Work Text
Prologue
The Grandmaster's ship travels slowly through space. It's not built for speed, but it saved the people of Asgard from extinction and now it's bringing them to their new home. Standing on the bridge are the king of Asgard and his brother. The course is set to Earth."Do you really think it is a good idea to go back to Earth?"Thor looks at his brother from the side. "Yes, of course. People of Earth love me. I'm very popular."Loki sucks in a breath. "Let me rephrase that. Do you really think it's a good idea to bring mé back to earth?""Probably not, to be honest," Thor says in all earnest, which gets a smile out of Loki. "But I wouldn't worry brother. I feel like everything is gonna work out fine."The brothers are silent for a moment, both just standing there with their arms crossed in front of their chest."How long until we reach Earth? I kinda miss travelling by Bifrost already," Loki says, staring into the vast enormity of space.Thor shrugs. "A couple of weeks." He clasps his brother on the shoulder. "Long enough for you to explain how you managed to get back on this ship in time. Or to tell me how you got on the Grandmaster's good side.""I'd rather not." *** Almost ten, time for my shift at Coffee & Books. I finish the loose braid in my hair while I slip my feet in a pair of comfy flats. A quick look in the mirror shows no outfit errors and I race down the fire escape stairs on the back of the building. I live above my work, which comes in handy when you get lost in a book and forget the time.On my way down I spot my co-worker Thomas, in the alley behind the coffee shop. He closes the lid of the container with a loud bang. "Hello lovely!" he shouts when he spots me racing down the stairs. "No need to hurry, it's a quiet morning."He holds the door for me and follows me in. In the back of the coffee shop is a narrow corridor with four doors: one to the alley, one to the kitchen, one to the little office slash storage room and one that gets you behind the counter of Coffee & Books. I reach around the corner of the little office to snag my apron from one of the hooks on the wall. It's black and shows the logo of my aunt's coffee shop Coffee & Books: a cup of coffee on top of a stack of books. Because that's what we are all about: a good cup of coffee and a nice book. Or tea, whatever you fancy. My favorite is Russian Earl Grey, along with one of my aunt's famous muffins. People from all over New York come here for a taste of her baked goods. I've been here three months now and if I wouldn't be on my feet so much for work, I bet I would have gained at least two pounds a week because of all the delicious treats.I tie my little apron behind my back and pin on my nametag. My aunt believes guests will feel more comfortable if they know your name, so we all wear tags. My cousin Lisa made them and I think they're very cute: a black cup and saucer with our name in a curly white font. Thomas has made his way back to the kitchen and is helping my aunt prepare a fresh batch of muffins. My aunt Yvonne is a Jamaican woman with a personality as present and welcoming as her big bosom. I totally get why my uncle Lars fell head over heels for this woman over thirty years ago. She's the reason he left Norway and settled down in New York City. They are both hard working people: she runs the coffeeshop together with their daughter Lisa and he owns the bookstore next door. I love them to bits, they are like my second parents.After I graduated from university - I studied Dutch language and literature - I worked a couple of jobs, but none of them really had my heart. Add some failed relationships and at 26 I was not really happy. My mother and stepfather wanted to travel Europe after my stepbrother took over the family trucking company, so when I had the chance to come to the United States, I didn't have to think hard on my decision. A chance to do something different, find out what I really want to do with my life. And with my aunt and uncle I found a loving home to do just that."Ylva dear, good morning! Would you mind taking these to the front?" my aunt greets me, motioning to two cakes on the kitchen counter."No problem. Although I can't guarantee they get there. They look mouthwatering, Yvonne!"I get a big smile in return while I grab the tray with the cakes and make my way to the coffeeshop. My cousin is behind the counter, settling the bill with one of our regular customers. I put down the cakes, one is a chocolate cake with white chocolate frosting, the other a carrot cake with little marzipan carrots on top."Good morning, Lisa! And a good morning to you, Mrs. Willow."Lisa nods in acknowledgment while giving back some change to the elderly lady in front of her. Mrs. Willow perks up when she sees me and immediately starts rattling like usual. "Hello dear! And a good morning to you too. I'd love to stay and chat, but I have an appointment at the veterinarian with Mr. Whiskers in half an hour. The little guy needs his shots.""Ah, too bad Mrs. Willow! But I'm sure I'll see you soon again and then we'll catch up."Jane Willow is one of our regulars, she lives in the small apartment building next door. Every morning she comes in for coffee and a chat. She's a lovely lady who misses her late husband very much. She doesn't have a lot of family in the area, so we make up for that. Ever since she learned that I'm from Holland, she loves to talk about her husband with me. He was in the army and in the early years of their marriage he was stationed in Germany for a while. His army camp was pretty close to the Dutch border, so he visited my country often. I can't count the times she's told me that already, but she's a sweet lady, so I'm happy to put up with her stories. She always sits on one of the barstools at the side of the counter, so she can talk to us while we are working.I look around the little café. I love the way it looks: mismatched sofas and chairs, little tables and books everywhere. Through the glass wall on my right I spot my uncle Lars, in the bookstore. He sticks up his hand and I wave back. Originally the bookstore and the coffee shop where in two seperate buildings. But during the alien attack on New York, just over six years ago, this whole block got damaged pretty badly. Stark Tower is just around the corner, meaning the coffee shop was right in the middle of things. During the renovations the bookstore and the coffee shop were sort of merged together, separated only by a glass wall with a door in it. I love the combination of the bookstore and the coffee shop. Guests come in here for a drink and a read. And if they can't put the book down, they can purchase a copy of their own next door. Or they buy a book from my uncle first and come in for a cup of coffee while they read their new book.Lots of people left this part of town after the alien invasion, but my aunt and uncle stayed. They were shocked by all what happened, but didn't want to leave their home and lives. I remember seeing the footage on the news at home, in Holland. I couldn't believe my eyes: aliens pouring out of a hole in the sky! A man in a red and yellow suit flying around, a supersoldier with a shield and even a friggin' Norse god wielding a hammer. The world has never been the same, we are certainly not alone in the universe. And even on earth there are people and things I have a hard time believing are real.Now, several years later, things are pretty much back to normal. Life goes on, as it always does. The aliens have only been back once, something that had to do with the alignment of planets. It caused a mess, but not as big as the first time. Not that we, the general public, know of anyway. Every now and then the Avengers show up in the news feeds, I guess they're kind of like an anti-terrorism unit, there's just bits and pieces about them in the news. Thomas says he has served Captain America, the supersoldier, some coffee once. He claims the Captain was a big fan of the muffins too. Now every time he talks about it or the Captain is on the news, the boy gets puppy dog eyes.Time flies when you're having fun and before I know it the clock hits four. I really love my job, the coffee shop is a wonderful place to work. It has tea, books and cake. What else can a girl want? Well, a little love maybe. And I had that, or so I thought. But two weeks ago that all came crashing down. I shake my head, not wanting to think about it anymore.But life can be cruel and when the bell at the door jingles my heart sinks in my chest. In comes Chad Meyer, six feet of handsome. I'm behind the counter with Lisa, who looks up to the door when she sees my face."What is he doing here?!" she mutters under her breath, while Chad makes his way over to us."Your guess is as good as mine."I really don't want this now. I wasn't sure who it was I was more mad at, Chad for cheating on me, or myself for being so naive. I spent two days in bed, feeling like shit, until Thomas took me out clubbing. The hangover was hideous, but it helped to stop feeling sorry for myself.Nevertheless, that did not mean I wanted to be confronted with my ex. Lisa knew about the whole story, being my roommate and closest friend here in New York.I don't know whether he pretends not to notice the cold reception, or that he really doesn't feel he isn't welcome, but he gives us his most charming smile when he stops in front of us."Afternoon, ladies!" Chad says, placing his hands on the counter. "Ylva, good to see you. How are you?"I shrug, not really feeling the need to answer. Lisa picks up for me. "What can we do for you, Chad?""I came for one of your mother's famous muffins," he laughs. "And to see at what time Ylva's shift ended."I suck in a breath and stare at my ex-boyfriend. Did he really think I would want to spend time with him again? Just looking at him makes my stomach turn to knots.I'd met him at the photography course I took when I just came to New York City. I wanted to meet new people and it worked: I met Chad. We were dating for almost two months, when I saw him one evening in the park, kissing another girl. I confronted him and he just spilled his guts. It turned out he also had used the course to meet new people. Several new people. I felt so betrayed! And I was mad at myself for falling so blindly - and so fast - for a guy. I felt like a little country girl, which maybe I just am. Literally. A girl from a small European country, all by herself in one of the world's biggest cities."Chad, I..." I start saying when Thomas suddenly pops up next to me, with a box of muffins in his hand."Delivery for the Avengers", he says. "Can you take it, Ylva?" ***
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I could kiss Thomas for his perfect timing! I rush out off the door, the box with muffins in my hand. I didn't even get my jacket and I still have my apron on. It's a bit chilly outside, as it has been cast over all day and I'm just wearing a green shirt dress paired with dark green leggings. I should have grabbed my jacket. But I couldn't care less, I'm just glad I got away from a very awkward situation. Besides, summer is coming soon. The weather will improve in a short while, I'm just a little ahead of time with my outfit. I whistle softly to the tune of Bob Marley's Jammin', a song that was playing in the coffee shop just before I left. Aunt Yvonne often shows her Jamaican roots in her choice of music.Stark Tower is just a ten minute walk from the coffee shop. We don't have a delivery service, but we make an exception for some companies at our block, Stark Industries being one of them. Once or twice a week they order muffins or cake, probably when there is a meeting or something. Sometimes the order is just addressed to Stark Tower, sometimes to The Avengers. I guess they like muffins too. The last couple of months there is also the occasional order of books, on a wide arrange of topics. Just last week I delivered some works on Greek and Roman mythology, along with a box of muffins.Away from Chad, I can feel my shoulders relax again and I take deep breaths. The streets are busy like they always are, but I don't mind the hustle and bustle. When I glance up at the sky I regret again not taking my jacket, I don't think I will get back without catching some rain. Or thunder, as I hear a faint rumble in the distance.Across the street from Stark Tower there is a half an acre of green, with a monument for the people that lost their lives during the alien invasion. On the site used to be a building, but that got demolished in the attack. The monument is a tall marble column, pointing at the sky, with the names of the people inscripted at the bottom. It's in the middle of a lawn, surrounded by some park benches.The column always reminds me of the great obelisk in the middle of Place de la Concordia in Paris. I have visited the French capital a couple of times, it was just a five hour drive from my hometown in Holland. Compared to some of the distances here in the US, that is nothing.Before the monument a group of people is gathered behind a barrier. They carry signs that say things like 'No more secrets', 'Stark sucks' and 'The Avengers are criminals'. It's a well known sight, there have been protesters outside Stark Tower ever since the attack on the city. I get it, I really do. Your whole life gets turned upside down, maybe you lose loved ones... You are looking for someone to blame. I don't know if Stark or the Avengers are to blame for the alien invasion. I don't think they invited the aliens over for tea.Lisa told me the protests aren't that heavy anymore as they were in the beginning, only the hard core protesters are left. Most people have moved on. The public is getting more and more used to having a few extra special people in their society, people like The Avengers. They're celebrities now, some of them show up in the entertainment section of newspapers and on tv. But this is Manhattan, New York, there are lots of famous people here. Every now and then we've got photographers waiting outside the coffee shop. Thomas always knows which one of our guests they're after, he seems to know every actor, singer or tv-star. One time, we even had to get one of the guests out through the back door. Thomas said he was from some famous boy band, but I didn't recognise him. My boy band phase was almost fifteen years ago.Just as the first big drops of rain start to fall I enter the lobby of Stark Tower. It's a huge white space, with several elevator doors to my right, glass doors with metal detectors and guards at the end and a big reception desk to my left. I make my way to the reception desk. All the receptionists are busy, so I wait my turn and look around for a bit. In the lobby it's a coming and going of people, most of them dressed in business suits. There's also the occasional dark uniform, a bit military like. I guess they're special forces or something, like The Avengers."Those must be the delicious treats Rogers was talking about!" booms a deep voice right next to me.My heart jumps to my throat and I think I let out a squeek as I spin to my side. I nearly drop the box of muffins, but the man in front of me catches it easily with his big hands."I'm sorry, my lady. I didn't mean to startle you," he says with a slight accent.At first all I see is just a broad chest wrapped in a T-shirt and a zipped hoodie. Is he wearing an Avengers T-shirt? I crane my neck to look up and meet a big grin and amused eyes. Or eye, I realise, as he's wearing an eyepatch on his right eye."I... uh..." I stammer, not yet fully recovered from his sudden appearance. The big blond man is just smiling at me, the box of muffins in his hands. God, he is big. And handsome, that too. Scruffy blond hair, a beard and crows feet next to his eyes that suggest he laughs a lot."It's okay. I was just... uh... my mind was elsewhere I guess," I tell him, recollecting myself. I put out my hands to take back the box, but he waves me off."I'll take these up, don't worry, my lady," he says. "I know just who these are for." He peeks in the box and adds: "And I think I will enjoy these treats as well."Then it dawns on me. The tall man towering over me must be none other than Thor, the Norse god who fights alongside The Avengers. I'm standing less than two feet away from the God of Thunder. I just stare at him, baffled."Where's your hammer?" I blurt out.Stupid. Stupid move, Ylva. You are standing in front of a god, and you act like a nervous teenager. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." I start, but Thor doesn't seem bothered by my graceless question."Mjölnir comes to me when I need him, just as these delicious treats." he jests, holding up the box of muffins.A man easily as big as Thor joins us. Did I just walk into giant country? These guys are huge! The man has dark skin, dreadlocks and he's wearing sunglasses. His clothing is a little odd, it looks like he is wearing some sort of tunic, underneath a long dark brown coat. He gives me a small nod and then speaks to Thor. "Forgive me, but our presence is expected upstairs, my king.""Ah right. Thank you, my friend," Thor answers him. "Forgive me, my lady... Little Wolf" he adds in my direction, after looking at my nametag. "I bid you good day."As Thor turns around and walks to the elevators, the big dark man gives me another nod. "Good day, my lady. We'll be seeing you again."I just stand there dumbfounded."Uh... bye..." I manage to say, as I watch the men step into an elevator. They're accompanied by two other people, a man and a woman, both also taller than average. The woman wears a long light brown dress, with some sort of cloak on top. It doesn't look like regular modern fashion. The man is dressed more contemporary, in a completely black suit. He has long dark hair, slicked back from his forehead.Just before the elevator doors close, the man in black looks me right in the eyes. It's a very intense look and I feel a little intimidated, even though the elevator is on the other side of the lobby, almost 70 ft away from me.Well. That was embarrassing. I feel like I made a complete fool of myself. But how often do you meet a god?Thor called me Little Wolf. The only people who ever said that to me were my mother and grandmother. My name means 'little wolf' or 'she-wolf'. It's Norse. My father's name was Ulf, the male equivalent of Ylva. My parents moved to Holland before I was born and they gave me a classic Norse name, to remember my heritage. I'm glad I'm named after my father, he passed away when I was just three years old and I barely remember him. Uncle Lars is his older brother and from pictures I know they look very much alike.My grandmother - from my father's side - used to tell me lots of stories, fairy tales and folktales. Along them, various stories about the old Norse gods. I wish she was still alive so I could tell her I met the God of Thunder. And apparently, I will meet him again, according to his big friend. What was up with his sunglasses anyway? Who wears sunglasses indoors, when it rains? Oh, wait. Maybe he's blind, that could be it. Way to go, Ylva, thinking a blind person looks ridiculous with sunglasses! I'm getting frustrated with myself, embarrassed of my own behaviour. Time to get outside and return to work. No gods there. No blind man in odd clothing. No man in black with his intense stare.When I get back at the coffeeshop my co-workers are busy handling the late afternoon crowd; mostly people from the offices nearby, who come to grab a coffee before heading home or before going back to the office to work late. I pitch in and it's only after we close at 7 pm that I get the chance to tell my friends about meeting a god."No way!" Thomas exclaims after my statement. "Tell me everything! How did he look? Is he really that handsome? Did you feel his muscles?""I didn't touch him!" I put up my hands defensively. "And that's for the better. It would've only made things more embarrassing, I already felt like a fourteen year old at a One Direction concert.""I'm sure you didn't make a fool of yourself, Ylva", aunt Yvonne soothes. "People always instantly like you, I'm sure this Thor isn't any different.""Well... we're talking about a Norse god here. That would make him different, wouldn't it?"My aunt always tells me I have a gift with people. She claims I must have an especially friendly aura, one that oozes relaxing vibes. It's true that I have great social skills, even though I'm not much of a talker. People easily seem to like me and somehow they end up telling me all sorts of things. Probably just because they're comfortable around me. It happens often enough that they tell me things I surely wish they hadn't. Or maybe later they are the ones who wish they didn't tell me.But even though lots of people like me, I don't like being around large numbers of people. It tires me, makes my spine tingle, often resulting in a headache. At work, I can manage it. When I'm serving customers, the contact is often brief. And even though the coffee shop can be really busy, the atmosphere is calm and collected. People come here for a nice chat or to read, so emotions don't tend to run high.Going out is a different story, there can be a lot of tension between people, fuelled by alcohol. And with everybody confined in a close space like a club, well... let's just say it costs me a lot of energy. But I love dancing, so every once in a while I brace myself mentally and go out anyway. I love to go out with Thomas, who knows his way around lots of cool clubs and dancings. For my birthday, a little over a month ago, he took me to a club that looked like a fifties diner, with music from that era. I felt like I was on the set of Grease, I loved it! I don't think I would bump into the God of Thunder there, although there was plenty of Grease Lightning.My uncle has made dinner for the family and afterwards we're lingering at the table, just talking together. Lisa and I live above the coffeeshop, my aunt and uncle have a home above the bookstore. Just like downstairs, there is a door that connects the two spaces. We eat together once or twice a week, the other evenings it's just me and Lisa, in our own apartment. Her boyfriend Marc often joins us, he makes a mean spaghetti alla puttanesca."So Ylva, Yvonne tells me you met a god today?" my uncle asks pleasantly, like it's normal conversation.I nod. "I did! None other than Thor, the God of Thunder. I wish I could tell grandma about it.""She would have loved that, I'm sure," he agrees."According to the tales, he's from Asgard, right?"My uncle nods. The stories grandma told me, were the bedtime stories of my dad and uncle. He knows them all by heart and mythology is a favourite subject for my uncle. He knows all about the European myths and sagas, especially when it comes to the northern countries. "Thor, son of Odin Allfather and Frigga. And there's others too. Like Loki, the Trickster, or the handsome Balder. He was killed by one of his brothers, who in turn was tricked by Loki. There are tons of stories about all sorts of gods. They all live in Asgard. Heimdall is sort of the watchman of Asgard. He can see all that happens in the realms and his horn Gjall can be heard throughout the Nine Worlds.""I remember the Nine Worlds from grandma's stories. Earth is one of them, right? What is it called again?""Midgard. All the worlds are part of the tree of life, Yggdrasil," my uncle answers. Then he gets up from the table and walks to one of the bookcases that line the wall. "I believe I have a book on Norse mythology here... Yes, here it is, you can read it if you like. It might come in handy the next time you have to deliver muffins to Thor.""Thanks, uncle, but I doubt it there will be a next time. I think Thomas has dibs on delivery to Stark Tower now. He wants a closer look on Thor's broad chest."Lisa and aunt Yvonne laugh heartily at my comment. My uncle just smiles, he never is one for big emotions.I take the book he hands me and open it. It is beautifully illustrated. Skimming through the pages I find an image of Thor, he is wearing armor, with a billowing red cape. In his hand is a huge hammer, which looks like it could crash through a wall easily. His hair is long and he wears a helmet with some sort of wings on the side. No eyepatch yet.I think about the man I saw in the lobby of the Stark building this afternoon and start to laugh. "Well... he certainly looks different in an Avengers T-shirt and a hoodie!"
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This past week I've been reading up on Norse mythology. I loved the book my uncle gave me, so I scoured his bookshelves for more books and indulged myself in them every evening. There are so many stories about as many gods or demigods: Asgard must be a crowded place!After reading so much about Asgard and its supposed inhabitants, it makes me wonder about the people that were with Thor in the lobby. They didn't strike me as regular people, were they gods too? Did Thor bring his friends to Midgard? It is fun to think about these kind of questions while working. I have this whole theory about how the man with the sunglasses is Heimdall, who watches over everything, and how the man in black is Loki the Trickster. In the illustrated book Loki was pictured with a horned helmet, dressed for battle in black and green leather. How different did he look in a suit!Even Chad didn't spoil my daydreaming fun when he showed up again earlier this week. I was half listening to Mrs. Willow telling another story about her late husband, half thinking about Norse gods here on earth, when Chad came in. He wasn't alone, I recognized the other guy as one of his friends from work. They got a table and Chad did his best to catch my attention. Luckily, he was in Emilia's section of the coffeeshop, so I didn't have to serve him. I did have to listen to Emilia gushing about how handsome 'those two guys' were later on, but I'm used to that.Between her and Thomas there is a whole grading system to rate good looking men. Chad used to be in the top ten, but he lost a lot of points on personality after betraying me. However, I think he's still ranking high in Emilia's personal top ten. I can't blame her, Chad and his dark curls are easy on the eyes and he can be very charming. That is until he sticks his tongue down some other girls' throat. But it is easy to overlook that sort of things when you're 17 years old and blushing because he tells you you look pretty.It's a quiet saturday morning. I am just cleaning up after a group of girls who went to yoga class before visiting Coffee & Books. They all had a yoga mat with them and every girl ordered green tea. Typical. Emilia is at work too, and Lisa is making herself busy making muffins."Good morning!" Thomas walks in through the front door, the bell at the door jingling, with a big box in his hands."Is that Thomas?" Lisa calls from the kitchen. She comes in, drying her hands on her apron. "Are those the new napkins? Let me see!"Thomas puts the box on the counter and uses a pair of scissors to rip the tape. Lisa takes his place and opens the box. She takes out some of the paper napkins and spreads them on the counter. I look over her shoulder. She has designed the napkins to look like a bookmark, with room to write down the title of the book and its author, along with the page you last read."They came out lovely, Lisa!" I compliment my cousin. "They look so clever! I bet the guests will love them!""They sure look good. I'm very happy!" Lisa says with a big smile on her face.Thomas takes a seat on one of the barstools and I make him a cappuccino. Lisa goes back to the kitchen and Emilia tends to a couple of guests who just entered. I chat with Thomas while putting the box with the new napkins under the counter. I take a couple out to fill the napkin holder in front of Thomas. "They look really nice, don't you think?"Thomas nods."Speaking of looking nice, have you seen Thor again?"I shake my head and smile. "You don't meet gods every day. I doubt I will ever see him again.""I wonder who the other people you saw are. Captain America didn't happen to be one of them?""Nope. I didn't see any stars and stripes on a tight spandex suit", I joke. "I don't think they were Americans, or people from Earth even! I've been thinking about it and I came to the conclusion they must be from the same place as Thor.""What, heaven?" Thomas smiles."No, silly, Asgard. In Norse mythology there are nine worlds. Earth is one of them, as is Asgard.""You are correct, my lady Little Wolf" says a deep, familiar voice.Just like the first time, he scares the hell out of me: I swear I jump at least a feet in the air. I had not seen him coming in and neither did Thomas, judging by his wide eyes. My heart tries to beat at a normal pace again, while I search for my ability to speak."Good morning," I manage to say in a normal voice, much to my relief. "You caught me by surprise again, I didn't hear you come in, sir... er... your highness?" Jeesz, what do you call a god? A royal god even."No need for titles, my lady." Thor boomes with a smile. "We came here for a mug of your coffee and some muffins. And my brother wanted to visit the bookstore."Just now I notice Thor is not alone. He brought the dark man with the sunglasses with him and the man in black. Thor and the man with the shades take a seat at the counter, while the man in black keeps standing by the door. He's looking around like he is at some type of exhibition, or the zoo maybe, regarding how he looks at the guests that are scattered around the coffee shop."Black coffee, or one of our specials?" I ask, waving my hand at the choices on the blackboard behind me."Just black coffee for me, please," the God of Thunder answers."And for you, sir?" I ask the man next to him."The same, please, my lady" he replies, dipping his head at me.Not really knowing what etiquette to follow, I nod back and start making the coffees. We have a big coffee maker that grinds the beans on the spot. I'm not much of a coffee drinker myself - I prefer tea - but freshly ground beans sure smell good!Then I spot Thomas, who is signalling me with his eyes to do something. I pull up my eyebrows questioningly, while the coffee maker makes it's grinding noises. Thomas glances over to Thor and his companion meaningfully."Your coffee, gentlemen." I put two cups of coffee in front of them. "And may I introduce you to my colleague, Thomas? He just dropped by on his day off."Thomas almost hops off his barstool from excitement when Thor moves to face him. "Nice to meet you, Lord Thomas. I am Thor Odinson and this is Lord Heimdall, keeper of Asgard."I was right! I turn to the dark man before me. "Nice to meet you, Lord Heimdall. We were not introduced last time.""Indeed not, my lady. It's a pleasure to meet you again." He has a kind smile. Then he takes his sunglasses off, slowly. He looks down at his coffee and when he looks up at me again, I have to stifle a gasp. His eyes are golden, almost like they're not real. But at the same time I'm absolutely sure he can see me clear as day.I swallow and take in his face. He is still smiling kindly and his features are soft. A bit sad even, maybe. "I can see why you wear sunglasses. It's not something you see everyday." I say softly, not wanting everyone to hear.He nods and gives me another smile. Then he changes the subject by asking for the famous muffins. I get busy and put two muffins in front of the men. I also give one to Thomas, who is talking to Thor. I can see how he tries to be on his best behaviour, to impress the God of Thunder. The god himself seems to be happy chatting away, Heimdall on the other hand is more of the silent type, content with nursing his cup of coffee.If I was right about Heimdall, then maybe I'm right about the man in black too. That means that Loki the Trickster is just now opening the glass door to the bookstore, to be greeted by my uncle Lars. As I'm watching I see them talk and even shake hands, like they know each other. Then my uncle takes Loki to the back of the store, where he keeps his most prized possessions in glass cabinets. Lars collects first editions and rare books and keeps them on display in the back of his store. It looks like he is showing Loki some works of Shakespeare. Loki is standing very still next to my uncle, his hands clasped behind his back. His head is tilted slightly to the left, listening to whatever it is Lars is telling him. My uncle is a tall man, but this Norse god is even bigger than him.I don't realise I'm staring, until Lisa pokes me with her elbow. "Looks like you did make a good impression after all, the God of Thunder even comes to visit you!""Don't be silly." I react. "He just likes muffins."I introduce my cousin to Thor and Heimdall and we all talk together. Heimdall is mostly silent, but Thor is really easy to talk to. He tells us that he and some other Asgardians stay at Stark Tower, as guests. And that they were introduced to our muffins by Steve Rogers, also known as Captain America."See! I told you he came here!" Thomas exclaims, which makes Lisa and me laugh.When their cups are empty, I give them a refill."It looks like we have to wait a little longer for my brother to finish up." Thor says. "My brother and his love for books...""Well, we are a coffee shop for booklovers", Lisa quips."And for lovers of muffins." Thor adds. "Can I have another one, Lady Little Wolf?""Why do you call her Little Wolf?" Thomas asks curiously."Why, that's her name, isn't it?" Thor says, and bites a chunk of his muffin.When I see Thomas's face, I explain. "Ylva is Norse for 'little wolf'. Or 'she-wolf'. My dad's name was Ulf, the male counterpart of Ylva. They're some of the oldest names that can be found in written history.""It's a fierce name. Fitting for a fierce lady," Thor adds, saluting me with his coffee cup."Oh, I don't know about that." I answer, feeling a bit uneasy under the attention all of a sudden."Oh come on! You stand your ground!" Lisa says with a sure voice. "Remember that one time when those lawyers from competing firms got in a fight here at the coffee shop? You stopped them and had them all calmed down in five minutes tops! Without you, I think chairs would have been flying through the shop. You have a way with people!"And off she goes, just like her mother, chatting about my positive vibes. Thomas is nodding heatedly to her story and Thor happily goes along with it. Heimdall just sits there, sipping his coffee, looking at me like he knows something.I look around and notice how Loki has come out of the bookstore and taken a seat in one of the Chesterfields in the farthest corner. He is dressed in a tailor made black suit, with a black shirt and a black tie. His long raven hair is slicked back, just reaching his shoulders. He sits there quietly, reading, a little frown visible on his face. He has strong cheekbones, a serious look and all the black gives him a somewhat unapproachable look. Then I notice which book he is reading: it's a new copy of Hamlet, one of my favourite stories.Just when I think about walking over to ask him if he wants something to drink, I see Emilia heading his way. The hispanic girl has her notepad ready and stops a couple of feet from his chair, I can hear her talking in a cheery voice. I can't hear what Loki says, if he says anything at all, but I can see his face, his eyes most of all. He gives Emilia a look of total disapproval, like she is not worthy of talking to him. The girl spins around and hurries back to where I'm standing, at the edge of the counter. She looks like she might cry."What happened?""He... I..." she sniffs. I reach out and rub her arm, a warm tingle going down my spine. She straightens her back, exhales a few times and then snorts. "What a total jerk!""I'm sorry, my lady. My brother Loki can be somewhat harsh." Thor walks up to us. Apparently he saw the whole thing. "My apologies for his behaviour, my fair lady." He even gives Emilia a small bow, which perks her right up."Lady Little Wolf, Ylva. We'll be taking our leave. Thank you for your hospitality." Thor gives me a bow as well.Heimdall gets up too, receiving a box of muffins from Lisa for which she gets thanked in a most courteous manner. Thor signals Loki, who gets up from his seat, taking his book with him. The three men... er... gods leave the coffeeshop and the bell at the door jingles just like it always does. My friends and I look at each other and we all start laughing at the same time."Now, that was something different!" Lisa giggles, clapping her hands to her face as to contain herself."I do love a man with good manners." Thomas laughs. "Most certainly when all those good manners are wrapped up in such a broad chest."We spent a couple of minutes talking about how crazy it is to have a couple of gods over in our coffee shop. That's certainly something we never dreamed of!But reality calls us back to Earth. We have other guests than gods and they want a cup of coffee too. Thomas goes home and the rest of us turn back to our jobs. The buzz of having gods over for coffee wears off during the afternoon, but as soon as the shop closes, I head over to my uncle. He has just closed the door of his store and is finishing up behind the register."Hello dear, that was quite the entertainment this morning, wasn't it? Your aunt will be sorry she wasn't here today.""I'm sure she'll hear all about it. For weeks at length." I reply, thinking about Thomas and Emilia who probably will have told all their friends by now."You got a visitor too, I saw. It even looked like you knew each other." I look at my uncle, barely containing my curiosity. Emilia got a taste of Loki she certainly didn't want to repeat, but the Trickster had looked perfectly mannered when talking to my uncle."The prince introduced himself to me and thanked me. You know I've been sending books to Stark Tower the last couple of months? It turns out they were for him."Really? So all that classic literature, the Greek mythology books... All for The Trickster. Or prince Loki, as my uncle called him. Thor did say his brother loved books."What did you think of him? Emilia got on his bad side apparently, but he was more polite to you, I think?" I ask Lars."He was very interested in my collection of oldies", my uncle replies with a smile. "A very polite man, well-mannered. Maybe Emilia caught him of guard?""I don't know. Thor didn't seem surprised about his brother's behaviour. But maybe you are right. We'll see, if he ever comes again."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
It's a very mild evening and I am sitting at our roof terrace. My aunt has put so many plants up here, it's almost like I'm sitting in Central Park. I just got up here a few minutes ago and I took my dinner with me, if you would call pizza dinner. But Lisa went over to Marc's house and I didn't want to cook dinner for one, so I ordered pizza.I have a small light with me, allowing me to work on the crocheted blanket I am making for my future niece or nephew. My stepbrother Martin and his wife Hanna are expecting their first child in a couple of months. I just got off the computer after a Skype call with him. We're not really close, him being six years older than I am, but I talk to him at least every two weeks. He keeps me updated on life in Holland.Today he could also tell me how my mom and stepfather are doing on their road trip. They're in an isolated part of Finland right now, so they don't have much access to the internet. I haven't talked to my mom in three weeks, except for some text messages and one email exchange about me breaking up with Chad.It was nice to hear everything is ok and that they are enjoying the whole back to nature experience. My mom and stepdad both retired from their jobs a couple of months before I moved to the US. William owned a trucking company and my mom did his financial administration. Now Martin runs the company, with his dad helping him if necessary.I chose mint green yarn for the blanket, as the sex of the baby is going to be a surprise for everyone. I figured mint green is fine for boys and girls. As I wrap the yarn around my hook, I look up at the ever present Stark Tower. It was Avengers Tower for a while, but then the Avengers' headquarters moved upstate. The building was for sale, but I guess they pulled the sale as it's still owned by Stark Industries. It's mostly offices now, as far as I know. Once, I spotted Iron Man landing on top of the tower. At least, I guess it was him. It was too small to be a plane anyway.So according to Thor, him and some other people from Asgard are living in Stark Tower. I find myself wondering if one of the windows I can see from here is theirs. Who knows, maybe Loki is giving me that intense stare again, but now he's too far away for me to see.If I'm honest, I'd really like to know more about him. Something about him fascinates me, maybe just because he is so totally different from Thor. The God of Thunder seems friendly and easy going, almost like an Australian surfer dude. Loki on the other hand... well, he is more of the dark, brooding type. And not related by blood to Thor, as Loki is supposed to be from another world than Asgard. He comes from a world of ice giants, called Jotunheim. But, there are so many stories. In the old days, people created stories about gods to explain things they couldn't understand. Now we have science to clear things up. So I'm guessing a lot of those stories aren't true, or at least wildly exaggerated.The next morning I'm up for the early shift and the day starts out with my ex-boyfriend Chad showing up again. He's coming in for morning coffee and when I put the coffee in front of him, he touches my arm before I can turn away from his table."Wait a minute, Ylva. I want to talk to you," he says, giving me a disarming smile."What about?" I ask, crossing my arms in front of my chest."I know we didn't part on good terms, but I've always really enjoyed hanging out with you. I'd like us to be friends. Why don't we take our camera's out and go for a stroll this weekend? Just as friends."He looks up at me with expectation. I can see he means what he says. For now anyway. I have always enjoyed going for a walk with him, taking our camera's with us. I don't have my own gear, but I borrowed Lisa's SLR for the photography course. Chad has quite the set up, at least two cameras and multiple lenses. I always joked he looked like a paparazzi with that huge lense sticking out in front of him.He is asking nicely and part of me wants to take him up on his offer. But there's an even bigger part telling me he is no good. Not for me anyway. He hurt my feelings, he hurt my pride. For that I'm still mad. So I shake my head at him. "Sorry Chad, I don't think that's a good idea. Have a nice day."I leave it at that, turning away from his table and walking back to the counter. Lisa is there, sliding a plate of freshly baked muffins behind the glass window of the counter."Did Chad bother you?" she asks, standing straight again."Nah, not really. He wants to hang out again, just as friends. But I told him no.""Wise decision. He's really good at playing the nice guy, but I don't think you can trust him.""I don't know. Maybe he really wants to be friends, he sounded sincere. But then again, he cheated on me. More than once. I don't think I can be friends with such a person."Lisa puts an arm around my shoulders. "You deserve better, girl. I know that and I hope you know too. There's countless guys in New York, I'm sure you'll find the right guy.""I don't know. You already took Marc. What's left for me?" I chuckle.Lisa throws her arms in the air. "Who knows?! Maybe even a god!" she quips and gives me a wink. I give her a smirk and take up my notepad. Some new customers just came in and I'm sure they want some coffee.During the afternoon my uncle walks in through the glass door. In his hand he has a small stack of books, wrapped in brown paper. "Ylva, prince Loki ordered some books. Would you be so kind to take them to Stark Tower after your shift?""Sure, no problem. I'm done in an hour anyway. That prince sure does read a lot, doesn't he?""He told me he does so to learn about our ways and our culture. I can imagine things are different on Asgard," my uncle answers, no hint of humor or mocking at his face.That's just like uncle Lars, he just takes everything as it comes. He treats everyone equally, no matter their status or background. I don't think I ever saw him nervous or really mad. He is just a very good natured person and he's very calming to be around too. It's just like everything goes a bit slower when you're with him. Slower in a good way, like when you take a deep breath and just let go of the stress.When my shift ends, I go upstairs to change out of my high wasted jeans and black polo shirt with the logo of Coffee & Books on it. Under the logo with the books and cup of coffee it says: 'It doesn't get any better...' And on the back is printed '... until you try our muffins.' It's a nice shirt, but it's a beautiful day outside, and I'm more in the mood for a comfy dress.I actually have quite a couple of dresses and skirts. Some long, some shorter, most of them in forties or fifties style. I don't feel that comfortable in a miniskirt, I always keep tugging at the hem. Today I pick a green knee length dress with small blue flowers, it has short sleeves and an A-line skirt. I add a blue cardigan to it, as summer has not really kicked in yet. Green and blue are dominating my closet during spring and summer; those colors work nice with my strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes. When the days grow shorter I throw some darker colors in the mix, like black and burgundy.I put my hair up in a loose bun and leave the house to pick up the books for Loki I left behind the counter at the coffee shop."Look who's all dressed up to meet the gods!" Lisa says with a big grin.I reply by sticking my tongue out. She just laughs and waves goodbye when I go out the door. Summer is peeking around the corner, I enjoy the first warm rays of sun as I stroll to Stark Tower at a leisurely pace.The big white lobby is cool and airy. I walk over to the reception desk, surely I can leave the books there."Lady Little Wolf!" a voice booms behind me. "Did you come to bring us some more of those delicious treats?"I turn around, smiling at Thor who is walking up to me. He is accompanied by a man in a dark grey suit with a blue tie. I spot a S.H.I.E.L.D. pin at his collar. Apparently he's a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, but to me he looks more like an accountant in his forties. Thinning hair, sharp nose, all that is missing is a briefcase."Hello Thor, nice to see you! I'm sorry, I'm afraid it's just books this time," I reply, holding up the books I'm carrying. "Hello", I nod to the man next to Thor.Not forgetting his courtly manners, Thor introduces me to the agent, whose name is Williams. We shake hands and then Thor takes me by the arm. "Why don't you come up with us? I'm sure Loki will be pleased to receive his new books," the God of Thunder says in his booming voice, already taking me with him to the elevators. His actions surprise me, but my curiosity immediately takes over. I would love to see more of Stark Tower. Or Thor's home, for that matter."Ahem." Agent Williams coughs to get Thor's attention. "I'm afraid we can't do that. She doesn't have clearance.""Surely Lady Ylva doesn't need clearance to visit our living quarters at my invitation?" Thor asks agent Williams in a slightly demanding way. "She's not Hydra or anything, Lord Heimdall would have known that. He has met her and saw only good things.""Alright", agent Williams agrees reluctantly. "I will not go against Lord Heimdall's judgement."The men talk casually, like it's nothing out of the ordinary, but I have a little trouble processing all this. I guess it's not that much of a surprise people need clearance to go any further inside Stark Tower than the main lobby. It's the same for a lot of other big companies or government buildings. But apparently Heimdall has given me clearance because he has seen good things? What does that mean? What did his golden eyes see in me?
