I was walking in the rain, not caring if I got drenched. Same old London. I sighed. I ran away from home after things got a little...intense. What do I mean by intense? Oh you know, the usual things flying and smashing against the walls of my living room. Apparently, I'm telekinetic, like that Stephen King's book Carrie. I broke my mum's vase, which she adores as if it was her only child. Of course, she was adding to the insults. My father said I was a failure and he just...I don't want to talk about him. Or me. Or anything, really.
I could make the rain not hit me, but then I don't want some lone stranger getting a heart attack if said person sees me completely dry. I flipped my hoodie up, as if I was trying to avoid rain...and suspicion, but that's besides the point. I needed to escape from the hectic life of mine, so I'm heading to the nearest coffee shop to order some coffee, before I go to heaven. And by heaven, I meant the library, where it's never crowded and no one would disturb me. And I need some self-help books on 'self-restraint'. No, I'm not going on a diet, I just need to know how to control myself before I seriously injure someone, which would be really bad for me. I've had enough than I could handle, what with being a runaway with no money and all.
I entered the coffee shop. Me being wet earned half a dozen customers staring at me in obvious disgust. Whatever. Got a problem with me being drenched like a mouse that went swimming? Deal with it. I went in line, with three customers in front of me. Okay. I'll play with my phone then. The guy in front of me, ordered like, three cups of coffee, probably for the group of guys hovering outside the shop. I knew he wouldn't be able to carry it all at once.
He turned and was about to leave when something made him trip and spill his coffee on me. And my phone was also a victim. Of course, being a normal person, I'd be fine with it, but no, I had to be telekinetic with unstable abilities and tendencies to destroy everything with just a small stir of overwhelming emotion. Everything started levitating and being smashed towards the walls. Half of the customers ran out in terror, and the other half stayed to record the event on their phones. The tables were flipped, chairs levitating dangerously above the customers. The man who spilled his coffee on me was staring at me in evident fear, his pupils dilated. "M-Monster!" He whisper-shouted. That did it. All levitating objects flew down to the ground simultaneously in a crashing thud. Everyone in the shop started screaming, except me. They all ran out in fear for their lives. Good. Scary teenage runaway who wants coffee made the whole shop destroyed.
All emotions crashed into me as I realized what I've done. I knew someone would call the police and arrest me. I had to think fast! I ran out of the shop, looking left and right for anything to use as my advantage. The witnesses were moving away from me, frightened. My pulse quickened when I heard the sirens of the police in the distance. I broke out into a run, in the now heavy rain. The library was three blocks away, enough for me to escape detection from the police. It's such a surprise that the police were actually quite fast in arrival of the scene. I guess New Scotland Yard is a lot better. Or not.
I reached the library in record speed. Well, that's expected for a fugitive. I suppose. "Oh shit." I muttered. The library was closed! Closed! The head librarian was out to get something, and would be back in at least 20 minutes. "What a crummy day." Crummy is an understatement, but it'll do. I knew someone would've pointed in the general direction of my escape, so I had less than two minutes to find a place to hide, or at least be under the radar. I sighed. Isn't this easier if I hid in here? I looked around to see if anyone would witness my powers in action. Nope. Safe.
I tried to imagine a lock being picked, which is how I knew I could manipulate my powers to my own use. I heard the click of an unlocked door. I pushed the door open and closed it behind me with carefulness, in case someone saw. I dashed to the place I knew no one could find me, the library toilet. I grabbed a self-help book on the way, for, you know, entertainment. I sneaked in and locked the door behind me. I found a comfortable enough toilet cubicle. And there I waited.
"Thor, please help us on this." One of the All-Mothers of Asgard, who served to correct the wrong, pleaded Thor. Thor waved her off with evident annoyance.
"I will not assist in such tedious of quests. To obtain the girl and to bring her here, it is too simple for my work. I demand a riskier situation. And I have better things to do." Thor answered haughtily.
"If not you, who else?"
