The Academy[A loki x OC fanfiction}

Ashlynn sat in her quiet, sun-drenched room at Avengers HQ, a soft breeze fluttering the curtains. She had been staring out the window for hours, her thoughts tangled in uncertainty. The world had slowed down since the events at the Raft, and yet, it felt like she was still caught in the current, unable to move forward with clarity. Despite her progress, despite the months of rehabilitation, there were still moments—more and more of them—when doubt crept in, shrouding the future she had fought so hard to reclaim.

Loki's voice broke the silence, low and warm. "You're brooding again, Ashlynn."

Ashlynn turned to find him standing in the doorway, his expression soft, yet with a touch of concern in his eyes. He had been there for her, patiently watching as she navigated the tumultuous waters of recovery, but there was a certain weight to his gaze now, something unspoken hanging in the air.

"I'm not brooding," she replied with a slight tilt of her head, attempting to mask the unease in her voice. "I'm thinking."

"Same thing," Loki murmured, stepping further into the room. He took a seat on the edge of the bed beside her, his long fingers lightly brushing the fabric of her pillow as he settled. His presence was a comfort but also a reminder of the distance between them—a gap filled with unspoken fears and unaddressed tension.

Ashlynn glanced at him, her brow furrowing slightly. "What do you want, Loki?"

"You," he answered simply, eyes fixed on hers. "I want you to stop pretending everything is fine when I know you're struggling. I know you better than that."

Her lips pressed into a thin line, and she turned her gaze back to the window. She hated this. Hated that he could see through her so easily, hated that her walls, once so strong, now seemed so fragile. "I'm fine," she said, her voice more forceful than she intended. "I'll be fine. I just need time."

Loki's gaze softened. "You don't have to do this alone."

"I'm not alone," she snapped, her tone sharper than she had intended. She met his gaze again, her eyes fierce despite the growing ache in her chest. "I have you, and I have the Academy, and I'm not going to let this defeat me."

"You're not 'defeated,' Ashlynn," Loki said, his voice barely above a whisper. "But you're pushing yourself too hard, too fast. I see it. You haven't given yourself time to heal, truly heal."

"I'm doing what I have to do," she countered, a tremor of frustration slipping through her usual composure. "The world doesn't wait. The Academy doesn't wait. Kate is leading it, and I'm sitting here on the sidelines, watching her take charge. She's growing into something I thought I would be. I can't just sit back and let that happen. I have to prove that I'm still strong. That I still have a place in this world."

Loki shook his head gently, his dark hair falling slightly over his eyes. "Ashlynn, you're not competing with Kate. You're not competing with anyone. You're competing with yourself. And that, my love, is a battle you will never win if you don't allow yourself the space to heal."

She clenched her fists in her lap, a mix of anger and guilt churning in her gut. "I don't want to be a burden. I can't sit in a wheelchair forever, and I can't just... fade away. I won't. I can still be of use, Loki. I still have so much left to give. I need to be out there."

Loki leaned forward, his hand reaching for hers. She hesitated, but then let him gently take it, feeling the warmth of his touch spread through her.

"You think you're fading away?" Loki's voice dropped even lower, his eyes piercing into hers. "You think I would ever let you fade away? You're not a burden, Ashlynn. You've never been a burden. But you've been carrying the weight of the world for so long, it's hard to see how much more you have to give. And I see you, I see your strength, even when you can't."

Ashlynn felt the sting of tears behind her eyes, but she blinked them away, refusing to break. She had cried too many times during her recovery, too many times in the dark when no one was around to see the vulnerability. She wasn't going to let herself be weak again. She couldn't.

"I'm not weak," she said, her voice cracking slightly. "I'm not."

"I never said you were," Loki responded gently. "But you don't have to prove your strength every minute of every day, Ashlynn. Sometimes, real strength is in knowing when to rest, when to take a step back and heal."

She swallowed hard, turning her gaze away from him again. "I don't know how to do that. How do I step back when there's so much to be done? I'm watching Kate step into a role I thought I would have, and she's... she's doing so well, Loki. I'm proud of her, I am, but it hurts. It hurts more than I thought it would."

Loki's fingers tightened around hers, his voice steady. "It's not a failure to step aside. It's not a defeat to let someone else take charge when you're not ready. Kate will need you, Ashlynn. She needs your guidance, your wisdom. But that doesn't mean you have to be in the front lines every second. You can still lead from where you are, even if it's from the sidelines for now."

Her chest tightened as she considered his words, but there was still that nagging feeling deep inside of her—a fear she couldn't quite place, a fear that had started creeping back into her mind ever since the Raft. She had tried to ignore it, to push it away, but it lingered, always at the back of her thoughts.

"I don't know, Loki," she whispered. "Something doesn't feel right. I'm having visions again. They're not clear, but they're there. Fragments of things... of people, of places. I don't understand them, but I know they mean something. And every time I close my eyes, they're there, haunting me."

Loki's brow furrowed in concern. "Visions? I thought we started to control them?"

She sighed heavily, rubbing her temple as if to ward off the headache that always followed. "I see the Academy, but it's... different. It's falling apart. I see chaos. I see people who are supposed to be allies turning on each other. And I see... darkness, Loki. Pure darkness, swallowing everything. I can't make sense of it."

Loki's grip on her hand tightened, his eyes searching hers with intensity. "When do these visions come?"

"Usually when I'm alone," Ashlynn admitted. "When I'm not focused, when my guard is down. It's like my mind can't rest, no matter how much I try. It's always there, lurking."

He was silent for a long moment, his gaze distant as if he were considering something carefully. Then, in a voice that was softer than before, he spoke. "I don't know what these visions mean, but I do know this: you're not alone in facing them. If you need help, if you need to talk, you have me. You always have me."

Ashlynn met his gaze again, and for the first time in a long while, she felt a flicker of relief. She wasn't alone. Loki would always be there for her, no matter what darkness threatened to engulf her.

"I'm scared, Loki," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "What if I can't stop it? What if these visions are warning me about something worse? What if I can't save them? I couldn't save everything last time..."

Loki's expression softened further, and he placed a gentle hand on her cheek, brushing away a tear that had managed to escape. "You will save them. You always do. And you will save yourself, Ashlynn. But you have to give yourself the chance to heal first. Don't fight your body's needs; don't fight the recovery you deserve. Trust me. Trust yourself."

She took a deep breath, closing her eyes briefly as his words settled into her mind. There was truth in them, undeniable truth. But it was hard to let go of the fear, hard to admit that she couldn't do it all, couldn't always be the hero. Yet, maybe that was the lesson she needed to learn: that being a hero wasn't always about being in the front lines. Sometimes, it was about stepping back, healing, and finding the strength to fight another day.

"I'll try," she said softly, her voice steady but filled with uncertainty. "I'll try to let go. But it's so hard."

Loki smiled gently, his thumb brushing against her cheek. "I know, Ashlynn. But you don't have to do it alone."

And for the first time in a long while, she let herself believe that maybe—just maybe—she didn't have to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders.