if I lost you. You make the good days brighter and the dark days lighter, without you I would feel empty," his words left your heart warm and fuzzy as you beamed at him lovingly. Each time that certain memory came up, Loki showed a concerned side of his, and you felt the need to console him, to tell him it was okay, because you were better than ever, and you could only thank him for it. 

Notes : If you enjoyed reading this little piece, please don't forget to leave a like and/or comment. Thank you ^^

If you enjoy my stories, please consider donating and supporting me on Ko-fi. Of course, it's completely your choice, I will continue updating for free anyway :) Thank you <3 [ ko-fi.com/heloisedaphnebrightmore ]