Thor mulled it over. "Lady Sif is too occupied, and so is the others. There is one person I would suggest, but he may have tricks up his sleeve."
"Who is it? He is trustworthy, yes? This is an emergency, she has injured many innocent bystanders, and she must be controlled before she does more damage!"
"I suggest Loki."
The shock in the woman was evident. "Loki? Forgive me, but you must be mad to suggest him!"
"I believe in him. He has truly regret what he has done, and what better to redeem him than to send him to Midgard and obtain the girl? He is to be redeemed, not forgiven. This is surely an easy task for him. And when he isn't trying to rule Midgard, he's plotting Asgard's doom. He may need to be exposed to certain good." Thor said kindly.
The woman exhaled a breath of doubt. "If what you say is true, we must alert him at once!" She hurried towards the dungeons, where Loki would be found.
"Loki Laufeyson, we are in need of you."
I was pacing in the cell I was kept in, smiling. "A surprise. Surely you were suggested by my brother. He never stops."
"You will be sent to Midgard to retrieve a girl with suspicious telekinetic powers and to bring her here for examination."
"And where is she now?"
"London."
My smile spread into a grin. "Sightseeing in London. Must be exciting."
"You are to go in and out by three day's time. You will leave Asgard as soon as possible."
"Good. I won't disappoint." The woman was about to turn and leave, when I asked," What is she like?"
"Her name is Crystal. She's currently hiding in a library." The woman hurried away, leaving me to my thoughts.
"I have the perfect plan." I said softly, for no one to hear but myself.
"Skye, we need you to go and get this girl who we believe has telekinetic abilities." Coulson ordered. Skye, who repeatedly insisted on being called 'Quake', nodded.
"Hunter, Agent Morse, you both go with Skye." Coulson said to the two other agents to his right. They both nodded and left to grab their gear.
"Sounds like Carrie all over again." Hunter remarked to Bobbi Morse. She laughed.
When they were out of earshot, Skye asked Coulson, "Sir, who is she? The girl with the telekinetic powers?"
"She's an unstable girl with emotional problems. Her name is Crystal."
"Sh-"
Coulson interrupted Skye. "I know you're wondering why I chose you on this. I need you out of the riskier missions in case of..."
"In case I start using my powers dangerously, yes I know." She turned and left without another word. Coulson sighed and went back to his work.
I sat up suddenly, hearing someone outside the toilet door. I've been in here for about half an hour, and I'm bored. I decided to get out. It's been long enough and I can't tell if the library is opened to the public again. Surely it is opened. By now my clothes are dried, and I am almost unrecognizable. I emerged from the toilet. No one seemed to be here. I crept cautiously, in case someone noticed me.
Suddenly, someone slammed me to the wall. I gasped in surprise. No one crept up on me like that. I've always known if anyone sneaked up on me. The attacker was a man, with short brown hair that was slightly curly. His eye colour was impossible to tell, as it kept switching from blue to green. He was wearing a button-down white shirt with a black tie. He wore a name tag that said Tom. He's actually quite handsome. No, scratch that, he's really handsome.
He smirked at me. "Flattery gets you everywhere."
"W-What?"
He ignored my startled question. Instead, he said, "Crystal, I am impressed by your powers."
"My powers?" I don't think I've ever seen him before. I'd recognize someone as handsome as he was anywhere.
"You should really be careful with your thoughts." His smile widened. Oh. Realization sank in. My eyes widened as his smirk turned into a smile. A genuine smile. "I shouldn't have said that, but oh well." He moved away, enough for me to not be pinned to the wall, and yet still close enough to feel his breath against my neck.
"Who are you?"
"Do people even notice the name tags anymore? I'm Tom, the head librarian, currently the only one on duty today, as my colleague had a shock in a certain coffee shop earlier." I gulped. "Oh don't worry, I'm not here to arrest you, or to hand you over to the police."
"Then how and why do you know who I am? Are you one of those men from that S.H.I.E.L.D. organization or...?"
