(WARNINGS: EXTREMELY TRIGGERING FOR SOME! MENTIONS OF SELF HARM!)

Loki was at a loss. There was something going on with you, but you weren't telling him. As your father, he wanted and needed to know what was happening, but he also knew that pushing you would only make things worse. He didn't want you to resent him later on down the road.

Loki never could have predicted how difficult being a parent would be, but he loved it. He felt so lucky to have you as his child. He attempted to be the best father he could, but now he was completely confused. He would soon find out what was going on and it was something he never would have dreamed of.

You came out of your room and headed for the kitchen. Loki was sitting in a chair with a book, but he smiled at you in greeting when you came in. You smiled back, but Loki could tell it was forced. "Hey, Dad." You reached up for something in the cabinet and that's when he saw it. Your sleeve had fallen back and revealed the skin on your arm. Scars, both old and new, from where you'd been injured.

"Y/N?" You could hear the concern in his voice. Loki got up and came over to you. He gently took your arm and pushed your sleeve up. "Who did this to you?" You swallowed thickly. You shook your head and tried to pull your arm away. "Y/N, I can't help you if you don't tell me. Who did that to you?" You didn't answer and Loki kept asking until you finally snapped.

"I did it myself, Dad! God!" You wrenched your arm away from him, ignoring the pain in your arm. You stormed off, leaving a confused and pained Loki behind you. He didn't understand why you would do that to yourself. Had he done something to cause you to feel like you needed to harm yourself? Had he not done something he should have? He knew he had to talk to you and find out. After you calmed down.

In your room, you were removing the bandages from your last time. You were glad your dad hadn't seen the newer cuts along your arm. Although there was part of you that was glad your dad knew now, you were still afraid of his reaction. Would he be angry with you or would he see your cry for help? You didn't know which you hoped for.

A few minutes later, there was a knock on your door. "Come in," you mumbled. The door opened and your dad came in with your favorite snack. He handed it to you before sinking to the floor next to you. "Tell me what to do here, Y/N," he said, taking you by surprise. You thought he always knew what to do.

"I don't know," you muttered. "Can you explain why you do this to yourself? I want to help you, but I am at a loss." You gulped again before telling him exactly what had happened. How you were bullied at school and how your dad was always gone. You felt like you had no one there for you. You were lonely. You felt you weren't good enough and so many other things just kept adding up. All that pain took physical form in cutting.

"Why didn't you tell me? I would have done something. Anything." You shrugged. "You're always so busy, I didn't want to bother you." Loki rested a hand on your shoulder. "You could never bother me, Y/N. I am your father. My most important job is to be there for you." He carefully moved to hug you and you gladly returned the hug. It felt nice.

"Now, I know we can't fix this overnight, but next time you feel this way, I want you to come to me. I want you to know that you can come to me for anything. Alright?" You nodded. "Thanks, Dad." Like your dad said, it wouldn't happen overnight, but you felt a little better knowing that you had a dad like yours who was willing to help you rather than waving you off as an over dramatic child. Sitting there with him, you had a feeling that life was going to get a bit better for you both. 

(a/n: If you're feeling like this, please please please talk to someone!)