Misfits

Loki found himself frustrated since meeting Taryn. He couldn't figure out what it was that drew him to her so strongly. He didn't understand why he felt so compelled to protect her from whatever demons lurked in her mind. Quite frankly, he didn't understand anything when it came to her. She was a whole new world to Loki. He wanted to learn everything, to explore the crevices of her strange and fragile mind.
She didn't look at him like everyone else. There wasn't any form of hate or disgust in her eyes like he saw in others. The only other person who looked at him in the same light she did was Thor, but there wasn't much comfort in that. The blonde god would never understand why Loki was so bitter. He was still too blind to understand anything.
There was just something about Taryn that made Loki feel like he wasn't so alone. Whenever he was with her, his mind felt more at ease. He didn't feel as angry, or as unwanted as he did elsewhere. There was a reason he let go of the staff that day, after all. The hurt he felt that day was still present, buried under all the hate, the product of his pain. Taryn had quickly become an emotional crutch for Loki, though she didn't know it. He simply felt okay around her. He felt okay and that was enough.

It was late evening, the Asgardian sun had already set, and Taryn was sitting on the edge of a balcony, swinging her legs which dangled over the edge. Her eyes were aimed at the mesmerizing night sky. It was peaceful. Loki found her here. He approached her, making sure to make noise as he did so he wouldn't startle the girl again.
"How is it that you always manage to find me?" Taryn asked when he wordlessly reached her side, not taking her eyes from the sky.
"It's not terribly hard to find you, actually. It's just a matter of choosing the right balcony," he said with a small smirk.
A quiet moment passed before Taryn looked down from the sky.
"Are you okay? You seemed a little off the few times I saw you today," she questioned. Loki heaved a sigh.
"There's just been a few things on my mind today, that is all," he answered.
"Would it help to talk about it?" Taryn offered. "I mean, you don't have to if you don't want. It's just... sometimes talking helps," she added with a shrug.
"I do not want to burden you with my troubles," Loki said. Taryn pulled her legs over the edge of the balcony and hopped off, turning to face the god.
"Come on," she said, sitting down on the ground and crossing her legs. "Sit down. You could use a good vent session."
Loki hesitantly sat down on the ground across from Taryn. "You do not have to trouble yourself," he said. She shook her head defiantly.
"No. It's what I'm here for. Now talk. What's on your mind?" she countered. Loki heaved another sigh, giving in.
"I'm just tired of everything. I have lived my entire life in Thor's shadow. It has never even been my intention to outshine him. I just wanted to be treated as his equal. Nothing more. When Thor was banished to Earth, I tried to prove myself to my father. I tried to prove I was just as worthy as Thor..." Loki went on to explain what exactly had happened. How Odin had kept the truth from him. How he tried to prove himself to be just as worthy as Thor. How, even after everything he had done to prove himself, it still wasn't enough. He told her how at that moment, he lost the will to live. He let go of the staff. He hadn't expected to live, but he did. He lived, and the pain lived with him, turning into burning hatred and vengeance. All the while, Taryn listened intently. Loki tried to keep himself calm while explaining, but the recollection of all the past events brought angry tears to his eerily blue eyes.
"What do you feel like now? After being in prison, did that give you time to calm down?" she asked quietly. Loki shook his head stiffly.
"I still hate them. I hate Thor. I will not call him my brother," he said, trying to keep his voice steady. "They are as dead to me as I am to them. He said they mourned. He said they mourned, but I don't believe it," he added, voice growing angrier.
"I've seen you two with each other. I may not know him very well, but I can tell you this. He does love you. To him, you are still his brother. Nothing can make him change his mind," Taryn said.
"Thor is too stupid and blind to realize things have changed between us," Loki spat.
"There are a few things you should probably realize yourself," she said.
"Oh, I've realized plenty of things," Loki said, hatred steadily worming its way into his words and eyes. "I realize I have no family. I realize I was just a tool to use for a plan that ultimately failed before it even started. All I am is an outcast and a monster-" he rambled, voice growing in anger and panic.
"Loki," Taryn interrupted. Reaching over, she gently cupped his face in her hands, worry flooding her eyes. "None of that is true. Believe me or don't, but it's not true. I know you don't see it, but you do have family. Like it or not, Thor accepts you for who you are. Brother's fight, it's life. You're not a monster. You're just angry. These are the things you have to realize," she explained softly, holding his gaze. Loki could barely understand her. He was in pain, he was angry, and he was full of hate. He wanted to believe her. He wanted to accept her words, but he was convinced otherwise.
Though still seething, her touch brought him back from the anger that nearly had him shaking. It was as if the tips of her fingers were spreading soft waves of calm through his body. She dropped her hands into her lap after a moment, sighing softly. She looked thoughtful.