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Inside the elevator agent Williams holds his finger against a small glass panel. On the mirrored wall of the elevator appear digits so he can choose a floor number. Leave it to Tony Stark to have fancy high tech stuff.The elevator ride is fast and we get out on the 27th floor to step into a hallway that looks like it's part of a very expensive apartment building. It has a totally different feel than the white lobby downstairs.There's a marble floor with a dark blue rug with gold specks. Marble columns are lining the walls, decorated with gilded ornaments. The ceiling has swirly ornaments too, again in gold. Right across from the elevator is a wide double door, made of a dark colored wood, decorated with gilded trims. Two potted palm trees stand on either side of it, its crowns almost touching the ceiling. To my left and right are four other wooden doors, two on each side.Thor walks to the door and places his index finger on a small panel on the doorknob, which I didn't see before he touched it. Fancy high tech stuff indeed! The door knob lights up, a thin ring of green light around it, and Thor opens the door for us.Agent Williams and Thor just stroll through, but I stop after setting two steps into the apartment. It is huge! It easily has more floor space than the bookstore and the coffee shop combined. Next to me is a hall table with a flower arrangement in a classic vase and in the corner is a coat stand with a couple of dark coats on it, but after that the space widens. A few steps further the wall gives way to my right, to an open kitchen with a cooking island, a bar with some stools and a large dining table.A woman I don't think I've ever seen before is standing in the kitchen, filling up glasses with juice. By the looks of her, she is from Asgard too. She wears a long flowing dress in peach and has her hair braided up. She looks a little younger than my mom, maybe she is the woman from the elevator. She looks up to me and smiles. "Welcome, lady Ylva. Would you like some freshly squeezed orange juice?"What? How does she know who I am? This day is full of surprises! I decide to just roll with it. "I'm sorry, I don't believe we've met." I walk up to her, but as I want to extend my hand I freeze half way. Do they shake hands on Asgard?The woman takes my hand in both of hers and introduces herself with a smile. "I am sorry, my lady. Heimdall has told me about you, but I've not had the pleasure yet to meet you. I'm Lady Eir, healer of Asgard.""Nice to meet you, lady Eir" I say, carefully repeating the foreign name she just told me."Now, can I offer you some juice?" she asks, letting go of my hand and turning back to the pitcher with orange juice on the kitchen counter."Yes, please." I answer politely, turning around to see the rest of the room.Close to the kitchen is a wooden old fashioned desk with a computer on it. Above the desk is a large painting, depicting a bearded man with a helmet and a spear, riding an eight legged horse through the clouds. That must be Odin, father of Thor, and of course his adoptive son Loki.Thor and agent Williams have stepped into the living room and sit down on a couch, their backs to the kitchen. There is a very long curved couch along with several big chairs. Heimdall is sitting there too and he inclines his head when he catches my eye. I nod back by way of saying hi. Lady Eir puts the drinks in front of the men on the couch.A couple of bookcases line the wall on both sides of a fireplace. The ceiling here is decorated in gold, just like the hall. The room has a very luxurious vibe, however, the best thing is the view. One whole side of the room is made of glass, showing a spectacular view of the city. I walk over to the window and spot a large turning chair, facing the city and the sky. From where I'm standing I can't see the face of who's in it. All I see is an arm in a green shirt placed on the armrest, long fingers slowly tracing figures on the upholstery.'Loki', I think, suddenly becoming aware of the package of books I'm holding in my hand, the reason I'm here. I've almost reached the chair, when the hand on the armrest is lifted up, palm up, ready to receive the books. "I believe that is for me?" a deep voice states. He must have seen me coming in the reflection of the glass. "Well?" he says, now turning his head to look at me, one eyebrow raised. His hand is still up, ready to receive the books. His sleeve is pulled down a bit, showing a metal bracelet of some sorts. I catch myself looking at his hand, forgetting for a moment what it is he is waiting for. "Oh. Uh. Yes, sorry."I hand over the books and Loki takes them from me, unwrapping them in his lap. On top is Darwin's 'On the origin of species'. He does take his earth research seriously.Loki doesn't look at me again, so I just stand there. A 'thank you' would be nice, but apparently I've been dismissed already. "You're welcome," I mutter under my breath and then I turn to the window.Wow. What. A. View.I've been on top of the Empire State Building of course, like everyone does when visiting New York, but this room has a magnificent view too. I step a little closer to the glass, which makes the hairs on my arms stand up. I'm very uncomfortably aware of how high it is. I hear a soft chuckle, coming from the chair behind me.Remembering how I can see Stark Tower from our roof terrace, I start to look for the building I live in. Using other familiar high buildings as landmarks, I soon spot a patch of green on top of a brownstone building. That must be it. If I squint my eyes a little, I can just make out the folding stretchers and the little red bench."It is quite a view, is it not?" Thor asks, coming to stand next to me."Yes, it is breathtaking!" I answer. "I was looking if I could see my home from here and I just found it." I point in the direction of the green patch."Ah, yes. With the red bench and the flowered daybeds." he replies, after looking in the pointed direction.Flowered daybeds? How on Earth can he spot the flowers on the stretchers from up here? The colours are so faded, it's even hard to see them when you're standing next to the chair! The God of Thunder must have really good eyesight. I make a mental note not go sunbathing on the rooftop."Please, come sit with us," Lady Eir calls from the living room. "I'd love to hear more from you."And that's how I find myself sitting in a big chair, surrounded by gods, talking about myself, my job and living in New York. Thor and Lady Eir ask a lot of questions, while Heimdall is his usual quiet self. Agent Williams doesn't get into the conversation, he is checking his phone. And Loki hasn't moved since I gave him the books. I guess he can overhear us, but he doesn't react to anything."I bet living here is really different from living in Asgard. Can you tell me about your world?" I ask, looking at Thor and Lady Eir.Thor doesn't reply immediately and when he does, his usual cheery voice sounds a little sad. "Asgard is beautiful, my lady. At the center there is a big golden palace, surrounded by lusty greens and deep forests. Asgard is encircled by water, which plummets into space from the edge of our world."Thor is silent for a moment, before he speaks again. "But I'm afraid the world of Asgard is no more. It has gone under in the chaos and destruction of Ragnarok."I clasp my hand to my mouth, eyes big. "Your world is gone? Asgard is destroyed?"Thor nods solemnly. Lady Eir and Heimdall also have a grave look on their faces."I'm so, so sorry! That must be terrible." I'm at a loss for words. What do you tell someone who has lost his world, his home? I've never encountered anything like this before."Thank you," Thor says. "But thankfully we found refuge here on Earth. Tony Stark has been a wonderful host to us."At this point I hear a snort coming from the chair by the window. Loki has been listening to us and clearly doesn't agree with his brother on the subject of Tony Stark."I know you feel differently, brother," Thor says, addressing the back of the chair. "But Tony Stark really has done a lot for the people of Asgard. He has been more than hospitable."Alright... I can sense the tension between them and I'm not planning to get in the middle of this. Maybe I can change the subject to a safer topic. "Are there more people from Asgard on Earth?" I'm curious to find out if many Asgardians survived the destruction of their world.Lady Eir is the one who answers me this time, Thor still watching the back of the chair where his brother sits. "Yes. Although many Asgardians lost their lives, we managed to get away with a fair number of people, mostly civilians. We've got Thor and Loki to thank for that. But only the four of us live here. The rest have been accommodated elsewhere in the city, in a less... high profile place." The healer smiles hesitantly before continuing. "But I'd rather talk about less depressing matters. I understand you are a foreigner too. Will you please tell me about your home?"So I tell them about Holland. About it's famous waterworks, the windmills, the dikes. How it's so small compared to a big city like New York. And I tell them about my family. How my parents moved to Holland from Norway, before I was born. How my father passed away when I was young and how my mom remarried a couple of years later."And now they are travelling Europe. Just the two of them, in a campervan. I had the chance to come live with my aunt and uncle in New York. A chance of a lifetime, so I took it."At that moment, the door to the apartment swings open and a man barges in. He is holding something that looks like a big syringe in his hands. "Yoohoo... Reindeer games! You home? I've got something for you!"The man stops in his tracks when he spots us sitting on the couch. "I'm sorry, I didn't realise we had company. And beautiful company at that, I might say. What's your name, beautiful? Do you have clearance? Williams, does she have clearance?"Agent Williams doesn't react to the energised string of sentences coming from the man behind him.Thor walks up to the man and slaps him on the shoulder. "Welcome Stark. I'd like you to meet Lady Ylva. She's the one that brings us those delicious muffins. She is here as my guest.""Ah, the bookstore muffins? Yes, they are great. Welcome to Stark Tower, miss Ylva." Tony Stark walks over to me and takes my hand, standing just a little closer than necessary. He is wearing a Jimi Hendrix T-shirt and jeans, which gives him a boyish look."Nice to meet you, mr Stark." I reply, taking my hand back gingerly. Multi billionaire and philanthropist or not, the man is a little bit too full of himself for my taste. He just oozes 'look at me' vibes. Not my cup of tea.From the corner of my eye I can see that Loki has turned his chair to face the room, watching the exchange between me and Tony Stark with a hint of a smile on his face. I get the sense that there's not much that gets past the Trickster.Mr. Stark has already moved on, walking towards Loki. He is holding up the syringe like it's a Super Soaker gun, waving it back and forth. "This will only hurt a little, Bambi!" Tony laughs.All of a sudden Loki gets up from his chair, his hands clenched in fists, an angry look on his face. His reaction startles me."Loki..." Thor warns from the other side of the room. "We've talked about this. There are some conditions to your release..."Loki shuts his brother up with one look. "Not. Here," he hisses between his teeth, his eyes darting from me to Tony Stark and his brother Thor.Behind me Heimdall and Lady Eir are sitting silently on the couch, looking away from the situation as best as they can. Agent Williams on the other hand appears to be on full alert, although he still looks like an accountant.I can cut the tension in the room with a knife. I wish I could make myself disappear, I really don't want to be here. But I don't know where to go, not without having to ask or drawing attention to myself in some way. I push my back in the couch as far as I can, making myself as small as possible."Don't worry, you don't have to drop your pants in front of the pretty lady," Tony says airily. "Rolling up your sleeve will be enough."Loki is still standing there, every muscle in his body tensed up. His eyes flick to me and suddenly I recognise an emotion I didn't expect to see: shame. I don't know exactly what is going on, but I can see Loki feels deeply humiliated by it. And Tony doesn't care one bit. I guess Thor does, but apparently he can't do anything about it. I do the only thing I can do and close my eyes.The last thing I see is Loki rolling up his left sleeve and Tony stepping up to him with the syringe.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
It's been a week since the tense incident at Stark Tower. Agent Williams escorted me out of the building and I have not seen Thor since, or any of the other Asgardians.I have been thinking about it a lot. Asgard is destroyed and the remaining people of that world all came here. Tony Stark gave them food and shelter, so to speak. Thor, Loki, Heimdall and Lady Eir live at Stark Tower, the rest of them somewhere else in the city. For some reason Loki is treated differently from the others. For him to be released from somewhere, he had to be locked up first, right? But why would he be locked up? What did he do?Of course I read about him in the mythology books, according to those stories he has magical abilities. He is the God of Lies, the Trickster, the God of Mischief, all names he got because of his actions. And now his actions caused him to be locked up and then get released on the condition of letting Tony Stark inject him with something. I just couldn't wrap my head around it. And on top of that, I actually feel sorry for Loki. I'm sure there was no need to humiliate him like that.Lisa joins me in the small corridor in the back of the coffee shop and waves her hand before my face. "Come on, honey. Snap out of it. You have been solemn all week. You don't want to talk about it, that's fine. But we've got a room full of guests. And they want coffee. I'm sorry, but you just have to fake a smile for the moment.""I know, I know. I'm sorry. I just got lost in thoughts."Lisa squeezes my hand and then shoves me through the door to the coffeeshop. "Go get 'm, girl!"I pull my shoulders back and fake a smile. And you know what, faking a smile tricks your body into thinking you're really happy. So after a little while I don't have to fake it anymore. After all, I really like my job. And I'm working a lot this week, as Thomas is on vacation and I'm filling in for him.I'm carrying a tray full of chocolate cake over to a table when a jingling sound announces the presence of another customer. It's Chad. He has slung a camera bag over his shoulder and one of his cameras is hanging around his neck. He waits by the counter for me to finish my chocolate errand."Hello beautiful!" he says, when I'm walking over to the counter. Then he takes his camera and takes a picture."Please don't do that. I'm working.""Ah come on, Ylva. Who doesn't love a picture of a beautiful girl?""What are you doing here, Chad?" I put down the tray and sigh. I'm getting tired of him showing up here to see me."Well, I came to tell you about my new job. I'm a real photographer now! Freelance. I've already sold some pics to magazines. Cool, huh?"I hold back the urge to roll my eyes at him. When we were dating, Chad was always talking about becoming a photographer for a living. It's great he has pulled it off, but what does it have to do with me? We've broken up, surely he can live his life without me. "Really cool. But what are you doing here? I don't think you can photograph anything interesting in a coffee shop.""Well... two reasons. One, I wanted to ask if you were free tonight. Maybe we can get something to eat, grab a movie?""And two?" I ask, not reacting to his first question on purpose."And two... I hear that Thor is coming here every now and then. I even heard you know him. Maybe you can introduce us? A few pictures of him would really pay the bills this month.""Oh my god. So you're a paparazzi for real now?" There's no holding back to the eye roll this time. "What made you think I would do that?" I tell him in a firm voice. "We broke up, Chad, you cheated on me. No, I don't want to go out with you again. You cheated! And I'm certainly not gonna let you bother our guests!"Okay, I have to calm down. We're attracting way to much attention here. My voice was louder than I wanted it to be. I can see people looking at us, we're making a scene. "Please leave, Chad." I tell him as calm as possible."Ah, Ylva, come on! Don't be like that!" Chad tries to take my hand, but I pull away from him."Please leave."He frowns at me before he turns around quickly and heads for the door. He pulls it open and then turns to me again. "It's a free world, Ylva. I'll get those pictures anyway, with or without your help!"And with that last remark he walks out the door, only to bump into the tall figure of Loki, who was just coming in through the door that Chad held open. The prince doesn't move an inch, which forces Chad to go around him, muttering something intelligible.Chad leaves and I rush over to the door. "I'm sorry. That was...""A nuisance." Loki answers with a blank face."I guess you could say that." I reply with a small chuckle.I'm actually relieved to see him here. I didn't think he would want anything to do with me after I was a witness to whatever it was Tony Stark did to him. I don't know Loki that well, if I know him at all, but I do know he is proud. You can tell that by just looking at him."Come on in. Can I get you anything?" I ask, now smiling for real."I only came to pick up some books.""Oh, alright. Well, we've got plenty of books. You know where to find them." I try to hide the disappointment in my voice while giving him more room to come in.Loki walks over to the bookstore and I see how he is welcomed by uncle Lars, who must have been expecting him. They talk for about fifteen minutes and then Loki returns to the coffee shop, a book in his hand. He takes a seat in the back - well away from other guests - and starts to read.He is in Emilia's section, but when she spots him, she walks over to me and Lisa. "I'm not serving that guy. He is a jerk and he gives me the creeps.""I'm sure he just had a bad day when you first met him," Lisa tries to soothe her. "He's just another customer. True, some are nicer than the others, but we serve them all coffee.""Fine..." Emilia rolls her eyes and then turns around to walk over to Loki.He is looking down at his book, ignoring all that happens around him. Emilia suddenly stops about six feet away from him, turns around and comes back to the counter. She looks a bit rattled. "Nope. Can't do it." she declares. "You do it, Ylva. Please?" She really means it, looking at me with a pleading look."Oh, fine. Whatever. I don't see what the problem is."I take up my notepad and walk over to where Loki's sitting. When I get to about the same point where Emilia stopped, I suddenly feel the urge to turn back too. I don't know exactly what it is, but something makes me want to turn back the other way. I even have to force myself to take another step, a hot tingle running up and down my spine. And then I take another step and the feeling is gone. Loki notices me standing next to his chair and looks up. I get the impression he is surprised, but I wouldn't know why."Hello!" I say in a cheerful voice. "Since you are staying here a little longer, can I get you anything? Tea, coffee? A muffin? Our carrot cake is really good too!"Loki doesn't say anything and just looks at me curiously, almost studying me. I feel a bit silly, standing there with my notepad ready."Look... uhm... about last week..." I say softly, breaking the silence after a moment. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to intrude on personal affairs. I just... Well, I had not expected to be there at all, and then mr. Stark showed up and..." My voice trails off, I really don't know what else to say.Loki keeps looking at me, his face unreadable. He sucks in his lower lip, biting it and then suddenly decides to speak. "Tea, please. Earl grey."I take it as apology accepted. When I return with his tea I still feel a little tingle in my spine when I come near his seat, but just like that it's gone again.That week, Loki becomes a regular patron of Coffee & Books. He comes in every day, sometimes he gets a new book from my uncle, sometimes he brings his own. He always wants tea - Earl Grey - so at the end of the week I don't even ask him what he wants, I just bring him his tea as soon as he sits down. He always takes a seat in the back of the room and somehow nobody comes near. No matter how many guests there are in the coffee shop, there always seems to be a clear circle around Loki.We have our own little routine and I kind of like it. After a day or two, he also starts talking to me. Just little things, mostly answering to my remarks about his book, the weather, other guests. I like talking to him, he gives me the feeling he really listens to what I say, no matter how trivial it is.It's a quiet morning at the coffee shop, so when I bring Loki his tea, I perch down on the armrest of our old Chesterfield couch. He is dressed sharp like always, this time black trousers combined with a dark green shirt, thin black tie and black patent leather shoes. His jacket is hanging from his chair. He always wears black and green, I guess they're his go to colours. It looks good on him, especially with the tailor made suits he wears."I read a big piece about you and Thor in the New York Times yesterday. I didn't know you got interviewed?"Loki gives a small sigh before he answers. "Tony Stark's idea. He thinks the people should know more about us, about Asgard, now we're staying on Earth for a longer period of time.""Ah... so it's to charm the people? Well, I guess you guys are technically aliens, real out-of-space aliens. Maybe it's not such a bad idea to let the people get to know you a little better.""Maybe," Loki says. "Or maybe it just draws unwanted attention."I look around me. Just like every other day Loki visits, the other guests give him a wide berth. "Yeah, I can see you don't like attention," I say with a wave of my hand at the room around us.Loki shrugs with a little smile on his face. "I like my peace."I notice a little sparkle in his eyes and then it dawns on me. I lower myself onto the couch, lean over the coffee table between us and hiss at him: "You did this, right? You use magic to keep the other people at a distance."For a second Loki looks caught, but then he gives me a smirk and winks at me. "Shhh... our little secret."I just stare at him, my eyes big. At first I am a little mad, because he is purposely keeping people at bay, just for his own amusement. But then I start laughing and I can't stop. It is too ridiculous: magic in New York! I actually double over on the couch, tears in my eyes.Loki just looks at me with a little smile on his face, waiting until I recover myself. I wipe the tears from my eyes, still chuckling. "I guess I should have known. Loki the Trickster. What else can you do? Make this table disappear? Transform me into a mouse? Oh! Can you make this carpet fly?!"I'm still full of merriment, but Loki's smile disappears. He looks away from me and his right hand touches a metal bracelet on his left wrist. He wears one on both of his wrists. I've seen glimpses of them before, but they're mostly covered up by the sleeves of his shirt. I give them a better look. They're no fashion accessory, they remind me more of handcuffs. I think back to the scene at Stark Tower last week."Are those made by Stark?" I ask, nodding at the bracelet he is turning slowly around his wrist.He doesn't answer, purposely looking away from me, which I take for a yes. Why is Loki wearing metal bracelets made by Tony Stark? By the looks of Loki, he doesn't like them very much. His lips form a thin line and there's a frown on his face. Thinking back to Tony and the big syringe, my stomach clenches. I feel the sudden urge to comfort Loki, who is clearly not feeling too good about those bracelets, my spine getting all warm. I get up, walk around the coffee table and take a seat on the edge of it. I'm now right in front of Loki, who still has his gaze fixed to a point somewhere behind me."What do they do?" My voice is barely more than a whisper, but I know he can hear me. When he doesn't react, I reach out my hand, meaning to touch his. But he moves his hand away from mine, shifting in his seat. "Loki, what do they do? Can you please tell me?""Go back to work, Ylva." Loki says suddenly, getting up from his chair. He takes his jacket and is out of the door in a few long strides, leaving me speechless.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
I have spent the rest of my shift feeling bad for pushing Loki, clearly it's a touchy subject. But he just looked like he needed a hug and I wanted to help. I've got a headache, radiating from my spine to my head. When Lisa tells me she will be sleeping at Marc's tonight, I'm glad I have the house all to myself.After some Advil and a light dinner, I feel better. I've put on yoga pants and a loose shirt. Taking up a pot of tea and a warm vest for when it gets colder, I go up to the roof terrace. It's been a nice day, and the evening is lovely. I lay down on one of the stretchers, arms behind my head. Stark Tower is blinking it's lights at me. From here I can't make out which windows belong to Thor and Loki's apartment. I wonder if Loki is sitting in his chair in front of the window, looking down at me. But that's probably making myself way more important than I really am, he probably just sees me as a nosy waitress.I think I dozed off for a little while, because I suddenly wake up, triggered by a familiar sound. It's faint and it takes me a second to know what it is: someone is ringing the doorbell. I'm not expecting visitors, but the sun didn't set completely yet, so I decide it's ok to go see who it is. Like a smart city girl I only open the door to a crack, peeping through, before I swing it wide open."Loki?""Ylva," he nods. "Can I come in?""Sure. Does he have to come in too?" I ask, pointing at the man behind Loki. I spot a S.H.I.E.L.D. pin on his collar, he must be a colleague of agent Williams."I'm afraid so, sorry."The three of us go up to the roof terrace. On our way up I pick up some glasses and a gallon of juice from the kitchen, I guess the pot of tea I made is cold by now. The agent has introduced himself as Gary Wilde and positions himself near the door to the roof. I hand agent Wilde a glass of juice and then sit down by Loki, on the red bench."Do you have a bodyguard now?" I ask him, passing him a glass too."Something like that," he confirms with a nod. "Listen, Ylva... I... I wanted to excuse myself for my behaviour this afternoon.""It's ok, I get it. I should not have asked about private stuff," I tell him, leaning back against the bench.He leans back too, his long legs stretched out in front of him, crossed at the ankles, and we sit like that for a while. It's nice to sit here with him, just watching the city around us.At least, that's what he does. From the corner of my eye I study his face. He is very handsome, but not in the conventional way. It's a noble face, with strong features. Loki seems a bit lost in thought, softly biting his lower lip. I've seen him do that before, while reading. I don't think he really knows he does it. I think it's cute, sexy even. But then I check myself and watch straight ahead again. There is a handsome man sitting next to me, that is all. Just talking, nothing more. Or waiting for him to talk, that's more like it. So I settle in, pulling up my knees to my chin, looking at the city, waiting for Loki to say anything.It takes him a while."They restrict my magic. Monitoring what I'm doing," Loki starts, twisting the metal bracelet on his right arm. "With these on, I'm limited to... party tricks." He says the last thing like it tastes bad."But why?""I'm the God of Lies. The God of Mischief. I can't be trusted." His tone is bitter."Nonsense. I trust you," I state, turning to him.He looks me in the eyes and then shifts his gaze to a point above my head. "You shouldn't. You don't know me. You don't know the things I've done."I shake my head. "I read about you. Just like you do to learn more about my people, I read about you and your people. I know the old stories, I know how you've earned your nicknames. And I know that you're a guy who dresses sharp, who likes to drink tea and read books. And you're polite. At least to me."He just looks at me with a half smile, slightly shaking his head."I let you into my house, while I'm home alone. That should say enough about my trust." I add, nudging his arm with my elbow."Then you're the only one," he says, tilting his head a little to me. "And a fool, I might add. A sweet fool, but a fool nonetheless." He smiles and looks back at the city again.I can feel my cheeks heat up. He thinks I'm sweet. Holy crap, a handsome Norse god thinks I'm sweet."And the injection Tony gave you?" I ask, returning to the original subject."A tracking device," he says curtly. "With an adjustable range. Right now, I can't go any further than the coffeeshop without having a team of agents all over me."Loki nudges his head to where agent Wilde is standing. "And there's guys like him, every day." Inhaling slowly, I progress his words. So they really don't trust him, whoever 'they' are. They limit his magic, restrict his movements and constantly follow him. Remembering how Thor said something about Loki being released, I ask Loki what his brother meant by that. It takes him a few seconds to react, his voice quiet."The first six months of our stay on Earth, I spent in a prison cell in one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s most secure locations. Thor eventually convinced them to let me out, but there were some conditions."I want to ask why he was being locked up by S.H.I.E.L.D., surely it wasn't about the stuff he pulled according to myths and legends, those are ancient stories. Come to think of it, how old is Loki anyway? To me he looks like he's in his mid thirties, but he is a god. He could be a thousand years old for all I know! My head fills with questions and they all try to get out of my mouth at the same time, but before I can form a coherent sentence, agent Wilde steps over to us."It's time. The car is waiting."Loki retracts his long legs and stands up, I scramble upright too. His long fingers lightly grab my hand, taking it up to his lips. He places a short, soft kiss on my knuckles. "I must be taking my leave. Good night, my little wolf."Before I can react, he is gone, his long legs crossing the roof terrace in just a few steps. Agent Wilde closes the door behind them. I just stand there, blinking, holding the hand Loki kissed in front of my chest.What the hell just happened? I pinch my arm, to check if I'm dreaming. It hurts, so I guess prince Loki was actually here. Shaking my head, I gather my stuff to go inside. I search for the glass agent Wilde used, but I can't find it. When I get to the kitchen, I find it there on the counter. I guess Gary's mother taught him well.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
I turn in for the night, but I don't think I will fall asleep easily. My head is spinning with everything Loki has told me. And he kissed my hand, after he told me he thinks I'm sweet. Alright, he called me a fool at the same time, but apparently my heart is more than willing to overlook that part. I realise the God of Lies is making me feel weak in the knees and I don't know how to feel about that. I hardly even know him!Turning to my side, I grab the book that's on my nightstand: the illustrated copy of Norse mythology. I flip the pages, looking for the stories about Loki. When I find the story about how Odin took baby Loki from the battlefield I toss the book aside, realising it states that those events took place over a thousand years ago.When I wake up early the next morning, I can't remember my dreams. But they sure were vivid, my sheets are crumpled as if I tossed and turned a lot last night. A long shower helps me to wake up and a nice cup of tea does the rest. I'm ready to start the day again.I put on jeans and the Coffee & Books polo shirt, and put my hair up in a loose ponytail. One morning shift to go, and then I'm off for a couple of days. I have worked almost every day the last couple of weeks, filling in for Thomas and picking up some shifts for Lisa too. I'm looking forward to some days off, even more because of the events of these past weeks. Meeting the Norse gods has left its marks, however subtle.I walk downstairs to unlock the door of the coffee shop. We will open in fifteen minutes, I'm expecting Emilia to come in any minute. My aunt Yvonne is in the kitchen, already filling the air with the lovely smell of muffins. I walk over to the kitchen, to lean against the doorpost. "Good morning Yvonne. Sleep well?""I did, dear. And you?" She turns around to look at me, after putting another tray of muffins in the oven."Mm.. could be better. But a long shower took care of that.""Was your little spat with Loki the cause? Lars told me things suddenly turned tense between you yesterday." My aunt looks at me with a slightly worried face. "I hope you're being careful, dear. No man should be the reason for a girl to buy waterproof mascara."I laugh at her waterproof mascara remark, then realise what she means. "Loki... I... we are not... I..." I sputter. "He is just a customer. And it was nothing, really."Now it's my aunts turn to laugh. "Are you sure, dear? It sure looks like he is more than just a customer. You do know he only comes in when you are working?""That proves nothing," I say defensively. "I've been working almost every day for the last couple of weeks.""That's true my dear," Yvonne says, pulling me into a hug. "You sure earned your days off." She releases me to turn back to her work. "But I would be surprised to see the prince in the coffee shop when you are not around." She wiggles her eyebrows at me, causing me to laugh."Sure Yvonne, I guess we'll see about that soon enough."When I enter the coffee shop, Emilia just comes in through the door. She turns the sign on the door to 'Open' and shortly after that the first customers start coming in. Mrs. Willow is one of them and she takes her usual seat at the counter. I pour her coffee and ask about her cat. She happily chats away about how she is trying a new brand of cat food, but Mr. Whiskers is not having it. When I'm busy serving other customers, she takes a People magazine out of her bag and starts reading it."Did you know prince Harry is engaged to Meghan Markle, that actress?" she asks, holding up the magazine to me when I am making coffee."I heard something about an engagement, yes. But I don't know who she is. What film is she in?" I ask, keeping my eyes at the mugs under the coffee machine."She was in that TV-show about those fancy lawyers, I think it's called Suits." Mrs. Willow turns over a page of the magazine. "Ah, here's a picture of that big blond man with the hammer that is with the Avengers. What was his name again?""Do you mean Thor?" I ask, turning to look at her magazine.And surely there it is, a snapshot of Thor and Loki in the streets of Manhattan. Thor is wearing jeans and a hoodie, Loki is dressed in a black suit. The picture is part of an article about 'celebrity street style', snapshots of different stars scattered around the page. Underneath the picture it just says 'Thor and his brother Loki'."That Loki visits here too, doesn't he?" Mrs. Willow taps Loki's image with her finger."Yes, he does." I reply, before taking the coffee I just made over to a table by the window. Thor and Loki snapped by paparazzi... I don't think Loki likes being a celebrity.Not long now before my shift ends, Thomas has already come in to take over from me. Half an hour ago Loki came in too. I brought him his tea, but I have been busy with other customers. The place is packed, except where Loki is sitting. The Chesterfields only seat one customer, the prince of Asgard. I know Loki is using magic again, because I saw a couple walking over to the couch and suddenly change their mind to take a seat elsewhere. He also has a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent in tow. It's not Gary, but I noticed a man in a business suit coming in after Loki. Usually we don't get businessmen alone at this time of day, and when they do, they take their coffee to go. So I guess he's here for the God of Mischief. Must be annoying to have someone in tow all day, watching your every move.When my shift is officially done, I pour tea for me and Loki and take it over to where he is sitting. I take the chair next to him, the faint tingle in my spine disappearing quickly. I guess the tingle is caused by the magical barrier he has thrown up."I've made us a cup of green tea with lemon, instead of Earl Grey. I hope that's alright.""I'll have what youre having," Loki replies, not looking up from his book. He is reading 'One hundred years of solitude' by Gabriel García Márquez."Speaking of solitude," I say, gesturing to the empty chairs around us, "you really should stop doing this. You're chasing customers away! The place is packed and you are keeping people away from good seats. Please." I emphasize the last word in a sarcastic way.He looks at me for a minute, one eyebrow cocked. Then he closes his book and makes a small gesture with his hand. "There. It's gone. But only because you said please," he smirks."Thank you." I guess there is not really a way for me to check if an invisible barrier is there or not. People coming to sit here will prove it is gone, so I'll just have to wait for that to happen."Can I ask you something?" I say, adjusting in my seat. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but I was wondering about how old you are. According to the stories, you must be over a thousand years old."I cast my eyes down while asking him, not sure how he will react. Maybe he considers this a private subject too. But I'm really curious, so I want to ask him anyway."Time is different in Asgard. But we do live very long lives compared to people on Earth. In human years I'm indeed over a thousand years old."Loki says it casually, but it makes me gasp. "So, you are...""About 40 times your age? Yes, something like that," Loki finishes my sentence for me, winking at me as he does. "And now I want to ask you something," he says, while I'm reaching for my tea. After a statement like that, I could use a drink."You are the only one here who could walk through my magic barrier. Why do you think that is?" Loki is leaning over to me, his elbows on his knees. "My guess is you have some sort of magic of your own."His last remark startles me and scorching hot tea sloshes out of my cup, over my hand. "Ow! Shit! Ouch! That hurts!"In the same instant Loki kneels before me, takes the cup out of my hand and takes my hand carefully in his own to examine it. The skin is red hot and hurts like hell. I grit my teeth because of the pain."Ssshh..." Loki hushes and encloses my hand with his large hands. He takes a breath, closes his eyes and a slight frown appears. Then I feel my hand starting to tingle. At first it still hurts, but after a few seconds I can feel how the pain slowly goes away. Not a minute later, it's completely gone."There," Loki says, opening his eyes again and placing my hand in my lap. He sounds a little out of breath.My hand is still a little red, but the pain is gone and I can't see any signs of the burn. "How did you...?" I wonder out loud, examining my hand. The skin looks completely normal, like nothing happened."Magic, my little wolf," Loki answers in a soft voice, sitting back in his chair."Is everything alright, Ylva?" Emilia shows up next to us, a worried look to her face. "Did you hurt yourself?""Yeah, I did. But I'm alright now, thank you." I smile reassuringly at Emilia, hoping she will not ask any further questions. I don't know what she saw from what happened, but to my luck she just shrugs and turns back to make her round.Leaning back in the chair I trace the skin of my hand with my fingers. "Incredible..." I whisper.Loki huffs. "If it were not for these cuffs, it would have only been a matter of seconds to heal such a minor injury.""Still... it's amazing. Thank you."Loki inclines his head at me in response and takes his cup of tea from the table. I do the same, carefully, and we sit for a while, sipping our hot tea.Our peace is disturbed by the sudden appearance of agent Williams. Agent Wilde is there too, a little behind him. "Loki, Miss Frederikson, would you please follow me to the car?" It is not so much of a request as an order."Why? What's the matter?" I ask, getting up from my chair. Loki rises to stand close behind me. "Why does Ylva have to come?" he asks in a stern voice."If you two would please follow me, we can talk about this in private." Williams moves to the side to let us pass.There are a lot of people in the coffee shop, but because it's so busy nobody has seemed to notice our situation. Yet. Behind my back I can just feel the anger ooze out of Loki. I don't want him to make a scene in the middle of the coffee shop, so I decide to do as Williams asks. I don't know what this is, but I'm sure this will all be cleared up very soon. And I guess S.H.I.E.L.D. is somewhat like the police. I've done nothing wrong, so I don't expect any problems."Alright, I'll come. But let me get my jacket first."I retrieve the now empty tea cups and put them in the dishwasher in the kitchen. Yvonne is there too, preparing a fresh batch of muffin batter."Hi honey, are you leaving?""Yes. Uh... I'll be back soon."There is no fooling my aunt, she can hear the tension in my voice. "Everything alright, Ylva?" She steps around me, to cast a look into the coffee shop. "Why is Loki standing there with those two men? They look like FBI or something. What is going on?!""Don't worry. No FBI. Those are S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. They uh... they do security for Loki and the other Asgardians. They need me to come for... some sort of paperwork. I guess it has something to do with getting clearance for Stark Tower." I'm lying through my teeth and Yvonne is not buying it. She tells me so and walks out with me, after I grab my jacket.Loki and the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents are waiting just outside the door, next to a black Mercedes with tinted windows. The unknown agent I saw before walks away when we step out the door. Yvonne paces up to Loki and stops right in front of him, her hands on her hips. "Mister, I don't know what is going on here, but if something happens to Ylva, I'm holding you responsible!""Of course, my lady," Loki answers solemnly."We just need Ylva to come in for some paperwork, Mrs. Frederikson. You'll have her home later this day," agent Williams tells my aunt in his best impression of a boring accountant. He really does make it sound like it's nothing big, just some paperwork issue.Seemingly satisfied with those answers, Yvonne kisses me goodbye and goes back inside the coffee shop. Now that she is assured it's nothing but a formality, I feel a little surer about the whole thing too. It's probably just some bureaucratic nonsense.Agent Williams opens the door of the car for us and Loki and I get in the backseat. Agent Wilde is behind the wheel, Williams gets in the front seat next to him."Where are we going?"
