A/N: While everyone else was freaking out over a naked Thor, I cried my eyes out after seeing his Lo

A/N: While everyone else was freaking out over a naked Thor, I cried my eyes out after seeing his Loki tattoo. Then this happened. Enjoy, everyone!

Words: 1734
Warnings: pure fluff… and needles, I guess

With a sigh, you closed your browser. You had now saved a total of three hundred pictures to your laptop, all of which were tattoos by different artists from all over the world. You had been dying to use your own body as a canvas for years but unfortunately, never had the courage nor the money to put colour on your skin forever.

And then, you had met gods and superheroes and your life had taken a complete turn and your priorities had shifted entirely and you had fallen in love with the Norse God of Mischief. Passionate sex had led to feelings you could barely describe with words and now here you were, utterly devoted to a man who would outlive you by thousands of years.

People gave you strange looks whenever you mentioned your devotion to Loki, including the Avengers.  And while his brother Thor was celebrated as the hero, Loki was still viewed as the villainous brother who attempted to subjugate the planet all those years back. It didn’t matter how much good he did, not to them anyway. Loki always acted like he didn’t care but whenever Thor, the media, and all of his followers praised him for yet another triumph, you could see the pained expression on Loki’s face—the disappointment.

“It’s getting warmer…” You murmured, cuddling up to him. He was so nice and cool you had a feeling this summer would be a lot more bearable than the previous ones. And even though he claimed that he hated physical affection, you could tell he was enjoying being close to you.

“Loki, we’re on the news!” Thor bellowed. He came barging into the room not caring for privacy, with an excited expression on his face. Loki rolled his eyes all the while you were flinching.

“Heavens, Thor…” Loki complained. You sighed, reaching for the remote to change the program. Thor was right, he was on TV—and he was being interviewed. The reporter was beaming, praising him for his help, admiring his strength. Not with a single word did he mention Loki; nor did Thor.

Loki pressed his lips together to a thin line and swallowed. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes once more when you wrapped your arms around him tighter. And then, finally, the camera panned to Loki for a split second. After that, it was a group of squealing fans holding posters and signs and screaming Thor’s name. One of them had Mjölnir tattooed on her forearm. Huh…

“Thor and his brother…” You heard the reporter say. There was nothing else of importance. The God of Mischief sighed. You switched the program again.

“Always a pleasure to be inside this square box.” Thor said, grinning widely. Then, all of a sudden, he paused. “It almost looks strange to see a woman in your arms, brother.” He looked at you. “I don’t know how you put up with him but I’m glad he found someone who seems to like his… chaotic nature, shall we say?” He grinned once more.

Loki tensed up, still stiff even after Thor had left.

“Loki… are you alright?”

He hummed in response. You put your head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. At least you now finally knew what type of tattoo you were going to get.

-

Would it stay on your skin forever? Yes. Were you facing any hesitation at all? No. You wanted a part of Loki to be with you at all times when he was gone and this, strangely enough, appeared to mean so much more than a wedding ring.

Thousands of fans were committed to Thor, and not a single person had yet expressed their gratitude towards Loki, not to mention that it seemed he himself couldn’t quite believe he was worthy of such gratitude… let alone your love.

It was the following day already that you found yourself in the tattoo studio. They had given you a last-minute appointment after learning who you were and when you had sent your artist an e-mail with what you wanted to get, even the barrier of virtual communication was unable to hide both his confusion and probably even hostility.

In any case, though, he met you neutrally the following day. After shaking his hand, he showed you the template he had made with your pictures and, after making sure you were fine with it, got to work.

You barely registered your surroundings. The walls were full of art, the smell of sanitiser and what must have been the tattoo colours filling your nostrils, and in the background, you could hear the humming of another tattoo gun along with some rock music.

It was only then, when you sat down on the chair, that nervousness began to wash over you—not because you were second-guessing your decision but rather because this man was about to repeatedly poke your skin with a small needle.

“It’s a little too late to ask but would you prefer some numbing cream?” He asked.

You shook your head, smiling mischievously. “Seriously, dude, I fight wars with the Avengers.”