To my surprise, he laughed. "I'm merely a man, who has an interest for the girl with the abnormal powers." I blushed at his words. "You are pleased with my way of words. Come, let's go and have pudding." He said.
"But the library?"
"Closed for the day." He winked at me. Oh, this guy is great!
Bobbi approached Skye. "Hey." She said.
Skye, who was busy on her laptop, said "Hey." without looking up.
"How've you been?"
"Other than exploding into an alien and seeing my friend die? Good." She said.
"Okay, I take that as 'not fine but alright enough to be sarcastic'. Anyway, is this Crystal girl's abilities and genes identified or anything?"
"She might be like me. Inhuman, as Coulson calls it. I'm Inhuman, maybe she is too. One step closer to finding someone who is Inhuman, other than Raina."
Bobbi gave Skye a small smile and said, "Well, then you'll have a new best friend that understands you, and isn't a bitch in a flower dress." Skye smiled feebly. Bobbi pat Skye's shoulder and left to talk to Hunter. Skye's smile faltered.
Tom led me into this small shop that is literally unnoticed by many. He said that he goes here for the pudding, and the peace inside. He ordered a Yorkshire pudding for both of us to share. I admit, it's rather romantic, the two of us, hidden away in a small shop, sharing pudding... But then he's around 33, and I'm still 20. He started telling me about this Shakespearean poem, or something, called Sonnet 18. Yay, a literature enthusiast. Great knowledge of Shakespeare shows intelligence.
"So, how did you get this...abilities of yours?" He asked, eating a spoonful of pudding.
"I'm not even sure, actually. I guess it started when my parents brought me to San Juan. I was probably nine then. My dad brought me to this place, and something happened and...there's me, with my abnormal powers which my dad blames me of whenever something bad happens. Which truthfully, I usually was the cause of the bad incidents." I confided in him. I'm not sure why, but he seems like the kind of guy you'd trust with all your heart, even if he's a complete stranger. It reminds me of that one novel about a woman confiding in a man on a train about her life...
"That must've been horrible, the first few months..."
"Well, yeah. I was still new to it, so I didn't really know anything on how to control it." I said. Clearing my throat, I said, " Enough about me, I wanna know about you."
"Well, I'm the librarian, as you know, currently single, a half-brother named Chris. I was adopted. Not much to say about me." He said humbly.
"Well, that, and the fact that you're a charming man." I said. Flirting wasn't my usual kind of thing, but everything is new when it comes to men.
"I live quite nearby. Wanna come?"
"Are you inviting me to bed?" I asked a little coyly. I was surprised that he's so forward. And also the fact that I'm thirteen years younger than him...yikes!
He seemed unfazed. "Actually, I was inviting you to hang out, but that works too." He grinned. Oh, that cheeky charmer! I let him lead me out of the shop and to his flat.
"Coulson, she's with another man, who seems a lot older than her. Maybe Hydra?" Skye asked Coulson through the phone. Skye, Hunter and Bobbi were in a S.H.I.E.L.D. van, which was parked in a strategic spot, not noticeable to those who weren't looking hard enough.
"He doesn't seem Hydra. Run a background check." Coulson's voice crackled, which isn't normal for S.H.I.E.L.D. standardized phones and communicators.
"His name is Tom, he's a librarian at the local library. Nothing obvious on him." Hunter said.
"Well nothing is ever obvious when Hydra is involved." Bobbi answered with a hint of annoyance.
"Jump in if there's any trouble." Coulson said. He disconnected his communicator. Skye looked at Hunter and Bobbi.
"He doesn't look like he's gonna capture her and take her to Hydra to be experimented with." Skye said.
"Even the most innocent guys have the darkest secrets." Bobbi said.
"That...That doesn't even make any sense!" Hunter objected. Bobbi ignored him and got out of the van. "Seriously?" He asked no one in particular. He sighed and followed Bobbi, with Skye right behind him.