"Look, I'm sorry if that upset you at all. But you feel better though, right?" she said. Loki did feel better. After venting his frustrations, he felt a weight was lifted from his shoulders. He nodded, a thankful grin on his lips. After a short while of silence, Taryn's face lit up with an idea.
"What are you smiling like that for?" Loki asked cautiously, eyes narrowing at the glint in her bright eyes.
"Come on," she said, hopping up to her feet and struggling to pull Loki up off the ground. She then excitedly jogged the short distance to the edge of the fountain, waiting for him to catch up. She was already standing on the edge when he reached her. He looked up at her, smiling in amusement.
"What exactly are you doing?" he asked, confused.
"Exactly what it looks like. Swimming," she said, jumping off the edge after she answered. Loki couldn't help but laugh.
"That water isn't nearly deep enough to swim in," he said in amusement as Taryn stood in the fountain, water up to her knees.
"That doesn't mean I can't play in it," she said happily, dropping herself on to her backside. "Now get in here. I'm not swimming alone," she demanded.
"I'm not properly dressed," he said, amused smile still on his lips.
"So take some of those layers off or something. I'm sure you have some kind of fabric under all that fancy stuff," she shrugged. "One way or another, you're getting in here," she said, raising an eyebrow. Loki sighed in defeat and began removing the layers of leather and metal of his daily attire. Once he was down to a fabric undershirt and pants, he hesitantly began to climb over the edge. He wasn't expecting Taryn's sudden grip on his arm, and before he realized it, she had pulled him into the shallow water, and he hit it face first. Once he sat up again, hair now wet and disheveled, Taryn was laughing in victory.
"Told you I'd get you!" she said smugly as Loki combed his hair back with his fingers. He couldn't bring himself to be irritated. It was actually rather fun.
"And so you did, but I'll have you know," he started. As he spoke, the space around them steadily grew foggier. "This means war," he ended in a near whisper. The two were soon shrouded in thick smoke, and Taryn couldn't see a thing.
"Loki?" she called out, not being able to help the playful smile on her lips. "That's not even fair!" she whined.
"Battle isn't fair," he replied mischievously, voice coming out of nowhere.
"Well. I can do tricks, too," she said. She mustered up a breeze strong enough to disperse Loki's cloud of smoke, but when the air was clear again, there was no Loki. Her brows furrowed as she looked around. She didn't even think to turn around until it was too late.
"Boo," he whispered in her ear, causing her to flinch away and squeal. His sudden appearance earned him a splash of water to the face.
"Loki, you ass!" she laughed. He pursed his lips in a pout.
"Now that was not very nice," he said, faking offense.
"Neither is you scaring me like that," she countered.
"You started it," Loki said. This playful quarrel turned into a full out war, full of laughter, splashes, and squeals. Eventually, the pair decided to get out of the water and go inside. Despite her protests, Taryn was forced into wearing Loki's overcoat for warmth. She looked adorable, in his opinion, when she finally put the coat on. The tail dragged along the floor and the sleeves hung down over her hands slightly. They reached Loki's bed chambers, and he invited her in to get dry so she wouldn't have to freeze herself on the way to her own room.
Loki gave her a set of night clothes to wear, but the pants went discarded due to the fact that she tripped and fell from the length. Thankfully, the button up was long, but she sat on his couch with a pillow on her lap self consciously anyway as she waited for Loki to get changed. When he came out of the bathroom, he approached Taryn.
"I'd like to thank you," he said softly, sitting on the couch beside her.
"For what?" she asked, brows furrowing in confusion.
"For tonight. For listening and showing me a good deal of fun," he explained.
"You're welcome," Taryn said with a bright smile. The two conversed lightly for a while before falling into a comfortable silence. Loki was watching her ever restless fingers and thinking.
"Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?" he commented quietly, raising his green eyes from her fingers to her face. She looked up at him in surprise.
"Oh. Um... Thanks?" she said awkwardly. She was never one to take compliments gracefully.
"You sound uncertain," he said with an amused smile. Unsure of what to say, Taryn gave a sheepish shrug, a faint blush rising to her cheeks. "I apologize if I've made you uncomfortable. But you really are beautiful."
The blush on her face only grew, and she avoided Loki's gaze in embarrassment. She wasn't used to such compliments. "Well. Thanks," she repeated, picking at the fabric of the pillow in her lap. Once she got over the awkward embarrassment, the two began conversing lightly again until they fell into a comfortable and sleepy silence. Taryn fell asleep where she sat, and Loki grinned to himself as he carried the sleeping girl to his bed. She was frustrating, but she was worth it.