"I've never been on a proper date," Loki whispered coyly, "are they always so...uncomfortable?"

The restaurant that Natasha had chosen for you was high-class and intimate, but it was almost too formal for your taste. You had begun to realize that it was much the same for Loki, the final signal from him being the pull at his collar as if it were choking him to death as preferable to spending another minute here. As you turned your head to survey the atmosphere, it became immediately obvious to you that Loki might as well have been sitting beneath a microscope for how much he was being stared at. The looks weren't kind, either, and your sense of protectiveness hit in full swing.

"No, they're not, and we're leaving."

"We are?"

"Yes, come on," you urged, standing with a hand extended to him, "I've got an idea. This place is too stuck up anyway, and I've heard you're good at mischief."

Loki took his glass of water in hand to take a final drink, but his devious chuckle under his breath stopped him. Yes, he was indeed the God of Mischief, but his type of trouble was likely much more than you had intended, and besides that, he was trying to forge a new path to follow. "Yes, well, that's very true, but my flavor of trouble may not be to your taste."

"Only one way to find out."

Loki was doing his very best to be behaving as he had promised, but your show of interest in his playful side had him tempting fate and wearing a sparkle in his eyes that sent your heart racing. He looked at you with a thankful grin and took your hand to allow you to lead him towards the door, but you stopped abruptly and he barely had time to catch himself before toppling you over. "Is there a problem?"

"Wait here," you commanded quietly, letting his hand go and moving towards a small group of women who were waiting for a table to open so they could be seated. They had been staring at the two of you since you sat down, whispering things that likely weren't pleasant as they watched. Now that you and Loki were making the move to leave, they seemed to be happy with the result as if they had anything to do with it, though they were blocking the exit in an attempt to get your attention. "Excuse me," you interrupted, looking coldly at the three women, "can I help you with something?"

"No," one of them coughed out nervously, "no, we're fine."

"Can we help you?" another asked. "Do you need help getting away from him?"

"Getting away from him?" you scoffed. "No, I think that would really ruin the date, don't you?"

"You're on a date? With thatman?" the first woman pressed, taking a step closer with an accusatory point at Loki. "Why would you do that? You do know who that is, don't you?"

You didn't hesitate to step between her and your date, forcing the point of her finger to press against you as you blocked her line of sight. She didn't pull back, instead holding her ground and now judging you with the same distaste and disgust that she had aimed at him, but you weren't having it. "I most definitely know who he is. He's Loki, Prince of Asgard, Odinson, the rightful kind of Jotunheim, God of Mischief, and the newest member of the Avengers. I suggest that you mind your own business, and step aside before I have you moved."

"I...I'm what?" he whispered in shock, trying to pull you back, but you didn't falter.

"I said, move."

The women looked to each other, then to you, huffing under their breath as they stepped aside, their abhorrence at the idea of your willingness to be with Loki clear as day in their expressions. He tried to nod with an attempt at an apologetic smile, but you pulled him towards the door with no interest in offering it yourself. When the door closed soundly behind you, and when he felt the sidewalk beneath his feet, he felt safe to speak freely again.

"(Y/N), if you wouldn't mind, could you explain further what you said in there? That I'm the newest Avenger? Surely, that must be an error. Or perhaps a method in shocking those women into silence?"

"It worked, right? Come on, no business tonight, we're on a date." You shifted your grip on his hand, and laced your fingers with his to tighten your hold. He looked down at them with his lips parted as if to say something about what he was seeing and feeling, but they closed into a sadness in his smile as his eyes met yours.

"You're sure that this is what you want? Those women back there did make a fair point-"

"Those women were idiots. I'm here, aren't I?"

"Clearly, yes."

"Then let's go, time's wasting." The poor guy again pulled at his collar, his nerves trying to get the best of him. He turned in each direction and looked out over the crowds of people passing by on the busy sidewalk, and you could immediately tell that he was taking inventory of how uncomfortable he might be making any of them by his mere presence alone. "Loki, stop. People are going to think what they want, and you're just going to have to get used to it. They'll see soon enough that you're trying to do right, just like I have. Here," you paused, stepping closer and reaching up with your open hand to loosen the knot of his tie, "let's just fix this once and for all." With a few simple movements, you untied it completely and slid it from beneath his collar. You crumpled it up hastily and put it into your bag to give back to Steve later.