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Agent Wilde drives us to the freeway, going out of the city. Williams has told me we are going to a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility. He didn't want to tell me why we are going there, but assured me again it was just a formality. "We just need your statement, Miss. That's all."All this time, Loki has not said a word. He just stares out of the window, angrily. I wonder what was said while the men were waiting for me to get my jacket. Clearly, Loki has no say in this and he doesn't like that one bit. And I am liking this less and less too.Suddenly, I don't feel fine anymore. I'm in a car heading to an unknown destination, with three men I've only known for a short while. I do not think Loki wishes me any harm, but I'm not sure of the other two men. What do I know about S.H.I.E.L.D. anyway? Who knows what they can do. Tears well up behind my eyes and I try to hold back a sob.Loki looks up from his stare and eases his hand over the backseat to grab my hand. He laces his fingers through mine and gives me a little squeeze. Wiping the tears from my eyes with my other hand, I give him a wavering smile."I'm here," he says quietly so the men in front can't hear him.He continues to hold my hand until Gary takes an exit and drives us through a pretty remote area. I can feel Loki tense up and when the car takes a turn into a long driveway Loki pulls back his hand and clenches it into a tight fist in his lap.The car is driving straight for a big rectangular building. It's just a big concrete block, no visible windows or doors. Gary steers the car to the left, into an underground parking garage. When the car stops, I can see two men waiting for us. The right man is dressed in some sort of black armour and appears to be carrying a bow. The other one is dressed in a suit, much like agents Williams and Wilde. He is holding something that looks like a rounded metal box with holes on either side of it.Agent Williams opens the car door for me and I get out. Agent Wilde and the man with the metal box are standing on Loki's side of the car, Williams walks over to join them. I walk around the hood of the car, there is a door nearby and I guess we'll be heading through there. The man with the bow keeps his distance, his eyes trained on Loki, who is now getting out of the car."What is this?" the god hisses at Williams, his head jerking to the metal thing."You broke the rules, now you must face the consequences," the agent replies in a calm voice.Loki inhales sharply and pushes his finger against Williams's chest. "You puny mortals..."At the same time, the other agent moves the metal box to Loki's free hand. And then everything happens very fast. In the blink of an eye Loki hits the box to the ground and pins the agent against the concrete wall of the parking garage. His arm pushes against the man's throat and he has lifted him off the ground a little."Go ahead punk, make my day." The archer has a huge arrow pointed at Loki's head. It all happens so fast, I don't even have time to scream. I'm standing there at the front of the car, nailed to the ground, my eyes as big as saucers.Loki slowly turns his head to glare at the archer. The man just gives him a smirk. "Really, go ahead. Give me a reason to put an arrow in your eye. I've got no love for you.""Now Loki, let's do this in a civilised manner. There's a lady present," agent Williams says to Loki, pointing a gun at him. Wilde is on Loki's other side, also aiming his gun.The dark haired god flicks his eyes at me, his nostrils flared. I hardly recognise him, his face is contorted with anger. He scares me.Suddenly Loki steps back from the agent he has pinned against the wall, arms lowered to his side. The man crumples on the ground, coughing and holding his throat. Gary steps up to Loki and encloses the god's hands in the metal contraption.I am shaking and my head is spinning, I feel like I might faint. The archer appears next to me, steadying me by holding my arm. "Inhale, exhale... inhale, exhale. Don't conk out on me, lady."Trembling I try to control my breathing. The archer ushers me through the door, followed by the other agents who are escorting Loki. A narrow corridor leads up to two elevators. Our group splits up: agent Wilde takes the archer's place by my side, and takes me into the right elevator. Loki and the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents take the left one.I'm still too dazed to really comprehend what is going on. Inside the elevator I lean back to the wall, resting my head against the cold metal. I'm starting to regret ever meeting anyone from Asgard. I've witnessed some really unsettling things in the past few weeks and it all felt like I was in some sort of emotional rollercoaster, but today takes the cake.Wilde takes me into a small, square room. It's completely white, walls to floor, and the only furniture is a metal table and two chairs. The agent leaves me there, to return a few minutes later with tea in a paper cup, the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo is printed on the side.I fold my hands around the cup and take small sips of my tea. Agent Wilde stands by the door, his hands clasped in front of him and staring into nothing. I feel like a criminal, sitting in this almost empty room. It's really starting to piss me off, but I'm also still shaking from the stand off in the parking garage. So I focus on my breathing, trying to calm myself down. I don't really know what to do actually. But I'm convinced I did nothing wrong, so I'm counting on it they will let me go soon enough. I just hope I'm not too naive in this.The door opens and a red haired woman walks in, carrying a briefcase. She puts it on the table and opens it. Inside is some sort of computer and a bunch of wires. "Good afternoon, miss Frederikson. My name is agent Romanoff and I'm going to ask you some questions."Frowning, I take in the woman who is standing before me and the equipment she brought with her. She is dressed in a pantsuit, with a S.H.I.E.L.D. pin on her collar, all business like."Do I need a lawyer?" I ask, letting my anger show through. I'm really getting mad, this whole situation is ridiculous."Oh, no, no need for a lawyer," the woman smiles at me. "We just need your statement about the events of today and your relationship with Loki."She holds up some wires from the suitcase. "I just need your fingerprint and I need to attach these to your wrist and the base of your neck.""What? No!" I shout, shoving back my chair. "You are not going to attach me to a lie detector! I've done nothing wrong, I'm not a criminal!""I know," she says soothingly. "But we need to make sure your statement is yours. Not something Loki cooked up."I glare at her a little longer, but she doesn't bat an eye. Finally, I give up and sit down again. "Fine," I grumble. The sooner we are done with this, the better.The woman pushes the briefcase with the computer in front of me. I need to put my index finger on a small touchpad and the computer screen shows a copy of my visa, confirming my identity. Agent Romanoff proceeds to stick the wires to the inside of my wrist and the base of my neck, just above the collarbone.Turning the computer back to face her, she takes a seat in front of me and then pushes a button. "Agent Romanoff. Record 3472, Loki of Asgard. I'm interviewing Ylva Frederikson, 27 years old, Dutch, waitress at Coffee & Books, New York.""First, I'm gonna ask you some control questions," she says, proceeding to ask me about my family and background. I'm surprised at how much she knows, she even asks me to confirm the last jobs I had in Holland. It's just yes or no questions, and I guess it's all public record. Still, it's weird to be asked about it. Romanoff goes on, asking me when I moved to New York and what my living arrangements are."I've been here for about three months. I live with my cousin Lisa above the coffee shop."Agent Romanoff nods at my answer. "And when did you first meet Loki of Asgard?" she asks."A couple of weeks ago," I shrug, still having no clue as to why my statement is needed.The woman gives me no hints, her face is totally blank and her eyes only move from me to the computer screen and back. Agent Wilde is still standing next to the door, practicing for the living statue championships."What is the nature of your relationship with Loki?""He is a customer. He orders books from the bookstore and also visits the coffee shop on a regular basis.""And how would you describe his behaviour at those visits?"I raise my eyebrows at her question. His behaviour in the coffee shop? "He reads and drinks tea. We talk. He is not that different from other customers.""Oh, but he ís different, isn't he?" Romanoff replies and for the first time I see a little emotion on her face."I guess..." I'm feeling a little uneasy. My spine is starting to glow too, which causes me to shift in my chair. "He's not from Earth, that makes him different."No way am I going to tell her that I have developed some feelings for Loki. Or had, after seeing him attacking a guy in a parking garage I'm not so sure I like him anymore.Agent Romanoff interrupts my thoughts by asking me what I know of Asgard, and I tell her I don't know much, except for what Thor and Lady Eir told me."And what do you know about Loki, the God of Lies?""I've read the myths and stories, if that's what you mean", I reply curtly. I'm getting really annoyed by all this questioning, I want it to be over. "Look, agent Romanoff. What's the point in all this? I don't see why this is important.""Oh, we're getting there," she says, clicking on something on the computer screen. "Next question. Did you know Loki was using magic when he visited the coffee shop?"I don't answer immediately, silently debating whether to tell her or not. Loki is a very private person and he has been nice to me. Talking about his use of magic feels a bit like I'm betraying his trust. On the other hand, I'm sure S.H.I.E.L.D. knows all about his magical abilities. After all, they locked him up when he first came to Earth. And I bet they also have a hand in him wearing those metal bracelets. Before today I totally didn't get why Loki was treated like a criminal, but this afternoon I saw a whole different side of the god. He scared me. It is suddenly a lot more plausible to believe he is dangerous."I... I figured it out yesterday."Agent Romanoff then asks me to describe the magic he used and I tell her how he kept other people at a distance with some sort of magical barrier."But you were able to cross that barrier, isn't it?""I guess..."I get a lot of questions about that, which I am not really able to answer. "I really don't know!" I cry out eventually, my spine giving off a flare of heat. "Apparently his magic doesn't work on me. But I don't know why."Her next statement catches me of guard. "Oh, but some of his magic does work on you. What did he do to you today?" Agent Romanoff is looking at me, her eyebrows slightly raised."How... how do you know that?" I ask, quickly looking at the hand Loki healed. There is nothing to see, no red skin, no burns."Loki is a threat to Earth and is monitored accordingly," she shrugs. "Now, tell me, what magic did he use on you this afternoon?""I spilled my tea and burned my hand. He healed the burn."Before agent Romanoff can ask me another question, I ask one of my own. "Why is Loki a threat to Earth? All he did was heal my injured hand and make sure nobody came to sit close to him. That doesn't sound like a terrorist to me!""I can't answer that question," the red haired agent replies. She blinks and shakes her head a little.And she really can't answer it. Or won't. After asking me some more questions about the healing of my hand - how it felt, how long it took - she ends our talk. She puts the wires back in the briefcase and takes it from the table. She extends her hand to me."Thank you for your cooperation, Miss Frederikson. Agent Wilde will drive you home."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
I slouch in the backseat of the black Mercedes, letting agent Wilde drive me home. I've got a major headache, splitting my skull."Gary, you don't happen to have any Advil?" I ask the man behind the wheel."I think you can find some in the armrest," he answers.To my surprise I find a tin box beneath a lid in my armrest. It's like a small first aid kit, containing the familiar capsules and some other stuff I don't bother registering. Wilde hands me a small bottle of water and after a little while I can feel the Advil kicking in.
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Meanwhile, at the secure S.H.I.E.L.D. location, director Nick Fury is looking sternly at the red haired woman in front of him. Between them on the table is the briefcase with the computer.
"Well, agent Romanoff?" he asks coldly. "Do you care to explain what happened back there?"
"I don't know, sir."
"You don't know?" Fury arches his eyebrows. "You don't know how a coffee shop waitress almost got you to answer questions instead of the other way around?"
Natasha Romanoff really doesn't know what to say to that. "She must have gotten me by surprise, sir. I'm sure she's harmless."
"We'll have to see," Fury answers. "Meanwhile, put her on the watch list."
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When the car stops in front of the coffee shop, Yvonne is just taking the chalkboard sign inside. The interrogation at S.H.I.E.L.D. took up the whole afternoon, it's closing time already."Hello dear! Just in time for dinner," my aunt greets me when she sees me stepping out of the car."Great, I'm starving. I'm just gonna take a quick shower and then I'll be over."My uncle has made a casserole and it tastes delicious. I'm really hungry, not having had anything to eat since breakfast this morning. In the car I decided I wasn't going to worry my family with the truth about my visit to S.H.I.E.L.D., so when Yvonne and Lisa ask why I had to come in, I just tell them the story about getting security clearance."I guess Loki and Thor are like royalty, so security is tight.""It took them the whole afternoon to give you a background check?" Lisa asks me.I shrug. "Bureaucracy.""Well, it sounds like a whole lot of trouble, just to serve someone coffee," Yvonne pitches in."Yeah, I guess you're right. I was fed up with it too. They took my whole free afternoon!"I take another bite of my casserole, thinking about how I didn't ask for any of this to happen. "You know what, it's just not worth it. Those Asgardians are nice," - or maybe Loki not as much, I think to myself - "but they sure are a handful."Lisa and Yvonne nod in agreement."They are real celebrities all of a sudden, did you notice?" Lisa says. "I've seen them in the newspaper, in magazines and even on tv.""Loki said something about a publicity campaign, to get the public to know them better," I reply. "I guess all the media attention is a part of it."Uncle Lars gets into the conversation too, telling us there is an exhibition about Norse mythology opening at the MET next week. "And I also heard there will be a gala at the end of this month, with Thor and Loki being the guests of honor," he adds."Well, they sure have a full agenda," I reply, silently wondering whether Loki will be able to attend the festivities. Last time I saw him today, he was taken away in handcuffs by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.After dinner I excuse myself and turn in early for the night. I fall asleep almost instantly, the whole ordeal has exhausted me.I wake up in the middle of the night. I dreamed about Loki in the parking garage, reliving those scary moments over and over again. As I lie there, staring at the ceiling, I try to make sense of it all. I can understand why Loki didn't want to be handcuffed, he did nothing wrong at first. At least, as far as I know. But there is a little voice inside my head that says there must be more to the story, a whole lot more. I don't know what it is, and after seeing how Loki attacked that agent, I'm not sure if I want to know.I spend my first day off mostly in bed, sleeping in until noon and then having brunch in bed. The weather is good, so I do some reading and crocheting on the roof terrace. Sometimes my mind wanders to Loki, when I look at the red bench across from me, but his smile always gets replaced by his menacing looks from the parking garage. So I try not to think of him, it's probably for the best if I put it all behind me.The next day I finally get to Skype call my mother again and hearing her stories about her vacation in Finland is a nice distraction. I show her the blanket I'm working on, we talk about the family, it's nice.She tells me how she and William are going to make their way down around the Baltic sea next. That's a big journey, but before he became the director of his own trucking company, William worked as a truck driver and frequently drove to Poland, Romania and other countries in the Eastern part of Europe. He even went to Russia, so I trust him to make the trip safely. Mom also tells me about the sleighride they went on, on a sleigh with Huskies. She promises to email me some pictures later.I tell her about Thor and Loki, but in the terms of 'I met people from outer space, I serve them coffee and they are really nice'. No use in worrying her if I'm gonna keep my distance from them from now on.I also go clubbing with Thomas, although I make sure not to drink as much as last time. He takes me to a place where drag queens perform and we have so much fun all night. There is a 'female' version of Thor, called Thoress, who really steals the show as the Goddess of Thunder.After a few days I feel like my old self again. The whole Loki-thing really drained my energy. I make a resolve to not let that happen again. He may be handsome and fascinating, he also has a very dark side. I've had my share of dating bad boys in the past, but I suspect Loki can make Joey and his secret coke addiction seem like a trifle.My batteries fully charged again, I go back to work. Emilia is chatting my ear off about her new boyfriend, Juan. She shows me pictures of him on her phone and I tell her they look cute together. She also tells me Chad came by again, with one of his friends. He was bragging about how People magazine bought some of his pictures. I'm glad I missed that.The week goes by quite uneventful, and I like it. The biggest drama comes from Mrs. Willow, who thought she lost her cat, only to discover she had shut him out on the windowsill. The poor animal had sat there for hours.I go through the week smiling, enjoying the chats with customers and the sun outside, all the while humming softly to the music playing in the café.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
It's time for my break and I'm lounging on a chair I put out in the alley behind the coffee shop. My view isn't pretty, but I can just catch the rays of sun coming from between two tall buildings, so I'm perfectly content.Emilia sticks her head around the door. "Ylva? Thor is here and he is asking for you.""Really? Ah shoot, I was just enjoying the sun..." I'm actually a little bothered Thor showed up and I wonder why he's here. "You know what? Just let him come back here. I'm on my break, I'm sure he can come to me."A few moments later, the God of Thunder steps through the backdoor into the alley. He looks around questioningly, but doesn't say anything."Hello Thor, I'd offer you a seat, but I'm afraid I don't have an extra chair back here," I say, feeling a little mischievous. My gut tells me this is not just a social call and I refuse to jump up and salute every time an Asgardian god calls for my attention. The things I've been through because of them have not all been very nice. Sure, it was all just minor grievances, but still.Thor doesn't react to my tone and simply grabs a sturdy case we use to collect glass bottles in. Turning it on it's side, he carefully sits down. The plastic creaks a bit, but it can just hold the weight of the big man."I'm sorry I didn't come sooner, my lady, my sincerest apologies," the god starts."What would you come to me for?" I ask a bit surprised."To apologize for the way you got caught up in Loki's affairs with S.H.I.E.L.D.," Thor explains. "It only came to my attention you two were taken in after three days. And then I had to... make some arrangements first.""You seem to do that a lot," I reply curtly.Thor looks at me questioningly. "Pardon me, my lady?""Apologizing for your brothers behaviour, I mean. This is the second time I hear you do it, and I'm sure this is far from new to you.""I see what you mean..." Thor shifts his seat on the crate, the plastic creaking alarmingly. He gets up and starts pacing in front of me."My brother... is a complicated man," Thor says slowly, looking at me. I just cock my eyebrow. "I guess you have seen some of that for yourself," the god admits.I don't answer. Whatever Thor wants to tell me, he will have to cough it up by himself. I'm not pulling it out of him, as I'm not sure if I want to know. There is a familiar warm feeling in my spine, spreading slowly across my back."Loki has a troubled past. He never really felt accepted by father. I think he was just looking for his place in the universe, a place where he would be accepted, where people would look up to him. He always was mischievous, forever scheming and pulling tricks, mostly for his own benefit. My brother has taken things too far on more than one occasion."Thor shakes his head, still pacing. I just let him talk, following him with my eyes."Losing our mother was very hard for both of us, but I think Loki took the biggest hit. I love him, he's my brother, but we are very different. It's hard to trust him, because he has betrayed my trust many, many times. But I do believe he has changed since father died, since Ragnarok. He chose the side of his people, of Asgard. That's why I believed I could take him with us to Earth again."Despite my better judgment, I am curious. "Again? Loki has been here before? I thought only you had been to Earth before?"Thor hesitates a little, before confirming Loki indeed has been to Earth before, some years ago."Why? What did he do back then? Is that why S.H.I.E.L.D. is keeping such a close eye on him?" I lean forward in my chair, involuntary digging my nails in my jeans. My spine tingles, a heat ripple going up and down.The God of Thunder is silent for a minute, then speaks up. "I'm afraid it was my brother who led the Chitauri army to Earth. He was promised a kingdom and it drove him to.... make some very bad decisions.""What?!" I yell, toppling over my chair when I shoot to my feet. "You're telling me Loki is the one responsible for all those deaths? For all that destruction?"Thor nods gravely. "But be assured, my lady, he has been punished for his deeds. Our father Odin imprisoned him on Asgard and S.H.I.E.L.D. did the same when we came on Earth to find refuge." Thor looks at me, waiting for me to process this.And I'm not processing this all that well. My mind is racing. I served that man tea. Hell, I even started caring for him! Loki, the God of Lies. A deceiver indeed."He's a terrorist. A murderer. He should be in jail!" I shout at Thor."And there he is right now, for a while anyway. I've arranged for him to be out again in a few days."I can't believe my ears. "Why?! For the love of God, why should he get out of jail? He deserves to be there, for all that he has done." In my anger I have closed the distance between me and Thor until there's just a few inches between us."Well, for practical reasons first." Thor says dryly, looking down his nose to me. "The people of Asgard don't have a home anymore, so we need a new one. I'd like that to be on Earth. But for the people to accept us, they have to see us, get to know us. And that includes my brother."I shake my head at him. "I know one thing the public doesn't know about Loki and I don't think you want that to get out," I say bitterly."It would surely not help our case," Thor agrees."Then why... why are you telling me this?""Because I saw a change in Loki, I have seen there is still good inside him," Thor says in a pleading voice and he grabs my shoulders. "But he needs you, Ylva. He needs you to be his light."I step back, shaking off Thor's hands. "What are you talking about? What light? Why would a terrorist need me?"Thor shrugs a bit helplessly. "I'm a warrior, not a philosopher. It has something to do with light and dark, Heimdall explained it to me," he says, fumbling for words. "You are Loki's light, you can help him!" he adds firmly."Well, then I guess you guys can go to Home Depot to buy a light bulb, because I'm not gonna help a murderer!"And I leave Thor standing in the alley, slamming the door to the coffee shop behind me.I get through the rest of the day in a haze. I mess up orders, drop a plate with muffins and almost start crying when Mrs. Willow asks me if something is the matter.After dinner I crash on the couch, and I haven't moved yet, when I hear a knock on the door that connects our apartment with that of my aunt and uncle. Lars sticks his head around the door and asks if he can come in. Not saying anything, I sit up to make room for him on the couch. I pull my legs up, my big sweater over my knees, crossing my arms around my legs. Uncle Lars puts an arm around my shoulder and all of a sudden I start crying. He doesn't say a word and just waits until I'm calmed down again. That takes a while."Do you want to talk about it?" my uncle asks softly when my sobbing has ceased."I... I don't know. I don't want people to freak out.""I promise I won't freak out," Lars says. "And holding it in will not do you any good. You can tell me, dear."And I do. First I tell him about how Loki has used magic to keep people at bay in the coffee shop - to which my uncle chuckles and says he suspected as much - and how the prince has healed my hand. Then I tell him about the metal bracelets and the tracking device Tony Stark injected. I even tell him about what happened in the parking garage, how Loki scared me with his violent reaction."I can imagine that was very scary," my uncle says, giving me a squeeze. "Why didn't you tell me before?""I didn't want you to worry, I'm sorry," I say quietly."Prince Loki is a very proud man," my uncle muses. "And Asgard is a realm of warriors. Warriors with very long lives and other superpowers. No wonder the people of old thought they were gods. I can imagine the prince would not take it lightly if people wanted to restrain him. If the myths have any truth in them, Loki and Thor are much more powerful than us regular people."Lars is silent for a moment. "But that is not an excuse to behave like that, especially when you are a guest on Earth. However, I don't think that's all that is troubling you. Is there something else you wish to tell me?"I hesitate. Yes, Loki is a terrorist and a murderer. But if I understood Thor correctly, the people of Asgard need to stay on Earth. If it becomes known their prince is a terrorist or a war criminal, the people of Earth would turn against them all. I would not want that to happen, their home is destroyed, they deserve a place to stay."It's difficult. Thor told me Loki has done something bad. Something very bad," I shudder. "He was in jail, on Asgard and on Earth, but they let him out for publicity reasons. Him and Thor are the face of Asgard and now their world is destroyed they all need a new home."My uncle had not heard about Ragnarok actually taking place, so I tell him what little I know from Thor and Lady Eir."So that's why there is a publicity campaign; to make the people of Earth warm up to the Asgardians, so they can live among us," my uncle says."Yes, and I guess as Asgardian royalty, Thor and Loki have to lead the way."My uncle nods and thinks for a moment. I like that about him, he's always calm, taking things as they come. I don't think his wife and daughter would have reacted so cool and collected to this. "Can you please not tell Yvonne and Lisa about this?" I ask my uncle. "They would just freak out."Lars smiles. "Alright. But then you have to tell me what this all has got to do with you. Why are you mixed up in this?"And I tell him what Thor said, that Loki needs me because I am supposed to be his light. "But that sounds like total BS to me, so I told him to buy a light bulb at Home Depot."That gets a chuckle out of Lars, but he is serious again when he tells me: "Who knows Ylva, maybe you find yourself in the middle of a modern day myth.""Yeah right," I scoff. "Just like a fairy tale. Maybe Yvonne is my fairy godmother.""Well, her muffins taste magical, so who knows?!" Lars jokes, and with that our talk takes a lighter turn.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
When my uncle leaves me a little while later, I feel much better. I get into bed, thinking a little about what Thor could mean with me being Loki's light. But sleep overtakes me and I don't wake up until my alarm rings the next morning.I work only the morning shifts this week, leaving my afternoons free to do what I want. Lisa and I take a salsa dancing workshop at the local community center, I clean out my closet and I help Mrs. Willow to order a new microwave online.And now I'm up at the roof terrace, with today's newspaper and a cup of tea. When I get to the entertainment section, there is a big piece about the opening of the mythology exhibit at the MET yesterday. Lars said he wanted to go check it out some time and I start reading the article. But then the pictures catch my eye and I can feel my stomach knot. Loki and Thor are pictured multiple times, with several other guests. On one picture, there is a beautiful blonde draped over Loki's arm. She has a familiar face, I think she's a model.Why am I getting angry over this? I knew Loki would be out of jail, and attending the opening at the MET is probably just part of the publicity campaign. I look at the girl on Loki's arm. Was she part of the campaign too? She's not Asgardian, she just looks like arm candy. When I realise I'm getting worked up over seeing Loki with a pretty girl, I throw the newspaper on the ground.Loki is a murderer, I remind myself.A handsome murderer who has held my hand when I was scared, who healed me and who has told me he thinks I'm sweet.Shit.The next day it's my day off, but Thomas has asked me to help him with a muffin delivery to a big legal firm down the block. One of the partners is treating the whole staff to muffins because of his birthday. It's just around the block, so getting a cab is a bit overdone. We have a trolley for things like this. Thomas needs me to make sure the pile of boxes doesn't end up all over the sidewalk. "Or in case a hobo tries to run off with a box of muffins!" Thomas jokes to me, while loading the trolley."That's why I'm giving you an extra box," aunt Yvonne says, putting one on top of the pile. "You can give those to the homeless near the monument, when you're on your way back."The legal firm is in a big fancy building, a couple of buildings down to the monument. So after we deliver the muffins we take the extra box with us, in search for someone who doesn't get a treat like that very often. During the day there are protesters in front on the monument and usually there are some homeless people around too. On one of the benches that look out over the lawn around the monument we spot a man and a woman, with some bags scattered around them. They happily accept the muffins and Thomas and I turn the trolley around to head back to the coffeeshop."Good morning, lady Ylva, lord Thomas," a voice says behind us.I look around to see Lord Heimdall standing on the sidewalk, dressed in dark jeans and a brown leather jacket. He's wearing his sunglasses."Will you join me for a walk, please, lady Ylva?" he asks politely.I have no idea why he wants me to come with him, but the weather is nice, I've got notting better to do and Heimdall has always been friendly. "Uh, sure. Why not? You'll manage getting back without me, right, Thomas?""Yeah, no problem. See you tomorrow!" Thomas says goodbye to Heimdall and pushes the trolley down the sidewalk.Heimdall and I walk in the other direction. "I hope I didn't interrupt your plans, my lady," he says, walking in a leisurely pace, hands behind his back."Oh, no worries. It's my day off, I had nothing planned." I walk beside the tall man, wondering what it is he wants with me. Before I can ask what this is about, he starts talking."I want to tell you some more about the destruction of my realm. I hope it will give you the information you need to make a decision.""Alright," I answer slowly. I don't know what decision he is talking about, but I'm too curious to pass on a chance to learn more about Ragnarok.Heimdall starts his story and before long I'm mesmerized by his deep voice. He tells me how Loki had faked his own death after helping to defeat the dark elves. Loki then managed to put a spell on Odin, removed him of Asgard and took his place on the throne. Heimdall was charged with treason by Odin/Loki, but fled the city before he was arrested. I learn that the big man with his golden eyes is not only able to see across the universe, but can also see a little into the future.By the time Thor discovered Loki's scheme and found Odin back, the Allfathers life came to an end. Ragnarok was coming. Thor and Loki's long lost sister, Hela, the Goddess of Death, returned to Asgard. Thor and Loki were chased by her and got lost travelling the Bifrost, some sort of intergalactic highway to their world, to end up on the other end of the universe. Heimdall fled with the people of Asgard into the mountains, protecting them to his best abilities. Being on Asgard made Hela stronger and stronger, until she was nearly invincible. But Thor returned with Valkyrie (kind of like the Asgard version of an Amazon warrior) and the Hulk and fought Hela. Loki then showed up with a gigantic spaceship, to evacuate the people of Asgard. Thor realised Ragnarok was inevitable: it was the only way to defeat Hela. He ordered Loki to awake Surtur, the fire giant, who laid waste to Asgard. And that was the end of their realm.When Heimdall stops talking I realise I've held my breath almost the entire time."You are a great storyteller, my lord," I compliment the man beside me. "But I don't really see what Ragnarok has to do with me.""Ragnarok showed us Loki still has some good in him. We thought we had lost him to the darkness inside him, but he chose to save the people of Asgard. I think he realised that his place was with the people of Asgard, next to Thor," Heimdall says in his compelling voice. "When we came to Earth, Loki was not welcome, which was to be expected. S.H.I.E.L.D. put him in a cell and for the first couple of months we could not contact him. Thor came to an agreement with S.H.I.E.L.D. and they granted Loki some lenience. It took another couple of months to get him out of his cell. But there were some strict conditions.""I know. The bracelets and the tracker implant. He told me about it," I reply.Heimdall smiles at me. "Yes, he confided in you. I had hoped for that to happen. When I first met you, I saw a connection between you and Loki. At first, I wasn't sure what it was, but after meeting you a second time, I was sure you were the key to fighting the darkness inside him."I shake my head. "Thor said something about me being the light. But I don't get it, I'm not special.""Oh, but you are, my lady. Isn't it true you were the only one who was able to break through Loki's barrier?" The Asgardian puts his hand briefly on my spine. "And I believe you have some sort of magic of your own."I turn to him, stopping in my tracks. I'm sure I look like a fish out of water, my mouth frozen in a big 'o'. This is the second time someone tells me I've got magic.Heimdall nods friendly. "I do not have a profound knowledge of this sort of things, Loki would know more about it. But I do know you have something, and it seems to be centered in your spine."We have made it around the block by now and we're back at the monument. Heimdall leads me to a park bench and sits himself beside me. My head is swimming and it takes me some time to form coherent thoughts. Finally, I'm able to ask a question. "So, you need me to help Loki to stay good?""That is one way to say it. And in return, maybe you could learn more about yourself and your abilities."If I understand the Asgardian gatekeeper right, I have to be the light to Loki's darkness, to keep him from falling back to his mischievous ways. I'm not so sure how I am going to do that. If I even want to do it! I tell Heimdall I have to think about it."I understand, my lady. I hope you'll make a decision that benefits all of us."Then he stands up, bows for me and says goodbye, leaving me on the park bench.I don't know how long I sit there, mulling over all the things Heimdall told me. Basically, Heimdall and Thor both have told me Loki is not to be trusted. But, they still wánt to trust him, they still look for the good in him.When I first met the God of Lies I had the impression he prefered to be left alone. In spite of that, I was able to make contact with him. We developed our own small routine pretty quickly. It was nice to chat with him while I was working. I started to look forward to the moment he walked in the coffee shop every day. I suspect he also likes me, in his own way. Maybe just because I am a friendly face after all the animosity he encountered upon his visit to Earth. A hostile environment that he created by his own doing.Just over six years ago, he came here with the intention to rule over Earth. That did not go as planned. Now he is back, but from what I have seen he doesn't want to conquer my planet. He reads about it, learns about it. Although when I think about it, that could be just another way to reach the same goal, only slower.I look at the names on the monument. A lot of people lost their lives that day. And Loki is responsible. Maybe he did not kill them with his own hands, but he brought that alien army here.I'm a little mad. At Loki, at Thor, at Heimdall... but also at myself. Because despite all I learned about Loki, my thoughts all lead to the same point: I'm going to try to be his light. Not because Heimdall and Thor want me to, but because a feeling deep inside me tells me to.After reaching that decision, however bad it might turn out to be in the future, I become more aware of my surroundings again and I look around me. The protesters are still there, the two homeless people we gave the muffins to have left. But I'm not the only one sitting here, in the far corner of the lawn there's a dark figure on a bench, staring to the ground. He is wearing black pants and a green hooded sweater, dark strands of hair hanging in front of his face.Loki.I curse Heimdall under my breath. "You planned this, you all knowing asshole."
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I take some time looking at the huddled figure across the lawn. I can't see his face, but I know for sure it is Loki. So, how do you 'be' someone's light? I have literally no clue at all. What I do know, is that Loki looks quite unhappy. He is just sitting there, hunched over, his hands between his knees. A familiar warmth is spreading along my spine. With a shock, I remember Heimdall touching my back when he talked about my magic. Was this what he meant? A deep sigh escapes me. I might as well get on with it. "Down the rabbit hole I go," I mutter, getting up from the bench.Loki doesn't look up when I approach him and I just go with my gut when I slide on the bench beside him, putting my arms around him. "You look like you need a hug."As soon as I touch him, Loki whips up his arms to throw off mine, turning his body so he faces me. His hand is about to clench down on my throat, when his eyes suddenly grow big and he falls back against the bench."Odin be damned, Ylva! I could have hurt you!"I sit back, panting, touching my neck with my hand. Smart idea, surprising a god from a warrior planet. "You looked like you needed a hug," I squeak.Loki starts laughing out loud, a sound I had not heard before, so I smile back, be it a little wavered. "It's good to see you," Loki says, putting his arm around my shoulders shortly to plant a small kiss in my hair."So, I heard you've been in jail. Again." I say casually when we are settled on the bench. I can feel the adrenaline in my body from his near-attack, it's making me bold."I take it Thor has been in contact with you," Loki answers, at which point I nod."And Heimdall, him too. Everyone but you," I tell the god next to me a little edgy.After a moment he responds. "Yes... sorry about that. But after what happened that day, I thought you might not want to see me again.""You're right, I didn't.""But here you are."I just shrug in response. I couldn't tell him why I'm here if he asked, as I don't really know that answer myself.Loki wants to know what happened to me at S.H.I.E.L.D. and seems set at ease when he hears I only had to answer questions. "But it took a really long time, it was really annoying!" I whine a little and he laughs again.He tells me the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents had put him back in the same cell he was in when he came to Earth with the other survivors of Ragnarok."Because you attacked that agent?" I ask, like pinning a man to a wall is a normal thing to do."Yes. And because I healed your hand.""That doesn't sound fair.""It was part of the deal Thor made. I can't use my magic on people. They were ok with it when I only used it to keep people at a distance. I figure their train of thought was that I was less likely to kill anyone if everyone stayed out of reach." He laughs humorlessly."Do you want to? Kill people, I mean. Or take over Earth?" I ask bluntly."My, are we subtle today!" Loki smirks. But I just look at him, waiting for an answer."Well... I still think the people of Earth want to be subjugated, deep down. If you look at history, they seem to have some perverse need for it. But let's just say I've lost my appetite. For now at least." His look is daring and confident, but my gut tells me it's all for show. He just wants to see how I respond to such a cocky statement. He doesn't seem surprised I know about his efforts to take over my planet."To rule over seven billion people... There is such a thing as getting in over your head," I reply, letting some sarcasm seep through."You don't think I could do it?" Loki grins at me."I just think it's overly ambitious, even for you."The God of Mischief snickers. "That has never held me back before."Loki seems to handle my confrontations well, so I take it a little further. "What's with the whole look?" I ask, gesturing to his hoodie and disorderly hair."It's my day off," he shrugs."Ah. And your idea of pastime is to admire the monument they put up for all the people you killed."That hits a nerve. "Check your tongue, human! The fact that I've put up with your sass 'till now, doesn't mean that will endure."Although his stare is cold and angry I force myself to meet his eyes. Fear of what he can do to me gives me goosebumps, but I refuse to let him get the better of me. So I clench my teeth and stare back at him. After a few minutes Loki rolls his eyes angrily and breaks up our staring contest."By Valhalla, you are stubborn," he says, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Why are you here, Ylva? Just to pick a fight with me?" Loki sounds aggrieved. "If you think I'm such a monster, why not stay away from me? Or turn me in to the police?""I did not came to pick a fight. Not intentionally anyway," I tell him hesitantly. "Maybe I just came to see if the Loki responsible for the death of so many innocent people is the same Loki I met in the coffee shop.""And?" he asks, a hint of concern in his voice. Or maybe that's just my imagination."I don't know," I say softly, avoiding his eyes this time. "I do like coffee shop Loki better."He is silent for a while and when he speaks again, his tone is soft. "Didn't you say you read up about me? The myths don't paint a pretty picture. I'm like the face of evil and lies. One could say my attempt to rule Earth fits the bill perfectly. Then why are you surprised?"I snort. "The myths also tell you turned yourself into a mare and gave birth to Sleipnir, Odin's eight legged horse. Excuse me for taking those stories with a grain of salt."Loki chuckles and involuntary I smile too. But when he speaks again, his tone is serious. "I'm not a big brawny warrior like my brother. My wit and my ability to adapt are my greatest weapons, along with my magic. Yes, I wanted to subjugate the people of Earth six years ago. But circumstances have changed and therefore I have changed."After that, we just sit in silence, each with our own thoughts. I am mostly wondering why my morals seem so flexible around Loki. Because somehow I am accepting him for who he is, violent past and all. "Did you glamour me?" I ask, startling him a bit."Why would you say that?""Because I'm sitting next to a murderer and I don't feel the need to call 911," I exclaim dramatically, throwing my hands up."I'm sorry, my little wolf, but that's all on you. They upgraded these," he says with a chuckle, holding up his wrists with the metal bracelets. "I would not have the power to glamour you. I barely have enough magic for myself. And I'm on house arrest. You just caught me on my yard time."And sure enough, I spot a man in a dark suit walking our way. Agent Wilde. "That's my call," Loki says, getting up from the bench. He extends his hand to help me up. Still holding my hand, he bends over to whisper in my ear. "I can't glamour you, but I hope it will be enough to just ask."I can feel his cool breath brushing my ear. Goosebumps again, but now in a good way. "Will you accompany me to a gala next week?" When he pulls away to look at me, he gives a tiny chuckle. His free hand touches my reddened cheeks. "Is that a yes?"Embarrassed, I give Loki a shove. "Jerk," I mutter."I'll see you soon, my lady," Loki says, putting my hand to his lips for a light kiss. He turns on his heels, walking toward the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who is waiting for him."Wait!" I call after him. "Do I need a dress? I don't have a gala dress!"Loki turns around halfway, giving me a wink. "Don't worry. We can take care of that."
