Archive of Our Own ^beta

Adam is sitting on the old couch with many patches of random coloured fabric sewed there and here with many pillows around that is totally-not-stolen. The ship of the Guardians are unusually quiet, where there’s usually chaotic argument and Quill’s loud funky music. Adam fingers drumming a silent rhythm on a familiar raven’s shoulder besides him. He gazed at the old TV infront of them.He wasn't much of a party animal like the other guardians. the boisterous laughter and the pulsing bass from Knowhere's nightlife didn't appeal him. They were out there now, probably drinking and dancing away their worries. Adam couldn't blame them. the universe had thrown a lot at them lately. But he just needed this quiet and comforting time to recharge.

Loki, on the other hand, sit comfortably with his head leaning closely to adam’s side as the gold’s man hand wrapped around him comfortably. His legs stretched out on the couch, eyes glued to the holographic TV, They’re watching some dumb midgardian reality TV show that’s clearly scripted with horrible acting, loki found it so amusing for he can laughed and make fun at them freely. (Adam still don’t understand why someone would cheat their 8 years relationship for someone he met with at a weird kids block game called roblox, Loki just laughed saying ‘peak midgardian braincells’)

Adam glanced over at him, noticing the way the artificial light played with the shadows on his face, highlighting the sharp cheekbones and the soft gaze with a faint small smile on his face. His ever-so-slight smirk and sharp makeup that seemed to be a permanent fixture is not shown right now and it’s just him as he is. It was moments like these when Loki's godly status took a backseat to his humanity. He really is just a man, trying to find some awful drama show in the intergalactic broadcast.

The soft hum of the ship's engines lulled Adam into a peaceful state, the gentle vibrations resonating through the floor and up into his bones. He reached for the blanket that lay draped over the back of the couch, intending to pull it over them both. His hand brushed lightly along Loki’s side in the process.

Loki jolted, letting out a high-pitched squeek, squirming away from the touch. Surprised, Adam froze, his hand hovering in the air. His brows furrowed with instant concern, gaze scanning Loki’s face. “Did I-? I’m sorry, did I hurt you?”

Both of the emerald eyes snapped to Adam but the raven didn’t answer. He was perfectly still, lips pursed into a tight line, ears red. His face had gone a shade pinker than usual, a flash of something unreadable passing over them before he composed himself. Loki cleared his throat, immediately trying to recover whatever scraps of dignity he had left. “Ah nothing. Your hand just caught me off guard.”

And that’s when Adam realized.

He tilted his head, something sparking in his chest. He raised an eyebrow as a slow grin beginning to form. “You’re ticklish.”
"I am not ticklish." Loki said with a dignified sniff, his voice a touch too defensive.

Adam couldn't help the grin that spread across his face. He'd just discovered something new about the God of Mischief, something that made him seem so out of character. "Really?" he asked, his tone teasing. He inched the blanket closer, watching Loki's reaction with anticipation. "Because that sounded an awful lot like a tickle."

Loki's eyes narrowed, a spark of fear showed up in his eyes as he tries to inch away from said gold man. Which he failed to do, so for it’s just a small sofa.

"It did not” he insisted, his body tensing slightly.

“Well it is.”

“Adam, I swear to the stars, if you try it again-”

Too late.

Adam wasn't one to pass up an opportunity for some light-hearted fun. Adam quickly reached for him once more, deliberately this time. His fingers ghosted over Loki’s ribs and the god squeaked, giggling while kicking out with a flailing sort of chaos that was utterly un-Loki-like. Adam trapped the god between him and the pillows behind loki as his hands keep tickling him.

“STAHAHAP-!” Loki gasped between sharp laughs, squirming beneath Adam’s gentle, relentless touch. “YOU- MEHEHENACE! YOU’LL- HAHA PAY FOR THIS-”

Adam's own laughter joined the mix as he continued his tickling assault. Seeing the usually composed trickster reduced to laughter is something he hadn't expected from the god, he never showed this much of vulnerability and Adam enjoyed every second of it.