“Yeah, stupid question… So, um…” You resisted the urge to flinch when he started tattooing you. Actually… it wasn’t so bad. Well, the numerous forums you’d been on online had promised you that the inside of your arm was a piece of cake compared to, say the ribs. You were planning on getting more tattoos one day but for now, this one it was.

You couldn’t wait to see Loki’s reaction. He had no idea you were here.

“Why… why Loki? I-I mean… I know you’re technically an Avenger but… that dude’s kinda evil.”

“Evil? He’s helped Thor and the others on missions countless times by now.” You tilted your head. “People just refuse to see the good in him.”

“Suit yourself, I mean… he tried to enslave all of humanity but…”

“That was a long time ago. And it wasn’t entirely his fault if you remember Thanos.”

The tattoo artist cleared his throat. “Yeah, I guess… Still. I mean it’s your skin.”

“Exactly. So let’s just do this. This is my first tattoo, I’d like to have a good memory of getting it and not sit here for hours defending my bo-“ You stopped yourself before you could say boyfriend. He’d see soon enough, for you had asked Loki to come pick you up here a little later. Besides, Loki didn’t like to be called your boyfriend. He was much more of a… lover, he had said. It had a nice ring to it.

“Yeah, yeah… sorry. I promise your choice of tattoo won’t impact the quality of my work. You’ll love it when it’s finished.”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

 -

You only had to take two breaks in between, drinking plenty of water and stretching your legs a bit. Once the tattoo artist had finished up and wrapped clear foil around your tattoo to protect it, you sent Loki a text.

It was odd, every single time, to remind yourself that Loki was using a phone. He never used emojis though, for some dubious reason. That almost made it hard for you to tell when he was being sarcastic or not.

“What is this place? What are you doing in a tattoo parlour?”

“I was shopping for flowers. What do you think?” Chuckling, you embraced him when he entered the tattoo shop. It was perfect timing, for just when you pressed your lips on his to greet him properly, your tattoo artist reemerged from his private backroom.

“Oh… Oh! Oh. Mr… Mr. Loki. You, um… so you’re… wow.” You winked at him. You had to admit, his fear was rather hilarious… which was exactly why you had asked Loki to come pick you up. Besides, Loki could be quite the gentleman if only he wanted to. He lovedbeing all protective over you and that included taking you home on a regular basis.

Loki tilted his head when you broke the kiss, narrowing his eyes at him with his lips parted. “And who are you?”

“I, um… I did her tattoo. It’s um… you know what, it’s on the house.”

“Oh… thanks.” You said, grinning a little. Scary boyfriend privileges…

“You were not joking then? You actually got tattooed?”

“I’ll show you when we’re back home. Come on. Thanks again!”

“Y-yeah… thanks. Bye.”

As soon as you exited the shop, you burst out laughing. “Did you see his face? I love it. Come on, Trickster.” Intertwining your fingers with his, you dragged him along, not even giving him a chance to respond until you reached the Avengers’ Tower.

You couldn’t wait to take your jacket off and show him your tattoo and it seemed, Loki was equally curious.

“Why did you decide to put ink on your body permanently?” He suddenly asked.

“It’s beautiful… to use the skin as a canvas… and to have art that means a lot to you with you at all times, to become a part of you.”

“Hmm…”

“I’ve been thinking about getting tattoos for a very long time but then all this happened and I forgot about it for a while… but I’ve been doing my research and… well, I think you’ll like it.”

Loki frowned when you beamed at him. Once you arrived in your shared room, your grin grew even wider. Excitedly, you took off your jacket, took a deep breath, and then presented your arm to him.

Loki’s lips parted, you could almost hearhis face fall when he laid his eyes upon the golden helmet and the dagger you had gotten tattooed on your arm. Then, his blue eyes, filled with utter shock, met yours.

“You… you… this is my…” You smiled at him, biting your lower lip and eagerly awaiting what he would say but instead… instead he was tearing up.

“You… this will be on your skin forever.” He choked out.

You nodded. “I love you, Loki. This is a symbol of my devotion to you. Maybe no one else around here appreciates you the way they should be… but I do.”

Loki closed his eyes for a brief moment. And instead of responding with words, he pulled you into his arms, hugging you so tightly you feared for your breath. He didn’t need to say anything more. His embrace told you more than you needed to hear.