Chapter Text
“Despite making yourself out to be a mystery, you’re quite easy to figure out, brother.” Hela insults, as she sits on Loki’s extravagant bed, filing her nails with her daggers.
“Right, it’s almost as if you’ve been dealing with me for most of our lives.” Loki bites back. He’s completely laid out on his bed, almost in a starfish position. Since he’s not clad in his golden armor, he’s just in a robe, albeit a very unnecessarily elaborate robe, but it’s still a robe. Hela’s also in a robe, black and turquoise to match Loki’s green and gold one.
The two of them have been going back and forth all day, it’s mostly meaningless banter to no end with a few rumors and gossip sprinkled about.
“I must say..” Hela starts, pausing in the middle of her sentence to catch her brother’s attention, which she succeeds in doing. He props himself up and raises an eyebrow.
“You’re growing awfully attached for someone who ‘doesn’t like him’.” Hela air quotes.
“Oh, wonderful, here we go.” Loki rolls his eyes before letting himself fall back down onto the bed.
“You’re not denying it.” She holds her hand out infront of her to checkher nails.
“I don’t, and I’m not! I was repaying a favor!”
“A favor you started by lying for him.”
“That is besides the point! If he would learn how to settle a debt, I wouldn’t have to keep repaying favors.” He runs his hand through his hair, pulling back the strands that strayed away when he fell back down.
“Or you could leave it alone.”
Loki clicks his tongue.
“Oh, I see a reasonable way out of this has rendered you silent.” She rolls her eyes. Loki huffs in response.
“Did you think it was cute?” Hela asks, breaking the momentary silence.
“What.” He responds, begrudgingly, in an upset confusion.
“The way he turned pink, the other day.”
“He was dying.”
“He was lying. You of all people should have known.” She tosses her dagger into the palace wall, “It was a terrible lie, as well.”
Loki fully sits up for a moment, recalling the events at the Hydra base.
“Were you jealous?”
“Absolutely not.” Loki frowns, his eyebrows knitting.
”I didn’t even get to finish. You were.” Hela smirks.
“I was not! You are making assumptions based on nothing.” He tries to defend himself, but there’s no use in changing Hela’s mind.
“Right. Based on nothing.” She repeats, sarcastically.
The crack of thunder and the breaking of walls makes the palace nearly shake.
“Siblings!” Thor’s voice echoes throughout the golden halls of the palace, before Loki and Hela hear the charge of Mjolnir before Thor bashes his way into Loki’s room, to the surprise of no one. Loki just sighs before whirling his finger around a bit to reconstruct the damage Thor has done.
“You were quick.” Hela says, turning her head to face Thor.
“It was of great importance.” He sighs, cleaning himself of rubble.
“You invited him?” Loki fumed.
“I didn’t.” Hela almost innocently, as if she wouldn’t have. ”He came by himself.”
“Is that what you two were doing behind the throne? Flirting?” He inquires.
“Flirting!?” Loki’s head whips over to Hela with a betrayed look on his face. “You told him?!”
“I told him you had a crush, I didn’t tell him anything else.” she says, pushing her hair behind her shoulder.
“No, we were not flirting!” He turns back to Thor, desperately trying to explain his situation.
“Do not worry, little brother. I shall teach you mortal courting, so you do not make a fool of yourself.” Thor reassures, sitting down criss crossed on the bed.
“You are a millennia too late for that.” Hela quips.
“I don’t need courting advice from you, you oaf!” Loki spar, angrily throwing a pillow at Thor. Thor catches it before throwing it back at him.
“So you are trying to court him.“ Hela teases.
“No! I’m not trying to court anything! I was repaying a favor!”
Hela and Thor make eye contact, before looking back at Loki.
“Do you know how that sounds, brother?” Thor raises an eyebrow. “You have quite literally never repaid anyone. Ever.”
“I-…” Loki opens his mouth to defend himself before staring down at his bedsheets. Then it hits him. Maybe he DOES like the mortal. He’s been absentmindedly bending over backwards to do stuff in return for Adam, which is completely and utterly out of character for him.
“Fuck!” He cursed, before shoving his face into his pillow, “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” His shouts now muffled by silk and cotton.
“You’re being a baby.” Hela insults as Loki falls on his back and kicks his feet against his mattress in anger. This goes on for about a minute or two before Loki goes limp, and huffs.
He takes a deep breath in, and a deep breath out..
“Are you-“ Thor begins but Loki cuts him off.
“Yes, yes.” He sighs. “ I’m done.” He pouts, removing the pillow from his face and staring up into his bed frame canopy.
What to do now?
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“Loki? Like- like the god, Loki??” Quill says, before taking a sip from his ‘world’s greatest grandpa’ mug that the team had gotten him for Christmas.
Adam just nods shyly.
“Fuck, dude.” Quill sighs, as he rubs his forehead, “Not sure you’re gonna be able to bag that one.”
“Peter Quill! Do not dim his hopes!” Mantis scolds, as she holds onto Adam’s shoulders.
“Friend Adam is embarrassed enough as is.” She pats him trying to show some sort of comfort, even though Adam would REALLY prefer to handle this by himself
“Okay, okay. I’m sorry, it’s just… you couldn’t like…. Like anyone normal?” He asks, before setting down his mug.
“Apparently not.” Adam sighs.
The door to the kitchen hisses open as Groot lowers himself to fit through the door with Rocket on his back.
“I am Groot.” He asks
“Yeah, and why’s Adam in a chair in the middle of the kitchen like you’re interrogating him.” Rocket analyzes, narrowing his eyes.
“He says he’s in love with Loki. Like, the God of mischief, Loki.” Quill says.
“Unfortunately, Mantis has informed me he has inadvertently captured my heart.” Adam admits, rather sheepishly.
“Holy shit, I thought you couldn’t get any fuckin weirder! You fell for a freaky frost giant!?” Rocket cackles, “This is too fucking good!”
“I am Groot.” Groot sternly, extending a branch to pick up Rocket and drop him off of his back, doesn't stop him from laughing but he’s much more ignorable when he’s 3 '1.
“Friend Groot is correct. It is not kind to laugh at friend Adam for something he cannot control.” Mantis huffs.
“He wants to fuck a god! You know how fucking insane that is?” Rocket continues, Adam flushes at the comment. It wasn’t a realization he made up until now.
“Holy fuck, he turned pink!He turned fucking pink! Are you kidding!?”
“Rocket, you’re just embarrassing him, he turns pink when he’s embarrassed. He doesn’t wanna-“ Quill pauses mid sentence. “I mean..” he looks back over to Adam.
“Do you??” He tilts his head.
Adam can’t quite seem to make eye contact with anyone at the moment so suddenly the floor is very interesting.
“Jesus Christ, Adam, I’m really tryin to fucking defend you.” Quill rubs his nose bridge, as Rocket doubles over from laughter.
“Friend Adam’s libido is also not under his control!“ Mantis shouts.
“I.. am going to go.” Adam stands up, awkwardly. He steps over Rocket and heads off to his room.
Mantis and Quill watch him leave, almost a bit worried.
Because what do you do when your perfect human is in love?