“I thought gods didn’t have weaknesses” Adam teased, grinning slightly.

“THIS DOESN’T COUNT!” Loki wheezed, breathless and flushed with laughter, hair a mess, eyes shining. “THIS IS SABOTAHAHAGE”
As the minutes passed, the tickles grew gentler, turning into a warm embrace. They lay there together, Adam's hand still resting on Loki's side, feeling the other man's still giggling uncharacteristically childishly.

The TV flickered, casting a soft glow on their faces. They remained still for a moment, as Loki catching his breath.

"You know.." Adam said, his voice a low rumble in the quiet while grinning softly at the tortured god underneath him. "you're not so bad when you're not plotting the end of the world."

Loki's smile was soft as he looked up at Adam. "Neither are you, when you're not saving it.” he replied, his eyes shimmering with a hint of affection.

Adam smiled back softly at him but of course, he did not let that pass. “Oh yea? Im not gonna save you from this then!” He then struck again, finger poking lightly at his stomach. His guess that the god is also ticklish there too was right as Loki yelped, twisting violently to escape, laughter bubbling uncontrollably from his lips.

“You traitor!” he cried, eyes wide with mock betrayal as he tried to wiggle out of Adam’s grip. “Have you got no mercy?”

Adam just chuckled darkly. “Hmm for you? None.” He said, as he continue torturing the poor god.

Without warning, Loki uses his magic push Adam hands away and kicked one leg over Adam’s lap and twisted his weight. rolling them in one fluid, messy motion. The couch creaked in protest as a shocked Adam found himself flipped onto his back, Loki straddling him triumphantly, hair wild and breathless, eyes gleaming with vengeance.

“Now..” Loki declared, smirking like a cat who’d just cornered a mouse. “Let’s see how you like it!”

He dug his fingers into Adam’s sides, fully expecting to trigger some squirming. Maybe a startled yelp. Even a full laughter. But instead, he was met with..

nothing.

Adam blinked up at him. Grinning lazily at the god on top of him, amused, as if Loki had merely brushed dust off his jacket. “Are you done?”

Loki paused, confused.

Without a beat he tries to tickling him again. A bit harder this time.

Adam chuckled but not because of the fingers on his sides, he leaned back slightly, putting his hand on Loki’s hips so he doesn’t fall over. “I don’t think my body works the way yours was, your mischievousness."

Loki’s jaw dropped in quiet horror. “Are you not ticklish AT ALL?”

Adam just stared at him with amusement, his mouth tilting into the faintest smile as if Loki were trying to poke a marble statue. Except he wasn’t. He was poking a golden, breathing man with an unholy smirk slowly creeping across his face.

Loki froze when he saw the smirk. That should’ve been Loki’s first warning.

“Why are you smiling like that?” Loki narrowed his eyes suspiciously, still straddling Adam’s lap. “Stop that. Wipe that smirk off your face.”

Adam didn’t answer. Not with words.

His hands simply moved, and without warning, he struck. Fingers found Loki’s side again, expertly worming past his shirt like they had a mission. Loki yelped so loudly it almost echoed the room.

“AH- ADAHAHAM NO-!”

He flinched violently, trying to twist away, but Adam didn’t even sit up. He just shifted slightly, still reclining, one strong arm now casually wrapped around Loki’s waist to keep him in place while the other continued the slow, torturous assault.

Loki buckled forward, half-laughing, half-sputtering. “I SWEAR- I’LL TURN YOU INTO A FROG-!”

“I don’t mind.” Adam said with a grin, his voice is somewhat annoyingly calm for someone who is committing war crimes right now.

Loki squirmed helplessly, he was laughing so hard he couldn’t even curse properly anymore, reduced to breathless squeaks and incoherent threats, his limbs feels like jelly as he doesnt trash around no more.

Eventually, Adam relented, easing off with a satisfied little hum. Loki finally gave in, collapsing onto him like a puppet with cut strings. His head dropped to Adam’s shoulder, still giggling helplessly against his neck, cheeks flushed crimson as his breath coming in little huffs.

