You threw a blanket over Loki's legs, taking pity on the room's occupants. He gave you a disappointed look, but you knew perfectly well what the traditional undergarment was when one was wearing a kilt. And you were sure that's exactly the undergarment Loki was wearing... or not wearing... "Lohk, play nice," you told him firmly. "They're never going to like us if you keep antagonizing them." By they, you meant Stark. Everyone else was slowly coming around to liking you, accepting you. Stark shot you a grateful look, though, so maybe there was hope he'd come around too.

"Spoilsport," Loki grumbled at you. "And, Darling, Stark is never going to like me. He cannot forgive me for New York," he reminded you. He had accepted that as fact.

"You said that wasn't your fault," you protested.

He shrugged. "And yet. The world does not forgive easily and those who were injured most especially. It is to be expected,"

You kissed him lightly and got up from the couch. You had procrastinated too long already on getting ready for the press conference. "Try? At least to be cordial? This is the only home I have..." you reminded him sadly. You caught the sad looks from the team as well at your reminder.

Loki took your hand and lifted it to his lips to kiss your knuckles. You saw he wanted to protest that this wasn't your only home, your only option, but he knew as well as you that you were in exile... "Very well," he told you instead.

You gave him a small smile and turned to Cap. "Are we meeting back here before the press conference?" you asked.

He nodded. "Yeah, meet up here. We'll all go down together. I'll prep Loki," he added. You nodded, kissed Loki again, and headed up to your room to get ready.

Nat peeked her head into our room after you'd dressed in a sleek floor length dress the same blue as your Valkyrie cape. You were putting the final touches on your hair, which you had pulled up into a knot at the back of your head and secured with gold hair sticks. "Need help?" Nat asked kindly. "You did fine at the first conference, but..."

"You were concerned I'm like Thor and can't dress myself as a Midgardian?" you asked, laughing. "Natasha, I've been here 900 years. I can manage. Plus I was a court lady on Asgard,"

"Maybe I should get you to do my hair then," she replied with a laugh.

"I can if you want..." you offered tentatively, wondering if she'd trust you to do it.

"That'd be great. I'll be back down in a minute," she rushed off and you smiled. Nat usually wasn't very open with people, but you got along with her just fine. She was back in a sleek, but professional enough black dress by the time you'd finished your makeup. You used magic to do her hair for her so you couldn't risk touching her with your bare skin. You chatted with her while you worked and it just seemed so...normal. "Are you going to be ok with no sleeves?" Nat asked, concerned, as you left your room to head downstairs and meet up with the boys. Your dress was halter-style with a low-cut back. It was summer after all.

"It'll be fine. I'll be careful," you promised. You didn't want to draw undo attention to your 'skin condition' and gloves and sleeves in August counted as drawing attention. Nat didn't look convinced, but didn't say anything else. You knew you were perfectly safe. Between you and Loki you would be, anyway. He was protective after all.

Loki was waiting for you outside your bedroom door. "Ladies," he greeted you politely with an elegant bow. He was wearing a perfectly, magically, tailored black three piece suit with a white dress shirt and emerald tie. You didn't have words to describe how good it looked on him.

You dipped a curtsy automatically. Some habits hadn't died over the years and you'd spent a lot of time attending formal events on Asgard with Loki. "Your highness," you replied properly, but warmly, a smile on your face at the old familiarity.

Nat did not curtsy, but just replied with a simple "Loki," and head nod.

"You both look lovely this evening," Loki said politely and you rose. That was a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "Will you lovely ladies allow me the honor of escorting you?" he asked formally. You had expected the request for yourself and were already accepting his offered left arm before he had finished making it. Nat smirked, but took his other arm after only a slight hesitation.

"Brother, you cannot monopolize the attentions of all of the beautiful women!" Thor protested when the three of you stepped off the elevator.

"But, Brother, they are just so lovely!" Loki protested innocently. You and Nat both laughed at your silly trickster. He was having fun teasing the others.

Nat dropped Loki's arm. "Thank you for the escort, but your brother is right. We do need to be fair and let the other men think they have a fair shot. Our little Kyrie is too in love and too devoted to you to be fair game, so I'll have to suffer and let them fight over who gets to escort me," she teased as she took a step away from the pair of you. Her 'our little Kyrie' warmed your heart especially as she said it without seeming to consciously think about it.

"Plus if they try to touch my bare skin, they'll die. Or at least get severe frostbite," you reminded her. You didn't bother arguing over her accusations about your feelings toward Loki. She wasn't wrong.

