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Loki felt his body being squeezed tighter and tighter, his bones cracking and giving way as if they were merely toothpicks in Thanos’ hands. He tried to scream but his lungs were unable to capture air, he was dying and he knew it. Panicking, Loki tried with all his might to escape his fate to no avail. With a sickening crunch the life left his body, with Thanos dropping him to the floor like something he deemed worthless.
Loki woke with a start, checking around the room wildly for signs of danger only to be greeted with the sight of his assigned bedroom at the Avengers compound. He sighed; he was used to nightmares but this one had been particularly terrifying to him. He checked the clock on his bedside table, it was just after three in the morning. It wasn’t even remotely appropriate to start his day yet, but he knew he would never settle enough to go back to sleep.
Not that he’d admit it, but after a gruesome nightmare such as that one, he made a habit of leaving his room and wandering around the compound. The sounds of the other Avengers either snoring or tinkering in their bedrooms was calming. He felt less alone when he heard the sounds of life coming from the others. Sometimes on occasion he would run into someone who also was having trouble sleeping and he would linger in the common room or whatever shared space the other was in just to have some company. He never spoke but it was enough to just be in the presence of another person after being so terrified.
After pulling on a sweatshirt, he rubbed his eyes and headed out of his room. He decided to head to the kitchen for a midnight snack, those always seemed to help after nightmares.
When he reached the kitchen, he was surprised to see you at the counter fussing with the kettle. He hadn’t heard you leave your bedroom, which was right next to his. But perhaps you woke up earlier than he did. He saw your body freeze as he approached, and you whipped around to look at who else had entered the room.
“Oh, Loki. It’s you.”
He cautiously approached you, sensing your discomfort. “Are you alright?”
You nodded, “Yeah, sorry. I just had a rough sleep and can’t seem to settle down. I was just making some tea that’s good for sleep, would you like some?”
“If it’s not too much trouble.” He said, taking a seat at the kitchen island.
He watched you take out two mugs and rifle through the cupboard for the specific tea bags that you were looking for. “So why are you up this late?” you asked, turning back around to look at him.
Loki hesitated, “I had a nightmare.” He admitted, shocked with himself that he was comfortable enough to be so honest with you.
You gave him a sympathetic look, “do you want to talk about it?”
Loki shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest. You seemed to know not to push him for an answer so you quietly filled up the mugs with hot water once the kettle had boiled, and spooned some honey into them. Loki thanked you when you handed him one and gestured for him to follow you to the living area so that you could sit more comfortably on the couch. Neither of you were particularly chatty and opted to sip at your tea in silence. It wasn’t awkward, like Loki had found most of his interactions with the other Avengers were. But it was a soft, comfortable silence. He enjoyed this about you, you were one of the only Avengers who didn’t fill the room with mindless chatter or feel the need to pester him with small talk.
“I get nightmares too.” You said softly, playing with the string of your teabag, finally breaking the silence.
Loki ran his finger over the lip of his mug, “I hear you, sometimes.” On more than one occasion he heard whimpering and crying coming from your room in the middle of the night. The walls were rather thin considering this was supposed to be a well-built superhero compound. He always felt so helpless in those moments. Sometimes he wanted to go into your room and comfort you, telling you that everything was okay and that you were safe. He’d even let his mind daydream about you asking him to stay with you. He’d hold you in his arms, and whisper sweet reassurances to you to soothe you back to sleep.
A sad smile formed on your lips, “I’m sorry.”
He shook his head, “Don’t be.” He hesitated before meeting your gaze, “in a weird way it’s comforting that someone understands.”
You yawned, taking another sip of tea before placing it on the coffee table in front of you. “If you ever want to talk about it, I’m always here to listen.”
Loki smiled, “I may take you up on that offer, one day.”
“Good.” You nodded, closing your eyes and leaning back against the couch, “I think the tea is working.”
Loki took a long sip of his, eyeing you with amusement, “aren’t you going to sleep in your bed?”
“I’ll get up in a minute,” you mumbled sleepily, snuggling deeper into the couch.
Loki watched your head dip, trying to fight falling asleep. He supressed his laugh, not wanting to disturb you. He finished his tea while he watched you, placing his mug silently on the table while resting his head on the back of the couch, listening to the sounds of your deep, even breathing. It almost made him want to drift off as well, and he felt his eyelids grow heavy.
***
“This is new.” Natasha said dryly, waking Loki from his sleep.
He squinted open his eyes as his awareness grew, realizing that the bright morning sun was glaring through the common room window. He had clearly fallen asleep on the couch. But to his shock he wasn’t alone. Somehow his arms had found their way around you, clutching you tightly to his chest. Your head was pressed to his neck, and your legs were tangled with his.
“Go away, Nat.” you groaned, stretching against him which made his breath catch as you pressed yourself even closer to him.
“Oh sorry, I didn’t realize that I was interrupting your public snuggle session on the communal couch.” Natasha quipped, “you’re in my spot where I drink my morning coffee.”
“I’m getting up,” you said, still not moving.
When Loki heard your light snoring again, he resisted the urge to laugh. There was no way that you were going to make it to your bedroom on your own anytime soon. Not wanting to release you quite yet, Loki held you tightly in his arms and slowly got off the couch.
As he began carrying you back to your room, he passed Rogers in the hallway who gave him a strange look. He knew that there would be questions for the both of you later, but for now Loki wanted to make this sweet moment last as long as he could. When he reached your door, he used magic to open it and walk inside.
Your bed was in disarray with your blankets dishevelled and your pillows all over the place. Somehow, Loki wasn’t surprised and found it endearing. Loki found a vacant spot in the middle of the bed and laid you down, reluctantly releasing you so that you could rest. To his surprise, he felt your hands grip his sweatshirt, unwilling to let him go. “Are you alright?” he asked.
You finally opened your eyes, giving him a pleading look. “five more minutes?”
Loki needed no convincing before curling up next to you on your bed, burying his face in your hair. “Make it ten.” And within minutes both of you were asleep again.