"Don't be so lame!" I complained as I tugged on his sleeve.

Loki exhaled in annoyance and rolled his eyes. "It won't run away."

"I know that! But you missed something." I behaved like a little kid who could not wait to arrive at the destination.

"For not eating there?" I nodded my head eagerly. With a bright smile, I grabbed his hand and walked energetically in front of him. I could only drag him with me because he allowed it and didn't work against me.

A slight giggle reached my ears, and I looked over my shoulder back at him. In curiosity, I raised my eyebrow at the raven-haired man. He just shrugged his free hand and responded, "It's just cute seeing you like this. So happy and cheerful." His sapphire eyes met mine. "The complete opposite of how you were before; it is nice." A gentle smile rested on his face.

I stopped without warning, and he almost ran into me. He stood right in front of me, and I could smell the cologne he put on. Is this the one I gave him as a present? For a split second, a quick but real smile formed on my face before I laid my hands on his chest. „I am not different from before! Still the same old Sylvie – standing in front of you." I straightened my back, got even closer to him, and looked at the man as a proud expression adorned my face.

Lokis face came closer to mine as he raised his eyebrow. "You sure?"

My heart fluttered at the sight of him. A warm feeling – like thousands of butterflies – arose in my gut. I got lost in his eyes before I stepped back.

I crossed my arms in front of my chest, and an amazed expression glared at him. "Yeah!"

I started thinking about it. He spoke the truth—I had changed a lot. I learned from my past mistakes how to deal with things properly; not just trying to kill everything and everyone.

I also started to trust, something I thought I could never do, or at least never do again. Once – as a child – I trusted my parents, the guards protecting the castle I lived in, and the Asgardians. I truly trusted them. But on that one day, as the TVA came, took me away from my home, and tried to prune me; I lost all my trust in people. I almost hated them all. I truly wanted to crush them like a nasty bug crawling around in the house – an intruder who wasn't allowed to exist.

I also admitted to Loki that I cannot sit with my back to the door out of fear that something terrible will happen. I still can't do it. I tried it one time at a vinyl shop... but the whole universe started to spaghettify... The thought alone sent shivers down my spine. I am still tensing up and almost losing my nerves – except when Loki takes my hand in his. Feeling his warmth helps me relax a little bit. I don't know how I deserve him, but he is the best thing that could have happened.

It's kind of a fun story: I tried to kill him when we first met. And this idiot? He started to like me.

"How do you even love someone as broken as me?" I asked this question out loud, and it took Loki by surprise. A startled look laid on his face as he grabbed my hands in his. "You may be broken, darling. But look around us." His eyes scanned our environment, and I did the same.

Confused, I inspected the few people who passed us.

An old lady, maybe 70 years old, wore – in my eyes – granny-like clothing. Next to her was an old man. His back was formed like a shrimp, but nonetheless, the woman gave him a playful slap on the shoulder, exclaiming, "Oh, Patrice!" Even more wrinkles formed around her eyes while she giggled.

There was also a young couple. They laughed about a joke her boyfriend had told. As I looked closer, I saw some scars on her arms.

My eyes continued to wander. Two men were standing there, kissing and hugging each other tightly. Other people were watching them with disgusted eyes – still, they smiled into the kiss.

What did Loki want to tell me?

My eyes shifted back to him. It seemed he could read my mind as he whispered, "They are all broken in their way. Nonetheless; they are loved by someone. It doesn't matter what burden someone has; there is always another person who complements them. Only together can we grow. We learn from each other and help the other half to be the best version of themselves one day." His grip tightened a little as he continued, "That's why I love you, Sylvie: You helped me grow! To leave that Loki behind who sought a glorious purpose, ignoring the feelings of the others around me... Ignoring my own feelings." In his eyes lingered a glimpse of sadness. "You are my corresponding piece of the puzzle to complete me, darling."

A small grin crept on my face as I murmured, "How do I deserve you?"

I abruptly pulled him toward me and hugged him. A soft sigh escaped me as I held him close. My head rested on his chest. Since he was taller than me, I could hear his heart beating calmly and evenly. An even bigger grin curled up on my lips. Loki as my better half? I enjoyed this thought, which gave me goosebumps all over the body. They weren't nasty. They felt like a swift feather stroking my body.

I felt his arms wrap around me as well, and he exhaled happily. "The question is: How do I deserve you?"

"You lovable idiot!" I giggled. "That's a good question."

"And back she is – my strong and lovable Killer-Cat." Loki also chuckled.

He truly is my better half and my new home.

After a while, we separated, and I looked into his piercing blue eyes. Looking into them felt like looking at a calm ocean where the sun laid her light.

They were endless, like the deepest depths, and at the same time, they felt familiar – as I've known them for god-knows-how-long. But still, I am the ship drowning in this ocean's eyes.

A soft gaze lingered in them, brimming with genuine happiness. His hands rested tenderly on my shoulders, providing reassurance to feel relaxed as the other people walked their paths past us.

His soft touch sent a wave of relief through me, easing the thoughts I had earlier. The storm inside of me soothed down, as Loki would be my anchor. He gives me something to hold onto - and not be drawn away by the flood of people passing by.