"Which does not make them effective escorts for my lady," Loki kissed your temple. He was scant centimeters taller than you since you were wearing heels. He was trying to be reassuring. He knew how you felt about how the mortals couldn't safely touch you.

"You clean up nicely for a warrior," Clint commented carefully. He was really asking why you and Loki were proficient at dressing and all of the men had to work together to make Thor presentable. You had to admit that Thor looked nice in a button-down shirt and dress pants. No tie for Thor.

"Didn't Thor tell you?" you asked incredulously. Thor was supposed to have explained all about the Valkyrie to the team. "The Valkyrie are nobility, one step below the royal family, and above the rest of the nobility. Since I grew up with the princes, I basically grew up as a princess," you explained to them. You and Loki both laughed as Clint's and Tony's jaws fell open in shock. You usually wore jeans and t-shirts, or workout clothes. They hadn't realized that you were a proper court lady. Nat laughed too and took Bruce's arm since the rest of the men were ignoring her with their slack jaws.

You all made your way together to the first floor above the lobby of the tower. Half of the floor was taken up by a large auditorium. The other had tables, chairs, a lounge, and of course a bar for the meet and greet after these kind of press conferences and events.

"Ready?" Cap asked Loki before the team entered the back entrance to the auditorium. Happy, one of Tony's security guys, was standing in front of that entrance to block the public from it. Loki inclined his head, but you saw the hint of hesitation in his eyes. He was nervous appearing in front of the press. You fixed a stray lock of his hair and straightened his tie for him.

"Darling, you're a prince of Asgard. The mortals cannot harm you, and I will be by your side," you reminded him as you took your position again, your hand on his left arm. Cap nodded to Happy and the procession into the auditorium and onto the stage began. Cap led stopping at the podium in the middle of the stage. He was followed by Tony, then Nat and Bruce who stood to his right. Thor followed, then you and Loki. The three of you took your places to Cap's left.

You kept your back straight and stood tall. If you were nervous, Loki would be too, or get defensive of you. You dropped his arm when you were at your spot on stage. You were standing directly on Loki's left, half a step behind him. It was exactly as protocol dictated on Asgard. It left him to be the focus of attention, but allowed you to guard and whisper guidance if he needed it. You felt rather than saw him relax, reassured by your presence at you proper place at his side.

The press conference was brief. Cap did most of the talking. He was Captain America and the crowd listened to and accepted what he said. He reminded the press briefly that New York wasn't Loki's fault and that he was a welcome addition to the team. Tony even said something complimentary. Thor was jovial as per usual, enthusiastically telling the crowd how excited he was to have Loki working with the team. Cap fielded questions to Loki, and was very careful which ones he would allow to have answered. He was polite and courteous in his replies.

He was only stumped once when a reporter asked why he had wanted to join the team. He hadn't wanted to any more than you had. He paused a moment too long. So you jumped in. "I heard such great things about Earth and her people, especially his teammates, from my brother's tales of his workings with the team," you whispered without moving your lips, at least not perceptively to the crowd. Loki automatically recited your words, the lie sliding right off of his silver tongue. He didn't even pause to take in what you said, just repeated your words, trusting your answer and advice. "I wished to use my skills and abilities to aid his quest to defend the realm of Midgard, and the team graciously allowed me to join them,"

With that, Cap decided to end the press conference, realizing that things would go downhill quickly now that you'd gotten to the blatant lying portion of the questioning. Tony invited everyone to stay for the socializing part of the evening and you were finally able to get off stage. Cap lead the procession and again, you and Loki were at the end, your hand on Loki's arm.

"Thank you," he whispered to you as you walked off stage.

"Anytime," you replied warmly. "You were doing fine on your own," you reassured him.

"That load of crap was your doing?" Clint asked, impressed, figuring out what you and Loki were discussing, even though you were doing it quietly. You were backstage, away from the crowd, and where you couldn't be overheard.

You shrugged. "The press ate the answer up, that's the important part, right?" you asked defensively. The crowd had loved the answer. They didn't need to know that it wasn't true. "Thor, didn't you tell them anything?" you asked when the team still looked impressed. "The Valkyrie who are in personal service aren't just body guards, we're also advisers," you explained to them.

"C'mon, we need to join the party, and no, you two can't escape early. This event is in Loki's honor, he has to be there," Tony told you all. You sighed heavily, but accepted the fate that you would have to socialize. Tony led the way into the lounge room. There were way too many people and you felt Loki stiffen defensively. You squeezed his arm reassuringly.

