You moaned as you clutched at your head, feeling it throb painfully between your fingers. You felt as though you were being ripped in half, and it was not something you ever wanted to experience again.

"Ugh, where am I?"

I've been saying that far too much. You blinked, staring around yourself at the white room, and bed of a similar shade you lay in.

"The Avengers Tower."

You sat up at the answer and saw Tony Stark at the other end of the room, which you now realised was some sort of medical ward.

"Oh. Hi, Stark."

"Hello Y/N." He walked to stand next to you, giving you a friendly smile as he checked your vitals on the variety of machines you were hooked up to. "Well, it looks like you haven't suffered any lasting injuries or substantial damage from that thing - what the fuck was that?"

That ... in your pain-addled state, it took you a few moments to realise he was referring to your final attack against ... Darkier.

"It's a force of great power within the Jotuns, which they can call upon every once in a while ... with great risk to themselves, of course, as it can take up a lot of our energy," you explained. "Shit, I could've died, but it was worth it to defeat that thing."

"You could've what!?" Tony snapped his head up from his instruments. "Is it that powerful?"

"How do you think I shredded nothingness?" you rolled your eyes, sitting up with a tiny groan. "I dunno where the fuck that thing came from, but it was dangerous. And hard to deal with."

"Speaking of the mind-controlling thing-" Tony began but you cut him off.

"I'm not talking about Loki right now," you interrupted. "After he-he pretended to love m-me..."

You attempted to suppress the emotion that even his name brought to you, holding back tears that were determined to leak free.

"That wasn't him," Tony interrupted lightly, gently, like he was consoling an irrational animal out of control. "It was Darkier, and you know it."

"Do I?" you snapped. "Do I believe the lies of someone who proved they could so effortlessly manipulate me that I would break my own rules and morals and lie to myself for them?"

"Y/N, that wasn't him," Tony repeated. You glared at him.

"Look, you want me to be civilised to Loki? Fine! But I will not be kind to the man who broke my heart."

Of fucking course Loki had to walk in right then.

"Y-Y/N?" he asked, his tone stuttering in the first display of uncertainty you'd ever witness from him. You glared at him coldly. "I want you to know that wasn't me-"

"Are you sure?" you interrupted, acting more aggressive than you really ever had before. Because of your broken heart ... "Because the 'I never loved you' shit seemed pretty real to me."

"Y/N, you didn't see-"

"Yeah, I didn't," you got out of bed, ignoring the fact all you wore was a loose nightgown. You stalked towards him. "I didn't see you were playing me. I didn't see you were lying. I didn't see you were a manipulative asshole until you broke my heart!"

Your voice had steadily increased in volume until you were yelling at Loki. You shoved an accusatory finger into his chest as you stopped before him, and he flinched. Suddenly, the anger leeched from you, replaced by a brokenness you feared would never heal.

"You broke my heart, Loki," you whispered, tears sliding down your cheeks again. Why were you crying so much? "How can I forgive you for that?"

"Y/N..." Loki's heart looked broken as well, but you refused to notice.

"I'm not with you anymore, Loki," you wiped your tears away. "So maybe you should stop acting like we're together."

Silently crying all the way, you walked out of the room, not looking back at him.

- - -

"I don't want to hear it," you said as someone sat next to you.

"Hear what?" someone asked, and you turned to see Thor, Poptarts in hand as he sank into the couch.

"Thor!" you cried, realising he'd ducked out of Asgard to see how it was going with Loki. Loki. "Sorry, I thought you were ... well, never mind."

"Why do you hate him so much?" Thor asked.

You sighed. "Didn't you hear? Your brother never loved me. It was an act, a stupid act, and I actually fell for it. I actually loved him."

Scoffing at yourself, you attempted to divert the pang you felt at uttering that affection in the past tense.

"Loved?" Thor pressed gently. "Not love?"

"No, not love," you confirmed, feeling that earlier anger come swarming back. "Because the only person, the only fucking person in this whole universe who I dared to think could ever have truly understood me, was lying to me. Because the only person I'd ever dared to allow myself to love broke my fucking heart!"

You heaved several panting breaths, calming down after your outburst and feeling a stab of guilt. "I'm sorry, Thor. I thought he loved me."

"What if I told you he still does?" the blond god said slowly.

"I'd say you were lying," you replied, your voice devoid of all emotion..

"He still loves you, Y/N," Thor insisted. "Give him a chance."

"And let him break my heart again?" you whispered, not allowing yourself to admit the fear buried within you. "How would I know he still loves me?"

"I do still love you," a new voice insisted. You turned and saw Loki, with red-rimmed eyes, like he'd been crying. "Could you please give me a chance?"

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