I stepped a little closer and reached up to his face to give him a tender kiss on his delightful lips. He responded in an instant. Just to end it way too soon. We remained for some more minutes standing there, admiring the beauty of one another and exchanging tiny touches on our arms and shoulders.

The whole world around just paused for the two of us.

Yet the question remained: How do I deserve him?

Finally, we sat at a table in my beloved restaurant. I looked at Loki with curious eyes as he inspected the food in front of him. All the tension from before was gone completely, and only the tender touches and featherlight mood stayed. I savoured sitting at my second favorite place with my favorite person in the universe. "Give it a try before it comes back to life and runs away from your piercing glance." I slightly laughed as I pushed the red tablet closer to him.

His eyes shifted from the still packed fast food to me, and his lips formed a soft smile. "Okay, okay. I'll give it a try!" He raised his hands in defeat. I watched him closely as he reached out for a fry, brought it to his mouth, and took a little nibble of the fried potato.

I exclaimed disappointedly, "Come on! This way, you can't tell if it's good or not. Take a big bite!" With this, I ate some fries as well. A big grin formed, and happily, I closed my eyes to experience the full aroma of them. There was slightly too much salt, the crispy crust, the soft core, the crunch while biting into it, and the - I don't know how old - oil the potato was fried in. Nonetheless, I loved it!

I looked back at Loki, who watched me with an amused expression on his face. I grabbed a fry and held it in front of his mouth while talking to him like he was a little kid, "Say ah!" His eyebrows frowned, but he played along. He bit into the fry – almost biting my fingers. "Hey!", I exclaimed, laughing. A mischievous smile rested on his lips while wiggling his eyebrows.

Finally, he took a proper bite, and I could swear: There was a spark in his eyes. It didn't last long and vanished shortly after. But he liked it!

I smiled at him victoriously. "And?"

"Hm?" He raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, it's not... that bad."

"Not that bad?" I slapped my hand on my chest in shock. "Not that bad?!" I repeated it in a staged shock. "This. Is. Amazing! This. Is. Love!" I gestured around in front of him with the leftover fry in my hand and pointed multiple times at him. "I mean, it is dead. Not squirrel. Not opossum. Not rats. Something that's already dead. And nothing with a face. And it isn't bloody as hell!"

His eyes rested on me. His gaze shifted from amused to suspicious as he asked seriously, "Please don't tell me this is how you ordered this", he pointed with his finger at our meal, "the first time?"

I blinked multiple times before I stuttered, "Ohm... well, maybe I did?"

Loki couldn't hold it back any longer and busted out in a heartwarming laughter. I felt my cheeks turning hot and probably red. The other people looked in our direction, and I immediately tensed up. Slowly, I sank into the chair, and I wished I could escape under the table. Loki wiped a tear away as he looked at me. His glance shifted again. This time from cheerful to concerned in an instant. He reached out to grab my hand and gave me a reassuring squeeze. "You okay?"

I took a deep breath and gathered myself together. This little question reminded me that I am not alone anymore. I could rely on him.

He was right: I may be broken, but he complements me like a piece of a puzzle. And I want to do the same for him! I didn't want to always be a burden to him.

Not gonna lie... I have been a pain in his ass since the first time we met. This realization might have come too late, but I just understood that not so long ago.

I sat back and nodded. "Just the looks. But no big deal." I gave him a thumbs up. Loki responded with the same gesture and smiled softly.

A few minutes later, I peeled a burger out of its paper and bit into it. "You lied before, right?"

"Lied when?" He also dipped a fry into the ketchup and ate it slyly.

"Just before – about that 'not that bad'." I drew some quotation marks in the air. A mischievous expression rested on his face as he continued eating. He said nothing. Loki's eyes just stared into my soul while slowly taking another bite after the next one. After about five minutes, I stumbled, "Well... I take this as a yes. You know that, right – my ice prince." I took a sip from my milkshake while squinting at him.

He choked. I put my drink away, ready to give Loki some hits on his back if his coughing didn't get better. But he caught himself as he stumbled, "You never called me that before."

He was right – again. But he gave me such cute nicknames. It felt like it was my time to give him one. "You always call me darling or Killer-Cat; I think it is my time now to name you by a cute alias." I paused for a few seconds. "This is what Midgardians do if they are in a relationship... right?" Awkwardly, my eyes shifted around.

Loki thought for a moment. "I would say yes. But this is also still new for me – remember?"

I nodded and smiled at him with my lips pressed tightly together. "How could I forget?" He chuckled before he continued eating and feeding me some fries. In his typical Loki manner, he mimicked my earlier behaviour and created some funny and unforgettable moments.

As we finished, he said, "I understand why you love this food so much." My mood lightened up. "If you want, we could stop by more often." I jumped up and threw my arms around his neck, pushing away the tablet with my body as I held him closer to me. He stumbled forward but caught himself bevor falling at the table, as we both laughed cheerfully.

The eyes of other people didn't matter to me right now.

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greetings :D

Finally, the second One Shot - feel free to leave your thoughts about this one in the comments lol

I wish you all a great evening / morning / noon / whatever :D