People kept asking you questions. At least the men were smart enough not to flirt with you while you were on Loki's arm. Loki was protective of you and stayed nearby, even if your hand wasn't on his arm, which was rare. He went to go get you both drinks from the bar and the second he was gone a reporter swarmed you.

You stopped him before they could touch you to get your attention. It took every ounce of effort not to draw a blade. "Y/N, you seem awfully close with Loki..." the man prompted, stepping closer into your personal space. You gave him a small smile, but took a step back.

"Yes, we are," you answered without giving him more information. The reporter kept pressing for information and wanted to see your tattoo. You hadn't shown it, and were reluctant to do so now. You didn't know if anyone on Midgard could read sigils, but you didn't want to take that chance either. They wouldn't understand why you basically had Loki's name tattooed on your arm.

It was rare for the reporters to get you alone. You didn't go out and last press conference one of the team had stuck to you like a burr to deflect touching and uncomfortable questions. The man was actually reaching for your arm. "Sorry, I don't like to be touched," you told the reporter, taking another step back. Giving him one more chance before you drew a blade.

Loki swept back over before you had to actively defend yourself. You didn't want to draw blades at this gathering. It would look bad. He kissed your cheek and handed you a glass of Asgardian mead. "Apologies, darling. It took the man behind the bar a moment to remember he had this." Loki told you warmly. He glared at the reporter. "Was this man bothering you?" he growled the question, the threat clear.

"He was just leaving," you replied. The reporter took the hint and fled before Loki killed him for talking to you.

"I should kill him for harassing you," Loki protested, looking like he was going to draw a blade.

"You can't," you reminded him. "We have to be good and not kill the reporters," you added and sipped on the mead. You'd missed its taste dearly. Nothing in the nine realms tasted of home and the taste you had of it the other night wasn't enough.

"Kyrie-love, you're too exposed here. You should go back upstairs," Loki told you, worried. He wanted you upstairs where you'd be safe. You saw an over protective glint in his eyes. He didn't just want you upstairs. He wanted to bundle you up and force you to safety if that's what it took.

He'd done it once too. It was just after the love potion incident, so you'd forgiven him later. At the time you'd been pissed. A man had been flirting with you at a feast. He flirted too hard, was drunk, and wasn't taking your hints that you weren't interested. He had actually gotten a grip on your arm before Loki swept to your rescue. You would have taken the man out yourself, and been perfectly justified about it the second he laid a hand on you, but Loki had taken offense. He had shattered the man's hand removing it from your arm and lectured the man calmly about the duties the court had protecting their Valkyrie, and even moreso their Valkyrie-in-training, which you had been at the time. You had thought that was the end of it and were surprised to find yourself sitting on Loki's bed a moment later, propped comfortably against the headboard with pillows, but your arms were bound behind your back and your ankles were bound together too, and you couldn't break the magic on the bindings. Damn overprotective prince had sent you to safety and made sure you stayed there.

You would have stabbed Loki had it not been so soon after the love potion incident.

That didn't stop you from cursing him out for it until he let you go and actually sobbed into your shoulder while you held him that he'd been so scared for you and he couldn't stand it if anything had happened to you. He was sorry, but so scared. He didn't remember the love potion incident, didn't understand what had made him so scared, just knew that he'd had to get you to safety before that male had hurt you. You'd reminded him then that you were in everything together and were there to protect each other.

The man who touched you was never seen in the palace again and you were too afraid to ask what had happened to him.

"We have to stay," you reminded Loki.

"I can stay without you..." he started, but just sighed at your expression. That wasn't going to happen and you both knew it. "Very well, at least allow me to do this," he set his glass down and slipped off his suit jacket. You nodded and set your glass down as well. He helped you slip the jacket on.

"Thank you," you told him softly. No one would question you wearing his jacket, even in summer. It also made him feel better that you were covered and claimed as his. So you socialized with the mortals, safe with your prince beside you.

The party slowly began to die out, but you still weren't allowed to leave until the very end. You and Loki were both socialized out well before the party died down.

Besides that, everything was going fine until the robots burst into the room through the windows. Civilians screamed and ran as the team jumped into action. With a shimmer of magic, you and Loki were in your armor. Thor was summoning Mjolnir. Nat had guns and tossed one to Clint. She covered Bruce to get him out of the fray. The Hulk would not be helpful here. You summoned Cap's shield with magic. "Cap!" you called and threw the shield. He caught it and used it to smash a robot's head in. Happy was getting Pepper out of the room. The rest of the civilians were being shepherded toward the door.