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The same evening I get a call. It's Lady Eir, asking if I can join her the next day for a dress fitting. Flabbergasted, I agree to meet her after my morning shift.A dark Mercedes with tinted windows stops in front of the coffee shop. In the back is Lady Eir, who invites me to take the seat next to her. "Loki told me you will accompany him to the gala. Him and Thor are the guests of honor, so we have to dress you accordingly."I suck in my breath, I had not realised that going with Loki would put me in the center of the attention."Don't worry, my dear," Lady Eir comforts me. "You just have to look pretty and enjoy yourself."The chauffeur stops the car in front of a big apartment block in Queens. We leave the car and walk through a gate, entering the yard. It looks like the Garden of Eden in here and I stop in awe."Beautiful, isn't it?" Lady Eir says. "Stark Industries really put in an effort to make us feel at home.""The people of Asgard live here?""They do indeed. And I'm taking you to see Brunnhyld, she was lady Frigga's seamstress and is very talented. She is making me my dress and she will do the same for you."Brunnhyld turns out to be a woman with long dark hair, who looks like she's my mothers age. But I'm sure she's older, being from Asgard and all. Brunnhyld has the help of two young women, who introduce themselves as Tova and Astera. They don't speak English, but the seamstress does.While Tova takes my measurements, Brunnhyld and Astera help Lady Eir to put on her new dress. It's a beautiful ruby red gown with a sheer satin top layer. The fabric wraps around her waist and upper torso, goes up over one shoulder and then trails down her back. The skirt is big and wavy. It really looks good on the healer. Brunnhyld puts in some pins for adjustments and announces the dress will be done the next day."And now to you, my lady," she says to me. "What kind of dress would you like?""Uh... I don't really know," I admit shyly.The seamstress smiles at me. "Is this how you usually dress?" she asks, walking around me to take in my outfit."This is one of my favorite dresses. But I often wear jeans too," I answer. I'm wearing my green A line dress with blue flowers today. I was a little nervous, so I picked something that felt safe."The collar frames you nicely," Brunnhyld remarks. She says something to Tova and Astera, who hurry off to another room. They return with some rolls of fabric and a notepad. Brunnhyld takes the notepad and a pencil and makes a quick sketch. "What do you think?" she asks, giving me the notepad.The sketch shows a long dress with cap sleeves. The neckline is a deep V, the edges standing up around the neck. It's a figure hugging dress that runs down in a little train. It shows of your curves without showing a lot of skin."I love it!"Brunnhyld gives me a satisfied nod. "And now for the color. As you will attend the gala with prince Loki, I think it's only fitting you wear his colors.""Black and green?" I guess."Yes, and gold."Brunnhyld takes a strand of my hair between her fingers. "I think green would be a good choice."The seamstress pulls out a roll of forest green fabric. It's smooth, soft and incredibly supple. I let my fingers trace the fabric."We don't have a lot of time, the gala being held next week," Brunnhyld says, "but I'll make sure your dress is ready. I can make some last adjustments on the spot."When we are done we all go outside, to sit in the yard. I still think it looks like the Garden of Eden, with fruit trees, bushes blooming with flowers in various colors and green grass that just screams for a picnic.Tova has brought some drinks and we enjoy the sun. After a while a door on the other side of the yard opens and some children pile out, running after each other. "Oh, I didn't know you also have children here," I tell Brunnhyld."We do. It looks like they have just finished school for the day."We talk some time about the differences of schools on Asgard and here on Earth, however, because our frame of reference is so different, the talk turns out rather confusing. We talk in English, so Tova and Astera can't really join the conversation. But they do not seem to mind, chatting happily with each other.Turning to Lady Eir I ask her if our practice of medicine is very different from what she did on Asgard."It is," she admits. "Stark Industries arranged for me to work in a large hospital here in the city. I work with a team of talented doctors, investigating the biggest differences in our practices. We can learn a lot from each other, it's fascinating.""It seems to me one of the biggest differences is the use of magic. Here on Earth we don't believe in magic, at least, most of us don't. Medicine is science," I say to her."True, we know more about magic and its possibilities, " she agrees. "But there is magic on Earth too. The people just don't know it. Or they don't recognise it when they see it.""Hmm... maybe..." I answer, letting the thought sink in.When it's time to go home, we say our goodbyes to Brunnhyld, Tova and Astera. The seamstress and the girls will come to Stark Tower on the day of the gala, to make some last modifications to my dress and to help us prepare for the event. I thank them all thoroughly. I've never had clothes designed and made for me and I think it's pretty special.On the ride back I ask Lady Eir who will be attending the gala. She explains most of the guest will be businessmen, politicians and diplomats. "There will also be royal guests from other countries, like the king and queen from Norway and the Swedish crown princess," she says. "There are talks with several parties for an Asgardian settlement in their country. So basically this gala is just another way of getting to know each other, to socialise.""Another thing," she says, changing the topic. "I'm glad you agreed to help us with Loki. You have a very good influence on him.""You make it sound like I'm his nanny," I protest."Forgive me, I think you misunderstood my meaning. Maybe it got lost in translation," Lady Eir says, putting her hand on my arm. "But Loki does need some caring for, no matter how you put it. He has been incarcerated in some way or another for a large part of the last decade. Lady Frigga visited him when she could, but most of the time Loki was alone. Isolated. That has influenced him," she explains to me."I can imagine," I nod. "When you only got yourself to talk to, there is no-one to tell you wether you are right or wrong.""That's true. Imprisonment affects the body and mind, especially when the person is detained for a longer period of time." She pauses for a second. "The loss of his mother, lady Frigga, really hit him hard. She loved him unconditionally, no matter what he did. And then he lost that."Lady Eir gives me a little squeeze. "Heimdall has seen you with Loki. It's like you're opposites of each other: light and dark. But after all, darkness is just the absence of light.""I think I understand what you are getting at," I answer, "but it all sounds a bit vague, I'm sorry.""Then let me put it this way," Lady Eir says. "Loki is unhappy and that brings out the worst in him. We've seen the good in him too and we would very much like to preserve that. And that's where you come in."I lean back in the seat of the car, we are almost back in Manhattan. "I'm sure there are more ways to keep Loki happy. I saw pictures of him at the exhibition, I believe there was plenty of entertainment," I say a little sourly.Lady Eir chuckles. "I believe you are referring to the blonde lady who approached him. I think she slapped him in the face at some point."
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Later that week, in the coffee shop, Thomas bumps my shoulder when we are both behind the counter. "I heard the prince is taking you to the ball!""It's not a ball, it's a gala. For political and publicity reasons even, so you don't have to make a fuss about it," I mutter."There will be music, food, drinks, fancy dressed people. Sure sounds like a ball to me!" He grins. "You've got yourself a date with a prince, girl!""Alright, alright, keep it down!" I shush."Do you have a dress?"I tell Thomas about my visit to the Asgardian seamstress and his excitement is catching. I am actually a little nervous about the gala: I've never been to a big event like that. Though Thomas is reminding me of the fun of it all; I get to wear a beautiful dress to a big party with lots of important people. And I get to go with a prince, that too.A ruckus outside draws our attention. I count about ten photographers, pointing their lenses to Thor and Loki who are making their way to the coffee shop. Loki is the first through the door, his face like thunder. The actual God of Thunder comes in behind him, shoving a pushy photographer to the side.Aunt Yvonne happens to be close to the door, talking to some customers in a window seat. She puts her big body in front of the photographers crowding before the entrance. "Nothing to see here, people! Come on, get going. I can't have you scaring away my customers.""I see you, Chad!" she calls after him, when she spots Chad among the reluctantly departing paparazzi.The gods take a seat at the counter and the peace returns. I make sure all my customers are satisfied, then I join aunt Yvonne behind the counter. "What was that all about?" I ask Thor and Loki."Pesky humans..." Loki says under his breath, glaring at his cup of tea on the counter."Loki!" I reprimand him with a little smile. He snorts in return.Thor explains how the press has been all over them since yesterday."Is it because of that Denise? It was all over Twitter," Thomas asks, coming up behind the counter."I believe that is her name, yes," Thor nods.Thomas laughs, but stops when Loki gives him a dark look. Aunt Yvonne and I still look puzzled, so Thor explains how this Denise was not pleased - to say the least of it - with Loki at the opening of the exhibition. And she took her disgruntlement to social media, where the press soon picked up on it."So as I hear it, you called this on yourself?" aunt Yvonne says tauntingly, raising her brows at Loki. The God of Mischief says nothing, just flicks his eyes up at Yvonne and then back to stare at this cup of tea.Thor slaps his brother on the shoulder. "Don't be such a grump, dear brother. Cheer up! We are in the company of your favourite lady human, I would think that would lift your spirit."Loki tenses up and for a second I'm afraid he will lash out. But he just stands up, nostrils flared, and takes off for the bookstore in a few long strides.Thor chuckles and asks for a refill of his coffee. Yvonne fills his mug and they start talking about the gala. Yvonne wants to know all about the important guests, even though Thor can't tell her much about them, not knowing most of them himself. Thomas pitches in with his celebrity knowledge.I do another round of tables, meanwhile keeping an eye on Loki in the bookstore. He's browsing the poetry section, taking up a book every now and then to read a few pages. I figure it's best to leave him to himself. Proud prince Loki."Lady Ylva, I almost forgot. I've got a letter for you," Thor says, handing me a folded letter.It's from Lady Eir, asking me to come to Stark Tower at 3 pm at the day of the gala. In her curly handwriting it says there will be a 'casual dinner party' before the gala and I'm told to bring a change of clothes and toiletries. I already guessed the preparations for the gala would take some time, so I have arranged for Emilia to take over my shifts that day and the day after."Can you tell Lady Eir I will be there, as she requested?" I ask Thor and tuck the letter in my apron."Of course, my lady. She told me Brunnhyld is making you a dress; she used to be my mother's seamstress and was famous in all of Asgard for her skills.""I'm very honored I get to wear a dress that is specially made for me! All the more so because she used to dress the queen," I say sincerely. "But I do feel a bit put on the spot because I am not paying for the dress.""You are my guest, I told you it would be arranged." Loki's voice comes from close behind me. His deep voice gives me goosebumps."And I am grateful, really, I am," I say, turning to Loki. I try to ignore the fact that he is standing so close I have to look up to him. "Maybe I'm just too much of a feminist to feel at ease when a man is paying my clothes for me."Of course both Thor and Loki have no idea what a feminist is and I don't really feel like explaining that right now. So I just ignore their puzzled looks and express my gratitude again, especially because I think a dress like the one I'm getting is way above my paygrade."Did you find something you like?" I ask Loki, pointing at the book he is holding."Your uncle suggested I start with this," he answers, holding up an anthology of famous poems from English authors."That's a great place to start indeed," I answer. "This book has a nice mix of old and modern poets. I wonder which ones you like better.""You know this book?" he asks curiously.I nod. "I read it on the plane to the States. I wasn't too familiar with English poetry and I thought an 8 hour plane ride was a nice opportunity to remedy that.""What's your favorite poem?" Loki is looking at me most attentively,I would almost forget I am working. It's like the rest of the world fades out when you are at the centre of his attention. It's just you and him, nothing else. Wonderful, but not when you're on the job."My favourites are not English, they're Dutch. I like the poets Hans Andreus and K. Schippers. However, I also like Oscar Wilde and Edgar Allan Poe, they are both in there," I tell Loki, tapping the book he is holding."Then I guess you'll have to read me your favorite poems some time." The God of Mischief smiles at me and to my embaressment I can feel my cheeks heat up."Alright, I will. But right now I'm working," I tell him quickly, more as a reminder to myself. And I turn my words into deeds, bussing tables.At the end of the day, when Thomas and I are cleaning up, he starts singing. "Ylva and Loki are sitting in a tree... K I S S I N G!"I throw a dish rag at his head, but he just laughs at me. "What? Don't tell me you wouldn't like that, kissing prince Loki!" Thomas says with a big grin."You don't have to be so childish about it," I grumble."Oh come on, Ylva. It's just a joke," Thomas soothes. "But I see the way you look at him. And if I'm not mistaken, Loki has a serious soft spot for you too."I'd like to think Thomas is right, though a relationship with Loki would be very complicated to say the least. My feelings for him are complicated too. I really like being with him, talking to him. And when he is with me, I forget about all the horrible things he has done. Only when he is not around I remember what he did here on Earth. Yet when I see him again, it is hard to believe he did those things. Maybe he was right and he really did evolve into another person over the past few years. On the other hand, I've also seen him get mad on several occasions and then it's not so hard to imagine him being capable of terrible things."We're just friends, Thomas," I tell him. "Besides, I don't think Loki is boyfriend material. He is not even from this world!""Ha! That wouldn't stop me," Thomas quips. "He doesn't seem alien. He's very good looking, if you like dark, tall and broody. It's not like he has tentacles or anything!"The idea of squid Loki gives me the giggles and Thomas happily joins in.
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The image of squid Loki stuck to my head, because when Thor and Loki stop by two days later I start laughing again. Thor easily laughs with me, not needing to know what it's about to have a laugh. Loki just looks at me, one eyebrow cocked. But I spot the hint of a smile, so at least he's in a better mood than last time.They got in at the end of my shift and when I'm done I take the stool next to Loki to have tea with him. We're at the end of the bar, next to the wall. Loki has turned in his seat to face me, his back to Thor who is chatting with Mrs. Willow. I can see the old lady is very charmed by the God of Thunder."I want to talk to you about something," Loki says in a somewhat hushed voice. "Remember when I said I think you have magic of your own? I need you to tell me some more about that.""What? How am I supposed to talk about magic?" I exclaim, immediately shutting my mouth when I realise it is not a topic you should talk about loudly in a busy coffee shop."Seriously though," I tell him softly, "how can I tell you about something I don't even have?""I've been thinking about it and I really think there is some form of magic inside you," Loki says. "And I think it runs in your family."I almost spit out my tea, having a coughing fit. Loki pats me on the back, while I brush the tears from my eyes.When I can properly speak again, I ask Loki why he thinks there is magic in my family."The other day, when I was browsing the poetry section, your uncle came up to me. I noticed he had a calming effect on me, especially when he stood right next to me," Loki explains."That's just Lars," I argue. "Just because he has a calming effect on people doesn't mean he has magic.""What do you think magic is?" Loki smiles at me. "It's a part of someone. You either have it, or you don't. It can't be taught if there is nothing there to begin with. So yes, it ís Lars, it's the magic inside him. I remember reading about this type of magic, but unfortunately a lot of knowledge was lost in Ragnarok.""Excuse me, but I find it a little hard to believe Lars and I have magic," I reply dryly.Loki sighs. "You humans have such a hard time believing there is more than meets the eye. Yet millions of people believe in a god they have never seen. I'd say it's more logical to worship me!""You'd like that, wouldn't you?" My tone is sarcastic, but he just gives me a straight answer: "Yes.""But back to you," Loki says. "Do you remember what happened when you first served me tea? That other girl could not go near me, yet you had no problem walking up to me."Thinking hard, I recall what happened that day."Tell me what you felt," he says, curiously waiting for my answer.So I tell him about the hot feeling in my spine, how it tingled at first and then disappeared. He wants to know if that happens more often and encouraged by his questions I can put things together. We softly discuss the concept of me having magic. I never really thought about it this way, but I can't deny always feeling that tingle in my spine whenever I'm around someone who is upset, sad or angry. And when I get upset myself, it often happens too."When there are a lot of people together and emotions run high, it usually results in me getting a headache," I tell Loki.He nods, then asks me another question. "Is it just the feeling in your spine, or do you act upon it too?""Uhm..." I have to think hard on this one. "I guess I feel the need to touch people when they're upset, like give them a hug or something."Loki chuckles. "I suspected something like that, yes. Not everyone wants to hug a killer, but you just jumped right to it. Just because you thought I needed comforting."He's making fun of me, but I don't mind. I enjoy talking to him like this."Well... it worked, didn't it? You felt better!" I throw back at him."As much as I hate to admit it, yes I did." Loki says after a few seconds. I think he really had some trouble admitting that, as proud as he is.I want to make another joke, but suddenly a thought crosses my mind and I instantly feel my mood crash.I make people feel better when they are upset. People feel good when I'm around, that's why people like me. Not for my personality, but for my supposed magic. Aunt Yvonne says it's my aura, Loki says it's my magic, apparently it's not just me.Maybe I am overreacting, but my whole life suddenly feels like a joke, I feel like my friends are not even my real friends. The thought is really overwhelming and my eyes tear up. I cover my face with my hands and try to breathe evenly."Ylva? What's wrong?" Loki says in a soft, but urgent voice. He lays his hand on my shoulder. "Did something... did I upset you?"His fingers brush my hair from my face, from my neck. His hand is cool and I focus on that to calm down. After a few moments, Loki still stroking my hair, I tell him what's bothering me."You soft-hearted little human," he whispers with a small chuckle. "Didn't I just tell you the magic is a part of you? You wouldn't be you without it.""Is everything alright, lady Ylva?" Thor asks, looking around Loki's shoulder.I take a deep breath and asure Thor there is nothing wrong. I sit up straight again to prove my point, regretfully noticing how Loki has pulled back his hand. The moment is gone."I guess I was just a soft-hearted little human," I say with a little smile."Ah yes... you humans are big softies indeed," Thor chuckles, easily satisfied and turning back to his conversation with Mrs. Willow. -----------------------------
Later that day, at the S.H.I.E.L.D. facility, director Fury is once again looking at agent Romanoff. The computer in front of him has just replayed a conversation between Loki of Asgard and Ylva Frederikson.
"So Loki is trying to figure out the extent of that woman's magical abilities," Fury says slowly. "What do we know about her?"
"She seems to be a nobody, sir," agent Romanoff replies. "And her supposed magical abilities have no exterior release, at least not that we know of."
"Then what use is she for Loki? He must see something in her, because he won't be sweet-talking her for nothing." Director Fury turns his chair from side to side, his fingertips pressed together, silently considering the possibilities.
"Maybe he has just taken a liking to her, sir?" Romanoff suggests. "He is very attentive to her."
Fury shakes his head. "No, this is Loki we are talking about. He must have some plan for her."
"He has not shown any hazardous behaviour since he is on Earth. He is pretty cooperative, all things considered," Romanoff argues gently.
But Fury doesn't agree. "Our boy is just playing nice to reach a goal. As soon as the Asgardians have a permanent settlement, we'll see the true Loki again I'll wager."
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The day of the gala I decide to walk to Stark Tower. The weather is beautiful and hauling a cab would take almost as long as walking there myself. I have stuffed a bag with clean clothes, toiletries and two different pairs of shoes I think would look nice with the dress. Lisa lended me a pair of pretty silver strappy sandals with a small heel and I have black pumps too. I also have a small black bag to carry a few necessities. I figured black would be a good choice, as Loki is wearing black and green most of the time. I'm curious to find out what he will be wearing, I don't think it will be a regular tuxedo.At Stark Tower I announce myself at the reception desk. The receptionist gives me a keycord with a plastic card and tells me I just have to hold it to the touchscreen in the elevator and then it will take me where I need to go. And indeed it does, as soon as I hold it up to the screen the digits tell me I'm going to the 27th floor.The hallway is just as I remember and I knock on the wide double door to the apartment. The door is opened by Heimdall, who welcomes me and takes my bag from me. I don't see Loki or Thor, it's just Lady Eir, Brunnhyld and her lady helpers."Welcome, Ylva," Lady Eir greets me. "Come sit with us. We'll drink some tea and then we will start the dress fitting."Sitting with the women at the kitchen table, it's almost like I'm with my friends from home. We're just chatting about little things, and it's really nice. Tova and Astera are starting to learn English, and they're practicing really hard. Astera seems to have quite an ear for languages, she can already make short sentences.Heimdall is in the living room, reading a book about astronomy. He just leaves us girls to it."Come see dress," Astera says to me, standing up from the table and taking my hand. The other women follow us to Lady Eirs chambers, down the hallway. I had already figured out the four extra doors in the hall led to the private chambers of the four Asgardians.Lady Eir has a small sitting room, a large bathroom and a beautiful bedroom with a four poster bed. The rooms are decorated in cream and burgundy and on the coffee table is a big flower arrangement with red roses. My bag is sitting on the couch, Heimdall must have put it there.On a rack in the sitting room hang two dresses, one ruby, one green. Next to the rack is a stack of shoe boxes. I walk over to the green dress and carefully run my hand over it. It looks beautiful and I really want to try it on.Brunnhyld takes out her pins, ready to make adjustments where needed. With a little help of Astera I put on the dress. It fits like a dream, except that it's a little long. The fabric feels really soft and light and it just hugs my body. It's a beautiful dress, but not too girly. The neckline with the little collar gives it a cool look."Now, if you pick some shoes, I can hem the dress on the right length," Brunnhyld says, pointing to the stack of shoe boxes."Oh, but I brought my own shoes," I tell the women and show them the shoes from my bag. They don't seem that enthusiastic about the shoes and I kinda agree, seeing them now with the dress.Tova rummages through the boxes, coming up with a beautiful pair of heels. Gold, with an open toe and a small strap around the ankle."Oh, they're beautiful!" I tell Tova, taking the shoes from her. When I hold them in my hands I see how high they are. I'm not used to wearing stiletto heels, so this is going to be a challenge. But they're too pretty to pass up on.I put the shoes on and walk a few steps, carefully lifting my dress. They are a good fit and actually rather comfortable, considering their height. I decide to go for it, I feel really pretty in this dress and these shoes.Brunnhyld gets me to stand on a low stool so she can pin the hem. When she's done I take of the dress reluctantly, so she can sew it. I put on my own clothes again, my jeans and top suddenly feeling way to ordinary. I keep the heels on, to practice walking in them a little before I have to wear them in public."Now time for hair," Astera says to me and I follow her to the bathroom. Lady Eir is already there, getting her hair done by Tova. The bathroom has a huge mirror, above a double sink with gold faucets. Lady Eir and I both sith on a stool in front on the mirror. The sink is completely covered in hair utilities and make up.Astera runs her fingers through my hair and looks at me in the mirror. "I have good idea. I try?" she asks me."Sure, go for it. You guys seem to know really well what looks good on me," I answer. And I nod my head, to make sure she understands she's free to do what she wants.Astera takes a section of hair above my ear and puts a clip in it. She does the same for the other side. She teases the hair on top of my head to make it big and then starts braiding the rest of my hair, working in the teased hair. To finish it up she tucks the braid in at the back of my head and makes two smaller braids from the clipped parts of hair above my ears. The little braids go to the back of my neck and get tucked in too. The result is a beautiful crossover of a braided mohawk and a more classic updo. The best of both worlds, just like the dress."I love it, Astera!" I tell her, turning my head to the sides to admire myself in the mirror.Tova needs an extra hand pinning up Lady Eir's hair, so Astera tells me she'll do my make up after dinner. I decide to go back to the living room, to go see if Thor and Loki are there.They are not, but I do find Heimdall in the kitchen, with a man and a woman. He introduces me to them and tells me they used to work in the palace kitchen. Unfortunately they don't speak English that well, so I can't really talk to them. And with Heimdall already helping them, there doesn't seem to be anything I can do.I wander a bit around the apartment, ending up at the huge windows to admire the view again. Loki's turning armchair looks like the perfect place to curl up in. It's pretty big and when I get in, I'm completely hidden from view. I take the high heels off, so I can put my feet under me.I move around a bit, finding my perfect spot, and then I feel something hard against my leg. It's a black iPhone with the earbuds attached, stuck between the cushions. I fumble it out, unlocking it by accident. It's just slide to unlock. I remember seeing Loki with a smartphone once, putting it in his pocket when he came in to the coffee shop. So I guess this one is his. I know I really shouldn't, but I'm too curious. He only has a couple of apps on his home screen, all standard iPhone apps, except one. After a moment of hesitation I open his spotify app. Just as I hoped, Loki has made a couple of playlists.One is called 'Old masters' and it's filled with classical music, from componists like Beethoven, Bach and Wagner. I guess that is not really surprising. He also has a list of audiobooks and I almost laugh out loud when I discover Orson Welles 1938 broadcast 'War of the Worlds'. An extraterrestrial being like Loki listening to a story about aliens, it just doesn't get any better.There is another playlist with mostly jazz, but Loki doesn't seem to listen to modern pop music or other genres. Feeling cheeky, I decide to remedy that. I create a new playlist, naming it 'Your favorite soft-hearted human'. I'm gonna put in my favorite songs, but I actually have to think about which ones I'm gonna pick.The last show I saw in Holland, was by Danko Jones. The Canadian rock 'n roll band had just put out their new album 'Wild Cat'. So I select my two favourite songs from that album, 'You are my woman' and 'Going out tonight'. I add a couple more rock songs, like 'Immigrant Song' by Led Zeppelin, ACDC's 'Whole lot of Rosie', 'Ace of Spades' by Motorhead and 'Lonely Boy' by The Black Keys. I'd love to see Loki's reaction.I'm having a lot of fun with this, so I'm also adding a few of my guilty pleasures, like 'Wild thing' by The Troggs, 'Tease me' by Chaka Demus & Pliers and 'Barbiegirl' from Aqua. I used to love that last song when I was a kid and I still know the lyrics by heart.Inspired by the sunny weather, I also pick my favorite reggae and ska songs. 'Good thing going' by Sugar Minott goes on first, that song never fails to make me happy. I also add songs from Bob Marley, Seeed, Alpha Blondy, Toots & The Maytalls and Marcia Griffiths. Representing ska music, I choose songs from Madness, Laurel Aitken, The Toasters and The Slackers, the last band coming from New York. Come to think of it, maybe I can go see them perform here! I've seen them in Holland a couple of times and they have a great show.Now... what else to add? Ah, right, I should not forget 'Sunny' by Bobby Hebb, the perfect song for a sunny sunday. And of course Loki needs to hear some Prince too. I think he can appreciate a little funky music. I add 'Raspberry beret' and search for some other songs by the artist.With my full attention on composing the playlist, I fail to notice Thor and Loki coming in the room."Ohhh, this feels good!" Loki exclaims happily, which startles me.My cheeks heated, I hurry to put the iPhone back where I found it. My heart is racing. I really should not have used his phone, but it's too late now. I just keep myself very still, trying to slow my heartbeat again.Suddenly Loki shows up next to the chair, he doesn't notice me and just drops himselfs in the chair without looking. I put my hands up to stop him, but they just go right through him! I cry out when this Loki mirage goes right through me, a green ripple of light where his image touches me. I scramble to my feet in the chair, my sudden movement jolting the chair and causing it to topple backwards. The chair crashes to the floor and I end up sprawled on my back.The crash makes me gasp for air and then the scene of three Loki's surrounding Thor catches my eye. Despite my lack of air I scream again, trying to scramble upright as quick as I can, my back to the wall.I'm pushed up against the wall, my heart almost jumping out of my throat and the whole room is silent. Everyone is looking at me. Heimdall and the cooks, Thor, and multiple Loki's. There is one in the middle of the living room, frozen in what looks like a little victory dance, a shocked look on his face. And there are three Loki's next to Thor, all looking in my direction.The next second, the three Loki's by Thor disappear in thin air and just the Loki in the middle of the room is left. That Loki calls my name and rushes over to me. I cringe and he stops in his tracks, a few feet away from me.Heimdall and Thor appear next to him, Thor putting a hand on Loki's shoulder, while Heimdall puts out his arms and lifts me up. He gently puts me on the couch and the female cook hands me a glass of water.Shaking, I take a sip of water, spilling some on my jeans. Heimdall takes the glass from me and puts it on the table. He puts his big hands on mine, looking intently to my face. Over his shoulder I can see Thor putting the chair upright. He also picks up the black iPhone from the floor and gives it to Loki, who puts it in his back pocket. Loki never takes his eyes of my face, but I can't look him in the eyes yet.My screaming has alarmed Lady Eir, Tova and Astera, who come rushing in to the room. Lady Eir takes Heimdall's place in front of me and puts her fingers on my wrist to feel my pulse. "Are you alright, dear?" she asks me.I just shake my head in response, not being able to answer."What happened?" she asks, looking at the men behind her.Thor is the first to answer. "Loki scared her with his tricks.""Why would you do that!?" Lady Eir immediately says to Loki in an angry voice.The Trickster seems to be at a loss for words for a moment. "I didn't know she was there," he finally says, spreading his hands in apology."What... what was that?" I ask, my voice unsteady."You got a taste of Loki's magic," Thor says to me. "My brother was celebrating.""Celebrating?" I feel very confused.Satisfied I am going to be ok, Lady Eir stands up and gives me some space. She and Heimdall retreat in the kitchen, where the cooks have gone back to preparing dinner. The girls leave the room again.Loki takes a step closer to me and shows me his right wrist. "The bracelets were faulty -"."By your doing," Thor interrupts him."- and Stark had to take them off to fix them," Loki finishes his sentence."Besides," he adds. "A prince with restraints on would probably be cause for some awkward questions tonight."I just stare at him, still puzzled about what I just saw. "So, you can duplicate yourself?""It's an illusion," Loki answers. "Quite effective on the battlefield, or when you want to distract someone."He takes a few steps and sits down on the couch, making sure he is not too close to me in case he scares me again. "I'm really sorry I scared you, my little wolf," he says softly. "I didn't know you were sitting there."I pull up my knees to my chin and wrap my arms around my legs. I just look at Loki, not really knowing what to say."I'm sorry," he tells me again, his face concerned."It's ok... I guess..." I tell him, rubbing my hands over my legs. "So, you've got your magic back?"Loki nods. "At least until Stark has repaired those things.""Great..." I tell him, but it doesn't sound too believable.The Trickster looks at me with a small smile on his lips. "You look like you need a hug," he quips."That's my line, Loki," I answer, but he has succeeded in making me smile.Loki doesn't actually hug me, but he scoots over to sit right next to me and puts his feet up on the coffee table. He gets his phone out of his back pocket and puts it on the table. I think about telling him I took his phone earlier, but I decide not too. Not right now anyway."I like your hair," Loki says, putting his head against the back of the sofa."Thanks. Astera really did a wonderful job," I say, carefully touching my hair. "I hope my fall didn't mess it up too much."Loki chuckles. "Yeah, you really know how to get yourself noticed. That was quite spectacular."I elbow him in the ribs in response."Too soon?" Loki grins. He puts up his hand to my hair, carefully putting back a loosened strand. "Your hair looks fine to me, my little wolf."We just sit there for a while, Loki stretched out on the couch with me curled up to a ball next to him, leaning against his shoulder. Lazily, he moves his hand in a wavelike motion, a little green flame dancing over his fingers. He's just playing, letting the flame dance back and forth.He's relaxed and I guess it has a lot to do with him having his magic back. It's nice, sitting here with him, silently watching him play.
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I go to the bathroom to freshen up and when I get back in the living room, some other guests have arrived. Two garment bags hang on the coat stand and I'm surprised to see they belong to Captain America and a woman who I take to be his girlfriend. Thomas will be so disappointed."Nice to meet you, madam," the Captain says in his familiar voice. "I'm Steve Rogers.""Nice to meet you too," I reply. "Please, call me Ylva.""Only if you call me Steve.""Ok, Steve it is. Nice beard by the way."The woman introduces herself as Sharon Carter. "I love your hair!" she compliments me and makes me turn from side to side to get a good look at it.Dinner is served and we all take a seat at the table. I'm between Loki and Lady Eir. Thor and Heimdall sit on each end of the table and the other seats are filled by Steve, Sharon, Brunnhyld, Tova and Astera. The cooks also sit down with us, after they have put all the food on the table. There's a lamb roast, a big salmon, lots of different vegetables and two different preparations of potatoes. It looks delicious!When everybody has filled up their plate, conversations start. I get the impression the Captain has been away for a while, but he doesn't say much about it."So," Steve asks Thor, "I hear you are not the only king present at the gala tonight.""Yes, king Harald V from Norway will be there too. With his wife... uh... her name escaped me," Thor says."Sonja," I add helpfully."You know them too?" Steve asks surprised."Yes... No, well, not really. My parents were born in Norway, so I know who the royals are," I explain."Then we must introduce you tonight!" Thor says in his booming voice."Oh no, that's not necessary," I say quickly to get the idea out of Thor's mind."Why not? Don't you like them?" the God of Thunder inquires."Sure, I like them. And they are friends of the Dutch royal family.""Ah! Holland is also ruled by a king?""Well, not really. Holland has a constitutional monarchy. As does Norway, by the way. The king and queen have more of a ceremonial role."And then I end up explaining the differences between a constitutional monarchy, a total monarchy and a republic to the King of Asgard and Captain America, Mister Democracy himself. They ask a lot of questions and I sometimes struggle to answer them. From the corner of my eye I can see Loki silently laughing at the situation I got myself in.After dessert Lady Eir announces it's time for the ladies to get dressed. But before we can get up from our chairs, the door opens and Tony Stark comes waltzing in. "You guys are having a dinner party without me? In my own building? I'd say that is very rude!"Thor gets up from his seat. "We did invite you, Stark, but you said you had to work.""Did I say that? Really?" Stark wonders out loud, making his way to the table.To my opinion, he is the one who is rude, barging in like this. But last time I met him, the billionaire wasn't showing a lot of good manners either.The people at the table don't say anything, the young girls mostly looking at their hands, they prefer to keep out of it. Loki shows the strongest emotions, I can see his jaw tick. But he remains seated, looking straight ahead, his hands gripping the armrests of his chair.Tony stops next to Loki's chair. "I guess I really was working. On this!" he exclaims.Before anyone can react he clasps his hands over Loki's wrists. Two sharp clicks and Tony quickly steps back, just in time to evade getting jumped by Loki.Thor, Steve and Heimdall immediately react, getting their hands on Loki to restrain him. Steve actually leaps the table to get to Loki. Sharon jumps up too and to my shock I see she is holding a gun in her hand. I guess there is more to Sharon than I initially thought."What. Did. You. Do?!" Loki roars at Tony."My job," the billionaire states simply. "You don't think I'm gonna let you live under my roof with all your tricks at hand?"Loki is seething. He spews out a few words in a foreign language and judging by the reaction of the Asgardian girls, I'd say they're profanities."I thought we agreed he could have his powers back, at least for tonight," Thor says to Tony, his brows knitted together. "We can keep an eye on him," the God of Thunder adds, gesturing to the people in the room."Really?!" Tony says in an angry voice. "That was going splendid earlier this afternoon. Friday almost sent in one of my suits when she detected a woman screaming on this floor." Tony is getting worked up, putting himself square in front of Thor, despite the height difference between the two men. "How is she gonna keep little Rudolph here in check if she freaks out the moment there are enough of him to pull Santa's sleigh? You told me she could handle him, Thunder buddy! I'm not seeing that," Tony says in a raised voice. Then he points at me. "You really need to step up your game, missy!"I'm just staring at him from my chair, wide eyed, not really knowing what he is talking about. Or I guess I do. I think Tony is referring to me having to keep Loki calm and happy, but he seems to overestimate the amount of control I have over Loki. What did Thor tell him?"Lady Ylva knows what she is doing," Thor says, his voice low and serious. "She can handle herself.""Uh, no I don't!" I try to argue, but the men don't seem to hear me. I try to look Loki in the eyes, but he stares right through me, his face contorted with anger. His eyes even look different, not their usual green but a more reddish brown. He looks like he's about to blow."Alright, time to go, ladies," Lady Eir says in a strict voice, clapping her hands once. "Let's leave the men to it. I'm sure they are able to settle this in a civilized manner."She gives them a stern look as she passes them to take me by the hand. I leave the room with her, the seamstress, the girls and the cooks in our tow. Sharon stays in the room, I guess the gun makes her one of the guys.In Lady Eirs room the tension can be cut with a knife. The whole scene has rattled us all. I am pretty mad, especially at Tony Stark. But we've got a gala to get ready to, so we need to get dressed. Every now and then we hear raised voices coming from the living room, but I can't make out what they are saying. After a short while the cooks return to the kitchen, to clean up.Tova and Astera help Lady Eir and I to put on our dresses."Who does he think he is, treating Loki like that?" I ask, still angry with the whole thing.Lady Eir turns her back to Tova, to let her fasten the dress. "Loki has very powerful magic, my dear. What you saw today was just child's play. If it were up to S.H.I.E.L.D. he would still be in a cell, isolated from the world. It took Thor a lot of time to convince Mr. Stark to design those restraints for Loki. Those, and Thor vouching for him, are the only reasons Loki is allowed to live among us." Lady Eir sounds a little sad, despite the strong look on her face."But he was able to use some magic before, even when he was wearing those bracelet things," I argue."Yes," Lady Eir admits, "but then he used his powers on you, a human. And that was strictly forbidden.""So they completely shut it down."She nods in response.Apparently Loki had found a way to tamper with his restraints, forcing Tony Stark to take them off for repairs. He only did it faster than Loki had expected.I still don't think it's fair, but maybe I'm really underestimating Loki. I'm sure Thor and Lady Eir know him much better than I do. My gut tells me the Asgardians are mainly trying to keep Loki close to them. Keep him within the family, so to speak. Agreeing to the costs because they think they will lose Loki to darkness when he gets locked up again.But I don't think Loki sees it that way. He probably feels like it is him against the world. And now Tony Stark and Thor have implied I am working with them, to keep Loki under control. Maybe I should not have bothered putting on this dress. Loki probably doesn't want to see me again anyway.