Tom's flat was small but tidy. His books were arranged neatly on the shelves. Judging by the blue telephone boxes on the mantelpiece, he's a Whovian, a Doctor Who fan. Nice. The whole flat was comfortable. I sat down on the couch as Tom makes tea for the two of us. He handed me my tea in a mug that said 'Don't blink! While you're at it drink tea.' which is pretty cute.
"Sorry about the abundance of Doctor Who around here." He apologized. He's actually kinda cute when he's sorry.
"Oh, no, it's fine! I like Doctor Who a lot, and it's nice to see someone that has the same interests as I do." He gave me another one of his genuine smiles. Okay, hold up. Am I falling for this guy? I mean, charming, handsome, humble, cute smile, Whovian? It spells man of my dreams! But is he feeling the same way as well?
"I'm glad you think so." He said. The next few minutes was just us sipping our tea awkwardly. Finally, we started a new course of our conversation. We talked about Doctor Who.
After a while, it was already dark outside. "I suppose you should head home." Tom said woefully.
"About that...I ran away from home..." I said, bashful. He had a surprised look on his face.
"Why would you do that?"
"...Family problems." I said flatly.
"Do you need a place to stay?" Tom offered instantly. My parents often told me to never take a stranger's offer, but c'mon, I need a place to stay, and here we have one volunteer. Surely it's better than the cold night?
"Thank you." I said.
"So...what do you want for dinner?" Tom asked me.
"Um...I don't know, spaghetti?" I said, not having an appetite anyway. "If it's no trouble, of course." I quickly added.
"Of course not! I've always liked being of good use." He said and disappeared into the kitchen. I was about to follow him, when he called out, "You need better clothes! My room's in the second door on the right!" I looked down at my clothes. Yikes, he's right. I made my way to his room. Whoa. Look at that! An alarm clock that screams out 'EXTERMINATE!' as its alarm!
I grabbed one of Tom's shirts and boxers and changed into them. It felt a little weird, knowing that this is what Tom wears. And the fact that he casually told me to wear them. And I agreed. How does he do that? I made my way back to the living room. Tom was nowhere to be seen. I checked the kitchen, but there was only the spaghetti cooking on the stove. "Tom?" I called out.
"Yes?" His voice came from behind me. I turned around and was nose-to-nose with Tom. I pulled away in shock. "Sorry to startle you. I was in the loo." He smiled.
"Okay..." I mumbled.
"Hm...I suggest you go and cosy up on the couch while I finish up kitchen stuff, then we can watch something." Tom said.
I nodded and went over to the living room, plopping down on the couch. I was bored, so I flipped through the TV channels. BBC One is airing Sherlock in 5 minutes. Tom came with the spaghetti just as Sherlock started. I accepted the spaghetti gratefully and started eating. After a moment's hesitation, he started on his bowl of spaghetti.
"Nothing much is happening." Hunter remarked, exasperated. The three of them were watching the flat for any suspicious activity. Hunter was getting bored, and fast.
"Be patient, Hunter." Bobbi said, not peeling her eyes away from the flat.
"They're probably doing it in there, and we're out here waiting for something that probably won't be of much interest."
"Shut up Hunter. If you want, you can watch some TV show on Netflix." Skye suggested half-heartedly.
"I've already finished watching Supernatural, and I'm waiting for the next episode. So no."
To Bobbi, Skye asked, "How do you handle him? Is he always this annoying?"
"Oh, we're playing this card now." Hunter glared at Skye. "Sorry I'm born." Hunter muttered. Bobbi laughed at him.
"Aren't you adorable?"
"Ugh, the sexual tension is killing me. Why don't you both go make out in the back seat or something." Skye rolled her eyes at the two of them.
Hunter and Bobbi looked at each other with an obvious desire. "Oh god, I didn't mean it literally!" Skye blurt out, hoping she won't witness something she probably would never unsee ever. She rolled her eyes and went back to watching the flat. It's gonna be a long night.
"Is this the TV show that has that whats-his-name actor...Benedict Cuddleston?" Tom asked me.
"It's Cumberbatch, and yeah. Him." I nodded to the TV.
