Author's note: hey guys, I've decided to move update day to Monday because I'm bored and we all need a bit of cheering up on a Monday am I right? I can't believe this story is almost at 50k I love you all uwu <3 I hope you enjoy this chapter ! (also I made a twitter account while I was bored, follow me my user is elsmissesloki, naturally ;))

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The next few days leading up to New Year's Eve and the party passed in a blur. You'd never been so happy; like the rest of the world the days in between Christmas and New Year's in the Avengers Tower consisted of doing absolutely nothing apart from watching reruns of Christmas films, eating and sleeping. You'd suggested training a couple of times to Nat who had said that you would 'tomorrow', but you just never seemed to get round to it. You couldn't say you minded, particularly.

You also still hadn't got around to telling the others about the situation with you and Loki, but you didn't want to ruin the blissful atmosphere which had been gracing the tower recently. Besides, you suspected that at least half of them already knew, and Loki wasn't exactly eager to share this information with anyone. You'd been snatching moments together when you could, but it wasn't often; someone was always around and when they weren't you were constantly listening out for footsteps. Which is why the last couple of nights you'd been sneaking into Loki's room after everyone had gone to bed to make up for the time you weren't getting to spend alone with each other during the day. It was completely innocent, but you knew that Tony would have a fit if he found out about it. Loki had reassured you that he wouldn't fall asleep so that if Tony did come knocking for whatever reason or there was a mission, he could get you back in your room before he realised anything was off.

You'd been staying awake with him until the early hours of the morning talking about anything and everything, and then falling asleep only to wake up back in your own bed later that morning. Last night, however, you had tried to get a full night's sleep because tomorrow was New Year's and you had a strong feeling that there would not be a lot of sleeping going on.

You woke up early on the last day of the year, having gone to sleep earlier than you had in a long time last night, and were surprised to find yourself still in Loki's room. Loki was lying on his back with his eyes shut, one arm around you and one arm behind his head.

"You said you wouldn't fall asleep." you mumbled into his chest, shifting closer to him. His arm tightened around you and he ran his cool fingers lightly over your back.

I'm not asleep, nor have I been. I'm resting.

Spending so much time alone together had taken its toll on your communication skills, sometimes you'd be talking aloud and gradually lapse into talking through your minds instead, without even realising you'd done so until five minutes later.

Why am I still in here then?

Because I'm quite enjoying this, if that's alright with you.

You smiled, humming your agreement.

However, my arm has been dead for about three hours. Can we swap sides?

You fell back asleep after swapping sides for a few hours, and only woke up again because Loki woke you.

"The others will wake up soon." he told you, untangling himself from you, and you reluctantly got up and crept invisibly back to your room across the hall.

Half an hour later you were showered, dressed and having breakfast in the kitchen with Tony, who had obviously tried and failed to sleep before the party tonight. He looked tired, as per usual as he scrolled through something on the tablet on the table in front of him. You'd inadvertently heard his thoughts, and Pepper's; you knew of the nightmares and flashbacks he had of the New York attack and the wormhole, the reasons he had such trouble sleeping. It was no surprise he was finding it hard to forgive Loki.

"Kid? You with me?" he asked, and you nodded, returning to the conversation.

"Sorry. Yeah, what were you saying?"

Tony continued to talk about the party, but you quickly became distracted again when Loki walked into the room. He really was very attractive. This rather loud thought earnt you an appraising look as he walked over to the coffee machine behind you, and you grinned at him. He'd acquired a taste for coffee since living here: black, of course.

"...and fireworks at midnight of course." Tony was saying, and you shifted your attention back to him.

"It sounds amazing. I can't wait." you told him, drumming your fingers against the kitchen island, which had been returned to its usual state after Christmas Day.

"Obviously the guest list has been checked extremely thoroughly so that we don't have a breach like last time." he continued, opening something else up on the tablet and looking at it intently.

