LokixFemale Reader:Dark Horse p5

Loki had the day off, each Avenger in Stark Tower took turns having the day off each week. He sat on the couch of the living room and read his spell book, “So, Loki. Your little pet seems to like you.” Tony said with his Ipad in hand.
“She is a kid, Tony. She just needs a bit of protection is all.” he never looked up from his book.
“That’s not what I see from her. She likes you…and I think you like the attention she’s giving you.”
“What are you talking about Stark?”
“Oh, like you don’t know, she demanded to see you. She clings to you like a shadow and you don’t even object to taking care of her. That isn’t the Loki I know.”
Loki had enough, he smacked his book shut and left the room. He didn’t want to hear everyone talking about how he had grown gentle when he met you. He was Loki, how could he change so fast? He remembered watching you from a far, years ago. How innocent and smart you were, nothing was ever boring to you. Over the years, he had grown fond of your mind and enjoyed watching you and keeping you out of harms way.
He must admit though, disguising himself as a horse was only for him, to get closer to you, just to see if you actually were that person he had watched for so many years. And oh, yes. You were exactly how he had observed, a gentle and brilliant person. He couldn’t deny the feeling swelling in his heart for you, and everyone around him had figured it out so quickly. It made him feel so vulnerable and defenseless. No, he cannot deny it. But he could delay it as long as possible, “Why is this happening to me?” Loki had asked himself.

Natasha held your arms out in front of you and placed your hands around the trigger properly, “Okay, lets try this again. Shoot the target.” you pulled the trigger and flinched when it went off, you didn’t even hit the target. You sighed in frustration. Natasha crossed her arms, “You can’t be afraid of your weapon. It can be your best friend in battle.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Oh. Another thing, stop apologizing,(y/n). Shoot.”
You shut your eyes and pulled the trigger once again. Natasha chuckled, “How can you see where you are shooting if you shut your eyes.” she looked at the target. “it’s a better shot than the last one though. Again.”
You shot the target once more, hitting it closer to the center, “Again.” she said. You shot it another time.
“Again.” Bang!
“Again.” Bang!
“One more time.” BANG!
Romanov took the gun from your hands and looked at you, “Spot on. Look at the target, at least three shots directly in the middle.”
“Wow.”
“Didn’t think you were capable of doing that did you?” she asked. “Good job. Lets move on.” Natasha pulled out two practice swords from the weapon rack and handed one to you, “Oh boy.” you said.
“They’re not going to hurt you. They’re for practice. You will only use real ones when I think you’re ready to handle one correctly.”
“Okay.”
“The most important thing about sword fighting is form.” Natasha came to you and straightened your back and arms in the right position. “Lets see if you can hold that position for a while.”
“What? This sword is heavy.”
“I know. That is exactly why I want you to hold your form. don’t move.”
“That’s impossible.” your body shook from the weight of the sword in your hands.
“Not impossible. You’ve been holding it for two minutes now. Steve couldn’t hold it for fifteen seconds when he started learning.”
“I thought you weren’t going to tell anyone about that.” Steve said coming into the room. “Perfect form. How long has she been holding it?”
“Four minutes now.”
“Nice. You might just break Tony’s record.”
“How long did he do this?”
“Ten minutes.” he said.
“Oh wow.” sweat started to roll down your forehead. Natasha was impressed.
“It helps if we talk to you. It keeps your mind distracted. How are you this morning?”
“I’m fine. You?”
“Good. How was your morning with Loki?”
“Great. He’s very kind.”
“Kind. That doesn’t sound like him.”
“Seven minutes.” Natasha noted.
“It doesn’t? why not?”
“He plays tricks on everyone and has a bad attitude about everything. He’s just not the nicest person to be around.”
“Well. I haven’t seen that side of him yet.”
“Ten minutes.”
“Well, either he has a soft spot for you or you have yet to be treated poorly. He’s not nice to people for long.”
“He’s watched over me for the past ten years and tried protecting me from being kidnapped by all of you.”
“No offense. To Loki, he’s only kind when he sees a little bit of himself in someone. I’m not saying it to be mean, (y/n). He’s just going to be nice until that little Loki he sees in you fades away.”
“What are you saying?”
“Loki was banished from Asgard by his family, mainly his father. He tried keeping you from getting taken away from your family. I think he helped you to make up for what he lost.”