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Astera has just finished putting on my make up, when Sharon comes in the room, garment bag in hand. "Do you mind if I get dressed here?" she asks, holding up the bag."Of course not, be my guest," Lady Eir replies courteous.The blonde woman zips open the bag and takes out a long, sparkly black dress. It's strapless, with a split all the way up to her thigh on one side. It looks great on her.My eyes grow wide when I see her put a small holster on her thigh, hidden by her dress when she stands up straight again."I take it you and Steve are not here just for fun?" I ask carefully.She smiles at me. "Oh, I intend to have fun tonight, don't worry. It's just a precaution.""Did the men work things out?" Lady Eir asks Sharon, who nods in reply."They have found some middle ground, however small. So when they've put on their fancy clothes, we're good to go."I put on my heels, and Astera gives me a little gold purse. It sparkles a bit when you move it in the light and it's a perfect match with my shoes. I tuck in my phone, some Kleenex and a lip balm. That will have to do for the night. It's been a hot day and the evening is still warm, I should be fine without a jacket.When we get back to the living room, the cooks are almost done cleaning up. Steve is standing next to the couch, sipping on a glass of water. He looks splendid in his black tuxedo and white shirt, but he's no match to the Asgardian gentlemen. Heimdall is dressed in white trousers topped with a white tunic, decorated with gold thread. A gold cape hangs from his shoulders, fastened with gold clasps. His dreadlocks are tied back with a gold pin.Thor is equally impressive, but looks more like a warrior. He's wearing fancy looking armor, his breast plate decorated with the image of a big hammer. He also wears a cape, but his is red. I look around for Loki or Stark, but they are nowhere to be seen."The car will be here in half an hour," Heimdall says to us. And right on cue the male cook brings a tray with coffee and tea from the kitchen.Thor is standing in front of the large windows, looking over the city. I stand next to him. He has a grave look on his face."Everything alright?" I ask, handing him a cup of coffee.He just nods, taking the coffee from me. After a moment of silence Thor speaks up. "My brother... is very angry. He feels betrayed. I could convince Stark to dial down the restrictions, so Loki still has some of his magic. But I don't know if Loki will come out of his room to go to the gala." Thor looks down to me. "But don't worry, I would be happy to escort you, lady Ylva.""Thank you," I tell him, but I feel my stomach twist at the idea of going without prince Loki. "Maybe I can convince him to go?" I ask, a little doubt in my voice."You could try, my lady. But my brother is very strong headed," Thor says, shaking his head a little."Oh, but I am too," I quip, trying to sound more confident than I really am."Alright," Thor smiles. "Second door on your right."I get another cup of tea from the tray and head over to Loki's room. Standing before his door, I take a deep breath. Then I knock two times. "Loki? It's me."No answer. The door remains shut."Loki? Please open the door," I plead. "I've got tea for you." I knock again. "Come on, Loki. Open up. Your tea is getting cold."I have to wait a full minute, but then the door cracks open. I push the door to let myself in, Loki is nowhere to be seen.Just like Lady Eir's, Loki's room has a small sitting room, with an open doorway to the bedroom. There is a door to my left, and I guess that's the bathroom. This room is decorated in cream and green. Long velvet curtains hang in front on the windows. They're almost closed, a narrow streak of light coming in from each window, leaving the rest of the room in shadows.I put the tea on the coffee table. There is a big couch, which looks very comfortable. And books, books everywhere. Some are neatly organised in cabinets, but there are also stacks of books scattered across the living room floor."What are you doing here?" Loki says from behind me, he is leaning against the doorpost of his bedroom. He's still dressed in the dark trousers and shirt he was wearing this afternoon. His hair is tied back. Behind him I can see the same type of four poster bed as Lady Eir has. But where hers has a coverlet in dark red, his is forest green."I came to see if you were alright," I reply in a soft voice."Why would you care?" he asks coldly. "The monster is restrained again, all is well in your world.""Don't be like that, please," I say, spreading my hands pleadingly. "We are all ready to go to the gala. And I would very much like you to come with us.""Why?" he snorts. "So I can go to the gala, escorted by my nanny? Because that's what you are, aren't you?" He spits out that last sentence.I am hurt by the way he treats me. But he is hurt too, I can tell he feels betrayed. By me, by Thor, by everyone."You know better than that, Loki," I say to him. "At least, I hope you do.""Do I? They call me the God of Lies, but it seems to me you told some lies of your own," he says, glaring at me. "You're probably just another agent. The more agents to guard the monster, the better."Loki is standing in the shadows, so it's a bit hard to make out his face. But I can hear the pain in his voice, even though he just tries to sound menacing."You're not a monster, Loki. I wouldn't be here if I thought you were," I plead with him.I want to ease his pain, but I really don't know how to reach him. I take a step forward so I am standing in the light that comes through the curtains. I want him to see me, to see that I am sincere and that I am just trying to help him. My spine is getting really warm and all I want to do is close the distance between us and throw my arms around him. But I remember what happened the last time I did that and then he was just sad. Now he is angry."Loki, listen to me. I never lied to you. Why would I?" I ask him, and my voice wavers a bit.The God of Lies just pretends he doesn't notice the emotion in my voice and keeps staring at me coldly."You were tasked to keep an eye on me," he states."No!" I exclaim. "I don't know why Thor and Tony were talking about me like that. I never agreed to do such a thing.""But they did ask you to do it." Loki looks straight at me, his face unreadable."No. Yes. God, I don't know!" I say frantically. "Thor and Heimdall were saying stuff about me being the light to your darkness. It sounded like some new age hippie shit. They wanted me to hang out with you, to help you to stay away from darkness. But I'm not here because they want me to. I..."My voice trails off. I'm here so I can be with him. Maybe even despite my better judgement, considering all the things he has done."Why are you here?" Loki asks again."Because a prince asked me to go to a gala with him," I whisper softly and stare at the ground.The room is silent and I keep staring at my feet. My throat is thick and I can feel tears brimming my eyes. Carefully I brush them away, even though it probably wouldn't matter if my make-up was ruined. I don't think I will go to the gala, not like this.More tears well up and I reach up again to brush them away. A cool hand catches my wrist."Please, don't cry," Loki says softly.That just brings out the waterworks and I bury my head against his chest, sobbing. Loki puts his arms around me and strokes my back."I... I didn't want for all this to happen," I tell him to his chest when I'm calmed down a bit."I believe you," Loki says and I feel him breathing against my hair.He holds me a little longer, before he plants a kiss in my hair and releases me."Here, drink your tea before it really is cold," he says and guides me to the couch. The tea is lukewarm, but I drink it anyway. So does Loki.When he puts down his empty cup, I spot the new bracelet on his wrist. I reach out and take his hand to examine the device. He lets me do it, not saying a word. The new bracelets are black and very smooth. They're thinner than the other ones and look a lot more like a real bracelet."At least they look better," I tell Loki, looking up to his face. He grimaces in response."So now you can't use your magic anymore?" I ask him carefully."There's a little left." And between the fingers of the hand that I'm still holding in my lap dances the small green flame I saw that afternoon. Then the flame vanishes. "It's not much, but at least I feel more like myself this way."He turns his hand to hold mine and gives me a little squeeze. "Now, do you still want to go to the gala with me? You look absolutely beautiful in this dress and I'd love to show you off." Loki gives me a sly grin.I smile at him. "Are you gonna wear a cape too?"Grinning wide, he stands up. "You'll see."
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While Loki is getting dressed in the bedroom, I step into the bathroom to check how I look. I'm in luck, no ugly crying face. I take a kleenex to wipe away some run mascara. Other than that, my makeup still looks good. One of the braids to the side of my head has come a little loose. There's a shaving mirror attached to the wall in Loki's bathroom. I move it so I can use it to watch the back of my head in the big mirror. Carefully I pin the loose braid back in place. I turn my head to see if I did it right. Astera would probably do it better, but this will do.I check my dress, but that also still looks good. The high heels click on the bathroom tiles. I wonder how long I'm gonna make it in them tonight. But that's a worry for later.When I get back in the sitting room, Loki has opened the curtains. He is standing in front of the window, his back to me. My face splits in a big grin, I can't help but admire the man who's taking me out tonight. He is not wearing a cape, but a long black, sleeveless leather coat instead. It's a tailored fit, clinging to his frame. The shoulder part is separate and lightly decorated with lines of gold thread. There is a matching gold line to the bottom of his coat.Loki looks over his shoulder, turning around when he sees me standing in the doorway. I like the front of his outfit even better. His coat is lined in forest green. His sleeves are the same green, interrupted by diagonal strips of leather and his lower arms are covered in decorated gold metal plates. Gold plates are sewn to the front of his coat too, matching the lines of his tunic, which consists of alternating diagonal strips of leather. The collars of his coat and tunic stand up and it reminds me of my dress. On Loki's chest is a gold plate, somewhat resembling a boomerang. His tunic is asymmetric, splitting above his right leg. And his breeches are made of black leather, with matching boots that come up to just below his knees."Sorry, no cape," Loki says with a grin."Doesn't matter, I like this even better," I reply, still smiling from ear to ear."Good. Now, come here. I've got something for you," Loki says, his voice sounding a little rough.Curious, I walk over to him. He tells me to hold out my hand, which I do. Loki holds his closed fist above my hand. A green light shines through his fingers and when he opens his hand a little, there's a thin gold necklace dangling from his fingers. The hanger feels cold to my palm. It looks a little like a gold boomerang, with a green stone encased in it."It's Malachite," Loki explains."It's beautiful," I breathe, admiring the hanger. "Thank you, I love it."The stone is dark green, with curved lines in lighter green."May I?" Loki asks, and I turn around for him to put on the necklace.Gently, he turns me back again after fastening the clasp. His long fingers lift up the hanger a little before he lets go.I'm trying my best not to turn beet red under his gaze, until he breaks it and gestures for us to go to the door."Are we good?" I ask Loki, holding him back by his arm before we leave the room.He looks down at me, taking a deep breath. "I am not pleased about a lot of things right now. But we are good, my little wolf. Now let's go to the gala."When we step out the door, we meet Astera in the hall. Apparently she has been waiting for us. She hands me my gold purse and tells us the rest of the party is already downstairs, the car waiting for us. I thank Astera for all her help and then we make our way down.Outside there's a black stretched limousine waiting for us. When the driver sees us coming, he opens the door."Sorry to keep you waiting," I excuse myself - and Loki - to the others."Don't worry, I heard on Earth important guests are always late," Thor chuckles.I take it we are going to act like nothing happened, at least for tonight. Loki and I take a seat next to Heimdall. Steve and Sharon are sitting across from us, Thor and Lady Eir are in the seat in the back of the limo.The gala is taking place at a mansion outside the city. On the way over there, Steve is the perfect gentleman, talking about harmless subjects to keep the conversation going. Loki is silent, tugging at his fingers in an aggravated way. I figure it's best to leave him alone, so I talk to Steve and Sharon."Did you practice your smile, Ylva?" Sharon asks me."Uh.. why?" I ask, a bit surprised by her question."There's going to be a lot of press there. You're going to get your own red carpet moment," she says with a teasing smile."What?!" I did not count on that!Suddenly I'm nervous again. I'm going to be next to Thor and Loki, the guests of honor. There's a good chance my picture is going to be all over the news!"Relax, Ylva," Sharon laughs. "You don't have to pose. Just get out of the car, and walk inside without falling on your face."I make a face at her. "Easy for you to say," I tell her, showing her my heels.A few moments later, the driver announces we will be there in two minutes. Beside me, Loki still has not said anything. "You ok?" I whisper, leaning to him.He nods and squares his shoulders. "Just a bunch of humans who want to stare at a god. I've been through worse things," he smirks.Of course, the God of Lies is good at faking things. He should be fine. I wonder if I will be, but I guess I'll find out soon enough.When the car stops, Thor is the first to get out, followed by Lady Eir and Heimdall. Instantly, I can hear the noise of cameras clicking and photographers calling at them."We're up," Loki says, putting his hand on my arm shortly.Loki gets out of the car and extends his hand to help me out. There is an actual red carpet, leading up the steps to the door. Thor, Heimdall and Lady Eir are almost inside, meaning we get all the attention now. Loki gives me his arm and I try to keep an even smile on my face. I feel a bit overwhelmed by the situation and all the flashing cameras."You're doing fine, my little wolf. Almost inside," Loki whispers reassuringly in my ear, moving his arm to my waist to give me a small hug.At that moment, I can hear the photographers yell for Captain America and I know Steve and Sharon have exited the car.Inside the mansion we are greeted by a hostess, named Mandy, who explains to us the details of the evening. It turns out she is going to accompany Thor and Loki, to make sure they are properly introduced to everyone of importance. There will be a photographer present, to document the shaking of hands with other VIP's. I decide to stay clear of that, already having seen enough cameras for the night.Mandy shows us to the center of the party, which takes place outside. It's been quite a hot day, and it will be a couple of hours before the sun sets. A waiter brings us champagne and we toast to a nice evening.Sharon and Steve are taking a walk around the grounds, I guess to familiarize themselves with the perimeter. It turns out there are a lot of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents present, along with regular security. I wonder how many of them are here just because of Loki.
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Being the guests of honor means that lots of people want the attention of Thor, Loki, Lady Eir and Heimdall, one after the other they come over to talk to the Asgardians. Heimdall is his usual silent self, so people don't linger after introducing themselves. Lady Eir has been talking to the same people for a while now, they're board members of a hospital or something.Thor and Loki get the full treatment, everyone wants something of them. At first, they are pretty relaxed about it. Thor is being his usual jovial self and I get to watch Loki in a way I've never seen him before. He is talking animatedly with the men and even flirts with some of the ladies. He is quite the showman!But it seems like there is no end to all the people they have to meet. I get tired from just watching it, so it must be even worse for them. Loki's lips form a thin line and I can see that even Thor's easy smile is getting strained.Apart from the group I came here with, I don't know anyone here. Well, there are lots of famous faces, but I can't imagine myself walking up to Bill Murray to tell him I still watch Groundhog Day every year, and talking city affairs with the mayor and his wife is also out of the question. Steve and Sharon are talking to other people, so I'm just left to myself at the moment. Every now and then I can see Loki's eyes dart to where I'm standing, but the other guests keep him pretty occupied.Just standing here is rather boring, so I decide to walk around for a bit. The party is being held on a big terrace, with broad stairs leading down to the lawn on both sides. On the lawn is a big tent with a bar and between the tent and the terrace there is a dancefloor. A chamber ensemble is softly playing cheerful tunes, they sound pretty good, playing a mix of classic and modern music. However, nobody is dancing yet, I guess it's too early for that. The guests seem pretty occupied with mingling and being seen. No way I'm going out on the dancefloor alone, so after listening to a couple of songs I head over to the bar. I had a glass of champagne earlier and the bubbles went straight to my head, so I hope they also have some alcohol free beverages. At the bar I discover something better: they have tea!I look around for somewhere to sit. After standing in one place for so long, my feet are killing me in this heels. Not spotting a free chair nearby, I put down my cup of tea on a high table. I take off my shoes, grab my tea in one hand, clutch and shoes in the other and saunter off to find another place to sit. The grass feels lovely on my bare feet and I walk around the tent to see more of the garden. Behind the tent the lawn goes on for a couple of yards and then it gives way to a rose garden. The sun is almost setting and in this evening light the garden looks beautiful. Small hedges form rectangles filled with flowers, divided by narrow paths with white, round pebbles. Carefully planting my feet, I slowly make my way through the garden, the pebbles feel nice and cool to my sore feet. The air is heavy with the smell of roses, I breathe in deeply to inhale as much of the scent as possible. I accidently drop one of my shoes and with my hands full I see no easy way to retrieve it, so I leave it there to pick it up on my way back.At the centre of the flowerbeds is a fountain; a marble statue of a woman that holds some sort of basket with flowers over her head. Water flows down from three sides of the basket. The fountain has a wide edge, and I decide it's a perfect spot for tea.Watching the party from a distance, I enjoy my tea. I can still hear the music and the voices, although the gurgling of the fountain is more present. After emptying my cup I put it on the ground and sit back on the edge of the fountain, moving the tips of my fingers through the water which is still a bit warm from the sun. Moving up my dress to my knees, I swing my feet over the edge and put them in the water. I'm making slow circles in the water, perfectly content with my spot."There you are!"I can hear a mixture of relief and anger in the voice. The corners of my mouth curl up. Loki. I turn my head to face him."This is yours, I believe?" My shoe is dangling from his finger. I stifle a laugh, which causes Loki to arch his eyebrows. I can see from his face he is a bit annoyed he had to come find me."What is so funny?" he asks curtly."I'm sorry," I say, barely containing my laughter. I turn a bit more to face Loki, leaving one foot in the water, the other half way up the edge of the fountain. "It's just... I feel like Cinderella, with the prince handing me my glass slipper!" I blurt out, before giving in to my laughter fully.The reference goes completely over his head. Of course my Asgardian prince is unaware of his Disney colleagues. I actually think he'd make a good Disney prince, although it would be a dark, edgy one.Loki opens his mouth to speak, but decides against it. Instead he just rolls his eyes and then walks over to sit next to me on the fountain edge, his back to the marble statue. I put both of my feet back in and continue making circles in the water."It's nice here, isn't it?" I voice my thoughts after a few minutes of silence, sitting shoulder to shoulder with the prince of Asgard.Loki doesn't answer. I look to my side and watch his face. He is still holding my shoe, running the straps through his fingers and tugging at them. His brows are furrowed and his eyes are staring angrily at some point at the ground. I place my hand over his hands, holding them still. "Careful, you're gonna break 'm if you keep pulling at them like that." I say softly.He flicks his eyes at me, but still says nothing."Want to talk about it?"My hand is still on his and I can feel the warm tingle in my spine spreading through my arm, to my fingers.It takes a second before Loki reacts, but then he sits up, shaking off my hand by putting the shoe down next to him. For a moment he just looks at me, then he speaks. "Who is Cinderella?"Ok, we don't talk about it. Fair enough. I lean back on my hands and splash my feet in the water."It's a fairy tale. Cinderella is a poor girl who lives with her aunt and cousins. They're very mean to her and basically treat her like a house slave. One day there is a ball at the king's castle and Cinderella really wants to go. But her aunt and cousins won't let her, ripping up the dress she made. Luckily, her fairy godmother comes to the rescue and magically whips her up a new dress, along with a horse carriage made out of a pumpkin and some glass slippers."Loki looks at me with a slightly amused look on his face. I'm sure the story sounds ridiculous to him, but I'm glad it is taking his mind of other things. The sun is setting and it is really nice sitting here, just him and me."Thanks to her fairy godmother Cinderella can go to the ball. But she has to be back before the clock strikes midnight, or else the spell will be broken. At the ball she gets to dance with the prince."Emphasizing the word dance, I nudge Loki with my elbow, wiggling my eyebrows at him suggestively. I get an eye roll in response and even though there's no smile on his lips yet, I can see a tiny sparkle in his eyes. Alright, we're getting there."Cinderella and the prince dance all night and she basically forgets about time. So when the clock hits twelve, she suddenly has to run, losing her glass slipper on her way out. She barely makes it home, leaving the prince with nothing but a glass slipper.""Did you run? Is that why you lost your shoe?" Loki breaks in."No, no. I just took my shoes off because I'm not used to wearing heels this high." I chuckle. "Can I continue my story? I was nearly done when you interrupted me."Loki spreads his hands, like he's saying 'be my guest'."So the prince just has a glass slipper to remind him of the girl he danced with all night. Not knowing her name, he sets off on a quest to find the girl. Every girl in the country gets to try on the slipper. If it fits, the prince will know he found his special girl.""I'm guessing Cinderella is one of the last women in the country to try on the glass slipper?" Loki asks in a bemused tone."You, my dear sir, just won yourself a fridge! Do you wanna see the next prize?" I answer in my best imitation of a stereotype show host. This reference also completely misses target, but I don't care. I'm enjoying myself."And what happens when she tries on the slipper?" Loki asks, dangling my shoe in front of me."Well, it's a fairytale. So they fall in love, get married and live happily ever after," I answer, snatching my shoe from his finger with a big smile on my face.Loki's eyes grow wide, realising he just handed me my shoe like the prince in my story. I buckle over with laughter, just from the look on his face. It takes him a few seconds, but then Loki shakes his head at me with a genuine smile."I'm glad you can smile again," I tell him. "Now, I think we have to go back, right? The prince of Asgard can't be missed at his own party."I take my feet out of the water, shaking them. With my hands I whip off most of the water, but I still have wet feet. And wet hands. Now what? It's not like I have a towel in that miniscule purse.To my surprise, Loki kneels before me, taking my feet one by one, slowly moving his hands over them. I feel a slight tingle and my feet are dry. He repeats the same thing with my hands. I don't think he has ever touched that much skin before and I can feel my cheeks starting to burn. I'm glad the sun is gone by now, hoping Loki won't notice me blushing.When he stands up, I keep my eyes down, mutter a 'thank you' and put my shoes on. He extends his hand to help me up and offers me his arm. I take a deep breath, hoping it will cool me down a bit, and we start off for the party.Walking over the pebbles turns out to be rather tricky in stiletto heels. "This was much easier barefoot!" I cling to Loki's arm as my heels give way on the small rocks.Suddenly he swoops me up in his arms, cradling me against his chest, and in a few long strides we reach the lawn. He gently lets me down on my own feet and straightens again. "Shall we join the party, my lady?" he says, offering me his arm for the second time.I nod, not being able to speak as my heart is beating in my throat. Swallowing hard, I try my hardest to keep my hand still as I hook it on his arm. Off to the party we go, me and my dark Disney prince.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
My romantic thoughts are gone as soon as I spot the agents on each side of the garden; of course they are not going to let Loki out of their sight. I also see Steve and Sharon, standing conveniently in a spot from where they can see us coming.I'm suddenly not so sure whether I should have romantic thoughts about Loki. To the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents here at the party he is a criminal, a killer. What will they think of me, his date for this evening? Maybe they think I'm ignorant or stupid. Or worse, they think I'm willing to hang out with a killer; which basically is what I am doing. Oh god, what àm I doing?!I don't get much time to dwell on that thought, because Loki is taking me to Thor, who's talking to an elderly man and woman. They both wear a red sash across their torso and the man's jacket is decorated with medals."Ah, Ylva, there you are!" Thor calls when he sees us coming. "May I introduce you to king Harald, the fifth of his name, and his lovely wife, queen Sonja?"Not really prepared to greet the Norwegian royal couple, I make a somewhat awkward curtsy. Thor just continues talking, saving me from more embarrassment. He tells the king and queen my parents are from Norway."Så snakker du norsk?" the queen asks me pleasantly."Bare noen få ord, majestet," I reply, carefully pronouncing the words.Then I explain her in English how my father died when I was young and that my mother remarried a Dutch man. "We spoke Dutch at home. Apart from the occasional visit to family, I'm afraid I haven't spoken Norwegian in a long time."Queen Sonja asks me how I know the Asgardian party, smiling when she hears I serve them coffee. I blush a little, realising I'm just a waitress surrounded by royals and other people of importance at a fancy gala.The queen is pretty skilled in smalltalk, probably very much used to talking to people she barely knows. I'm happy to follow her lead and we talk for a few minutes, until the man who has been standing at a discrete distance this whole time takes the royal couple away to meet other people. I guess he is their Mandy, because Mandy now does the same thing with Thor and Loki, bringing a couple of Arabic looking men to the Asgardians. They are dressed in white robes and turbans and Mandy introduces them as sheikh Safouan and his son Akram. Again, I find myself being the third wheel to the party, disappointed Mandy has not yet run out of people she needs to introduce.A little over to my left is the dancefloor, now filled with dancing couples. I spot Steve Rogers at the other side of the dancefloor and when he sees me looking he walks over to me. "I guess Mandy is keeping Thor and Loki pretty busy?" he says when he is next to me."Yeah, I even suspect her of conjuring up those people from thin air. There's no end to it!""I can see that," Steve chuckles. "Well, if you're not taken, can I have this dance?" Captain America extends his hand to take me to the dancefloor. I happily join him, loving the opportunity to dance on live music. "I'm not used to dancing in this shoes," I warn Steve as a joke."Don't worry, madam. I've got you." Captain America turns out to be a great dancer, he has steady arms and guides me easily over the dancefloor. When I was in highschool, I followed lessons in ballroom dancing. Twirling with Steve brings it all back. I am really enjoying myself."Can I ask you something?" Steve says, while turning us around."Sure," I reply, a bit curious about his serious tone all of a sudden."Do you know... about Loki... About what he did six years ago?" He speaks carefully, not wanting to be impolite, but asking it anyway.There it is. Steve is one of the people wondering what I am doing with the prince of Asgard. For a second I think about getting mad at him, but I guess it's a logical question. And because Steve has been nothing but nice to me, I decide he deserves an answer."I know what he did here in New York. But not when I first met him, I found out later," I tell Steve. "Thor and Heimdall believe Loki is a different person now. And I have not yet seen a reason not to believe them," I add simply.Captain America is not convinced. "Be careful. However harmless he may seem now, we must not underestimate Loki. He can be very dangerous.""I'll be fine, Captain," I tell my dance partner. "I don't think Loki wants to hurt me.""Hmm..." he muses and then chuckles. "I guess right now, he wants to dance with you." Steve spins us around so I can see Loki too, who is watching us from the sidelines. "I better get you over there, because he doesn't look all that pleased," Steve laughs.With a small bow to me, Steve hands me over to the God of Lies and takes his leave. Loki watches him go, his hand on the small of my back and his face a bit dark. Is he actually jealous, or is he just tired and annoyed from faking interest in people all evening?"Do I get to dance with a prince tonight?" I ask a little teasingly. "Or are you gonna wait until Mandy has found some new people for you to meet?""By Valhalla, that woman is obnoxious," Loki lets slip out. He appears to shake himself from his thoughts and finally really looks at me. He gently tucks a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "It seems the Captain had the honor of the first dance with you."My cheeks are starting to glow again. "That? Oh, that was just a warm up.""Then let me show you how it's really done." He takes my hand to guide me back onto the dancefloor. Loki slowly spins me under his arm, catches me with his other hand and from there on it's all a dream. His grip is strong, but gentle. I feel like I'm floating in his arms, which I might actually do at some point. The prince is an excellent dancer, guiding me into figures that take us all over the dancefloor. The other couples give us the floor and when Loki actually dips me at the end of the song, we recieve an applause. Suddenly aware of my environment again, I feel a bit embarrassed by all the attention; I literally forgot about the world when dancing with Loki.The musicians start a new song, slower this time. Other couples join us again and Loki pulls me close, slowly dancing in small circles. "That was wonderful," I say softly, my face close to his chest. I take in his smell, which reminds me of the forest."My pleasure, my little wolf," Loki replies, rubbing his thumb over my hand.I wish time could stand still.The next song, Thor dances past us, and I am surprised when I recognise the crown princess of Sweden in his arms. The dancers start changing partners and Loki reluctantly gives me away to king Harald V. I dance with a couple of other guests, another three or four songs, until the musicians take a break.I can almost hear my feet sigh in ecstasy when I sit down at a table with Heimdall and Lady Eir. The dancing was lovely, but I really have to take off my heels for a moment. A waiter stops at our table and I choose a glass of sparkling water; I'm actually quite thirsty."Are you enjoying yourself, my dear?" Lady Eir asks me pleasantly."Oh yes, I am. I love dancing!" I tell her, smiling from ear to ear."Then you would have loved the balls at Asgard," she says smiling and at my request she starts telling me about the balls they used to have in the palace. By the sound of it, the balls were feasts of great grandeur."Yes, mother knew how to throw a party," Thor contributes with a smile. Him and Loki join us at the table after having their dance partners escorted back to their partners in real life. Thor takes a seat and Loki stands close behind me, his fingers casually playing with a loose strand of my hair in my neck. At that moment, the sound of a jet flying over startles us. Loki looks up to the sky. "The tin man will be joining us," he points out to his brother."Well, he organised the gala," Thor replies. "He ought to be here."Iron Man does a couple of loopings above the guests and then lands in the middle of the dancefloor. The suit opens up and Tony Stark, dressed in a tuxedo, steps out of it. "Let's get this party started!" Stark calls out and his suit closes up and starts to do the robot, blasting dance music from speakers at its shoulders.Leave it to Tony Stark to make an entrance.
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It's well past midnight and the gala is coming to an end, which means saying goodbye to all the guests. I watch the Asgardians from my seat at the table, my feet propped up on the chair next to me. The heat of the day is completely gone and I'm starting to get a little cold. I'm also very tired, which is not helping to keep me warm. But at the point I really start to regret not bringing a shawl or a jacket, Loki comes over to tell me the car is ready."Are you cold?" he asks, when he sees me shiver."A bit," I admit. "But I'll warm up in the car.""Come here," he grumbles under his breath and pulls me to his side, sliding his arm around me. I had already noticed Loki seems to run a little cooler than the average human, but in the night air it is still very nice to be close to him."I'm afraid I have to ride home in a different car," Loki tells me when we walk the red carpet to the car, his arm still around me."Oh..." The word is practically dripping of disappointment."I'm sorry. But the Norse ambassador wants to talk business and he is leaving the country tomorrow. The Norse government is serious about offering the people of Asgard a new home," he explains.There is a second car waiting behind the stretched limousine we came in. Thor and Tony Stark are already standing by the car, next to a man I have seen talking to Thor and Loki several times tonight. I guess he is the Norse ambassador."I'll see you soon, my little wolf. The driver will take you home. Sweet dreams," Loki says, bringing my hand up to his lips for a kiss.Reluctantly I get in the car. I'm disappointed I have to ride home without my prince. Heimdall and Lady Eir sit together, across from Sharon and Steve. I've got the whole backseat to myself. I curl up on my seat, tucking my legs under me as far as the heels let me, and get my phone from my purse. I've got a few texts and I start scrolling through them. Lisa and aunt Yvonne both ask me if I had a good time tonight. And Thomas is almost begging for a picture of Captain America in a tuxedo. I decide to humor him."Steve? Can I take a picture of you?" I ask him."Uh... sure. Why?" Steve asks curiously."My friend really wants to see you in a tuxedo," I smirk.Next to him, Sharon starts laughing. "Come on, Steve," she nudges him with her elbow. "Smile for the camera!""Oh, alright!" Steve says and sits up straight for the picture.I scoot forward in my seat, to get a little closer for a good shot.And then everything goes wrong.The limousine suddenly makes a violent turn, there is a big explosion and the big car is lifted into the air, turning upside down.Everything goes black.-----------------------------Someone calls my name.It sounds urgent.My name again.The voice tells me to wake up."Wake up, my little wolf," the voice says.Loki.Loki.---------------------------A soft beep worms its way into my conscience.Beep.Beep.Beep.It's an annoying sound, however soft it is.My head hurts.Like, really hurts.I'm thirsty. My tongue sticks to my palatine, it feels really thick.I want water."Water."I'm shocked by my own voice. It's croaky and barely more than a whisper."Here you go, honey," a voice says, and I feel a straw against my lips. Straining, I suck on the straw. The water feels good. I open my eyes."Hi, honey. I'm glad you're awake.""Lars," I croak.My uncle smiles at me, but it's a sad smile. He takes my left hand and squeezes it.Not only my head hurts. My whole body feels like I've been run over by a bus. Everything is sore. When I try to move my right arm, I cry out. Pain shoots through my shoulder."Shhh, honey, don't move," my uncle says, carefully stroking my right arm."What happened?" I croak, my voice not sounding any better."You've been in a car accident."Lars explains to me the limousine went off the road and landed upside down in a ditch."How?" I ask. "We were on the motorway, not even driving that fast."My uncle is silent for a moment, like he doesn't want to talk about it."How?" I ask again."Someone fired a rocket launcher from a helicopter."
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Aunt Yvonne and Lisa come visit me, after Lars has told them I woke up. They help me change from the hospital gown into an old pyjama from Lisa."It was the only thing I could find that buttons down. I don't think you can get yourself in a T-shirt with that shoulder," Lisa says by way of an apology.The pyjama is light blue with unicorns, but I don't care. It's way better than that hospital gown. They also brought a huge helium balloon, a flower with a smiley face. 'Get well soon' it says on the back. Lisa ties the balloon to the hospital bed and after they leave I watch it softly swaying back and forth.According to the doctors, I have a mild concussion, five stitches and a sprained right shoulder. Other than that, it's just some scratches and bruises. I have to stay in the hospital for a few days, and then I can go home, to go lie in my own bed.This is not how I thought I would spend the day after the gala.My family has not told me much about the accident, their argument being I should rest. They did tell me the other passengers were better off than me, I took the big hit,probably because I wasn't in my seat when it happened. But they could not tell me any details. Or would not, as I'm getting the feeling they think I was in bad company when the accident happened. Like the Asgardians have done something to get a grenade launched at them.My head still hurts a lot, so I try to get some sleep. Fortunately, they took away the beeping monitor after I woke up.I wake up when a nurse comes in my room to ask me if I want dinner. I'm not really hungry, but she pushes me to eat something. I settle for a sandwich and some yogurt.I am just trying to get yogurt on my spoon, which is rather difficult now I can only use my left hand, when someone knocks on the door."Can I come in?" Steve asks.I'm glad to see him and motion him in with my spoon."Is your yogurt giving you a hard time?" Steve pulls up a seat to the bed."The cup keeps moving around," I tell him."I can help with that." Steve keeps the cup still, while I eat some yogurt."How are you feeling?" he asks me when I put the spoon down."Like I've been in a car accident... Can you please tell me how the others are? My family barely told me anything.""As you can see, I'm alright," Steve says with a smile. "Heimdall sprained his wrist, probably from protecting Lady Eir during the crash. The rest of us got some minor cuts and bruises. We all got taken in to the hospital, but you're the only one who had to stay.""I'm glad to hear the rest is ok." I really am relieved to hear this."Did someone really shoot a rocket at us?" I ask. "That sounds unreal!""It is real," Steve nods with a grave face. "We are lucky the driver had the wits to evade that thing at the last moment. If it were not for him, it would have been a direct hit."At first Steve doesn't want to get into details, saying how he doesn't want to upset me now I have a head injury. But I insist. I want to know what happened last night. I can't remember much of it, it all happened so fast.Steve finally gives in and explains how the rocket slammed in to the road, right next to the car. Because of the explosion and our sudden turn, the car shot sideways through the guard rail and landed on its roof in a ditch."You hit your head pretty bad and were unconscious for a while," Steve says.I gingerly touch the bandage on my head. There's a cut on the right side of my head that needed a few stitches."And Thor and Loki?" I ask, feeling a knot in my stomach now I think about Loki."Their car hit the brakes in time. Thor and Tony took the helicopter down, Loki got us out of the limo."Loki got us out of the car. I remember hearing him call my name, I thought I dreamed that part."Where is Loki?""Loki rode with you in the ambulance to the hospital. But your family did not allow him to stay," Steve says, a concerned look on his face."Why? He didn't do anything wrong!" I exclaim, immediately falling back in the cushions, my head pounding."Don't exert yourself, Ylva," Steve says, patting my hand. "You need rest." He takes a breath before he continues in a serious voice. "Listen Ylva, the attack last night was meant for Thor and Loki. S.H.I.E.L.D. discovered it was the work of a right wing extremist group who think Asgard is responsible for sending aliens to earth."Well... they are not completely wrong."They appear to be working alone and we think we got them all locked up now," Steve continues. "So the threat should be gone. It was all over the news. The grenade was launched from a hijacked news helicopter. There were several in the area because of some high speed police chase and they recorded the whole thing."At my persistent request, Steve shows me a video on his phone. I see an explosion and the black limo crashes to the side of the road. The cars behind the limo all slam the brakes, coming to a stop in disarray. A few cars hit others, but it doesn't look very bad.As soon as the car of the Norse ambassador stops, three men pile out. I recognize Thor by his red cape and the next moment he lights up, actual lightning shooting from his arm to the sky. Iron man is there too, pursuing the helicopter in the air. The camera follows Thor and Iron Man, but I also see a man in black running towards the crashed limo. That must be Loki.I'm exhausted after seeing and hearing everything. Steve helps to put the headrest of my bed down and turns off the lights when he goes."Steve?" I call after him."Yes?" he says, turning back in the doorway."Thanks for coming.""Of course. Now get some sleep."I sleep all night, at least, I try to. Because of my head injury I have to be woken up on regular intervals by the nurses who come to check on me. The video of the attack is on a loop in my dreams: a big explosion followed by Loki running towards the car.Waking up the next morning, I only have one question: why has Loki not yet come to see me?I do get a male visitor that morning. It's Thomas, who tells me my uncle and aunt will be visiting again this afternoon.While Thomas takes a seat on the edge of the bed, a nurse walks in with a vase of sunflowers. The flowers turn out to be from the Asgardians, the card showing their names in a curly handwriting. Lady Eir's, I think. The nurse puts the flowers beside my bed, so I can look at them.The pain medication is helping to keep the headache at a minimum, for which I am grateful. My shoulder is pretty sore, but as long as I keep my arm in the sling, it's manageable."I guess I won't be returning to work this week," I say to Thomas."No, I guess not. Waiting tables with that arm is not really going to work out. But don't worry, Emilia's older sister is filling in for you," Thomas says. "Remember Gabriela?"I vaguely remember meeting her once at the coffee shop, and Thomas starts telling me how things are at work."Oh!" he suddenly says. "What happened to your dress? I saw some pictures online and you looked really great!""It's ruined. They had to cut me out of it," I tell him, feeling sad about it. Then my hand flies up to my neck. The necklace! It's not there."Thomas! My necklace! I had a necklace, it's not here anymore!""Don't worry, I'm sure they didn't throw it out with the trash," he says soothingly. He starts looking through the drawers of my nightstand and in my closet.From the bottom of my closet he picks up a plastic bag that contains my shoes, my purse and my phone. The screen of my phone is badly cracked and the battery is dead. But the necklace is nowhere to be found."Maybe your aunt and uncle have it?""I hope so. Loki gave it to me," I reply softly, swallowing away the tears.