Stark? Where was Stark? You saw him behind one of the couches.

You looked to Loki, but reminded yourself that he was a capable warrior too. "If you get injured I'm going to be quite cross with you," you warned him. Yes, you usually guarded him, and you'd be sure to watch his back, but he was a trained warrior as well. It as a delicate balance. He gave you a bright smile, at your words, concern, and the fact that you weren't just trying to bundle him up and keep him safe. You separated from him to fight the robots, wondering why on Midgard they were attacking your home.

You realized as you stabbed one of the robots in the neck that they looked like rogue iron legion suits. You also realized when the robot collapsed and you were back on your feet that Stark was still behind the couch without his armor.

Shit.

You rushed over to him and caught a blow that was aimed at him. You slaughtered the robot behind it ruthlessly. "Stark, where's your suit?" you demanded, standing so you could defend him.

"They took out Jarvis' mainframe, none of the suits will come without him," Tony told you and you heard the hint of fear in his voice. You remembered his secret then. He had PTSD from the wormhole in New York. Of course he'd feel helpless without Jarvis, without his armor. You still saw him gathering to fight even without armor, or a weapon.

You knelt in front of him. You knew warriors and you knew the after effects of battle. "Breathe, Stark," you told him firmly, but kindly. He looked at you shocked and confused, panicked. "Breathe," you told him again. You raised your arm, dagger braced along your forearm to block an attack and threw daggers into the robot, effectively taking it down. "I know you trust me about as far as Pepper can throw me and hate my guts most of the time, but we're on the same team. I'm not going to let those things get you,"

He steeled himself. "They're attacking our home." He was breathing again, doing better with a focus.

"Yes, and we will kill them. Now, you're one of the smartest men I know. I'm damn sure that you planned for a circumstance where you couldn't contact Jarvis for a suit. There has to be one in this tower that doesn't require Jarvis to be connected to the mainframe," he nodded, looking shocked at your words, at your knowledge of him and his...feelings...when he hid behind sarcasm and jokes most of the time. "You have a choice and I'll respect whichever you decide. I can get you out of here to safety, or you can tell me where that suit is and we'll go get it together so you can help defend our home,"

You saw him force the panic attack down, saw him steel himself, and throw his mask of snarky sarcasm back on. "It's in my lab, smurfette," he told you firmly.

You gave him a small smile and nodded. "Try not to barf on my shoes, shellhead," you replied. You stood and he did the same, scrambling to his feet. You carefully wrapped a hand around his arm, slowly enough that he could see what you were doing and see that your hand was going around a clothed part of him so he'd be safe. You teleported the two of you to his lab. He swayed, looking sick. Teleporting wasn't pleasant the first time. He shook it off quickly and rushed to the suit in the corner.

"I'll see you up there," he told you. He looked like he wanted to say more, but didn't know how. "Maybe you're not so bad after all, kid," he finally said. That was as close as he could come and you appreciated that you both seemed to understand the other better after this little incident. You nodded, accepting his inability to thank you, and teleported back to the battle, just in time to save Loki from getting clobbered in the back of the head by a robot. You fought back to back, protecting each other as you defeated the robots.

Iron Man flew in a moment later and the tide quickly turned in your favor. The battle didn't last much longer after Iron Man arrived. You all gathered back in the center of the room and took inventory of the injuries. Bruce was fine, Nat had covered him. There were some cuts and gashes, bruises, but no one was too injured.

None of the team anyway.

You were the first to see the figure lying by the door, a piece of metal sticking out of his chest. You ran over to him, but knew you were too late, even as you knelt beside him to check. The team followed right behind you. The man was in military uniform and you knew at once what had happened. He had died helping the civilians escape. He was the only casualty, but even one was too many.

You looked up and caught Loki's eyes. "Stand watch?" you asked him. He would understand your words, understand what you were asking of him.

"Of course," he replied instantly, almost insulted that you'd asked instead of just assuming he'd do it. You were relieved he would stand guard, would stand watch, would make sure you were safe. You nodded and turned your attention back to the man. You placed a hand on his chest, took a breath and got to your feet.

Except you left your body behind when you did. Your spirit offered a hand to the spirit of the deceased man, who was standing next to his body. You offered him a bright smile. "It's time to go now, warrior," you told him.