"He seems okay." Tom shrugged. We were silent after that, eating and watching Sherlock. When I finished with my spaghetti, I got up to wash the dishes but Tom stopped me.
"Guests don't wash the dishes."
"Guests are supposed to be polite." I said, walking over to the sink. I heard him muttering behind me, and rapid footsteps approaching me. I felt strong arms wrap around me. It made washing dishes a little harder. "Tom..." I whined like a 5 year old.
"You're not going to wash your dishes." He said.
"You're acting very boyfriendly." I remarked.
He pouted at me. "I'm always boyfriendly. And that's not even a word." He laughed. I giggled at him. I like how he laughs. I like his voice. I like him being an utter gentleman. I like how he's so gentle and caring. I like him. A lot. I really do.
"Okay, how about we do this dish-washing together? I soap, you rinse."
"Nope, I'm soap." He said, being very childish. But I let him, because he's cute when he's childish.
We were doing a good job at dish-washing, until I 'accidentally' splashed water at him. He gave me a shocked look and realization sank in as he took a handful of soap and tried to hit me with it. In five minutes, we were a soapy wet mess, laughing and giggling at each other, our episode of Sherlock forgotten completely. We finally finished our dish-washing and went back to our TV session.
"Any movies you wanna watch?" Tom asked me.
"What've you got?" The both of us went and searched through his DVD collection. I saw the DVDs you'd see when you're in a bachelor's pad, but what surprised me most was The Jungle Book. I held it up to show him. "Are you serious?" I asked him. He grinned at me.
"That's my favourite movie actually. Have you watched it?" I shook my head no. "I've always enjoyed watching it with people. Come on." He said, pulling me up. He popped the DVD into his DVD player. We sat on the couch, almost too close, the 'too close as if a couple' close. We were so close we ended up cuddling. He pulled me into a warm embrace. I knew I shouldn't be so close to the perfect stranger who I met less than a day. But he had this nice feel to him that it's impossible not to. I laid my head on his shoulder as we watched his favourite movie. After a while I drifted off to sleep, tired out by the day.
I look at her with pure adoration. She's so beautiful. She's more beautiful than any Asgardian. She is like a goddess, my little one. She is perfect, one wounded gazelle who seeks protection with a deer hunter. She is the woman I would wed in a heartbeat. She is the light to my eternal darkness. She is the music to my silence. I have always laughed at Thor's love of the mortal, Jane Foster. Now I know not to laugh, for I am in the same situation as he is.
She looks so innocent, asleep, in my arms. I was not known to give comfort of my arms, but her small smile proves me otherwise. She was so small, an innocent young girl, so peaceful, asleep. I smiled, knowing that she's going to apologize for sleeping against me. My smile widened as she murmured something. She is exquisite, no one could come close to matching her in all her grace and manner.
I knew she would be uncomfortable, sleeping on the sofa. I carried her to my bedchambers, her head resting against my chest. I gently put laid her down on the bed. I slipped in next to her, careful not to wake her from her deep slumber. Her hair a curtain of soft brown against the pillow. She looked even more beautiful. I kissed her forehead before retreating to slumber.
The first thing I thought when I woke up was Did I sleep with Tom? but I was relieved to see that I'm still in my clothes, a good sign. I had no idea how I ended up on this bed. Maybe Tom carried me in. He's such a sweetheart. Speaking of Tom, where is he? I pulled the covers away and padded to the kitchen. A strong waft of waffles caught my nose's attention. Tom had his back towards me, busy with what he's doing. I wrapped my arms around his slim waist, my head against his shoulder. "Morning, Tom."
"Good morning, my sweet." Really Tom, this early and you're already putting the charm on?
"Waffles! Yum!" I said.
A few minutes later, we were tucking into our waffles. He spread jam over his. I, of course, went for my usual. Nutella waffles. He was appalled when he saw me spread Nutella over my waffles. I let him taste it, and he liked it. After eating and cleaning up, we sat on the couch, reading the newspaper. I got bored quickly, as I've never really liked to read the newspaper anyway. Apparently, he was bored too. "Remember that Battle of New York?"