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When Yvonne and Lars come to visit me that afternoon, the doctor has just given me good news. If I don't develop a fever, I get to go home tomorrow morning. But I had to promise her I would spend most of the time in bed, especially the first few days."I'm sorry, I don't want to be a burden to you," I apologize to my family."Nonsense, honey! We are happy to take care of you!" aunt Yvonne exclaims, gripping my good arm with both of her hands. She doesn't dare to hug me, afraid it will hurt. "Besides," she adds. "Your mother will be there too. She just called to let us know she will be landing at JFK tomorrow morning.""Mom is coming?!""Of course, dear. When we called her, she immediately arranged to be on the first possible flight."After I answer my aunts questions about my health today, I ask her if she has seen my necklace. "Gold, with a green stone encased," I describe. "I was wearing it at the gala, but now it's gone. Do you have it?"But both my aunt and uncle have not seen the necklace."When I got to the hospital, you were already dressed in that hospital gown," Lars says. "The doctors were just done bandaging you.""Then maybe Loki has it. He came with me to the hospital, right?"Lars glances at my aunt, before confirming my question."Well, then I'll ask him when he comes to visit," I state, fully aware of the awkward looks of my family.Uncle Lars glances at his wife and she suddenly gets up from her chair. "I'm gonna go to the nurses station to ask about your necklace," Yvonne says and walks out of the room."What is this all about? Why are you two acting weird?"My uncle sighs and takes a seat on the edge of my bed, holding my hand. "Honey, your aunt and I think it is better if you don't see Loki for a while. And the other Asgardians, for that matter." His tone is sad, but firm."Why? They did nothing wrong! They did not hurt me!""Maybe not personally, no," my uncle replies. "But you were injured in an attack that was meant for them. It's not safe for you to be with them."When I just stare at him angrily, thinking about a reply that doesn't have swear words in it, my uncle speaks up again. "Remember what you told me about Loki? That was not so long ago. You were so upset about it. And now this. That man is trouble, honey. You should stay away from him."My shoulders sag in defeat. Tears start running down my cheeks. There is nothing I could say in defence. 'But he is so nice to me' just doesn't cut it as an argument in this situation. I know my uncle is right, but my heart does not listen to my head."I didn't tell your aunt what you told me about Loki. But we all got a big scare when we got his call from the hospital," Lars says, giving me a Kleenex to wipe away the tears. "And the attack is all over the news, with your picture too. We really think it's for the best if you distance yourself from Loki and the others."I nod, blowing my nose in another Kleenex. There is no use in arguing about it right now. I'm in a hospital, injured because some lunatic fired a grenade at the car I was in."Can you turn on the tv? I want to see the news."Lars hesitates, but does what I ask. He puts on a 24 hour news channel and we don't have to wait long for the attack to come on. Aunt Yvonne returns to the chamber while the news shows video footage of the explosion and Thor and Iron Man chasing the helicopter.My aunt shudders. "And to think you were right in the middle of that!""It's ok, Yvonne, I'm still here. Look, Loki got me out." I point at the dark figure in the corner of the screen.Then the news cuts to Thor, standing in front of what looks like Stark Tower, surrounded by microphones. He is dressed in a suit, looking all serious and businesslike. Next to him is Tony Stark, also in a suit. "We strongly condemn this act of terror against the people of Asgard," Stark says, looking into the camera. "This extremist group was acting alone and will pay for its crimes by the hands of the American justice system."The camera cuts to Thor. "How is the girl?" a reporter asks him."She is still in the hospital," Thor replies curtly. "But fortunately, she will have a full recovery.""Who is she?" another reporter asks, pushing his microphone closer to Thor."She is a friend of the family."After that Stark announces they will answer no more questions.The newshost returns and they show photos from the Asgardians arriving at the gala, to put faces to the people in the car. There is a picture of me and Loki on the red carpet and then Lars turns of the tv again."It's a shame about that dress, dear," aunt Yvonne says, shaking her head. "You really looked lovely!"My aunt and uncle leave the hospital, promising they will be back tomorrow morning to take me home.I lie back in the cushions, the picture of me and Loki burned in my brain. I can't help but wonder what would have happened if we were not attacked. 'And they lived happily ever after' no longer seems an option.If I think rationally, I know uncle Lars is right. It's been quite the emotional rollercoaster after meeting Thor and Loki. There are so many things that should've put me off Loki: he is literally from another world, he has magical powers and is over 40 times my age. Yet all I see is a tall, handsome gentleman, who really listens when I talk to him.And then there is the violent part. Him and his brother are trained warriors, they have deadly skills. Loki even put that skills to use on earth, trying to take over my planet. I knew all that, and still wanted to give him a hug just because he looked sad. He scared me half to death with his magical abilities, but a few hours later I was over the moon, dancing with him. And even now, in the hospital after having a rocket launcher fired at me, I still just want to see him again.I've got to face it. I'm in love with the God of Lies.
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Uncle Lars helps me up the stairs to my room, aunt Yvonne is waiting there to help me take a shower. An hour later I'm back in my own bed, wearing leggings and a button down shirt from Lars. It's way too big, but with my shoulder taped in, I can't really lift my arm to put on clothes. So this is it for now. At least I feel clean again, that is such a relief.Lars is picking up my mother from the airport and Yvonne is preparing lunch. She has put a table next to my bed, with the vase of sunflowers and my mail. The flower balloon is bobbing against the ceiling.I decide to open up the mail. I've got a couple of cards, and a small package. The cards first. There is one with an image of kittens, from Mrs. Willow. The second card is from Emilia, with a teddy bear that has his head bandaged. The last card is a big surprise: it's from Chad. When I open up the card, something slides out. It's a photo from me and Loki on the red carpet at the night of the gala. Chad must have been one of the photographers there. 'I thought this might cheer you up. Get well soon!' the card says in his hurried handwriting. It's a lovely photo and I'm really touched by Chad's gift.I reach for my phone to send him a text message to thank him. But although the phone is charged again, I can't use it. The screen is too damaged. I'm gonna have to get a new phone, I realise. Great.The package is next and I struggle to open it with one hand. Using my teeth, I manage to rip the tape and there is the second surprise of the day. A new phone. With a card from Stark Industries that says 'Thanks for the muffins. Get well soon!'.Wow.I've got some thank you cards to write. As soon as I can get someone to write them for me, because I don't think anyone will be able to read what I write with my left hand.I hear voices on the stairs and a few moments later my mother rushes in the door, stopping in her tracks when she sees me."Oh my..." she says, and instantly starts crying.I can't keep my eyes dry either and only when she has convinced herself I am not that badly damaged, she manages a smile again. Carefully, she comes to sit next to me on my bed."You gave us quite a scare, my child," she says, giving me a kiss on my cheek."I can imagine. Was uncle Lars able to reach you fast enough?"My mother nods. "He sent a text message to call him asap and we happened to be at a hotel that day. So when I spoke to him, I immediately phoned the travel agency to book a flight to New York. This was the fastest I could get here.""Where is William?" I ask. "Did he stay there?""No, he dropped me off at Copenhagen airport. That was the closest airport with flights to New York. Then he drove the campervan back to Holland. I got a text from him after I landed this morning, saying he got home safe.""I'm sorry to ruin your vacation, mom.""Don't be, honey. I only have one daughter, I want to be with you."Mom has not heard everything yet, she just knows I was in a big car crash. So of course she wants to know how bad I am injured and what the doctors said. When she knows enough about my health, she asks how I got to be in a limousine that night. "Lars mentioned something about a gala for those people from Asgard?"I tell her the whole story from the past few days, leaving out the emotional drama with Loki and his restraints at Stark Tower. That's for another time. Maybe."There was a rocket fired at the car? This whole thing sounds like a movie. Explosions, superheroes flying through the sky taking down helicopters... Oh honey, what did you get yourself into?""Lars and Yvonne are thinking the same thing," I mutter. "They say I should not see Loki or the others anymore," I tell my mom, looking at my hands."Well, if those people attract such dangers, then I agree with your aunt and uncle!" she states firmly."I guess," I say weakly. "But they are not the ones who hurt me! They helped me, Loki got me out of the car." Of course my mom is on the same page as Lars and Yvonne. And I get it, they are just concerned for my safety. But they don't know how I feel.My mom sees the photo of me and Loki on the table and picks it up. "Is this Loki?"I nod. My mom looks at the picture a little longer. Then she looks at me again. "Oh, Ylva..." she sighs. "You fell in love, didn't you?"She doesn't get the chance to ask more questions, because Yvonne puts her head around the door and tells us lunch is served. We get over to the other apartment and sit together for over an hour, talking about my moms vacation, my life in New York, the coffee shop, and more. But I'm really tired, so mom sends me back to bed. I'm sure they will talk about me and Loki when I'm gone, but I couldn't care less at the moment. I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.
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With some help from my mom I have put my new phone to use. She also managed to download the photos from my old phone onto my computer. Scrolling through the pictures I get to the last one: Captain America in his tuxedo. I attach it to an email for Thomas and after that I delete it. I don't want to be reminded about that moment.Mom also helps me to write thank you cards to Chad and Tony Stark. I did not have a very high opinion of the two men before, but their gifts are very thoughtful and much appreciated. We also write a card to the limousine driver, addressed to Stark Tower. I don't know his name, but surely they will know who to send it to. If it were not for him, I could have been dead for all I know.And because that was enough excitement for the morning, I go back to bed after lunch again. The pain medication keeps the pain manageable, but I can't concentrate on something very long. And watching tv or reading hurts my eyes after a few minutes. So, with nothing to do, an afternoon nap seems like a good idea.And that's how I fill my days: chatting with my mom, watching tv for 10 minutes, napping, and chatting with my mom again. I think it's been years since we've talked this much. Bit by bit, I tell her everything about Loki. Well, not everything... Telling someone Loki is responsible for the Chitauri attack on New York still doesn't seem like a good idea. But I tell her he did something bad and went to jail for that. Of course, that part of my story just fuels her opinion that Loki is bad news and that I should stay away from him.But, she also listens to me gushing about how we danced at the gala. How nice it was to sit with him at the fountain, just the two of us. And how he treats me like I really matter."I get it, honey, I do," she says. "You two make a handsome pair," she adds, tapping the photo on my nightstand. "But..."I already know what she is going to say."I think your aunt and uncle are right. Loki is a very public figure right now. Not everyone is happy with his stay on Earth, the attack proved that. You were very lucky. It could have been so much worse!""I know, I know..." I say softly."I'm just afraid that you are going to get hurt, one way or the other."The doorbell rings and mom gets up to see who it is. I hear a woman, but I can't really make out who it is. Then my mom comes up the stairs again."Here, you've got mail," she says, tossing a big white envelope on my nightstand. "And there is a girl for you. She says she is your friend. Her name is As... Azera or something?""Astera is here? Great! Why don't you let her in?" My mood instantly gets better.When Astera enters my room, mom is just apologizing to her for not letting her in right away."I just wanted to check with my daughter. New York is a big city, you know," mom says."Is ok, madam," Astera replies in her flawed English."I'll get you something to drink and then I'll leave you girls to it.""I'm so glad you came!" I call out when Astera takes a seat next to my bed. "Mom is great company, but I could really use some fresh faces. Lisa and Thomas are busy working at the coffee shop, so things have been quite boring this week."Astera just smiles and asks how I am feeling."I'm getting better. The bandage on my head is gone, so at least my looks improved! And I can lift my shoulder if I'm careful, so that's great too.""Good," Astera says. "They be happy to hear at home." She tells me how the Asgardian community at the apartment complex feels sorry for what happened to me. I'm surprised to hear they all know about me."Yes, you with prince Loki, we like that," she says smiling.I actually blush a little at her words. "Well..." I counter, "I don't know if I'm exactly wíth prince Loki.""Prince Loki mostly alone. Now you with him. That special," Astera says convincingly.Great, Asgard thinks it's special, my family thinks it's dangerous."I don't know if I can see him again. My family thinks he means trouble," I tell my friend reluctantly."Loki is troublemaker, yes," Astera agrees, shrugging her shoulders as if it's no big deal."Yeah, everyone seems to agree on that one..." I'm silent for a while and Astera just lets me. The girl is pleasant company, it doesn't feel awkward."I forgot, I have thing for you!" she suddenly says and puts her bag on her lap. She takes out a small green velvet pouch. I can't open the strings with one hand, so she helps me, shaking the contents into my palm.It's my necklace."How did you get this?" I exclaim, over the moon that I have it back."Loki gave to me to give to you. He took it when you in hospital car," Astera explains.I'm really happy Loki took my necklace for safekeeping, but I'm also a little disappointed that he didn't bring it to me himself. I ask Astera if she knows why he didn't come see me."I not know. I not ask prince."Figures... Loki would not be one to explain himself to a girl he probably barely knows. He just asked her to run an errand for him."Is pretty!" she says, pointing to the necklace."It is, isn't it?" I answer, stroking the necklace in my palm. "Can you help me put it on?"A necklace and a paparazzi shot. That will have to do for now.When I notice the big white envelope on the table, I pick it up. It's made from fancy thick paper and inside is a white card with a red shield, adorned with a gold crown and gold lion. I recognise it as Norway's coat of arms."Look! The king and queen of Norway sent me a card!" I show the card to Astera, who turns it over in her hands. It's a typed message telling me they were sorry to hear about the incident and they wish me a speedy recovery, signed with a swirly autograph.Of course Astera wants to know how I know the royals, so I tell her about meeting them at the gala and dancing with king Harald V. Talking about it again makes me realise that night was pretty special. Not only because I danced with Loki, but I also met a real king and queen.Astera and I play a few rounds of Guess Who?. The game is a bit battered because it used to be Lisa's from when she was a kid, but Astera loves it. And it's a great way for her to practice her English. We have a lot of fun together, discovering the differences in focus of each of our cultures. I try to guess by asking questions about hair, clothes and accessories like hats and glasses. Astera on the other hand is more focused on the shape of a character's mouth, nose or eyes.After five rounds I almost fall asleep sitting up, so it's time for my friend to leave. I make her promise to come by again. "And if you see Loki, would you please ask him to get in touch with me? I really want to talk to him, if only to thank him for getting me out the car.""Ok. But I not know when see prince Loki," Astera warns me.After she has left, I fall asleep clutching the necklace. I dream about Loki, but in my dreams he is really distant and indifferent. I try to talk to him but he just ignores me, like I'm nothing more than an ant.When I wake up again at the end of the afternoon, it takes me some time to shake off the negativity from my dream. Mom isn't home, a note tells me she has gone out with aunt Yvonne. I decide to go down to the coffeeshop, to take my mind of things. I can sit on the couch in my living room, or I can sit in the coffee shop. At least the latter will provide more distraction.I change my yoga pants and old T-shirt for something a bit more presentable, choosing a long jersey dress from my closet. It's basically an ankle long black tank top, but when I brush my hair and put on a pair of flats, I'm already feeling better.After dressing myself and brushing my hair, my shoulder is a little sore again. But at least I can dress myself again, so I don't mind the pain.When I get to the coffee shop, I am greeted warmly by my colleagues and some of the regular guests. Mrs. Willow is there too and she comes over to sit with me on one of the couches. She wants to know all about my accident, and it turns out she has been fanatically following the news feeds about it. "And what about your handsome man, Ylva?" she asks me, taking my hand in her enthusiasm. "You two looked so great together at the gala! Has he been taking good care of you now that you've been injured?"I'm a bit puzzled about what to say. "Uh... he was the one who got us out of the car and he rode with me to the hospital. But I was unconscious then. I have not seen him since, to be honest." Why not tell the truth?Mrs. Willow is astonished. "Really? I would have thought he would not have left your side. You two looked very much in love!"I raise my eyebrows questioningly, wondering what she is talking about. Mrs. Willow takes a People magazine from her bag and starts flipping the pages. "There!" she says, putting the magazine in my lap. "If that's not love, then I don't know what is!"The magazine turns out to have done a whole spread about the attack and the gala. And in a separate column is a picture of me and Loki, titled 'New beau for prince of Asgard?'. The picture shows Loki with his arm around my waist, his mouth close to my ear like he's telling me something in private and a slight smile on his face. I am leaning in with a look you could easily take for blissful. I get where Mrs. Willow is coming from.I remember the moment, Loki reassuring me we were almost clear of the flashing cameras. Not exactly romantic, but the picture makes it look like Loki was saying sweet nothings in my ear instead of the much more practical comment it really was."Can I have this?" I ask, feeling a bit embarrassed about my question."Of course dear, I was done reading it anyway."
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I try to read the article about the gala, but my eyes constantly end up looking at the picture of Loki and me. I really should put the magazine away, this is becoming a bit sadomasochistic. The picture shows a fairy tale, nothing more.Mrs. Willow has gone back home to Mr. Whiskers, but there is someone new to keep me company. It's Chad. He takes me by surprise when he crashes down on the couch next to me. "Looking at your 15 seconds of fame, Ylva?" Chad nudges the magazine in my hands.I quickly close the magazine, embarrassed he caught me."How are you feeling?" he asks."Better," I reply. "My shoulder is still sore and I can't really use my arm much because of it, but that gets better every day.""And the concussion?" Chad is well informed."Also getting better. I get tired easily, but the headaches are gone. I can't complain. It could have been way worse, you know."He nods in consensus. "Yeah, I saw the footage on the news. If that driver had not turned the car in time there could have been casualties.""Yes, we were very lucky.""I guess the only casualty was that pretty dress of yours. I bet that didn't survive the trip to the hospital," Chad says, keeping it light."No, they cut that open because of my shoulder," I confirm. "But thanks to you I have a nice picture to remember it by. Thanks again for your card!""You're welcome. I had some nice shots of you, the least I could do was share one with you," he shrugs. "So, are you dating that Loki now?" he suddenly asks."Uh... n... no," I stutter. "We are just friends.""Hmm..." he says, clearly not buying it. "You know, you could make a pretty penny out of that. The tabloids would have a field day with your story!""Chad, no! I'm not gonna sell my story to the tabloids!" I exclaim. "Are you crazy?"He puts up his hands defensively. "Alright, alright. No need to get mad. It's just... those Asgardians really keep to themselves. Thor is the only one who is somewhat out in the open. So when that model dished about Loki being rude to her, the tabloids just ate that up. And you have an even better story!"He is not letting it go. God, the nerve on this guy! I don't know what I ever saw in him."I could take some nice shots. Keep it classy, you know..." He just keeps on talking."Chad!" I interrupt him. "I think it's best you leave now, before I really get mad."My voice is ice cold and so is my stare. Chad gets the message and he stands up from the couch to leave. But not before adding that I can always call him when I change my mind.Right. Like that is gonna happen.After Chad has left, I go back upstairs. When Lisa gets home after closing the coffee shop, she finds me in the kitchen, preparing dinner."Here, I'll take over. You go sit down," she says, pointing to a chair."I'm only making pasta," I protest. "I can handle that."But Lisa is not having it, so I sit down. We chat about the day in the coffee shop. She asks about Chad, wondering out loud what he wanted this time."The usual. Starting out normal and then saying crazy stuff again," I reply. "He wanted me to sell my story to the tabloids. Even offered to make pictures."Lisa chuckles. "He's a real paparazzi now, huh?""I guess," I shrug."Well, it is a crazy story, I give him that," Lisa says. "A prince, a gala, a rocket, helicopters, an explosion. Even superheroes!""Yeah, if you put it like that, it sounds crazy. But I just had a really nice evening that ended really bad.""From dancing with prince Charming to riding an ambulance. That Loki sure knows how to entertain a lady," she says sarcastically."He didn't do anything wrong," I mutter, getting a little mad. "Why does everybody act like he is responsible for that attack?""Calm down, I didn't mean it like that," Lisa says soothing. "I know you really like him. But I also get why mom and dad were pretty mad when they found out you were shot at because of him."She puts a plate of pasta in front of me. "Now, let's eat!"After a few bites of pasta, I pick up the conversation again."Do you know what your parents said to Loki in the hospital? I have not heard from him all week, nor from the other Asgardians.""I don't know exactly, I wasn't there," my cousin says. "But from what I heard, Loki called from the hospital and told them what happened. Mom and dad were mad and scared because you were in danger. So I guess they told Loki to stay away from you.""And he listened to them," I sigh."I guess he really is a gentleman," Lisa quips, trying to cheer me up.The next week, I still don't hear a thing from Loki. Physically, I'm feeling a lot better every day. My stitches have come out and if I'm careful what I am doing, I don't have to wear the sling anymore. I still can't read that long before the letters start dancing in front of my eyes, so I really miss my books. But I'm not that tired anymore, so mom takes me out every day. We go for walks in Central Parc, I take her up the Empire State building and we go shopping together. After a while I need to sit down, but that's just an excuse for us to go to a café and have a drink."I'm going back in two days," my mom says, taking a sip of her capucino. "Are you sure you don't want to come with me?"I smile. "No, mom, I'm staying here in New York a little longer. I like it here and I want to take some courses at university after this summer.""But you will come visit when your brother's baby is born, right?""Of course, mom! As soon as that little one pops out, I'll get on a plane."We're sitting at the terrace of a café near Central Parc. Lots of people are walking by and me and my mom enjoy watching them and giving comments. "Oh, there comes a handsome man," my mom jokes, nudging my elbow.I look in the same direction and am surprised to see it's Thor. He's walking on the other side of the street and he doesn't see us. "That's Thor, mom. The God of Thunder!""Really? I thought he always wore a red cape," my mom says, half as a joke, half serious.Thor is wearing jeans and a T-shirt, looking very human. At least, if you look over the fact that he is quite large and muscular for an average man. And the eyepatch is a bit different too, although it kinda suits him. It just blends in with his face, you hardly notice it."I think the cape is part of his armor. Most of the time he is dressed just like everyone else."When Thor is waiting for a red light, we see two girls walking up to him. They want to take a picture with him and he happily obliges, smiling for the camera."See, mom? Nothing dangerous about Thor! Or Loki, for that matter. I really don't get why I'm not allowed to see them. They're my friends!""I don't know, Ylva..." my mom says hesitantly."Come on, mom. You have met Astera, she's from Asgard too. Did she seem dangerous to you? They're just people."My mom sighs, giving me a tired look. "Oh, alright, I guess Astera is just another girl. But you have to keep out of the spotlights! All that attention from the media for Asgard is just attracting the wrong kind of people. So no hanging out with Loki and Thor!"And I really can't persuade her. She is adamant that I should stay away from the king and prince of Asgard. But, if I can see Astera and other less famous Asgardians, chances are I'll run into Loki anyway.Two days later I have to say goodbye to my mom again. Lars and I take her to the airport to see her off."Bye honey. Take good care of yourself. Don't make me have to come back here because you are in the hospital again!""I promise, mom," I smile. "Have a safe trip and give William a big hug for me."I'm sad to see my mom go. But I truly like it here in New York and I want to stay a little longer. I am more happy here then I was back in Holland. When we walk back to the car, Lars puts his arm around my shoulders. "It was nice to see your mom again," he says. "And I'm glad you're sticking around a while longer. We love having you with us.""Thanks Lars, I love being with you guys too."And I really do. I count myself lucky for having the chance to live and work in New York. This city really gave me some once in a lifetime experiences. And I never would have met Loki if I wasn't working in my aunts' coffee shop.
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Getting in touch with Astera turns out to be rather difficult. At least, more difficult than I'm used to in this digital age. She doesn't have a phone, an email address, or a Facebook account for that matter. But, I found the address of the apartment complex on the internet, so I get in touch the old fashioned way: I write her a card.A couple of days later she writes me back, inviting me to come over to her place this sunday. My mom has talked to her brother-in-law and his wife before she went back to Holland, so they are ok with me visiting Astera at the Asgardian apartment complex. It's in a quiet neighbourhood in Queens, near Corona Park.It's just a little walk from the subway station. On my way to the apartment complex I spot the Unisphere, the big metal globe in Corona Park. I know that thing has something to do with Stark senior, but I can't be bothered to remember. I'm excited to see Astera again. And I brought muffins for a whole football team, so we can share.I open up the gate to the complex, which is a U-shaped building, two stories high. If you step through the gate you come into a tiled courtyard, which crosses over in a mini park that resembles the Garden of Eden.Inside, I wonder where to go next. When I send Astera the card I did not address it to a specific apartment, thinking they all know each other, so it would end up by the right person eventually. But now I'm here, I don't know in which apartment Astera lives.In the garden I spot a woman who is pulling out weeds. Maybe she can tell me where I can find my friend. The woman gets up when I near her, but it turns out she doesn't speak English. I think she does understand I am looking for Astera, however, her answer is in a foreign language."I'm sorry, I can't understand you," I tell her.The woman reacts by taking my hand and she leads me to the second floor of the apartments. We stop in front of a red door. "Astera," the woman says, gesturing to the door.I thank her and knock on the door.Astera shares the two bedroom apartment with Tova. It's small, but the girls made it a cosy home. Tova turns out to be quite the knitter and crocheter, covering nearly every surface with her handywork. She is way better than me, I think, admiring the afghan over the back of the couch. "You know, you could sell your work," I tell her. "I think people would be really interested.""I do not have shop," she answers, looking up from the sweater she is knitting."That's easily remedied, you could open up a webshop. On the internet."That just gets a puzzled look from Tova. The Asgardians are not big on technology, at least not Earth tech. So I tell her I will bring my laptop the next time, so I can show her the possibilities.The girls decide to throw a little party when they see the muffins I brought. So we get some tables and chairs in the courtyard and it turns into a 'bring your own' gathering. There's fruit from the garden, Brunnhyld has baked an apple pie and she is not the only one who was busy in the kitchen today.There are several Asgardians who speak English on a basic to moderate level. One of them, who I remember as the male cook I met at Stark Tower, tells me they are following classes every week. He is kind enough to tell me his name again, because I didn't remember the name Ivar from last time. He tells me he works in the kitchen of a nursery home nearby, so does the female cook whose name is Hilda.There are more Asgardians working in public jobs. The ones without a job do volunteer work at the local community center, homeschool the Asgardian kids and work maintenance at the apartment complex.I'm really having a good time. The Asgardians are friendly people with a somewhat old fashioned etiquette, at least according to modern Earth standards. But that's what I like about Thor and Loki too, it's nice being called a lady and to be treated like one.Remembering how I felt like a lady in that gorgeous green dress, I take a seat next to Brunnhyld. "That apple pie is delicious, did you make it with apples from this garden?"The seamstress nods. "Yes, I picked them myself."I thank her again for making my dress for the gala. "I felt so beautiful in it! I'm really sorry the dress got ruined when I was in the hospital. The doctors cut it open because they thought I broke something.""Don't worry, I can always make a new dress. There is only one you." Brunnhyld places a hand on my arm. "I am sorry you got hurt. The attack was meant for Asgard, but there were other people in that car too.""It's ok. I don't blame you guys. Some stupid humans did this, not Asgard." I hesitate for a second. "My family kind of blames Loki. And Thor too. They think it's dangerous for me to be around them.""Well... prince Loki is a trickster. It's hard to trust him, he usually only looks out for himself. But, he would not wilfully bring harm to the people of Asgard. Or to you."Brunnhyld smiles at me. "It's too bad his mother never got the chance to meet you. She would've liked seeing him happy."I can feel my cheeks turn red. I've got the feeling everyone in Asgard sees me as Loki's girlfriend. It's a small community, so I assume they keep a close eye on each other, including their prince. I can't imagine Loki talking about his love life, so I guess they just draw their own conclusions from what they see and hear.When most of the food is eaten, it's time for games. In Asgard they used to play a lot of card games, with cards similar to ours. They play in pairs, or in small groups of four or five people. Ivar brings out something that looks like a checkers board. The game is indeed a lot like checkers and the cook teaches me how to play it. The name of the game is loosely translated to 'Game of Guards'. He wins the first two rounds, before Astera takes over."Not fair, he is champion," she explains. The cook just smiles at her words and lets us play the game. Astera wins too at first, but the last game is for me."Have you seen Loki?" I ask her when we put the game to the side.She shakes her head in response. "Thor here last week for council meeting. Not Loki.""Council meeting?"Astera explains to me there is a council of elders that represents the people of Asgard. Right now, the main goal is to find the Asgardians a new home. A permanent one. I remember what Loki told me about it. "Norway wants to give you a home, right?" I ask her.Astera grimaces. "Maybe not. They scared because of attack with rocket."It pains me to hear that stupid attack has so much consequences. I had only bothered with the consequences it had for me personally, but I can imagine the attack did the Asgardian case not much good. You don't want to invite trouble to your home."Do you want to move to Norway?" I ask Astera."I do not know. I like this city. I think Norway is very quiet. But I want to be with my people too.""I get it. New York is really something else. It's a whole other world than the Scandinavian countryside."At the end of the afternoon it's time to clean up. I help as much as I can, but because of my shoulder I'm not of much use carrying heavy things. So Astera simply tells me to go for a walk in the garden while she and the others put everything away. She takes up a tray full of dishes to bring upstairs and sends me off. "Go explore. I'll find you later."
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While I wait for Astera to return, I wander around the garden. It really is lovely out here, you would almost forget you are at the grounds of an apartment complex in the middle of the city. I'm surrounded by trees and bushes, seemingly planted without any garden plan in mind, which gives the garden a very natural feel. Some of the bushes have grown higher than my head and they are quite close together in this part of the yard. A big bumble bee flies right past me, startling me a bit with his loud buzzing close to my ear. He lands on a bush with big white flowers and I stop to watch him. I'm having a hard time remembering what this type of bumble bee is called, with its red behind. I should have paid more attention in my Biology class in high school.Suddenly, my ears pick up on a sound behind me. The moment I am aware I'm not alone, an arm snakes around my waist and pulls me with my back against a strong chest. "You are making it very hard for me to stay away," a familiar voice says above my head. "What are you doing here?"Loki.Acting on an impulse, I turn around and cuddle up against him. My face disappears in his open leather jacket. He's wearing Asgardian garments again, a sleeveless leather jacket like he wore to the gala, but shorter and simpler, a green sort of pullover and dark breeches."I've missed you," I sigh.I can feel him tense up, but he doesn't let go of me. Instead, he adjusts his arm a bit and his free hand carefully brushes my hair to the side. I'm not surprised Loki knows exactly where I was injured."Good, the stitches are out," he mumbles. His hand moves down to my shoulder and traces the blue physio tape that helps support my shoulder. "Pain?"I shake my head. "Only when I use it too much.""And your head?""Same thing," I quip, finally looking up to him.Loki meets my eyes shortly, his brows furrowed. His hand lingers on my shoulder and one finger lifts up my necklace before he takes a step back from me, his arms to his sides."Is something wrong?" I am suddenly very much aware of my impulsive act. I may have been a bit too forward, hugging him like that.Loki doesn't answer, he just takes a deep breath, his face dark.Alright, he's back to silent and broody again. Then I'll do the talking."Thank you," I tell him sincerely. "For everything! Thanks for getting me out of the car. And for going with me to the hospital, although I don't remember that part. And thank you for returning the necklace, I feared I'd lost it."Loki snorts and runs his hands through his hair before rubbing his face. "You are unbelievable!" He sounds desperate and his sudden emotional outburst shocks me. "You got injured because of me, and yet you thank me?!"I just stare at him, not knowing what to say."You could have died, Ylva!" His voice is angry."But I didn't," I plead softly.He doesn't react immediately and when he talks again, it's more like he is talking to himself. "You're human. A mortal. You could have died just because you were with me. Seeing you in that car... unconscious... Your uncle is right!""My uncle is right?" I ask surprised. "You agree with my family that I can't see you?" Now it's my turn to be angry. "Why? You didn't fire that rocket, did you? Some stupid asshole did that. Not you!"Loki closes the distance between us and holds my face between his hands. He has a pained look on his face and his voice is strained. "You don't get it. You could get hurt just because you are close to me. I don't want to be responsible for that." He takes a deep breath and then adds: "This was a Midgardian attack, coming from hate and ignorance. But there are bigger dangers out there. Powers that want revenge..." His voice trails off and he steps away from me again.I don't know if I should yell or cry. Maybe both at the same time. "Not being with you hurts too," I whisper, my voice breaking. Crying it is.But this time Loki doesn't comfort me. He just stands there, a defeated look on his face.My head is overflowing with thoughts, all tumbling over each other. Tears are rolling down my cheeks, but I'm really starting to get angry too. My family, even Loki himself, they all think I should not hang out with the God of Lies. Shouldn't I get a say in that too?"I'm a big girl, you know," I state, angrily wiping away the tears from my eyes. "Yeah, the car crashed. But the way I see it, I could be run over by a taxi any day of the week. I don't see why being friends with you would change that!"Loki just sighs, rubbing his hand over his face again."Yeah, you have skeletons in your closet, some of 'm huge. But I still like being with you. Call me stupid, call me a fool, so be it." I shrug, a defiant look on my face."A fool you are," Loki mutters under his breath."Maybe. But if I'm not mistaken you like hanging out with this soft-hearted human too. Isn't that enough?"The dark haired god looks me in the eyes. It's an intense look, giving me goosebumps all over. "Human," he says slowly. "You're mortal. Compared to me, your life is just the blink of an eye. It would all be over before long."I suck in my breath between my teeth. It's a thought I had entertained once or twice too: I would grow old and Loki would still be... Loki. It's an image I can't really wrap my head around, so I had casted it aside. We'll cross that bridge when we get there. If we ever get there, because it seems like Loki is very much aware of my fragile mortal state. And it's causing him to put up steel walls around him."Yes, I am human. Not much I can do to change that," I tell him defiantly. "I thought you would be up for a challenge. My mistake, I take it the Trickster plays by the rules now."His eyes flash angrily, but he stands his ground. This is a tough nut to crack, my mortality really bothers him. Yet, he has shown lots of signs in the past weeks that he likes being with me. He pushed me away a couple of times, but he always came back or allowed me to get close again. The period since the attack is the longest I haven't seen him since I met him.Suddenly, a thought crosses my mind. "How did you get them to let you ride in the ambulance with me? That's only allowed for family, right?"The sudden change of subject catches Loki by surprise, blinking at me. Then he shrugs: "I told them you were my wife."Now I'm the one surprised. A smile breaks through my anger. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Let's start with being friends.""I don't know if I can just be your friend," Loki replies, not a hint of a smile visible. His arms crossed in front of his chest, he is all walled up.Then I can hear Thor's voice calling for Loki. We both look up. "Thor is here too?""Council meeting," Loki replies curtly.Thor calls again, sounding a bit impatient, and I make the instant decision to cut this short. I feel like I'm taking a huge risk, but I don't know what else to do. "You should go," I tell Loki, which causes him to flash his eyes at me in surprise, but he doesn't react any further. "Go, and make up your mind. You know where to find me."And I walk away, leaving him behind. It takes all my resolve, but I try telling myself it's for the best. If he wants to be with me, he has to accept that I am human. And he has to make that decision for himself. I can't just will him to be with me.I go around a corner and come across Thor. "Lady Ylva, I didn't expect to see you here," he greets me."Neither did your brother." I walk past him. I'm not in the mood for talking. I'll go see where Astera is and tell her I'm going home.