"Don't look so stressed out Tony, that organisation was put to bed by SHIELD, wasn't it?" you reminded him.

"Yes, but that's not to say others won't have had the same idea. Speaking of SHIELD, I need to talk to you. And you Reind – Loki." Tony told you, spinning around on his stool so that both you and Loki were in his eyeline. You span around to face Tony, and Loki leant back against the kitchen counter and crossed his arms.

"Fury has said that there's been a certain amount of unrest within SHIELD regarding you two, especially Loki, for obvious reasons." Tony said. Loki raised an eyebrow, but his bored expression remained unchanged. You wished you could get up and stand with him, but you stayed put.

"As you know the 'Avengers Initiative' was created by SHIELD and Fury, so whether we like it or not we answer to them. Fury was reluctant to let you join Y/N, as you know, and agents are concerned about the fact that Loki's living here and practically acting as he would as if he were an Avenger already."

"They have nothing to worry about. I have no intention of joining your little club." Loki said, and you closed your eyes briefly.

Be nice.

"That's good, because you're not going to." Tony replied sharply. Loki looked at you, and then across the room.

"The point is, SHIELD are getting worried, especially since Loki was allowed to come on our last mission, which means that if you want to carry on staying here you might have to jump through some hoops."

Loki opened his mouth in outrage, before catching your gaze and closing it again, swallowing hard.

"What does that mean? Hoops?" you asked Tony.

"I don't know exactly. Fury just said that you two would be called in 'sometime in the foreseeable future.' So that's it. I just thought I should tell you." Tony finished, looking at Loki once more before swivelling back round on his stool to look at his tablet again. You and Loki shared a look before you turned back around too.

"Thanks for telling us."

Eventually enough of the others had entered the room to distract Tony enough that it didn't seem suspicious when first Loki, and then you left the kitchen. He was sat on your bed when you entered your room and shut the door behind you, moving to sit next to him.

"They'll try and find an excuse to send me back." Loki said shortly. He was scared. Scared of being sent back to Asgard where he would be condemned to a cell by his own father.

"They won't, you've been here for months now and nothing's happened. They're not completely stupid; they know that you could have escaped and wreaked havoc by now if you'd really wanted to. Once you prove that you're safe, which you are, they'll back off." you reassured him.

"I can't go back there."

"You're not going back there." you asserted, taking his hands in yours. He smiled weakly.

Aware that you weren't going to be able to make him feel better with empty promises, you stood and pulled him to his feet, wrapping your arms around him instead. He followed suit, sighing heavily.

"If you do get sent back to the dungeons, I'll go back to Asgard with you and do something stupid so that Odin locks me up too." you told him, smiling when it made him laugh, although it might have been in exasperation rather than humour. He planted a kiss on the top of your head, and then pushed you gently towards the door.

"Go on, before they get suspicious." he said.

"Bored of my company already?" you teased, resisting.

"On the contrary, I simply wish to avoid attempted murder when Stark finds out about us." he replied, pulling you back towards him and kissing you again, on the lips this time. You smiled.

"Tony won't try and kill you, he'll be too busy going into cardiac arrest." you said, walking to the door.

"And what when he recovers?"

"I suppose I'll have to protect you." you winked, earning a smile before you slipped out the door. Straight into Thor's chest. You looked up at him guiltily.

"Who were you talking to?" he asked, barely managing to supress the smile which was so clearly fighting its way on to his face.

"Myself, who else?" you replied, edging your way past him.

"So, Loki isn't in your room?"

"No..."

"Why would I be in Y/N's room?" Loki's voice emanated from behind Thor, who span around to look at him in shock as Loki emerged from his room and pulled the door shut behind him. You grinned from behind Thor's back.

"What a thing to say Thor." you said, shaking your head and making your way back towards the living room, almost feeling sorry for him. You wished you could just tell him. Not yet.