"I was there! I was just going to New York to see my long-lost cousin, her name's Skye. But the whole battle thing made everything go cuckoo and I never got to meet her." Tom's facial expression was unreadable. He seemed distant, lost in his own thoughts.
"Were you hurt?" He asked quietly.
"I got this scar, on my thigh, from being cut by glass. And one of those alien things-"
"The Chitauri." Wait. How would he know what the aliens were? The alien species was unknown!
"Right, the Chitauri." I said, a little wary. "Anyway, one of them tried to kill me, but I managed to get away. Which is how I got cut."
He asked me what I thought about Loki, the so-called God of Mischief.
"He seems like a severely misunderstood guy. I mean, sure, he went and tried to rule our world, but there should be a little more story than just, 'I-want-to-rule-over-you-because-you-end-up-being-ruled-over-anyway'..."
"That was actually quite...something." Tom said. "And I suppose I should come clean." He said, suddenly serious. He put down his mug of tea and stood up. Suddenly, his whole body was shimmering with weird glimmery light. I stared at him in horror as the glimmery light stopped and he was normal again. Only not quite.
He wore a double-horned helmet. His hair was black and long. He was wearing something definitely not from Earth. He had a golden sceptre with him. He's Loki. Realization sunk in while he smiled. "Oh my god." I whispered. I backed up the couch, trying to have as much distance from him as possible.
He merely smirked as the mug of tea I was holding slipped and was smashed, the brown liquid oozing out on the carpet. "You're...you're him!"
"Don't say that like it's a bad thing." He said.
"B-But it kinda is..."
"How did you like the tricks? Tom the librarian? Did I get you?" He laughed, an odd, evil laugh, the kind of laugh that sends chills down your spine.
"Why did you...Why?" I felt betrayed, disappointed even. Of course he'd know all about the Battle of New York. He caused it!
He laughed again. "You were an easy target. So trusting of a man whom you've just met!" He leered. "Such a naive girl."
I grabbed one of the mug shards and threw it at him, scrambling to my feet. To my dismay, he caught it with effortless ease and smiled, the creepy kind. I started towards the door but something caught me and sent me flying across the room. I landed in a heap against the wall. Loki appeared in front of me and hauled me up to my feet. I let out a small whimper as he gripped my arm tightly. I felt the tug of my stomach. Oh no. Things are gonna start flying soon.
Sure enough, some things started to levitate and circle around the room, but not attacking Loki. "You think your little abilities can be used against me?" He laughed. He must be using one of his powers to stop mine from happening. He leaned closer, our noses touching. "Look at you. Your pupils dilated in fear, your breathing heavy, your whole body shaking, whimpering with every touch." He said, kissing my neck. I tried to move away, but of course he's very strong. At times like these I wished I wasn't short. Or small sized. Or female. Ugh!
To my great, and utter surprise, he kissed me deeply. And for some stupid reason, I kissed him back. His hand, surprisingly gentle, cupped my cheek. I was taken aback on how I could subject to him when I was trying to get away from him a minute ago. I guess that's the curse of being female. The kiss became urgent, his tongue trying to gain access. I finally could protest, so I tried pushing him away. I shoved him back and ran to the door. He appeared in front of me, blocking my escape. "Ah, pet. You enjoy the thrill of the chase, do you not?"
"Get away from me you freak!" I yelled at him, grabbing the coat hanger and swinging at him. I hit his head and that gave me momentary distraction, so I ran for the windows. I couldn't stand another minute with this liar and if I had to die, I would.
"Oh no you don't!" I heard his low smoky voice rumbling behind me. Suddenly my feet weren't even touching the ground as I was being levitated off the floor. I was kicking and flailing wildly. I started panicking because I've always had this one fear, where I'd start panicking if my feet don't touch the ground. I'm okay with the usual stuff, like sitting with my legs stretched out underneath, but this makes me a little more than scared, especially when the God of Mischief is trying to get to you for some evil biddings or something.