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I don't know what I expected, after leaving Loki standing in the garden like that. But it's been six days and I have not heard a word from him. I have not seen any of the other Asgardians either. This sucks. I feel heartbroken and I have done this to myself.But, I try to keep my head high, at least in public. If it's meant to be, it's meant to be. If not, well... then I'll get over it too. At least, I hope so.I'm back to work now, although I have to be careful with carrying heavy trays. I'm mostly behind the counter, making coffee and manning the register."I'm soooo looking forward to tonight!" Lisa says happily, joining me behind the counter. "Marc will be here after closing, he's gonna make us dinner. And then we can put on our dancing shoes!"One of my favorite bands, The Slackers, is playing The Bell House in Brooklyn, NY. And Marc, being a fan himself, got us tickets to the now sold out concert."I can't wait either!" Despite feeling so low about Loki, I'm actually looking forward to go to the gig. It'll be nice to clear my head. And tomorrow's sunday, so I don't have to worry about working the next day.While Marc does the dishes - did I mention he is a great guy? - Lisa and I get changed. I choose dark skinny jeans, an emerald sleeveless top and a pair of flats. We're standing next to each other in front of the mirror in the bathroom."Did you hear from Loki yet?" Lisa asks, putting on mascara.I have told her about meeting him at the Asgardian apartment complex. When I got home that day, I was a mess, it was a total relief to talk about it. Lisa shares her parents' opinion that hanging out with Loki isn't without dangers, but she also understands my feelings. So I tell her I have not heard from him. "I'm afraid I messed up.""You don't know that. Maybe something came up. Or he just doesn't take this kind of thing lightly and it takes him some time," she suggests.I shrug. "I wish he came after me right away, after I walked out on him so stupidly.""You can reach out to him, if you want?" Lisa says, putting away her make-up."I don't know..." I hesitate. "I don't want to be pushy. He knows where I stand. I guess it's up to him now. Maybe he has already made the decision he doesn't want to see me anymore," I add, emotion thick in my throat."Nah, I don't think so. I've seen the way he looks at you. But it's Loki, who knows what's up."And then we change the subject, because it's gonna be a good night and I don't want to spoil the fun by thinking to much of what I should have or could have done.The band that night doesn't disappoint. It's a great show and I'm really enjoying myself, singing along to their songs and dancing with my cousin, her boyfriend and his friends. Three friends of Marc came to the gig too and the guys are making sure we always have a drink in our hands. Two of them I have seen before, but one is new to me."I understand you have seen them perform in Holland too?" he asks me, leaning close because of the loud music."Yeah! I've been to many gigs over the years. It's great to see them perform here in New York."I am trying to remember his name. Will, or Bill, something like that. When he introduced himself I couldn't really hear it over the music.He's been friendly all night, talking and dancing with me, and maybe even getting me a little drunk. I don't know exactly how many beers I had, but it's time to switch to water. Bill or Will is having none of that, bringing me a new beer."Come on, Ylva. It's saturday night and you're a big girl! You can handle one more," he says jokingly.Big girl. Right, that's what I am. I said so myself last week. "What's your name again?" I giggle. "Billy or Willy?""William, but you can call me Will," he says with a wink, taking a swig of his beer.A few beers later, I'm regretting being a big girl. The gig is over and people are slowly trickling towards the exit. I'm feeling light headed, so I tell Lisa I'm going outside to get some air. Gesturing to her glass of wine she lets me know she'll be out shortly too."Wait, I'll go with you," Will says, putting an arm around my shoulder.I just want to get outside, so I let him. I'm a bit unsure of my steps and Will isn't walking that straight anymore too.Out on the sidewalk, I step from under his arm and lean my back against the wall. I take deep breaths, trying to keep my nausea at bay. I hope Lisa will come soon, so we can go home. I really should have switched to water earlier. Then I remember I have a small bottle of water in my bag, so I zip it open to get it out. I clumsily turn over the contents of my bag to get to the bottle at the bottom.Meanwhile, Will has other plans. He stands in front of me and puts one arm up against the wall, next to my head. When I look up from my bag, his face is really close to mine."How 'bout coming over to my place for another drink? I live nearby," he says in my ear, slurring his words a bit. I can feel his hot breath on my cheek."I don't think that's a good idea, Will," I tell him, leaning away from him to drink some water."Aww, come on, Ylva! We had fun tonight," he teases, coming closer again, trying to kiss my neck."'Don't!" I call out, pushing him away with both hands. Water is spilling from the bottle I'm still holding, wetting his shirt. But Will isn't listening to me and is closing me in against the wall for real now. He is actually quite big and me pushing him has little to no effect.All of a sudden, Will is janked backwards, falling over his feet. "Leave the lady alone," Loki says roughly, his hand firmly gripping Will's shoulder."Mind your own business, asshole!" Will tries to tear lose from Loki's grip, to no avail. When Loki releases him, Will rubs his shoulder gingerly, no doubt still feeling the pressure of Loki's strong fingers.Loki posts himself between me and Will, keeping his angry gaze fixed on the young man in front of him."You know this dickhead, Ylva?" Will calls, taking a step to the side to be able to see around Loki."She's with me," Loki answers to his question. "Now leave."At the same moment, Lisa, Marc and the others come out of The Bell House. Lisa rushes over as soon as she sees us. She has my jacket, which I forgot to take with me when I went outside."What is going on?" she asks, looking from me, to Loki, to Will. Marc and his two other friends join her, curious about what's happening. I'm still frozen against the wall, dumbfounded by the whole thing, my bag cradled in my arms."This one," Loki jerks his head at Will, "was acting like a horny boor."Marc takes one look at me and seizes his friend by the arm, pulling him away from the scene. I can't hear what he says to Will, but he sounds angry. The other guys follow them to the other side of the street.Lisa puts her arm around me. "Are you alright, honey? Did he hurt you? I'm gonna kick Will's ass if he did!""I'm alright, I think," I tell my cousin. "He was just... drunk. And a jerk.""Well, luckily your knight in shining armour showed up," Lisa quips, squeezing my shoulders.Loki, who was watching the guys at the other side of the street, looks back at us at her words, a small sparkle in his eyes. He's not really dressed in armour, it's a completely black suit again."I was planning to sleep at Marc's, but if you want, I can come back home with you, honey," Lisa suggests, interrupting my thoughts about how good Loki looks in a suit."No, no," I argue. "That's not necessary. Really, I'm ok now! You can go with Marc.""I will take her," Loki says to Lisa.She looks at me. "You sure? I'm happy to stay with you!""Go!" I chuckle, giving her a small push in the direction of Marc and his friends, who are waiting at the other side of the street. Will is looking down at his feet, his hands in his pockets. I guess he got told off by Marc.Lisa gives me my jacket and says goodbye to us, leaving me with Loki. "Come," he says, sliding his arm around my waist, "I'll take you home.""The subway station is that way!" I point in the other direction, trying to turn around in his arm. Loki just turns me back again and guides me to a black citycar that is waiting a little further down the street. He opens the door for me and I get in."Hi Gary!" I say cheerfully to the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent behind the wheel. "You on Loki duty tonight?" Agent Wilde doesn't respond. I drop myself in the backseat and giggle. "It's a dirty job, but somebody has got to do it, right?""Seatbelt, Ylva," Loki says dryly, pulling me back a little in my seat. When I fumble with the clasp, Loki clicks the buckle in place for me.I'm glad the nausea is gone, but I'm still light in my head. I lean back in my seat and close my eyes to keep the world from spinning too much. Loki's shoulder touches mine and I lean into it."What would you have done if I had not been there?" Loki asks me.It takes me a second to realise what he means. "Don't know," I answer, keeping my eyes closed. "Scream, I guess.""Ah, right. The perfect defensive mechanism." Loki's voice is dripping from sarcasm."Yeah, yeah... I know. I'll take up karate or something," I suggest wearily.I'm really tired. Loki is telling me something, but I'm having a little trouble to focus on his words. I stifle a yawn and shift in my seat so I can lean my head on his shoulder.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
I don't remember my bed being so soft. I stretch myself and all of a sudden it dawns on me. My eyes grow big and I shoot upright.This. Is. Not. My. Bed.This is not my bed! Whose bed is this? I look around the room. Cream wallpaper, dark green curtains, green duvet on the four poster bed. I'm in Loki's bed!And where are my pants?I still got my top on from last night, but I'm not wearing my jeans anymore. Looking around the room, I spot my bag and jacket on a chair by the window and my shoes neatly placed in front of the chair on the floor.The room is silent. No sign of Loki anywhere and it looks like I'm the only one who slept in this bed.My head pounds like there's a drumband marching through my brain, probably from drinking too much last night. I feel nasty and could really use a shower. Brushing my teeth would be nice too, my tongue sticks to the inside of my mouth in a gross way. I don't know if I can find an extra toothbrush in Loki's bathroom, but at least I can shower. I would definitely feel better if I had showered before facing Loki again. I don't remember anything after getting in the car with him, so who knows what embarrassing things I have done.When I get out of bed I step on my jeans, lying in a messy heap right next to the bed. I decide to take them with me to the bathroom. Maybe my clothes will smell better after a treatment with the steam of the shower. I peek around the corner of the bedroom before entering the sitting room. Still no sign of Loki. There is a blanket on the couch, maybe he slept there? I hurry across the room to get into the bathroom.The hot shower takes some of my headache away, but I still regret drinking too much last night. Loki's shower gel smells of peppermint, which helps to wake me up. I wash my hair and body and take some time to just enjoy the hot water streaming down my skin.The bath towel is big and soft and I look around in the drawers in search for a brush or a comb. I find both, so I can make myself presentable. I even find a new toothbrush so I can brush my teeth! I'll get Loki a new one later. I feel better now I'm clean again. Unfortunately my clothes still smell like a night of dancing and drinking. Now what?A green silk robe hangs on a hook in the bathroom, I decide to put it on for the time being. It's a little big, but it will do. And when I look in the mirror I must admit I kinda like wearing Loki's clothes.I step out of the bathroom and there is Loki. He is lying on the couch with his feet up, reading a book. He turns his head when he hears me coming out of the door and smiles. "Good morning, my little wolf."I take a seat on the armrest near his feet, carefully adjusting the robe to make sure I'm decent."Good morning. I hope it's ok I used your shower?" I ask. "And your robe..."Loki smirks. "It suits you." He sits up and gestures to a tray with tea and bagels on the coffee table. "I got us breakfast."I take a seat next to him on the couch and take the cup of tea he is handing me."Did you sleep well?" he asks, getting a bagel from the tray."I did, thank you. Although I don't remember getting here," I reply, sipping from my tea. "Loki, why am I here and not at home?" My cheeks redden at the thought of what the reason can be. I think I slept alone, but then again, I woke up without my pants."You fell asleep in the car," Loki says in an amused tone."I thought so, yes. Sorry about that." I'm almost too embarrassed to look at him."It's ok. Actually, I was planning to drop you off at home, but I couldn't find your keys in your bag. And waking up your uncle in the middle of the night is not something I wanted to repeat any time soon! He was not happy the last time I did that," Loki explains."Hm... probably a wise decision."I get up to retrieve my bag from the bedroom, to search for my keys. I turn the whole bag upside down on the couch, but my keys are nowhere to be found. "Shit! I must have lost them last night at the gig. I am sure I had them when I left the house!""Like I said, I couldn't find them," Loki points out. "So I took you here and put you in bed. You didn't even wake up!""Did you take off my pants?" I ask hesitantly, between two bites of my bagel."What? No, of course not!" Loki immediately replies. "You were asleep. I like my women awake and willing." He gives me a sly grin with that last sentence and I punch his arm for that."Ha. Ha. Very funny. Then I must have taken them off myself during the night.""Maybe after you finally stopped snoring.""Sounds like you're regretting coming for me last night," I smirk at him."No regrets there, my little wolf. I was happy to save you from that caveman. You should choose your company more wisely in the future."I pull my feet up on the couch and curl up, tucking my bare feet in between the cushions. "Yeah, well... he was drunk." When I see Loki raise his eyebrow, I add: "And so was I. Sorry about that."He shrugs. "Nothing wrong with drinking, as long as you can take care of yourself.""Yeah, yeah. I know. The hangover is not pretty," I groan. "But I'm glad you showed up.""Took you long enough," I add under my breath.Loki pulls my feet up on his lap, his cool fingers tracing invisible lines on my feet and lower legs. It gives me goosebumps and I'm painfully aware of the fact that I'm only wearing my underwear and a loose robe."I had a plane to catch that night," he says slowly. When he sees the question mark above my head he tells me how he and Thor went to Norway the evening after I had seen him at the apartment complex. "The attack after the gala scared some people off. So we went there in person to show our good intentions.""Oh, okay... Astera did mention something like that, yes. Not that you were going there, but she told me about the fallout of the attack.""Yes, we still have a long way to go, but we made some good progress this week.""So... you just got back?"Loki nods. "Yesterday afternoon.""How did you know I was in Brooklyn?""Is this an interrogation?" Loki says, giving my foot a squeeze. "I know how to use a phone. I didn't have your number, you failed to put that in my contacts when you had your hands on my phone. But I had your uncle's number. He was kind enough to tell me about the concert.""Yeah, sorry about taking your phone..." I admit shyly."I discovered your little playlist a few days after I left you at the hospital. I was supposed to stay away from you and yet you still managed to show up in my life somehow! It was a nice surprise though. When did you get a hold of my phone?""At the day of the gala. I found it in the turning chair by the window. I should not have touched it, but Karma already bit me in the ass for doing that."Loki laughs at me. "So I didn't really scare you that afternoon, you just had a guilty conscience!" I make a face at him, which just makes him laugh even more."What did you think of the playlist I made?" I ask, changing the subject."I seem to have a preference for dead musicians," Loki answers. "That Prince is dead and Bob Marley too...""Yeah, lots of good musicians are dead," I chuckle. "And I didn't even put Michael Jackson, David Bowie or Nirvana on the list.""Well, it was a nice distraction during the past weeks." He puts my feet back on the couch and gets up. "Wait here. I'll be right back."When he gets back, he is carrying the bag I brought with me at the day of the gala and some clothes in his other hand. He tosses me the clothes: black leggings and a long tanktop with the well known sporty swirl on it."Put those on. They're Lady Eir's, but they should fit you. You also left this bag in her room, she said.""Yeah, I totally forgot about that. Thanks," I tell him. "Why do I have to put on gym clothes?""I'm gonna teach you how to fend off cavemen!"I return to the bathroom to put on the clothes. It's funny to think about Lady Eir wearing these, I'm only used to seeing her in long dresses, Asgardian style. But I guess she also wears regular clothes when she goes to work at the hospital, so why shouldn't she own gym clothes?When I am dressed, Loki has changed too. He's wearing dark grey sweatpants and a black T-shirt. I giggle when I see him like that, but he just pushes me gently out of the door, to the hall.I stop in front of the elevator, when Loki opens a door next to it. "We're using the stairs. Three floors up. That's your warming up!"I groan, but do as he says, jogging up the stairs. Breaking a sweat is a good way to get rid of my hangover. And I haven't been to the gym since the car crash.When we get to the 30th floor, Loki turns around. "And now five floors down. There's the gym."I try to punch his arm, but he's already going down the stairs. "Are you punishing me for last night?" I call after him, jogging down the stairs again.He just smirks. "I'll tell you if you can catch me!"
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
There is no way I can catch the God of Mischief, who runs down the stairs with an agility you would not suspect in such a tall man. He even cuts a corner by jumping over the railing to the other flight of stairs.He's by the door to the hallway, waiting for me. "Took you long enough," he repeats my line from earlier.I just roll my eyes and push past him into the hall. A glass door leads to the gym. To my right and left are doors to locker rooms, straight ahead is a big room with a mat like in a dojo. On the right side there are boxing bags hanging from the ceiling and I spot some weights in the corner. On the other side is another glass wall with doors, leading to a room with fitness equipment. I spot a couple of treadmills, bikes and some other cardio fitness equipment. There is a floor to ceiling window in the back wall and the treadmills are overlooking the city. Now that's what you call running with a view! It certainly beats the view I have in my gym.Loki takes me to the middle of the mat and starts showing me some moves I can use in situations like last night. First, he teaches me how to block when someone tries to grab me. I'm not feeling that great, but I try my best. I think it's sweet that Loki wants to teach me how to defend myself. He really is taking this seriously, calling for my attention whenever my focus wanderers. And he takes care to avoid my recently injured shoulder as much as he can.Next up is getting away from someone who grabs you from behind. Loki teaches me how to grab and twist a wrist, break free and twist the arm of my attacker to his back."Come on, Ylva, put some strength in it! You're not going to hurt me," he urges me on.I try another couple of times, really putting my weight in, before putting my hands on my knees. "I need a break," I pant."Alright." Loki walks to the locker room and comes back with two bottles of water. He tosses me one and I just barely catch it."Whose gym is this?" I ask, wiping my mouth after drinking big gulps of water."S.H.I.E.L.D. uses it during the week. And we do, mostly on the weekends.""It looks better than the gym I go to," I tell Loki, gesturing to the well equipped work out room around me."You work out? I couldn't tell," he smirks and I toss my empty bottle to his head in response. He easily steps aside, not blinking an eye.God, the smile on that man! It's enough to make me weak in the knees. All this body to body contact is also just fuel for my imagination. He is teaching me how to fend him off, but there is a voice in the back of my head that is saying he can just have his way with me.It's just a short break before Loki stands in front of me on the mat again. "Try to get on top of me," he orders me.I blink, my brain going into overdrive. Did he just...?"Come one, Ylva! Try to floor me," Loki repeats impatiently, not aware of the non-appropriate direction my thoughts have taken.The next second I'm on my back myself, floored by Loki in one swift movement. He only holds back the moment before my head would have hit the mat, holding me by my left arm and my waist. "Now you try," he says, pulling me to my feet again."Oy, Loki! I remember a time when you didn't have to tackle a lady to make her fall for you!" Thor's booming laughter fills the room. He and Heimdall come in, Thor carrying a big bag and Heimdall is holding two long leather sheaths."Are those swords?" I ask Loki curiously from behind his back. I'm half hidden behind him, as he didn't release my hand when he turned to face the newcomers.He doesn't reply, he's too busy giving Thor the evil eye. I roll my eyes and tug on his hand. "Come on, I would think you are used to his stupid jokes after a thousand plus years," I whisper to the dark haired prince.When he shifts his gaze to me, I stick out my tongue. That gets an eye roll out of him, but at least he's not glaring angrily at Thor anymore. I wonder how many times his pride has gotten the better of him over the past era's. More often than I could count, probably."Good morning, lady Ylva," Heimdall greets me, craning his head a little more than necessary to look at me standing behind Loki. I think he finds it funny to see me with him. I just smirk and wave.The two Asgardians put their stuff on the floor next to the wall and go into the fitness room."Gods on a treadmill, that's something you don't see everyday," I quip, giving Loki a little push.The Trickster suddenly blocks me, picks me up by my arms and presses me with my back against the wall. He puts a hand on the wall on either side of my head and his left knee blocks my path on that side."Now, try to joke your way out of this," Loki says a tad menacing, his face just a little higher than mine.Although he shocked me with the sudden move, my heart is particularly racing because he is close enough to kiss. From the corners of my eyes I can see Thor and Heimdall running on the treadmills, their faces to the city."Well!?"Loki sounds impatient and a little mad, but I'm positive that's just his hurt pride from earlier. So I stand on my toes and give him a quick peck on his lips. When he moves back in surprise I take my chance to grab his wrist, dive under his arm to break free and twist his arm against his back.Of course a trained fighter like the prince of Asgard isn't defeated so easily and before I know it he has pivoted around, shoving me off my feet in the same movement. I'm on my back on the mat again, this time Loki straddling me, his hands holding down my left wrist next to my head and my right to my chest.He bends over to whisper in my ear, his lips grazing my skin. "Be careful what you wish for."I turn my head to face him, his green eyes are blazing and his face is just an inch away from mine. All of a sudden he turns his head to the door and jumps to his feet. Now what? I lift myself on my elbows, grimacing when pain shoots through my shoulder. Loki's defence class has taken its toll."Are you okay?" Loki squats next to me, helping me sit upright. I nod, rubbing my shoulder.Then I spot the blonde woman who walks in the gym. "Hey, Sharon!" I greet her. There is a man behind her I've never seen before. But he's wearing a S.H.I.E.L.D. T-shirt just like her, so I guess he's an agent too."Hi Ylva! I did not expect to see you here!" Sharon says cheerily, walking over to us. Loki doesn't look at her, he keeps his eyes on me, his hand on my shoulder."Did you hurt yourself?" the blonde agent asks, looking down on me a little worried."I overextended myself, that's all."Sharon looks from me to Loki. "Is he teaching you how to fight?" There's a weird edge to her voice, almost like Loki really is not supposed to be doing this. I wonder why."It's just self defence," I explain. "I ran into a creep last night."Loki helps me to my feet. His face is closed up again, he's really not pleased about the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents showing up. Sharon's colleague walks to the fitness room, where Thor and Heimdall just got off the treadmills."You know," Sharon smiles, "a man is never going to show you the really dirty tricks. If you want, I can show you! But, I would need a volunteer," she adds with a wide grin. Judging by Loki's face, he is not up for that task."Volunteer for what?" Thor asks curiously, walking up to the mat."Sharon needs some help to show me how to fight off a guy with bad intentions. Maybe you could play the creepy dude?" I suggest to the God of Thunder."I am happy to be the ladies of service," Thor answers with a small bow and he goes with Sharon to the middle of the mat.Thor is a good sport, letting Sharon kick his ass. She shows me how to hit the soft spots in the most effective way. Of course she is holding back with Thor, but it can't be that pleasant. Because of my sore shoulder, I am content to just watch. Sharon explains each move to me in detail, doing it first in slow motion and then in real speed. Loki stands a few feet behind me, his arms crossed, a small smile on his face when Sharon accidentally hits Thor a little too hard.When Sharon is done, I thank her for her demonstration and she goes over to join her colleague in the fitness room.Thor walks over to Loki and slaps him on the shoulder. "When you are done fighting like a girl, why don't you take on a real challenge?"Heimdall walks to the two leather sheaths and hands one to Thor. Both men unsheath their swords in one swift movement, taking a fighting stance.Turning around each other they block and parry blow after blow. I think the swords are blunt, but they could still hurt each other badly with those huge weapons! Heimdall is the more graceful swordsman, using the long sword as if it's just another limb of his body. Thor is more straightforward and uses his strength. Still, the gods are a real match to each other, fighting for over ten minutes straight. When they find themselves at a tie, a sword to each throat, they step back and give each other a small bow."Your turn, Loki!" Thor booms and Heimdall offers the Trickster his sword. I can see Sharon and her partner, who are now working the boxing bags, throw an alarmed look at the four of us."Uh oh," I chuckle, "I don't think S.H.I.E.L.D. likes the idea of handing Loki a sword."The agents probably didn't catch my words, as Sharon is still punching the bag her colleague holds still for her, but the three gods heard me just fine. Thor looks a bit shocked at my careless joke, but Heimdall just smiles and lowers the sword. Loki gives me a slightly amused look, maybe even a little proud. The irony doesn't escape me. Don't give the criminal a weapon. I actually think it's funny. Man, I really have warped morals around Loki!"Like I would need a sword, brother," the Trickster tells Thor haughtily, with a sparkle of mischief in his eyes. He's having fun with the situation."Alright, how about these?" Thor unzips the big bag he came in with and takes out two leather clubs. They're short and stubby and remind me a little of those heavy old leather balls, but with a handle attached.Loki shakes his head. "You can pick whatever weapon you want, I don't need one to beat you."Thor grins broadly. "Oh, you're on, little brother!"And Loki indeed doesn't take anything to the mat. He does tape his hands and wrists in preparation, preventing the metal bracelets from moving around or snatching on anything.Loki and Thor are wearing sweatpants and T-shirts, but that doesn't diminish their letal looks when they take a fighting stance. Thor is loosely swinging one of the leather clubs in his hand and Loki looks like he is ready to pounce at any second, but he waits until Thor is the first to attack.From there on it is both beautiful and scary to watch. Loki is cunning, getting as much on Thor's blind side as he can. He is making the God of Thunder twist and turn, but Thor is dangerous with that club, even with only one eye."They won't kill each other, right?" I whisper to Heimdall, never taking my eyes off the spectacle in front of me."They have never done before," Heimdall answers dryly.That is not really comforting and I watch with a little worry how the two gods continue to fight each other. Unlike the fight between Thor and Heimdall there is a lot more body to body combat between the brothers. And they don't hold back! They each end up on the mat multiple times, but always manage to get up before the other can pin them down. At one moment Thor manages to smash Loki with his club, just when the Trickster is in mid air. Loki crashes to the mat pretty hard, Thor's heavy club pressing to his chest.He grimaces from the blow and extends his hand to his brother. "Alright, you win."Thor smiles and grabs his brothers hand, lifting the club from Loki's chest. In the same instant Loki kicks his legs up, pulling hard on Thor's arm. He sends the God of Thunder flying over his head, meaning to get up as soon as Thor's back is to the mat. But Thor keeps a hold of Loki's arm in the air and suddenly his hand sparks up with blue lightning. He sends a lightning bolt through his brother and they both end up on their backs on the mat, panting and groaning. I actually grabbed Heimdall's arm in shock and he chuckles when I pry my fingers away from his biceps.When they scramble upright, Thor with a grin, but Loki very much not amused, Heimdall steps between them. "Let's call it a tie, shall we?" The dark man flicks his eyes meaningful to the two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents on the other side of the room. They have stopped their work out to watch the sparring gods closely.Loki checks himself, his face neutral again. "A tie it is."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The Asgardians gather their things and I mean to leave the gym with them, but Sharon calls after me and I turn around to face her. "Ylva," Sharon starts when the door is closed behind the Asgardians, "I hope you don't mind, but I want to talk to you about Loki.""What about him?""Well..." She seems to have some trouble to say it."Just spit it out, Sharon. I won't bite," I smile at her. The smile is fake, because I have an inkling of what she is about to say. It's probably something along the lines of 'Loki is dangerous'. Nothing I haven't heard before."First of all, I'm glad to see you walking around again. The attack was pretty scary. I'm so sorry Steve and I didn't see it coming.""Nobody did," I shrug. "I don't blame anyone but the guys who fired that rocket. You don't need to be sorry. But that's not what you wanted to say, right?" I feel my spine starting to glow. Not that I really want to comfort Sharon, I just want her to tell me what is on her mind.Sharon frowns and seems to think about how to phrase the next bit. "After the attack, you didn't see Loki for a couple of weeks. But now you are here again. You even spent the night here, didn't you?""I did. Not that it is anything of your business," I tell her curtly."I am just worried about you," Sharon replies, putting her hand on my arm. "You know what Loki did here in New York, Steve told me. You were attacked because you were with him. And you know he is a lethal fighter. He just showed you what he can do, and this was without his magic or daggers!""Those are his weapon of choice? Hmm, fitting," I cut in."Ylva! You know what I mean. This is serious!""Yes, I know. But the way I see it, Loki is not threatening Earth or its inhabitants this time. He is cooperating with you guys so he can be with his people. And I hang out with them too. I like them, they are my friends. That's all there is to it.""He is not the same as the others, Ylva. He is no Asgardian. Loki is dangerous!" Sharon warns me."Not to me. Is he dangerous just because he can fight? Correct me if I am wrong, but aren't you dating Captain America? He knows how to throw a punch too." I am starting to get irritated, a flare of heat running down my spine."That's not the same and you know it!" Sharon exclaims."Maybe not," I tell her sternly. "But I'm a little sick of people telling me Loki is dangerous, when he has been nothing but nice to me. I know what he has done, but that is in the past. You guys are keeping him under strict surveillance, so I guess I am pretty safe when I'm with him. Even in the gym S.H.I.E.L.D. is keeping an eye on me!"A look of guilt flashes across Sharon's face and I start to laugh. "I am right, aren't I? You guys are watching me too?"Sharon says nothing, clenching her teeth."It's ok. When I am around Loki, I'm being watched anyway. If S.H.I.E.L.D. gets a kick out of watching me serve coffee at Coffee & Books, be my guest!"I am just talking from the top of my head now, but I guess I really feel this way. I don't care if S.H.I.E.L.D. watches me or not. "Now, if you don't mind, I want to get a shower. I'll be upstairs if you need me," I say to Sharon, also shooting a glance at her partner who has been standing a little behind her. "Bye!"Walking upstairs, I think back to my words. I'm surprising myself, but I really don't care about being on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s watchlist. Being with Loki means being watched anyway. Not a lot of fun in the light of privacy, but I wasn't planning on a steamy make out session in the middle of the street. If that is an option at all. Personally, I've got nothing to hide. They know most of it already anyway, my involuntary talks with agent Romanoff cleared that up. So maybe I'm just hoping they'll get bored of me soon.I don't know what Sharon meant with Loki being so different from the other Asgardians. I don't see much of a difference, but I could always ask Loki later. Right now, I just want to get cleaned up and put on my own clothes again.When I get to the Asgardian floor, Loki just steps into the hall. He is showered and dressed already: dark breeches and a green shirt, the sleeves rolled up. The black bracelets stand out against his light skin. "What did she want?""Nothing new. I'll tell you later, I want to get cleaned up first."Loki opens the door to his room for me, holding it open so I can pass. "Lady Eir is making lunch. I'll see you in a bit?""You will," I answer, shooting up a smile when I walk past him.I silently thank Lady Eir for asking me to bring a change of clothes the day of the gala. Because inside the bag I left behind that day I find my capri jeans and a short sleeved striped top. There is even a change of underwear in the bag. I take a quick shower and get dressed. I make a loose braid in my damp hair, because I can't find a blowdryer. Maybe Loki dries his hair with magic, I think with a chuckle.Remembering my lost keys, I Google the number of The Bell House. I'm in luck, they have found my keys on the sidewalk. They figured someone would come back for them, as the photo keychain shows a family picture. My mom gave me the keychain when I left for the States. On one side there is a picture of her and William, on the other side there's Martin and his wife. I tell the guy on the phone I will come get the keys later today and he writes down my name. I also send Lisa a text, telling her where I am. She might get worried when she comes home and I'm not there. I get a message back right away, telling me to have fun, with a winking emoticon.Loki left the front door cracked so I can get in. I'm sure the door won't open with my fingerprint. I find the others in the kitchen. Lady Eir is just putting a pasta salad on the table. "Hello dear, welcome. Loki told me you lost your house keys?""Yeah, I lost them at the concert last night. But I just phoned the venue and they found 'm. So I'm gonna pick them up later today."I take a seat at the table, across from Loki. I kick off my shoes, rubbing my bare feet on the soft carpet. "Thank you for letting me use your gym clothes," I tell Lady Eir when she sits down too."No problem, my dear. Do you often work out?"I chuckle. "It wasn't my idea. I think Loki was just punishing me for drinking too much last night."Loki's long legs clamp around my right ankle shortly, while his face remains neutral at my comment. He picks up on the conversation he had with Thor and Heimdall before I came in. "Do you think Stark can find out if she's being followed?" he asks Thor."Who's being followed?" I cut in before Thor can answer.Heimdall is the one who answers me. "It's unusual for S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to show up in the gym on weekends. We think they came for a reason and because the only thing out of the ordinary was your presence, we suspect you're the reason.""Oh, I already know the answer to that question," I tell them, passing the bowl of salad to Thor on my right. Four surprised faces look at me from around the table."What do you mean?" Loki asks, his brows furrowed."Sharon told me as much in the gym earlier. She was bugging me about hanging out with a dangerous felon," I wink at Loki, "and when I told her I felt pretty safe because S.H.I.E.L.D. was watching me anyway, she kinda gave it away.""You are on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s watchlist?!" Loki calls out, banging his fist on the table."Calm down, it's no big deal!""How is this not a big deal?! They treat you like you're a criminal too, guilty by association!"Lady Eir puts a hand on Loki's arm, holding him back from jumping out of his chair."Why would S.H.I.E.L.D. watch you?" Thor asks me, his tone serious."I don't know. Maybe they want the recipe for my aunt's muffins?"Loki is not amused. "This is not funny, Ylva.""Loki is right, you are not taking this seriously, my dear," Lady Eir chimes in.I sigh and shift in my chair. Loki's legs nearly come as far as under my chair and I put my feet up lightly on his lower legs. I feel the need for physical contact, just to reassure him. Or myself, that's also possible."There's no point in getting mad. Besides, when I am around Loki, I'm being watched anyway. They are all over him, tracking his every move. I don't know what they could find out about me. I've got nothing to hide. I never shoplifted in my life and I don't think they care about a little jaywalking. They will get bored with me pretty soon."There is silence around the table when the Asgardians mull over what I said."Are you really ok with this?" Loki asks me, his eyes dark."They will do it anyway, with or without my consent. I care about my privacy, but on the other hand I've got little to hide," I explain my views. "It'll blow over soon, I'm sure."Loki is not quite convinced, but we leave it at that. The pasta salad is delicious and I give Lady Eir my compliments, which she gracefully accepts."So you got agent Carter to blow her cover?" Heimdall asks slowly, giving me a thoughtful look."I don't know. I just talked to her and she gave it away a little," I shrug. "I'm used to people telling me more than they should.""You just have that effect on people?" Heimdall wonders out loud."I guess?""You do," Loki says curtly. "Thor knows too, from experience."The God of Thunder shrugs in response. Now it's my turn to look surprised from one face to the other. "I do? Well... I'm not doing it knowingly." My cheeks start to glow. Did I make Loki and Thor tell me things?"I guess there is still a lot you have to learn about yourself, my lady," Heimdall says with a smile.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
After lunch I excuse myself to the Asgardians and thank them for their hospitality. "I should head home. And I still have to pick up my keys all the way in Brooklyn."Also, going home would give me the opportunity to get some air and take a little time to think. Today turned out to be quite eventful on an emotional level, again.Loki is watching me gather my things from the passage to his bedroom. "You are welcome to lose your keys again tomorrow," he quips when I'm all done. "Or tonight."I stand before him, bags in my hand. I don't want to go, but I can't really stay either. I think I need a break. The bold feeling I had before is gone, my energy drained."Hey, what's wrong?" Loki asks, taking a step closer to me."I don't know. I guess it's all a bit much, despite what I said earlier." I try not to sound too sad, but I fail. "You picked me up last night and now I don't know exactly where we stand, but I wouldn't be surprised if S.H.I.E.L.D. knew all about it.""Where we stand?" Loki gives me a puzzled look."Why did you come see me last night? At least, I take it you were there for me?" My heart is in my throat, I am suddenly not so sure of myself anymore."Of course I came for you. I thought you knew that already," Loki tells me matter of factly.I fidget with the bags in my hand. "So you don't care anymore about me being mortal?"Loki takes the bags from my hand, putting them on the ground. He takes my hand in his. "I do care, but I still want to be with you." He pauses for a moment. "I missed you."I'm still looking down at my hands, I can't look into his eyes for this. "You missed me, or my magical abilities?"With one finger he lifts up my chin. "How many times do I have to tell you? You and your magic are one." His tone is serious, but his eyes are soft. "I do admit, I like the effect you have on me. It took some getting used to, but it's really nice to have you with me. Who knows, you might be my light after all."His hand brushes a strand of hair from my face. "Seeing you in that car... unconscious... it made me realise how vulnerable you are." Loki's voice is soft and so is his touch, tracing the line of my jaw. "Your family was furious you got hurt because of me and I felt the same way. I thought I could stay away from you, but I was wrong."His kiss is soft too, carefully caressing my lips. Loki gathers me in his arms, light kisses tracing to my ear. "You are my favourite soft-hearted human," he whispers, followed by a kiss in the hollow of my neck. His lips find mine again and this time the kiss deepens. It feels so good, I almost forget to breathe. After what feels like a heavenly eternity of lips, tongues and touches, I bury my face into his chest, inhaling his scent. Loki's long arms are all around me, his chin on my head. Time stands still."Too bad I still have to get my keys in Brooklyn," I mutter into Loki's embrace after a while.He chuckles, a low rumble in his chest. "I guess you do.""And I have to go home..." I say reluctantly."How about I pick you up after work tomorrow?""Deal," I smile at Loki, stealing another kiss. At this moment I can't imagine why everyone thinks Loki is so dangerous, what is he gonna do? Kill me with kisses? "But before I go, I have a question. Why would Sharon say you are not the same as the others from Asgard?""Because I am not originally from Asgard, you know that," Loki simply tells me. I want to ask more, but he doesn't let me. "Save it for tomorrow, my little wolf. Go home, go get your keys all the way in Brooklyn. I'll see you after work."Loki escorts me downstairs, letting me out a side door of the Stark building. Walking home, there is a spring in my step. Loki kissed me! The prince of Asgard wants to be with me. I've got no clue how to go from here, but I guess time will tell. Just go with the flow.I call Lisa to check if she's home, so she can open the door for me. She lets me in and her 'Well??' is loaded with anticipation. "We kissed," I tell her with a face-splitting grin."Just kissed? You slept at his place, right?""I lost my keys and passed out in the car. Nothing romantic there," I chuckle. "He didn't want to wake up Lars and Yvonne, so he took me to his place. Loki slept on the couch like a perfect gentleman."Lisa makes fun of me passing out when my Prince Charming came to pick me up, before she changes the subject. "By the way, Marc wanted me to tell you he is sorry about his friend's behaviour.""That's sweet, but unnecessary. Will acted like an ass, that's not Marc's fault. I actually almost forgot about it already.""Ha, I guess there is only one man on your mind right now!" Lisa quips and she catches the pillow I throw at her head.On the train to Brooklyn I find myself daydreaming about my Asgardian prince. There are some little voices nagging in the back of my head, mostly about his violent past. But it feels so good to be close to him and those feelings drown out the voices. I do plan to ask him more about his origins. The myths tell Odin found him as a baby on the battlefield, but I don't know what being from Jotunheim entails. Based on looks, I don't see much difference between him and people from Asgard. Or Earth, for that matter. Maybe it's just the magic thing? I'll ask him tomorrow.I'm indecisive about telling my mom about me and Loki. She left just over a week ago and already I am back with the guy she told me to stay away from. Maybe I just have to wait a little, see where this thing goes. On the other hand, if Loki comes to pick me up from work tomorrow, Lars and Yvonne will put two and two together anyway. It's better if mom hears it from me. I decide to send her a short email from my phone, asking how things are and casually mentioning I saw Loki again. I'll just ease her into it.At the next stop I get some company. Chad gets on the train and when he sees me, he takes the seat before mine. He turns around to face me, his arm over the backrest. "Hey Ylva, good to see you. How are you? All better?""Yeah, I'm up and running again. How are things with you?"Chad tells me how work is keeping him quite busy. He is able to make a living from it, mostly because he has a contract with a press agency now."That's great, Chad!" I tell him and I mean it. He really wanted to do this and he is making it work. I'm not a fan of his paparazzi activities, but it's great that he can make it as a press photographer."By the way, word has it you are dating that Loki guy. Is it true?""Where would you get that?" I ask a little sharper than my intention was."Haha, so it's true?" Chad gives me a wink. "I heard it through the grapevine.""I'm not saying it's true," I grumble, but of course Chad doesn't believe me. I'm mostly wondering how word can have gotten out already. I just kissed Loki this morning!"You've got yourself quite the hotheaded boyfriend there, getting in a fight at the concert last night.""There was no fight! He just..." I stop talking. How does Chad know about this? "Are you stalking me?!" I'm getting mad and heat flares up in my back. Without thinking I put my hand on Chad's arm, gripping tight. "Were you at the concert? How do you know?""Calm down, Ylva. I'm no creep," Chad says, frowning at me. "I read it on Twitter. Instagram too. People put all kinds of stuff on there. It's just a matter of searching for the right hashtags.""You are tracking me on social media?""No silly, not you. I'm just keeping tabs on Thor and Loki, in case I can get a nice shot of them. Some people spotted him outside of the venue." He sounds sincere. "On Twitter it said he was shoving a guy because of some girl. I just assumed it was you, as it was a Slackers concert. You like that band, right?" Chad shifts uncomfortably in his seat. "Can you let go of my arm now? You are stronger than you think!""Oh, sorry." I let go of Chad, slumping back in my seat. "I did not mean to.""It's alright. You can make it up by letting me take a picture of the two of you. Don't you have a nice romantic walk planned by any chance?""I take it back. I'm not sorry!" I get up from my seat and go stand near the doors. Luckily, my stop is up next. I've got my fill of Chad already."If you are dating a celebrity you better get used to the camera!" Chad calls after me.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