The rest of the day seemed to fly by in anticipation for the party, which was to start at nine pm and would be held upstairs in the penthouse and on the roof this time. Suddenly it was eight pm, an hour to go, and you were being dragged away from the leftover food you and Bucky had raided from the fridge by Nat because there wasn't enough time and you needed to get ready right now.

You had a quick shower and then climbed into the dress you had been wanting to wear for a while, it was a little black number which finished just above your knee. Only now did you remember how clingy it was, making you regret your decision to raid the fridge with Bucky twenty minutes ago. Deciding not to dwell, you grabbed your shoes and made your way down the corridor to Nat's room. Once you arrived her and Pepper practically pounced on you, and another twenty minutes later your hair and make-up were done too. You sat on the bed and wrestled with your heels for a few minutes while discussing how late you thought the party would last, and then you and Nat made your way to the living room while Pepper disappeared upstairs to check on the last minute preparations and tell the doormen to open the doors and start sending the party-goers up.

Steve walked out of the living room as you and Nat walked in, giving you a twirl as you walked past.

"You both look gorgeous." he told with a smile. Bucky was still eating in the kitchen, this time joined by Thor and Clint. Tony and Bruce were discussing something in the living room. Loki was in his usual position on the sofa, with a book; you fought not to notice as his eyes went on a journey and you felt the beginnings of an emotion which was definitely not yours deep in your chest.

We'll always know when the other is in danger or feeling a particularly strong emotion. Isn't that what Loki had told you? Was this what you were feeling, his emotion? He had said the connection got stronger as you grew closer...

You resisted the temptation to meet his gaze across the room and walked to the kitchen instead.

"Have you moved since I left?" you laughed, assuming Steve's vacated stool and looking longingly at the ice cream Bucky had now moved on to.

"Yes, actually. I am in my party attire, thank you for noticing." Bucky told you, spinning on his stool to show you and almost losing his balance, grabbing your outstretched arm as he wobbled.

"You look wonderful." you assured him through a laugh as he righted himself, only to find that his ice cream had been stolen by Clint.

"Right then, let's get this show on the road!" Tony announced, checking his watch.

"Three minutes to go. Where's Pep?" he asked, looking around.

"She went upstairs to check on the prep." you supplied helpfully.

"Ah, that's not good. I'll meet you up there. Reindeer Games, stay down here, keep you out trouble and don't let anyone see you, got it? The rest of you get upstairs ASAP." Tony instructed, and you felt a pang of indignance on Loki's behalf.

"Come on then." Bucky said, getting to his feet and gesturing towards the door.

"You go, I'll meet you up there." you replied.

"Ahh, alright." he said, casting his gaze across the room to Loki and then winking at you suggestively; you shoved him away playfully.

You put away the food which had been left out on the kitchen island as an excuse to hang back, and when everyone was gone (Bruce left last, very reluctantly) you turned around to find Loki stood directly behind you. He wasted no time in catching you by the waist and pulling you flush against him. You reached up to rest your arms on his shoulders, lifting your chin.

You are beautiful.

You smiled unwittingly and closed your eyes, turning your head away.

You are. And all those drunk Midgardians up there are about to see that too.

You looked back at him incredulously.

You're not worried, are you?

Of course not.

A lie.

Of course I am.

You smiled again.

You shouldn't be.

But I am.

Well you should come up with me then, and make sure I'm not getting into any trouble.

He raised an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth quirking up.

I'll say it again, it's not exactly my scene.

You enjoyed steak and monopoly. You might enjoy this too.

Maybe later then.

You sighed, knowing it was the best you were going to get. This only served to make his smile wider.

I'm grateful that Stark trusts me enough to stay here by myself this time. I intend to make the most of it.

Enjoy your peace then.

Oh I will.

He moved to kiss you, but stopped suddenly, opening his eyes and freezing.

What?

He sighed, closing his eyes again, this time in resignation.

Look.

You frowned, peering around Loki's arm towards the door.

Thor looked ecstatic.