The footsteps belonged to Clint who was bringing you dinner. He gave you his usual hang on for a couple more days speech, which was getting rather redundant and repetitive at this juncture. You devoured your dinner, but human food just wasn't enough. Clint seemed to see it too, but neither of you were brave enough to say anything about it besides his promise that it would just be a couple more days. He'd been saying that for however long you'd been here. You'd lost track of time in the underground cell. You were grateful however that the cell was underground. You'd have likely died with windows and sunlight.

You were dozing when Loki returned, you thought it was the next day. You were dozing off more and more lately. You cracked your eyes open and sat up as Loki stepped into view. He looked you over as you got back to your feet. "I did not mean to interrupt your slumber..." he commented, questioning if he should leave.

"No, no, don't worry about it," you told him quickly. You weren't going to tell him that you were dozing off more frequently, that you needed to eat properly, that you were weakening from not drinking blood like you needed to. You'd just met him after all. "There's not much to do down here," you added quickly before he could decide you were actually sleeping and leave. You gestured around the bare cell.

He nodded. "I noticed," he said with a small smile and held up the item you hadn't noticed he was carrying. "I thought you might like something to read. I had to guess on what might interest you..." he added apologetically. He couldn't open the cell door to actually hand you the book, but with a flick of his wrist, the book vanished from his hand and reappeared in yours. It was a book on Norse mythology.

"This looks interesting indeed," you told him as you read over the summary.

"I assure you 90% of the contents are completely made up, but the tale was entertaining," he told you with a smile.

"Thank you," you told him brightly. He had gone out of his way to be nice, when he really didn't need to.

"Perhaps you can help me with something?" he asked cautiously.

You looked around your surroundings. "What on Earth could I possibly help you with?" you asked incredulously, but set the book aside, perfectly willing to hear him out. There wasn't much you could do in your current predicament, but you'd help him if you could.

He summoned a large stack of books and you laughed when you glanced over the titles and realized they were all books about vampires. "I was hoping you might have a suggestion on reading material. I quite enjoy reading, you see, but have not read much Midgardian literature yet." You flicked your wrist at the stack of books and they floated toward you so you could see the titles. Loki looked shocked and you smirked at him. You gestured at the books, separating them into three piles.

"I wouldn't bother with those," you gestured to the first stack. "I doubt they would be of interest, plus they are extremely inaccurate," you added with a smirk, knowing his real reason for choosing this particular topic of literature. "I haven't read any of those," you gestured to the stack in the middle, "so I can't tell you anything about them. Those are all good, but I would highly recommend starting with the one on top. I met the author shortly after I was turned," you added casually, telling him without stating it that she was a vampire too. He inclined his head and all of the books vanished except the one you had recommended.

"Thank you for your assistance," he told you warmly.

"Anytime," you replied with a smile, but you bit back a yawn.

"I should let you get back to your rest, little one," his voice was still warm and kind. You started to protest, but you didn't want him to get into trouble either, and you knew he couldn't stay long. He wasn't supposed to be down here. "Don't fret so, I will return,"

"Why are you being so nice to me?" you asked him softly. You couldn't help but question it. Everyone else was tolerant at best. You were a monster and you'd told him as much.

"I have a feeling that we are kindred spirits, and perhaps we could both use a friend in this place,"

"Thank you, Loki." He smiled at your genuine thanks and vanished again.

*

The chains were removed the next time Clint visited. He said they finally got approval from Fury. You were grateful either way. Those chains had hurt. It was also nice to lie down properly and the next time Loki visited found you on your stomach on your cot, kicking your legs absently as you read the book he had given you, propped against the pillow in front of you.

"I see the team received my memo," Loki told you with a bright smile. You looked up at him, carefully marked the page in the book, and went to the glass of the cell, actually being able to make it all the way to the glass now.

"That was your doing?" you asked, referencing the lack of chains. He inclined his head. Up close, you noted how much taller he was than you were. No wonder he kept calling you 'little one'. "Thank you for that. How'd you do it?" you asked curiously.

He smiled. "I sent a memo to the Captain, the one who wields the shield," you nodded and he continued "posing as this Director Fury person. He was the one whose approval they were waiting for. I simply sped things along," he added modestly.

"Thank you," you told him again. "How are you enjoying the book?"

"Very interesting and an enjoyable tale. Is it true vampires burn up in the sun?" he asked conversationally.

"The very very oldest of the vampires do, but they are thousands and thousands of years old. The rest of us will if we're out in direct sunlight for hours and hours at a time with no shade. It's uncomfortable, but more like a sunburn," you explained. "Is it true you gave birth to a horse?" you countered.

He laughed. "No, that is quite false. Though Odin does ride Sleipnir, the eight-legged horse. I did not give birth to it," he rolled his eyes at the ridiculousness of that story. "Is it true you cannot stand holy items?"

It was your turn to roll your eyes. "Not at all. Propaganda by supersticious Christians. They thought crosses would protect them from evil vampires. They won't. Did you and Thor really dress as women to get his hammer back from the giants?"

He threw back his head and laughed. "Yes, we did," with a shimmer of green magic he was suddenly female for a moment before she changed back to male. "I disguised him as Freya, who the giants demanded to wed in order to return Mjolnir, and I went along as his handmaid. My moronic oaf of a brother nearly gave us away when he ate the entire wedding feast and drank all of the ale. He got the hammer back when Mjolnir was placed in his lap during the wedding ceremony and slew all of the giants," his expression was warm and fond as he told the tale.