At work the next day, I am surprised to see Tova and Astera coming in for coffee and cake. "We have a free day," Astera tells me when I get over to take their order. It's a quiet monday morning, so when I bring their cakes and coffee I take a seat with them.They are very excited to show me they both have a smartphone now. The girls have bought covers too, a lucid one with pink glitters for Tova and one in the shape of a teddy bear for Astera. We exchange numbers and I help them install Whatsapp."Let's make a selfie!" The girls look at me in wonder. I can almost see the cogs turning in their heads, looking for a translation of the new word. "A picture of ourselves, a selfie," I explain and I take my phone out of my pocket to show them how it's done. It takes a couple of shots to get one where we are all smiling and looking in the same direction.New customers come in, so I leave the girls with their new phones. They are having lots of fun taking selfies, even more when they discover they can edit the photos.When they leave an hour later, I promise to come over the next weekend with my laptop and camera. Tova is interested in opening up a webshop after I suggested it last time. Now she has a smartphone with an internet connection, she can set up a little business.After lunch, Mrs. Willow comes in. She is not her usual cheery self and when I ask her what's the matter, she tells me her only brother passed away that morning. I signal Thomas, who has come in for the afternoon shift, that I'll take a break to sit with our neighbour. I give Mrs. Willow a cup of tea and listen to her stories about her brother. Luckily she had visited him just last week, in the nursing home upstate. When she gets too emotional from talking about him, I hold her hand until she feels better again."Thanks, dear. At my age you know the end is near, but it still hurts." She asks if I can look after Mr. Whiskers when she leaves the city for a couple of days for the funeral. "Sure Mrs. Willow, no problem! Just leave your key at the coffee shop when you go and I'll take care of your cat."When I get back to work Mrs. Willow thanks me again for my time and attention. "My pleasure, Mrs. Willow," I smile at the old lady. And it really is, I'm very fond of our elderly neighbour and I'm glad I could help her feel a little bit better.My heart jumps in my chest when I see Loki coming through the door, a little before closing time. He is dressed in black, his jacket hanging over his shoulder and his sleeves rolled up. The black bracelets go with his outfit. He takes a seat at the bar, putting his phone with earbuds on the bar. On the screen I can see he was listening to the Bobby Hebb song from my playlist. He greets me with a warm smile, watching me fill up a cup for him. When I put it in front of him, he briefly takes my hand and puts a kiss on it. My cheeks start glowing immediately.Turning back to complete the rest of the order I was working on, Thomas catches my eyes and wiggles his eyebrows while blowing me a kiss. I make a face at him, but I don't care about him teasing. I'm glowing at the prospect of an evening with my gorgeous man in black.I clean tables and help the last customers, while Loki patiently waits for me to finish up. When I go to the kitchen with a tray of empty cups and other dishes, aunt Yvonne is just done cleaning her workspace. Walking back to the counter with me, she looks from me to Loki, a little frown on her face. "What's with the puppy eyes?" she asks me half serious, half mockingly. I fluster and avert my eyes. "Ah, it's like that, isn't it?" my aunt says, rolling her eyes. She puts her hands flat on the counter, right across from the God of Lies. "Well Mister, I see you're back."Loki inclines his head in acknowledgement, looking as innocent as possible. The sparkle in his eyes gives him away though, I'm surprised he can keep a straight face."And what are your plans with my niece?" Yvonne uses her big body well and she is looking fierce."I plan to take her to dinner, Mrs. Frederikson."My aunt huffs. "You better get her home on time.""Yvonne, I'm not 16 anymore!" I protest, but she shuts me up with one look."I'll take good care of her, I promise," Loki says to my aunt, winking at me behind her back."Alright. Ylva, if you take the trash out back, you can go change for your date. You kids have fun.""Thanks, Yvonne!" I kiss her cheek and tell Loki I'll be right back. I'm not gonna enlighten her on the fact that Loki is certainly no kid, considering his real age.I grab the garbage bags from the kitchen and take them to the container in the alley. When I close the lid and turn around, I startle. "Jeez, you scared me, Gary!"The S.H.I.E.L.D. agent apologizes for that and then he asks me to come with him."What, right now? Why?""I need to bring you in for questioning. Please follow me to the car.""No."Agent Wilde slightly opens one side of his jacket, showing me the holstered gun underneath. "I'm not asking nicely again, Miss Frederikson. Now follow me to the car."And before I really register what is happening, he takes me by the arm and walks me quickly to a car that is waiting a little further down the alley. Another agent holds the door and Wilde makes me get in the backseat. In the same movement, he takes my phone from my back pocket. I turn to protest, but he just closes the door in my face.In the car I panic, finally remembering to scream for help. Agent Wilde turns around to me. "Calm down, Miss Frederikson. If you cooperate, this will all be over soon.""Over?! You are kidnapping me!" I scream in his face."Ylva!" he says sternly. "Get a hold of yourself!"When I'm silent, my jaw clenched, he nods approvingly. "We bring you in for questioning. Answer the questions and we bring you home again. Don't make this hard for yourself. Now, buckle your seatbelt."There is nothing I can do, the car doors are locked, so I just glare at him angrily and put on my seatbelt. We drive out of the city and after a while I recognise where we are going. Just as we make the turn to the long driveway to the big concrete building, my phone rings. Agent Wilde pulls it from his pocket and unceremoniously swipes the call away. He shuts off my phone and puts it back in his pocket. "You can listen to your voicemail when we are done."Looking at my watch, I realise it's probably Loki or my family who are trying to get a hold of me. They must be really worried. "My family will call the police if they can't find me.""Maybe. But you'll be home before the police starts an investigation," Wilde replies airily.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
It's the same drill as last time, with agent Romanoff and her suitcase with wires in the white room. Only this time, to my surprise, I am the subject of her questions. After the control questions she starts to ask me about my 'abilities'. "What are you talking about?""I think you know very well what I mean, Miss Frederikson.""Nuh-uh, I don't."But despite my angry efforts to evade her questions, agent Romanoff manages to trick me into giving her the answers she wants. I have the idea she already knows a lot and is merely checking her facts. She even questions me about seeing Chad in the train to Brooklyn yesterday, claiming I 'used my powers on him'. I guess being followed by S.H.I.E.L.D. is a bigger deal than I thought.The questioning seems to take a lot longer than last time. My stomach has been grumbling for a while now and I am tired. I don't know the time, as she made me take off my watch to place the wires on the inside of my wrist. "I am hungry," I interrupt her umpteenth question of that evening. "I haven't eaten anything since this afternoon!"My statement seems to surprise her a bit."You guys kidnapped me straight from work! I'm still wearing my apron, see?!"Agent Romanoff stands up from her chair. "I'll be right back."When she returns, she is carrying a plate with a microwave dinner and a can of soda. "Tandoori Chicken, I hope that's ok?"I nod and eagerly start to eat. The soda is also a nice change from the paper cup with water I got when we started."I was under the assumption you already had dinner tonight."I snort. "You'll notice I am much nicer when I'm fed."The red haired agent silently waits untill my plate is empty. I feel much better now I have some food in my stomach. Leaning back in my chair, I spin the empty soda can on the table. Agent Romanoff seems in no hurry to resume to her questioning. She is just watching me, her face unreadable. I watch back with what I hope is a blank face, studying her features. She is very attractive, I think she turns a lot of heads on the streets. But when you look in her eyes, it's like you meet a steel wall. I bet she is a lot tougher than she initially looks. I'm glad the questioning is over, it made me feel like a criminal. All this talking about my supposed powers, I want this whole thing to be over, I am so done with this! But agent Romanoff is just sitting there, not saying anything.Suddenly the door opens and a man comes in. He has an eyepatch and is wearing dark clothes. I don't like him the second he looks at me, even more because he is grinning at me."Good evening, Miss Frederikson. I am director Fury. The doctors are ready for you.""Doctors?!" I jump to my feet, the chair legs scraping against the concrete floor. "What is this?! You can go to hell with your doctors. I am done!" I pull the wires from my wrist and neck and throw them at the table."You are done when I tell you you are done," Fury tells me in a stern voice.I glare at the man on the other side of the white room. "You have no right to detain me. I am not a criminal! You can't hold me here against my will, I want to go home. Now!""The Sokovia Accords give me every right to question and test you." Director Fury looks at me with his one eye. "Every human or other being with powers has to be registered. And your involvement with a terrorist like Loki Laufeyson gives me all the more reason to bring you in."I hear him using a different last name for Loki than Odinson, but my mind is more focused on Sokovia and the Accords. The disaster with that city was a major blow to the Avengers and the following Accords have been all over the news in the past few years. Never had I imagined those accords would be of any matter to me personally.I tell director Fury to shove those Accords somewhere the sun doesn't shine, but to no avail. Agent Romanoff takes me by the arm and escorts me to another room, Fury following short behind. When I see the room they are taking me to, I start crying. It's a laboratory, filled with all kinds of unfamiliar equipment. There are some people here too, all dressed in white lab coats.I try to escape Romanoff's grip when she leads me to a scary looking dentist chair with restraints, but she is way stronger than she looks. To my relief she walks past the chair, to stop at something that looks a lot like an MRI machine. Next to it is a female doctor of some sorts with a tablet in her hand, I recognise my name and photo on the screen. "Miss Frederikson, this will only take a couple of minutes. You only have to lay as still as possible." She pulls a gurney from the machine's tunnel and taps on it with her hand, as to invite me to lie down. I cry and struggle, but I end up on that gurney, stripped from my jeans and bound by restraints on my wrists and ankles. "Sorry, no metal in the machine," the doctor says, extending her hands to take of my necklace."No! Don't take that!"Agent Romanoff steps up to the gurney and carefully removes my necklace. "You'll get it back as soon as you're done, I promise." She puts a hand on my shoulder. "Now try to relax. We're almost done now."Easy for her to say. I am sobbing when they put me in the machine. I hear the voice of the doctor over an intercom, telling me again I should not move a muscle. I also hear director Fury in the background. "Her powers are linked to her emotions. You should get a good read out of her now."Suddenly music starts to play, a generic tune like you hear in an elevator. The machine starts buzzing, the noise growing louder and softer in waves. ———————
The red Tesla sedan comes to a screeching halt in front of the building. Loki opens the door of the car before it has come to a complete stop, but a big hand on his shoulder prevents him from getting out of the car.
"Loki, we discussed this! You wait here, while we get her out. I can't have you tearing that building down brick by brick. You'll end up in that cell again." Thor gives his brother a stern look. He understands his brother's feelings, but those feelings make him a liability right now.
Loki clenches his jaw. "Ten minutes. If you don't have her out by then, I'm coming in."
"We'll get your girl," Tony Stark says, getting out from behind the wheel.
Stark and Thor walk up to the building, leaving Loki by the car. The God of Lies is pacing back and forth, his hands balled to fists.
The men bluff their way past the security guards, going down a long corridor. Tony Stark looks at his phone. "Natasha said we could find her there," he says, pointing to the double doors a little way down the hall.
J
ust when they get to the doors, Nick Fury steps into the hallway. "Gentlemen," he says by way of greeting.
"Where is Ylva?!" Thor demands in his booming voice. The God of Thunder is very angry, but he controls his anger because of his fellow Avenger next to him. Picking a fight with the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't help anyone.
"Really, Fury? Did you have to do it this way? The girl is harmless," Tony Stark chides the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. standing before him.
"The girl has powers. Powers that Loki can use. Powers that she can use, once she learns to control them better."
"Ylva barely knows she has them," Thor interrupts Fury. "You had no right to take her in like some sort of criminal!"
"The Sokovia Accords give me every right," Fury states curtly.
"Well, then you are reading them different
ly
than I am," Stark replies. "You are just doing this to piss him off! And it worked. There is one angry god on your doorstep right now! You should be glad it's only us that came in."
Tired of talking, Thor pushes past director Fury and barges in to the laboratory. On screens around the room a body scan is visible, red highlights centered around the spine and brain of the human figure. A couple of people in white lab coats are studying the screens.
Agent Romanoff is just helping Ylva down from the gurney. She is only wearing underwear and a polo shirt from work and her eyes are swollen from crying. Ylva doesn't seem to notice him, staring into nothing. Thor hesitates to go to her and Natasha Romanoff signals him to wait. She helps to make Ylva decent again and puts on her necklace. She hands Thor the apron Ylva had been wearing before.
"Ylva?" Thor gently takes the girl by her hand. "Come, we'll take you home."
———————
In a daze I walk through the corridor, Thor's big arm around my shoulders. It's a good thing he is holding me, I am shaking all over. When we get to the lobby, a tall dark figure rushes over to me. Loki takes my face in his hands and kisses me, his lips and touch urgent. He pulls me close, his arms protectively around me."Come on, let's go," I hear Tony Stark saying and Loki turns us to the exit."How cute you two are together," Director Fury chuckles from behind us. "Has he shown you how his true colour yet?" Loki tenses up immediately and I can feel him letting go of me, probably to have his hands free to hurt Fury. But Thor resolutely moves us both through the door, to a red car waiting out front.In the back of the car, buckled in by Loki and with him holding my hand, I can finally relax a bit. I slouch back in the seat, feeling exhausted by the whole ordeal. Loki is watching me closely, rubbing my hand with his thumb. "Are you ok?" he asks softly."I think so." I honestly don't know what I'm feeling, but I don't think 'ok' is the right description. But it is over, I'm safe now, Loki and Thor are here. If I'm not ok now, I will be very soon.The car moves silently along the roads. Loki clears his throat. "Thank you, Stark."The billionaire glances in his rear view mirror. "You're welcome. Both. Fury was way out of line on this one."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Tony Stark drives us to Stark Tower. When we get to the apartment, my family is all over me as soon as I get in the door. "Oh honey, we were so worried!" Aunt Yvonne takes me in a big hug, her cheeks wet with tears.Next to her are Lars and Lisa. My uncle's face is tense. "Did they hurt you?"I shake my head from within my aunts embrace. "Not really, not physically at least."Lars looks to Tony Stark, who has walked over to the kitchen to get a drink. "Do you think we can sue them?""Yes, you could," Stark replies. "But you would be buried in lawyers and paperwork for years. I don't think she would benefit from that."In the car I told the three men what had happened to me. "So much for my self defense training. I get kidnapped right the next day.""I didn't teach you to fight of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. But that's gonna be next in line," Loki says in a menacing voice."I tried not to tell them anything, but that woman tricked me into answering every time.""I wouldn't worry about that," Stark says from behind the wheel. "Natasha can make a statue talk."I learn that Stark tracked my phone to the area of the S.H.I.E.L.D. facility, before the signal was gone. They could not barge in until they were sure I was there, so that took some labored digging around. A message from agent Romanoff a little later that evening told them where to find me exactly.Stark called some woman named Friday from the car and ordered her to pull up my files from S.H.I.E.L.D.. He also said he would make sure agent Wilde was removed from Loki's detail.Now, standing in the kitchen, Stark is flipping through my files on a holographic screen projected by his phone. We all gather round the kitchen counter and he explains what we are looking at. "They documented the origins of your powers. It seems to be embedded in your nerve system."I remember Heimdall telling me something like that a couple of weeks ago, touching my back when he said I had magic."I think this is the reason they brought you in," Stark says, showing us a recording of me in the train with Chad. It looks like they used some sort of heat signature camera because you can see my back and arm light up when I grab Chad's arm.It is weird to look at myself like that and I am glad Loki is holding me close, his arms circled around me, his strong chest against my back. My family is taking it rather well, considering they are confronted with their niece having magical powers. I guess they already talked about it before I got here."Did they take her in for her connection to Asgard?" I can tell my uncle is careful about phrasing his question. I think he really means to ask if they took me in because of Loki.Stark shakes his head. "I think she would have popped up on their radar eventually anyway, having powers. Her friendship with Loki and Thor just sped up the process."Stark is explaining some more things, but I can't concentrate on his words. I feel filthy and tired. "I could use a shower," I tell no-one in particular, turning away from the kitchen."Come with me, my dear," Lady Eir says gently. "Let's get you cleaned up."Loki doesn't come with me, he is asking Stark some questions. But Lisa comes along, grabbing my hand. Lady Eir takes me to her chambers. "You get in the shower, I'll give you some clean clothes."The hot water helps to make me feel a little better. Lisa hands me a large towel when I'm done washing off all the bad things from tonight. "You gave us quite the scare again.""Yeah, I can imagine." A worrying thought pops up in my head. "Do your parents blame Loki for what happened?"My cousin shakes her head. "No, they saw how worried he was about you. You really have quite the guy there, Ylva." She smiles at me. "We called the police, but they don't start a search when someone has only just gone missing. Loki contacted Thor and Mr. Stark and brought us here when it was clear S.H.I.E.L.D. took you." She gives me a thoughtful look before she continues. "So, you've got magic, huh?"I shrug. "Magic. A friendly aura. A way with people. Call it what you will. I don't feel magical."Lisa shrugs and smiles. "You should have seen Lars his face when Loki told him the magic runs in the family!"Wrapped up in the large towel I give her a hug. "I'm glad you are all taking this so well."She hugs me back. "Of course, honey. You haven't changed, you are still Ylva."I get dressed in a pair of leggings and a thin knitted sweater with a wide neckline. Lady Eir has roughly the same size as me, for which I'm glad. She even got me clean panties and a tank top. I feel better now I'm showered and in clean clothes.When we get back to the apartment, everyone is sitting in the living room. There is a bottle of whiskey on the table and some glasses of wine. Heimdall asks what he can get me and goes to the kitchen to make me a cup of tea. Lisa takes a glass of wine. Loki and my uncle scoot over to make some room between them on the couch. I curl up with Loki's arm around me. My uncle is talking about putting up security cameras in the alley. "I have been putting that off for too long."Stark says he'll send someone over to install them tomorrow. "We'll get your alarm system upgraded while we're at it too."The clock in the living room indicates it's after 2 am. I doze off against Loki's shoulder."Time to go home, it's been a long day for all of us," my uncle says, getting up. "Are you coming, Ylva, or...""I'll stay here, if that's alright." I yawn."We'll see you tomorrow then," my aunt says pointedly, making sure I know she is just making an exception for tonight. "I've already asked Emilia to take over your morning shift, so that is taken care of.""Thanks, Yvonne.""Honey, we haven't told your mother yet what happened, but you will have to do that. Soon." My uncle gives me a stern look and I promise I'll talk to mom soon.I kiss my family goodnight and Stark escorts them down in the elevator. Everyone turns in for the night. In Loki's room I undress and put on a T-shirt he gives me. I slip between the covers, nestling in the soft bed. Loki leans down to kiss me goodnight and moves to go to the other room."Are you kidding me? You are not sleeping on the couch. Get in!""Ar you sure?""Get in, Loki."A few moments later I can cuddle up in the crook of his shoulder. Loki is lying on his back, staring at the ceiling. A small light on the nightstand allows me to see him in the dark room. He looks unhappy."I'm sorry I didn't come for you sooner," he says eventually, still not looking at me. I guess he's feeling guilty."It's alright. You guys came for me, that's all that matters.""I wish we didn't had to.""That would have been nice, yes. I had different plans for tonight.""So did I, my little wolf." He turns his head to me and kisses me softly on the lips. "Now, go to sleep, you've had a long night."I try to do as he says, but my mind keeps going back to the lab with the MRI machine. Every time I close my eyes I'm back in that room, with the buzzing machine and the elevator music."Can't sleep?" Loki asks after a couple of minutes. I shake my head."Well, how about you recite me your favourite poem? You promised you would do that some time.""Okay... there is one... I used to have a poster of it in my room. But it's Dutch, so you won't understand it.""Let's hear it anyway, my little wolf.""Alright... it's called 'Liefdesgedicht', or Love poem." I clear my throat. "Jij hebt de dingen niet nodig / om te kunnen zien. / De dingen hebben jou nodig / om gezien te kunnen worden."Loki asks me to repeat it a couple of times, listening carefully to the foreign words."Translated it would be something like 'you don't need the things to see, the things need you to be seen'," I explain. "Although you shouldn't translate poetry, of course. I'm sorry Mr. K. Schippers.""I'm sure he doesn't mind," Loki says with a light chuckle and he translates the poem again, but now in his own language. He recites it softly, while I drift off to sleep, listening to his deep voice.
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The next morning I wake up with Loki just looking at me from the other pillow. When he sees I am awake, he extends a hand and caresses my cheek. "Good morning.""I could really get used to waking up like this."Loki gives me a sly grin. "I bet you could." He pulls me against his chest and I just listen to the sound of his heartbeat, playing with his hand. I think back to the events of last night. It's not something I would like to repeat any time soon, or ever, for that matter. Fury's last remark about Loki pops up in my thoughts. "Loki? What does S.H.I.E.L.D. know about you that I don't? Both Sharon and Fury said something about it."The prince sucks in his breath between his teeth. "I don't think now is the time.""Now is as good a time as any. Or I can always make you tell me," I chuckle, moving my hand in front of his face like I'm putting a spell on him.He grabs my hand and kisses the tips of my fingers. "I don't want to freak you out.""Fury already did that last night.""My point exactly.""Come on, how bad can it be? Tell me, please."Loki pulls his arm from under me and sits up, his arms leaning on his knees. "I can show you," he says eventually. I prop myself up on an elbow, curious what he will do or say."The Allfather found me on the battlefield. I am Laufey's son. The enemy's son."His voice is distant and I can feel him pulling up a wall. I am not going to let him do that, so I sit up too and take his hand. "You are from Jotunheim. What's so wrong about that?""I am the monster parents told their kids about at night." His voice is barely more than a whisper and he is staring at the hand I am holding. I follow his gaze and gasp involuntary. Slowly his hand turns blue, with thin lines standing up from the skin. He wants to pull his hand back, but I keep a hold on it, slowly tracing the curved lines with my finger. I look up at his face, there is pain in his eyes, his lips a thin line. I let go of his hand to pull him in for a short kiss. "Show me more."The half naked Jotun sitting on the bed is quite the sight. His skin is blue, adorned with thin white lines, from his face to his toes. His alien look clashes with the long pyjama pants he is wearing. So normal and yet so strange.Loki barely looks at me, not wanting to see the rejection he suspects of me. But after everything I learned of Loki, being blue is not so bad. His eyes, the brownish red eyes, are the only thing I find a bit unsettling, but when you look close, you can still see Loki in them. He still has a human shape, the only thing different is the color of his skin."So you're a Smurf. Big deal."The God of Mischief raises his eyebrows at me. "I beg your pardon?"I chuckle and pull Loki down with me to the pillows. I put my arms around his neck and kiss his nose, his eyelids, his lips. "Still feels the same to me," I whisper and kiss him again. He reacts eager this time and my skin burns where his hands touch me.When I realise the burning feeling actually is real, like a bad sunburn, I pull away from him. Loki gives me a confused look, but not a second later comprehension flashes in his eyes and he jumps from the bed. In front of my eyes he changes back in the Loki I know.We just stare at each other. The burning feeling fades away and I feel fine again. But Loki is a different story, he is horrified he hurt me. I get up on my knees on the bed and reach for his hand, pulling him closer. "I am ok. No harm done. Lesson learned, no making out in your Jotun form.""It's not a joke, Ylva!""I know. Now get back in bed. I'm not joking about that either." And I pull Loki back under the covers. I cuddle up against him again, lacing my fingers through his."So, how does it work? Another illusion?"Loki slowly relaxes again, taking a few deep breaths. "Something like that, but this one is more like a second skin. For a very long time I didn't even know I was doing it, it was a subconscious act. But I do need my magic for it.""So I take it these don't help?" I ask, giving one of the bracelets a tug."No. The first time I had them on they restricted all of my magic and I turned to my Jotun form immediately." Loki laughs shortly. "That did scare the hell out of Stark though."Loki explains how they eventually found the right settings, allowing some magic to remain so he could keep his normal looks. "After I healed your hand, they dialled up the restrictions and I spent a few days in that cell without my magic. I felt like a monkey in one of your zoos, everyone came to watch me.""That's horrible," I tell my prince, kissing his neck. "I don't care how you look. Although I admit I like it better when you are able to touch me."Loki turns to his side to kiss me again. He softly bites my lower lip. "I prefer that too."I guess one of the perks of dating someone a lot older than you, is the experience. The God of Mischief is an excellent dancer, a wonderful kisser and I bet he excels in other areas too.He kisses me again, his lips following a path from my mouth to my neck and further down, only stopping to get rid of the T-shirt I was wearing. With the sunlight peeking through the curtains, I get to experience what it is to be worshipped by a god.Ultimately, our growling stomachs drive us out of bed to get breakfast. Showered and dressed in Lady Eir's clothes again, I follow Loki to the kitchen. Thor is there too, wittily wishing us a good afternoon.On the table is a brown envelope with my name on it, inside it are my watch and my phone."Natasha brought them over this morning," Thor explains. There is also a keycard on the table, with a logo of Stark Industries. My own key to the building. It's great to have my stuff back. I get the feeling Natasha Romanoff played a somewhat double role in all of this, but I'm not going to ask about it now. When I turn on my phone I see I have over a dozen missed calls, starting around 8 pm. Half of them are from a number I don't know."That would be me," Loki says, checking over my shoulder. "At first we thought you were just dawdling. But when your uncle had dinner ready, it turned out you were not in your room.""No, I was at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s by then..."Over breakfast - or brunch - we discuss what to do with the whole situation. Thor joins us at the table. "Like Stark said, turning this into a legal matter is of no use. S.H.I.E.L.D. is a large and powerful organisation."I nod. "I thought about that too. I hate what they did, but I guess I don't have much ground to fight them in court because of those Sokovia Accords."I also think S.H.I.E.L.D. does not have much use of me anymore. The worst thing they could rightfully do, they already did last night. Now they know everything there is to know about me. When I take care not to break the law or something, they have no reason to bring me in again. My powers are not that impressive, I make people feel better or I make them pour their heart out. That is not really dangerous if you ask me. I tell Thor and Loki what I am thinking."Making people tell you what you want to know can be very useful," Loki muses, a sparkle of mischief in his eyes. "Just saying!" he adds defensively, when he sees the looks on our faces."So, we do nothing?" I ask the Asgardian gods."If that's ok with you, yes." Thor answers seriously. "We are working hard to get a new home for the people of Asgard. There is a lot at stake and we will also need S.H.I.E.L.D.'s cooperation in this."I look to the dark haired god on my right. "Do you agree with this?""Hm... if it were just me, I'd burn S.H.I.E.L.D. to the ground. But Thor is right, we have to look at the bigger picture. And that means working with them, even if I hate doing it." He turns the bracelet around his left arm to emphasize his point.I think about it for a minute. Can I leave this rest for the greater good? For the sake of the people of Asgard? I think about it for a minute and decide."I get it. And I'm ok with it, really. My family might need some persuasion, but I'll talk to them about it.""Thank you for understanding.""Sure," I tell the king of Asgard. "I'll just make sure to kick agent Wilde in the nuts the next time I see him."Loki chuckles. "I'll be more than happy to teach you how to kick some S.H.I.E.L.D. ass. If a self defense class made them nervous, they will have a real reason to worry soon."
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My family needs some persuasion like expected. My mother and uncle Lars want to do something against S.H.I.E.L.D. for taking me in like that, however little. But I manage to make them see my point of view eventually, with some help from Lisa, Loki and Thor. It takes some long Skype calls with my mother, but in the end they are all on board. They are even ok with me and Loki being together. Seeing as Loki behaves like the perfect gentleman every time they see him, they can't really object. He is raised as a prince and that is showing in everything he does.My family and I don't talk about me having magic a lot. Lars and Lisa just don't mention it and Yvonne sees it as some sort of spiritual thing. My mother can't wrap her head around it, she has a hard time believing it's real. I guess it's difficult to understand, certainly from the other side of the world. I can't really show it on a webcam, it's not I can make a flame dance on my hand like Loki. My mom has not told William about me having magic, and that's ok. I don't think there are any people with known powers in Holland, at least, I haven't heard of it. And I'm not planning on becoming the first one.With help from Loki I discover how I can actively use my powers. When I concentrate I can guide the heat through my arm to my hand. But even when I am controlling it, it just makes people relaxed and talkative. Pretty harmless, if you ask me. My fighting skills on the other hand are getting better. I actually train two to three times a week in the gym at Stark Tower. Martial arts training by Loki, but also regular cardio fitness. Recently Heimdall started teaching me how to swing a sword. Right now, I've just barely made it past the starting point of fighting with a stick, but I really enjoy it. Knowing how to defend myself properly makes me feel confident and strong, even though I don't use it in regular life."Straighten your back, Ylva. Feet apart, both hands on the hilt." Heimdall is a strict teacher, always making me focus and constantly correcting my posture. Loki watching doesn't help either. If Heimdall is not correcting me, Loki will. But this evening he's not here, he went to a council meeting with Thor.They brought in a dummy target for me to practice on, Thor has taped a headshot of agent Wilde on the head. He even doodled a mustache and glasses on the picture! That got a good laugh out of me when I saw it. Thor can be really serious and king-like, but in private he often acts like a big kid. Last week I walked in on him and Heimdall playing Mario Kart. Heimdall was very fast to give over his controller to me, so I could play with Thor instead of him. Playing the video game with Thor gave me the giggles because Thor was reacting so vividly to everything in the game. I actually fell off the couch at one point, getting shoved by Thor because I hit him with a blue shell.I am practicing the series of blows Heimdall showed me earlier. The agent Wilde dummy wobbles back and forth from the impacts."Good, Ylva. Now do it faster." Heimdall counts to the desired rhythm of the blows.The big sword is actually pretty heavy and I can feel my arms tire. The first lesson with the sword gave me so much muscle pain I could barely lift a tray of coffee and cake the next day.When Heimdall is satisfied with my progress, he calls the practice to an end. I help him put away the swords when Sharon Carter walks in, carrying a gym bag. She waves a hello and goes over to the cardio room.I thank Heimdall for his lesson of this evening and go after Sharon. It's been a few weeks since I've seen her and I'd like to chat. After all, she has been friendly, even though she was only around to keep an eye on me. Sharon got on one of the cardio bikes and I take the one next to her, putting it on an easy setting. I don't need a work out anymore after my sword practice.By the looks on her face, Sharon finds it a bit awkward that I am here. So I just start talking like nothing is the matter, asking her how she is. After we've exchanged pleasantries, she makes a remark about the agent Wilde dummy."A joke. Don't worry, I'm not planning to take up a sword on your colleague.""You won't meet him anyway. He was transferred to another unit.""I suspected something like that. Loki has got other agents on his detail now. There is another every time, only Williams is a fixed face.""It's not a popular assignment," Sharon admits.I chuckle. "I guess it's pretty boring following Loki around. It's not like he is making evil plans in his secret lair."She doesn't react to that. "I don't see you around much," I remark. "You've been away?"She shakes her head. "Desk duty.""You did something wrong?""I helped out a friend. Let's leave it at that.""Ok. Your call. You still dating Captain America?" I ask her to change the subject. I have not seen him since he visited me in the hospital and that is over two months ago. I tell Sharon as much."Steve is... away.""He did something wrong too? I'm starting to sense a pattern with you two." Sharon abruptly gets of the bike and takes her bag to leave the gym. I start after her."Sharon, wait! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. I just... I just wanted to talk. I'm sorry if I said the wrong things out of ignorance."She stops at the door and looks at me. "I don't mean any trouble, Sharon." I put my hands up in a gesture of peace."Then what do you want?""Uhm... a friend?" I smile at her. "I would much rather have Steve and you keeping an eye on me and Loki than all those random agents.""We were just there for the gala. A one time thing, as a favor for Thor.""Oh. And that time in the gym?""I was close by, that's all.""Ok, so there is no reason you could not get a drink with me right now?"Sharon is surprised by my question and she just looks at me, not saying anything."I promise, no double intentions. It would just be nice to have a friend who isn't freaked out by this whole world of superheroes and magic and stuff."She reluctantly agrees to meet me at a bar across the street from Stark Tower in half an hour. I get upstairs to change. I have some clothes in Loki's closet, as I sleep over a few times a week. I leave a note at the coffee table, telling Loki where I am, in case he gets home before me.Sharon needs some warming up, but we actually have a good time together. There are a lot of things she is not allowed to talk about, so we keep the topics neutral. She does ask me about my abilities. "Doesn't it freak you out, having magic?"I shrug. "Not really. I don't really think about it as having magic. I still feel the same. S.H.I.E.L.D. made a big deal out of it, but it's not like I can physically hurt someone with my powers. I can make them feel better or let them pour their heart out. Not that exciting if you ask me.""Making people talk can be useful," Sharon says."Loki said the same thing," I chuckle. "But there is no need for me to do something like that. S.H.I.E.L.D. already has miss Romanoff to make people talk, I think she has more skills than I do.""You want to work for S.H.I.E.L.D.?""I did not say that!"When I get back to the Asgardian apartment, Thor and Loki just got home from the council meeting. I ask them how it went."Good. We managed to reach consensus over the conditions to a new settlement. Now we have to talk those over with the Norse government." Thor is pouring himself a beer in the kitchen. He offers me one."No thanks, I've already had a drink at Downtown Bar tonight."Loki actually raises an eyebrow when I mention the bar. "I met a really nice guy on the street, he insisted on buying me a drink," I tease him. My dark haired prince is such an easy target when it comes to this sort of things."Very funny," he grumbles, sliding his arm around my waist to pull me against him. "I don't share, my little wolf.""Me neither," I tell him, wrapping my arms around his neck to kiss him."Good." Loki lifts me up, my legs around his waist, and in a few long strides he takes me out of the room, to his bedroom.----------------------------------- Thor and Loki are flying off to Norway again, for another week of meetings and talks. Two days after they left I get a video call from Loki. I laugh when he shows me the small room he is staying in, there isn't a surface that is not covered in a corny flower print. "Where did you end up now?""The right place, actually," Loki says. "It's a tiny hotel, just two rooms, owned by a man named Sverre. Nice guy, he knew our father. We had to settle Odin's hotel bill."I use Google Maps to look up Flekkeroy in the south of Norway. It's an island close to the city of Kristiansand. "I've been there once. Not on the island of Flekkeroy, but in the city nearby. I've got family there. It's a beautiful part of the country.""It sure is. I'll take you someday, my little wolf."