“I hate you.”

“No you don’t.” Adam said, smugly.

The trickster looked utterly defeated. He eventually move and make himself comfortable around Adam, he rest his head on his chest and let out a muffled noise, equal parts groan and grumble. Adam wrapped an arm around him lazily, one hand idly trailing down the small of his back. Loki didn’t move. Just stayed there, draped dramatically, as if any effort to reclaim dignity might kill him. When Loki finally looked up, his expression tried for a scowl, but it faltered thanks to the unmistakable curl of a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

Adam chuckled, still smiling from the aftermath of Loki’s ticklish outburst. “I didn’t expect the great God of Lies to be taken down by a mere tickle.”

Loki huffed, rolling his eyes but not bothering himself to move from his cozy spot on Adam’s chest. “Yes, well. This shall be a secret. You have no idea what Thor did when we were little and he found out.”

Adam raised an eyebrow, amused upon hearing it. “Let me guess. He used that knowledge constantly?”

“Oh. At every chance he got.” Loki grumbled. “Hiding behind pillars, under tables, once from the wardrobe to tackle me for it. You haven’t known fear until you’ve been sneak-attacked by your brother who’s twice the size of you from inside a laundry basket.”

Adam laughed. “Sounds traumatic.”

“It was. And he called it ‘brotherly bonding.’” Loki looked personally offended. “Sneak tickle attacks. As if that’s affection.”

Adam gave him a look. His eyebrow raised as one of the corner of his lips tugged upward. “Loki. You think biting someone as a snake is affection.”

Loki blinked, then grinned. “Guilty.”

Adam’s fingers moved gently over the back of Loki’s head, his other hand playing with his hair in absent-minded patterns. The tickling had stopped, but the aftermath still clung to the air. Loki still draped over him in exhaustion, hair a little messy, face pink, and dignity somewhere on the floor, long forgotten. To his credit, he hadn’t moved. Just laid there, eyes half-lidded, breathing slowly evening out. The ship’s hum filled the space between them, the screen still playing some half-forgotten program neither of them were watching.Adam leaned his head back against the couch, golden eyes half-lidded, his other arm looped loosely around Loki’s waist, holding him like he was something precious.

“I’m still mad.” Loki mumbled eventually, though his voice was more sulky kitten than a menacing god that he is.

Adam chuckled, the low sound rumbling through his chest. “Sure you are.”

Loki shifted only slightly, burrowing further into him, cheek pressing to the crook of Adam’s neck. “I am. I’m a god. Trickster of Asgard. Prince of Mischief. People don’t just… manhandle me and live to tell the tale.”

Adam’s fingers never stopped their gentle path along his back. “Mmm. And yet here i am. Unmurdered.”

A small, muffled sound escaped Loki, somewhere between a scoff and a breathy laugh. “You’re lucky i’m a merciful god.”

“I'm grateful indeed” Adam said, playing with the raven’s hair softly.

For a moment, they just breathed together. The kind of silence that wasn’t awkward but settled and calm like the gentle rain after a storm.

“Are you sure you’re really not ticklish anywhere?”

“Nope. The Sovereign enhanced my nervous system that it can feel Pain, temperature, even pressure. but not the tickling.” Adam replied, the smirk clear in his voice.

Loki sighed dramatically. “That’s disturbing. I can’t trust someone like that.”

Adam tilted his head just enough to catch Loki’s eye. “And yet you’re using me as a pillow.”

“I’m investigating.”

“Thoroughly?”

“Painstakingly.” Loki murmured, curling a little tighter against him.

Adam smiled. He didn’t say anything more. just traced idle lines between Loki’s shoulder blades, watching as the tension melted from him inch by inch. It was rare to see Loki like this. Not guarded, not smirking, not playing some layered game of wit and illusion. but simply there. Warm, a little flushed, quiet in a way that said safe. And for a while longer, they stayed just like that. Two hearts wrapped around each other as they comfortably fell asleep in the ship filled with starry sky.