“Alright put the sword down before you break your arm. You held it for twenty minutes.”
Natasha and Steve clapped, “Smashed the record by ten minutes. Good job.”
“That’s enough for today. Rest that arm of yours.”
Natasha left you and Steve in the room together, “So, Loki was only being nice to me because he didn’t want the same thing happening to me?”
“Yes. Loki is a mystery to all of us. No one knows why he is so angry all of the time. Just expect a cold front.”
“Why do you think he is so angry all of the time then?” you asked.
Steve shrugged, “I think he’s quite hard on himself. He doesn’t like failing, I think he is unkind because he believes that he doesn’t deserve kindness. He doesn’t give it, so he doesn’t receive it.”
“That sound terrible.”
“That’s Loki.”
You and Steve stepped out of the training room and headed back to the living room to rest. Loki was sitting at the couch once again, he only looked up from his book and back down again into the pages.
“(y/n).” Steve called to you. “We were going to tell you, but you decided to retreat into Loki’s chambers for the night. Come down the hall.”  Loki’s eyes followed you as you left the room. Steve led you down to the end of the hallway and opened the dark green door.
“We all made this for you ten years ago, we knew we had to have you on the team. Welcome to your new home.” he opened the door to your own apartment. Teal walls, hardwood floors and beautiful artwork in white frames hung on the walls. “Not that anything could replace your old home.” he added, scratching the back of his head.
“Thank you. I can’t be any more grateful to all of you.” you looked around a bit more. “I’m guessing you picked out the color of the walls?”
“What can I say. You have a thing for green.”
“Who did what in here?”
“Natasha picked out the artwork and your wardrobe, Clint picked the furniture. Tony bought everything in here.” Steve said with a laugh. “Thor picked out the bed and Doctor Banner helped construct the blueprints for the apartment.” Steve knew he forgot someone “Oh, and Loki was in charge of building your library.”
“Where? I don’t see it.” Steve walked into your bedroom and pushed a hidden button behind your bed and the wall opened. You walked inside and you could’ve sworn your heart stopped. The walls were covered in shelves of books, you had winding steps to get to the top of them too. Tables and chairs were lined upon the floor and a day bed in the center of the room.
“Loki did this?” you asked.
“Tony almost didn’t let him design it because it was too expensive. He knew you loved to read, he got every book he thought you might like.”
You didn’t know whether to cry or run around the room looking for something to read, “This is too much.” you walked out of the room and sat down on the sofa in front of your window. Steve came and sat next to you, “What is wrong.”
“I insulted everyone here yesterday and I didn’t even know how nice you all could be. I’m truly sorry.”
“Its okay. If we all got wound up by what people say about us…we wouldn’t be heroes.”
“I guess not.” Steve stood up from the couch and looked down at you, “I will leave you to enjoy your new home.”
“Thank you.” you watched Steve leave you to your thoughts. Loki was still lost in his book when Steve came in and snatched the book from his hands, “Excuse me. I was reading that.”
“You’ll get it back when I talk to you.”
“This is my day off. I don’t need to talk or listen to anyone.” Loki stated giving Steve a death glare.
“Do not hurt, (y/n).”
“What on earth are you talking about? I hardly spoke to her this morning.”
“You know what I mean Loki. Whenever you show the slightest amount of kindness to anyone it doesn’t last long for some reason. (y/n) thinks the world of you, I can’t imagine why. But you either keep being nice to her or don’t even approach her at all.”
Loki looks down at the floor and then up at Steve, “Let me put this abundantly clear, she is nothing to me. Since she is here now I could care less if she speaks to me again.”
“Is that really how you feel? Is that what you expressed to her when you were a horse?” Steve asked.
“I only became a horse to play with her mind, just like I did with Selvig and Barton. I wanted to see how far I could go until she fell.”
“I refuse to believe that.”
“Believe in what you want, my coldness is what everyone expects from me. Why would I do anything different to interest you all?”
Both men had heard a gasp and turned to see you holding back your tears, Loki stood to approach you  but his feet were planted to the floor, “Thank you for the library…its lovely.” you ran down the hallway and back into your apartment.
“Now you have no option, stay away from her.”
Loki’s face changed into a devastated expression, “Gladly.”