Archive of Our Own

You were… strange, for a weak human.

Loki knew that strong and powerful humans did not care for the fact that he was a Giant, because they could fight him. Weak humans were always afraid of him, because Loki knew he spelt mischief and trouble even for other Giants. But you, despite being a puny human, seemed so unmoved by his threats and Loki didn't know what to make of it.

Every time you would visit, Loki spoke meanly because he didn't know how to get you to fear him. You had the audacity to laugh and smile brightly whenever he said that he didn't care, and somehow, at some point, your laugh had become the only source of sunshine in the Underworld.

Loki would never admit to you that he likes seeing you laugh. Something about your unfiltered joy that was never cruel made his heart beat a little faster. You never laughed at him, or think that he was fearsome, or even think that he was disgusting for what the whole of Elbaph knew he had done.

In fact, you even avoided the topic yourself, only choosing to give him quiet smiles whenever the topic got brought up, only to switch to something else the next minute. From the way you always reacted though, Loki assumed that you either knew and just did not care, or you did not know and didn't want to speak on something you were ignorant about.

He didn't know which one he wanted it to be.

Being chained in the Underworld would have been a lonely exercise if Loki had ever truly had friends. But he had not, and the only difference it made was that Loki wasn't able to move and do all the things he wanted to. So he never thought himself lonely, only oppressed, until you came into his life.

He didn't know when he started to look forward to your visits. You would come every now and then, for no reason but to keep him company. And it felt nice that someone could enjoy just talking to him, that someone could enjoy just hanging out with him. That's what he had always heard a 'friend' is like.

Nobody on Elbaph liked him or ever wanted to spend time with him. Loki knew he could never be loved, and so he had never tried to work for it either. If nobody liked him, then he would give them a reason not to. It made sense, and it worked, until you.

Somehow, nothing he did could make you dislike him. And that was dangerous for his heart, which was falling steadily but surely in love with you.

How he wished to have his hands unchained, only to hold you in them. How he wished to be free of his demons to give you the quiet peaceful life you dreamed of. How he wished he could be the one to give you all the joy and happiness—but he was not. Loki could never be that.

The smart thing would have been to never ever fall for you. But it was already too late for that.

The next best thing he could do was push you away. If you would just stop coming, maybe he would have a chance to move on. The first and last time he had fallen for someone, it had ended in rejection. Now, in love with you, the ending would still be the same.

The next time you visited him, Loki knew what he had to do. There was one thing that made everyone scream in horror and disgust upon seeing him.

His eyes that marked him a demon, as a cursed creature of bad luck, would also help him drive you away. The very eyes that has broken his heart time and again would now help to protect it. The irony of it all made Loki laugh to himself.

"What are we laughing at?" You asked as you settled yourself on his right thigh so you could face him. Loki didn't know that you had avoided sitting on his shoulder recently because you couldn't stop getting flustered by how handsome he looked so up close. The intimacy had your heart jack-rabbiting and you didn't want Loki to know.

"At how weak you are," Loki retorted. You snorted in amusement because wow, that was bad even for him.

"Good thing I have a big strong Giant to save me then, right?" You teased, nudging the boundaries to see if Loki could truly be interested in you. The words flustered Loki because yeah, he liked the idea of being the one to protect you, to be so strong that you would be free to do as you wish because you knew he would not let anything stop you.

But no. You couldn't possibly mean any of that. And even if you did, you would not mean it any more after seeing him.

"You once asked me," Loki paused, unsure how to word it. His hesitance drew your attention and concern, because Loki was brash and blunt and straightforward. "If I told you that you could see my eyes, would you climb upon my shoulder again to undo the bandages?"

"Huh?" You flushed at his words. No matter how you tried, that sounded like Loki wanted you on his shoulders again, up close and near to him. But the fact that he wanted you to see his eyes… That was more shocking than anything you had come across in Elbaph in your three years. "D- Do you want me to?"

"Yes," Loki said, jutting his chin upwards with a grit to his teeth. He didn't seem happy, and that made you frown even as you climbed up to remove the bandages. The thick white strips were tied tightly over his long locks, and it took you a fair bit to undo them fully. Tugging it off, you stepped back and slid down to his thigh to face Loki, finally taking in his eyes, his full face.

Nothing about the black sclera was like anything you had seen before. The golden irises with dark slits bored into you and Loki demanded, "Well?"

"You have the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen," the words spilled out of you before you could even stop to think about them. They were honest, and true, and the words of your heart, because they truly were so beautiful. "I have never seen anything like them but… Should I consider it Nika's blessing that I got the chance to see them? You truly are so handsome, Loki."

Loki was frozen still, his lips parted in disbelief and eyes widened in shock. You only stepped closer to see them even better, wondering how anyone could look as he did—so clearly not of this world, beautiful in a way that would haunt your waking dreams.

"You do not mean that," Loki's voice was weak, but his words made you huff out a short laugh that you tried to hide in a smile.

"Whatever do you mean?" You asked, placing a tiny hand on his stomach, right beside his abs. "You know I have never lied to you."

"They are the eyes of the devil," he spit, looking angry and hurt and devastated, and your heart lurched in response to the pain visible on his face. "They mark me—they are the signs that I am accursed, not meant to be loved or to love in return."

"Impossible," you shook your head, jutting your own chin upwards in anger and determination. "They are beautiful, Loki. The loveliest eyes I have ever seen, because I can see every emotion you hide from me in them. I can see you in them. They are proof that you can love, and be loved, for who you are, as you are."

Loki only stared at you, and you stared back, firm in your stance as you waited for him to refute you.

"Marry me."

The words nearly sent you tumbling, at their unexpectedness and at the breathless quality with which they were spoken. Loki was smiling, not his usual smirk, but this soft and gentle smile you had never seen before.

"W- What?" You squeaked, panicking that you may have possibly misheard him. Loki tilted his head just so, and so close with his gorgeous eyes staring down at you so intensely, you found yourself unable to breath or even think.

"I don't think I can stop falling in love anymore."

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