"That's much better, thank you," he said softly, that gentle tremble of nerves returning to his voice. "You're like no one I've ever met before, (Y/N). I find myself at a loss to understand you. You're remarkable in ways that I have yet to discover."

"Then what are we waiting for?" you winked playfully. "Let's go discover."

~~~

After only a few hours, the two of you had traversed a large area of the city, all the while talking and stopping for bites to eat as you passed by popular tourist sites and rare finds that he had likely never seen before, though he paid them no attention. Loki had eyes only for you, which you both reveled in and felt a little embarrassed by, but you wouldn't dare tell him that; he was enjoying himself for the first time in too long, and you didn't want to ruin his rare good mood. Beyond that, the attention he was giving you took his focus from the unwanted attention that others were giving him as you continued on the walk back towards the tower.

With a half-eaten pretzel in one hand, and Loki's in your other, the two of you stopped a few blocks away from your destination when his feet suddenly halted without warning. You were about to ask him what was wrong, but when you looked up at him the answer was written clearly in his features, his lashes were uncharacteristically wet with tears. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"This monument, built to commemorate the brave from that day," he nodded up towards the statue above Grand Central Station, "it's to honor the lost, is it not?"

"Yes."

"How many?"

"Loki-"

"Please, (Y/N)..." he paused, finally looking back at you, "tell me how many were lost by my doing. I really must know."

"Um...I've never heard the official count, because they're keeping a lot of the event classified...but a few hundred at least. I haven't been brave enough to ask Tony any more about it than that."

Loki stood silently for several minutes, and you could feel the hectic world come to a halt around you. The air itself stilled as you watched him, and you were at a complete loss as to what you would even say to him to make him feel better. You barely knew the man, but yet, you knew him like no one else did; even Thor had likely never seen this side of his own brother. With a slight turn of your hand, you dropped the rest of your snack into a nearby garbage and turned to him, resting the hesitant hand on his arm.

"Are you sure you want to stop by the tower?" you asked him. "Maybe it would be better if we just started back home."

"No, it's alright, I feel as though I should," he answered softly, "if for nothing else than to offer respect and hope to find forgiveness. The man that I was then...is one that I choose to not be again. Do you believe me when I say that?"

"Yes, I do."

"Thank you. That means more to me to hear those words in your voice than if they were spoken by another. I value your opinion above all others."

"Even Thor's?" you smirked, albeit cautiously in the emotional moment between you.

"Yes, even Thor's."

"Wow...I'm honored."

"There's no need for that," he smiled, finally. You hadn't realized just how much you had missed that smile, even though it had been only a few minutes time. Whatever it was that he was doing, whatever spell he had cast over you, it was working perfectly. "(Y/N)," he whispered, "you're staring."

"I-I'm...I'm not," you stumbled, though not breaking the stare you were denying.

"It's quite alright. I often find myself in the same predicament when you're near."

"I can see that." The silence hung heavily between you, as words failed you both, yet neither of you were taking the next step that each of you were more than ready to take. You could've moved first, but you didn't want to seem too forward, unsure of how he would react to it. Loki had to be a man of tradition, being Thor's brother and all, and was likely used to being the one in control. But you were having a hard time waiting for him to realize that you were ready to be led. "Loki..."

"Darling..." he exhaled softly, taking a step closer, "with this newfound promise of good behavior, I must ask...may I..." he stopped, reaching up to take your chin in his hand with a gentle lift.

"You definitely may."

If you had thought the world stopped before, you were so wrong. As your eyes closed in anticipation of the moment you had been waiting for, time itself meant nothing and the sounds of a chaotic city went silent. When his lips touched yours, gently and apprehensively at first, it took your breath away at the energy of the connection. It didn't go unnoticed by him either, allowing him the bravery to pull you closer, his hands moving to your hips and gliding up your back to bring you in as tightly as he could. Loki had never felt anything like this before; the fear that came with such desire and fulfillment. For the first time that he could recall, in the entirety of his long life, he had never felt so complete as he was with you. The fear of losing something and someone so precious to him was almost paralyzing, and the need to protect this feeling was overwhelming.

The need to protect you had instantly become his life's mission, but that didn't scare him at all.