There was a noise at the end of the hall. You waved to Loki who vanished quickly so he wouldn't get caught down here and returned to your book.

*

"Every time I come down here anymore, you're sleeping. Are you alright, love?" Loki asked quite a few visits later. You cracked your eyes open and sat up to look at him properly. Somehow you'd become 'love' over his numerous visits. You didn't mind.

"Don't worry," you told him instead of answering. You'd learned he was a human-shaped lie detector. He didn't look like he wanted to believe you, but you were on your feet and your usual bubbly self once you were awake, so he let the subject drop. For now.

He'd slipped you more books after you finished with the Norse mythology book and you'd gotten brave enough to make requests if he could find them. He always came through, and then proceeded to devour whatever you'd asked for, and previous books in the series, so he could discuss them with you.

"Loki, what are you doing down here?" Thor asked. Neither of you had heard him come in, you were so deep in your argument about a character's motivation in one of the books you were discussing. You both whirled to Thor's voice.

"I was having a pleasant discussion about books with a lovely lady," Loki replied dryly as he stood from his chair to face his brother.

Thor looked between the two of you. Loki had summoned a chair inside your cell so you could sit on the other side of the glass comfortably for your conversations. You looked up at Thor innocently. "You're not supposed to be down here..." Thor started, but didn't seem like he really wanted to enforce that rule. "You know you cannot free Lady Y/N until the director has cleared her, right?"

"I am aware," Loki replied with an eyeroll. "And despite that that rule is stupid, as Lady Y/N has done nothing wrong, you can see I have not broken her out. There was no rule saying that I cannot have pleasant conversations with a lovely lady, and the only one around here who seems to enjoy literature,"

Thor grinned and clapped Loki on the shoulder. "Don't make a nuisance of yourself just because you have a captive audience, Brother," he teased. You saw then that he was carrying a meal for you. "Lady Y/N, Barton sends his apologies that he could not come himself, but he was called out on a mission. He asked me to bring you something to eat and to remind you that-"

"It will just be a few more days," you recited with him and rolled your eyes. "So I've heard," you told him. You sighed and stepped back from the glass and sat on the bed so you were away from the door and obviously not a threat for when Thor opened it. He opened the cell door and set the tray on the table just inside, there for that purpose. It took more willpower than you wanted to admit to remain on the bed and not rush him, not attack him. You were starving, you had completely lost track of how long it had been since you'd fed, and he smelled so warm and edible. You could feel his pulse from across the cell.

"Come, Brother, let the lady eat in peace," Thor clapped Loki's shoulder again and hauled him away.

*

"Love? Y/N? Y/N, Wake up!" Loki's voice and it sounded like he'd been trying for awhile to get you to stir. "Please, wake up!" You managed to shift a little, but couldn't get your eyes to open. "Fuck the rules," he growled. A second later his cool arms were around you, hauling you to a sitting position. "Y/N?" he asked again.

Your eyes fluttered. "Loki?" you murmured.

"What's wron-" he started to ask, then cut himself off, seeming to have the answer, probably from the books he'd read. "How long has it been since you fed?" he demanded, his voice regal and commanding.

"Before this cell," you managed and hoped that was a clear enough answer. Your head lolled and landed on his shoulder as he held you to his body, which you noted was just as cool as yours.

He cursed. "Why? Why didn't you say-?" he growled. You were in no shape to answer, and he would realize the answer anyway. Monsters drank other creatures' blood. They already thought you were an evil monster. You'd had to hold out until you got out of this cell.

You held out, but your body wasn't.

Loki cursed again. You opened your eyes when you sensed a hint of magic. A dagger was in his left hand. "No," you protested softly. You couldn't. You couldn't let him see that side of you. Not your friend. You couldn't.

"Shh," he bid you. He hissed when he sliced his own wrist with the dagger.

Your eyes snapped open when you smelled the fresh blood. You couldn't help it. "Loki, no," you whispered one last time, but the protest was weak and feeble to even your ears.

"Freely given, freely taken," he replied. He had done his reading. Ceremonial words. Embarrassment aside, horror at what you were doing aside, your body took over. Your hands clamped around his arm, pulling it closer. You licked the blood that was dripping down the wound. His tasted better than any you had ever tasted and you didn't know if it was because you were starving, because he was a god, or some other reason. You didn't care at that moment either. All you could focus on was the fresh blood. You would be embarrassed and horrified later. At that moment, your mouth clamped around the wound and you drank the cooler-than-human blood, you felt the shock of his power as his blood entered your system.

Even in the state you were in, you were so very, very careful to only take the bare minimum. It took effort, since you'd been without for so long, but you pushed his wrist away and ran your tongue over the wound, sealing it with vampiric power.

"I'm sorry!" you told him when it was done as you got up to get a washcloth to clean up the evidence of this little adventure. You scrubbed his wrist clean first. "I shouldn't have- You shouldn't- You didn't need to-"

"Freely give, freely taken," he repeated. "You should have told me sooner," he told you softly, sad that you hadn't trusted him.

"I-I didn't want you to see this side of me," you admitted as you finally got to wiping the blood from your mouth and hands. You hadn't wanted him to see the monster.

He kissed your forehead, a caring friendly gesture, nothing more, surely. "You're not a monster," he told you firmly. He must have seen that you were still exhausted. It was going to take a little while to recover from how weak you'd been. "You'll feel better when you've rested," he told you warmly and pushed you gently down on the cot again. "Rest, little one. I'll visit again later," he promised as he pulled the blanket up over you.

"I'm sorry," you murmured again, even as your eyes were fluttering.

"I'm not. Now rest,"