"Go where? Who are you? What happened" he demanded. Your smile didn't falter.

"You died," you told him gently, kindly. "You have died a warrior's death, defending the innocent from harm. I am a Valkyrie, here to take you to the glorious land of Valhalla, where the brave may live forever. Come, warrior," you bid him, gesturing with your offered hand. It was an honor to be chosen to go to Valhalla, and one of your duties was to guide the fallen warriors there. It was equally your duty to make the transition easy on them, a kind guide, a gentle presence. He placed his hand in yours and you led him to the afterlife.

You blinked quickly when you returned to your body and took a moment to steady yourself. "Kyrie-love, are you alright?" Loki asked. He was at your side and helped you back to your feet. You nodded.

"I'm fine," you told him. You regained your balance quickly. It was always a shock transitioning back to your body after visiting Valhalla.

"What was that all about?" Tony asked, but his tone was nicer than usual, less sarcastic about his curiosity.

"The Valkyrie lead fallen warriors to the land of Valhalla," you told him simply. "He died a warrior's death and deserved the honor," you added sadly.

"Come along, love. We've all had enough excitement today," Loki bid you softly and wrapped his arm around you. He knew how you felt about leading the dead, pretending to be happy about it. He knew you needed to resettle after doing it. It hurt every time, but it was still your duty.

Neither of you would forget the first time you'd done it. You were all of seven and had been playing outside with Loki. One of the palace dogs had saved you both from a monster and died of its wounds after the monster was dead. You didn't know what you were doing, didn't understand that part of your abilities. You had instinctively left your body and walked the puppy to the halls of Valhalla. It was entirely instinct that brought you before Odin's throne in that realm. He didn't always look over the new souls in his realm, but he had that day, when he felt your presence in Valhalla the first time, felt your presence where it had no right being. You were much, much, too young.

"Why are you here, child?" he had asked you that day. He knew who you were, of course, but he hid his surprise behind formality.

"This puppy saved Loki and me from a monster," you told him much more bravely than you felt. Odin was scary, especially to a small child. You didn't know him well, despite that he was Loki's father. "The puppy was... sad..." you didn't quite understand death yet, you were too young "after he saved us, so I had to bring him here..."

Odin actually gave you a smile then, was actually gentle and kind. "We will watch over the puppy here. He did a very good job keeping you two safe. The warriors will be glad to have him as a friend." He told you gently. You finally noticed the ghosts of warriors and the Valkyries in the hall. They were all staring at you just as surprised as Odin was that you were here. "Now go back to Loki, little Valkyrie, when you find him, I want you both to go to his mother. Understand?"

"Yes, sir,"

"Good girl, go on, now," you dipped a tiny wobbly curtsy, petted the puppy and told him byebye, and ran back the way you came to find Loki again. He'd been so scared when you finally returned to your body, and you had to lay in the grass centering yourself before you could even move again. The transition was so hard the first time. Loki had had to half-carry you back to the palace, you were so exhausted and drained. You told him what happened as you walked back to the palace to find Frigga. One of the guards had picked you up when they saw the sad state you and Loki were in trying to get back home and carried you the rest of the way, while Loki worried beside him the entire walk to Frigga's suite. You then had to tell her what had happened and your Valkyrie training began the very next day. You had passed out after you told her, and hadn't woken until the next day. Loki was in a right state the entire time and wouldn't leave your side. It was dangerous to wander the land of the dead, so you'd had to learn how to safely. It was also dangerous to leave your body behind while you did it.

"We should help clean up and find out what happened here," you protested. "And I can help fix Jarvis..." You weren't weak, but if you crashed out before everyone else, they would think you were. They didn't understand how draining it was to visit the land of the dead.

"Jarvis can wait until tomorrow," Tony told you quickly. "I've got backups anyway, so I might not need help," he added.

Loki sighed heavily. "You've done enough, little Valkyrie," he told you gently. His finger was against your lips before you could argue again. He waved a hand and the windows repaired themselves. "At least sit down for a little bit, center yourself before you jump back into work." He told you firmly.

You nodded and let him lead you to the couch that was still standing. His arms were around your shoulders and he forced you to sit and pressed a drink into your hands. You smiled up at him. "Thank you," you told him softly. He kissed your forehead.

"Of course, my darling. I will always be here for you, just as you are for me,"

"I love you too," you replied softly, your tired brain not quite realizing what you said. It wasn't quick to inform you either.