He was in front of me, caressing my cheek with deliberate slowness. I don't know why, but I can't help but enjoy the feel of him. And I know I'm insane, because this man killed 80 people in 2 days! And he waged war against Earth too. And yet, here I am, enjoying this weird, pleasant feeling. And it's insane how he is attracted to me. I'm a nobody, with a less-than-average look, and I have an Asgardian who says he's attracted to me.
"In your eyes, you should be nothing less than a goddess, as you are in mine." I forgot how he can read my mind. I felt naked, exposed, my deepest darkest secrets to be read like an open book.
"Expose your most secret parts to your king." He whispered in my ear. Oh god I feel so turned on! He leaned in closer, as I braced myself for an epic internal explosion of feelings (a feelings-explosion!) when someone barged into the flat. Two women and a man in black gear held a gun each to both of us. I saw the S.H.I.E.L.D. badge. Surely they're not taking Loki in...
"Loki?" The woman with bangs spoke in surprise. She looked 20. Wait. She's surprised by Loki's appearance? I felt myself being stopped, as if lead were in my veins. I couldn't move anything, but I can talk.
"Yes, I am Loki." He responded, annoyed.
"Thor's brother, Loki? Whoa." The man spoke. Wait. I know him. I saw him when I was entering the flat.
"I'm surprised that's the only thing you've heard of me."
"Other than being a godly psychopath? Yeah, not much to know." The blonde female retorted.
"I see you and Hunter are rekindling old flames." He nodded at the man who had a name to him. The female with bangs glanced at the two of them in question. Hunter shrugged while Blondie glared at Loki.
"Let Crystal go." Oh. Are they here for me?
"And why would I do that?" Loki asked. A harmless question, but he added the hint of danger to it.
"Or else we'll shoot." Blondie growled.
"Now, now Agent Morse. You don't want to try that."
"Harm Crystal, and we'll see." Bangs snarled.
"Daisy, is it?" She shifted uncomfortably. "Oh, you and I, we are the same. And no, Crystal isn't Inhuman." Inhuman? What is that?
"I am nothing like you." Daisy spat. "And by the way, I go by Skye, or Quake." She smirked as the ground trembled beneath us. Well, them, as you know, I'm not touching the ground?
Wait hold on. "Skye?" I repeated.
"Yeah, do I know you?" I was about to answer but Skye made the ground tremble again, shakier this time.
"Ah." Loki smiled calmly. "I am unfazed by your...powers."
"Well, same here." Agent Morse said.
"Look, Loki, we have orders to take her. Why are you so interested in her in the first place?" Hunter asked. Not a good idea.
Loki looked down. "I was always judging Thor, for he seeks a mortal for his love. I came here to retrieve her, as Asgard requests. Never have I thought I would fall in love with such a beautiful creature."
"What?!" Skye and I said in unison. I could tell I was blushing furiously.
Loki turned to me. "Did you not know?"
"Well I know Tom likes me. Not Mr God of Mischief!" I retorted. My heart was pounding. Did he really? I mean, maybe he's lying, trying to trick me. Again.
"I would never play with my lovely angel's feelings." He said softly.
"Look, Loki. Give her over to us." Bobbi said sternly.
"No." Loki answered curtly. "I will not hand over what is mine."
"I don't belong to you!" I snapped at him. "I'm not a luggage with your name monogrammed all over me!" He leaned closer to my ear, his breath tickling me.
"But you are my love."
"Ugh this whole PDA is killing me." Hunter stated, annoyed.
"Loki, I get that you're in love with her. I really do." Skye said, trying a different approach to the stubborn Loki. "But we need to help her control all her abilities, so that she won't hurt anyone."
"I can help her." He suggested.
"Don't I get a say in this?" I asked, a little annoyed that they're playing tug o' war to get me.
"Of course you do, darling." Loki answered, hurt in his eyes.
"Really, I'd love to be the object of a God's desire, but I also need to try and learn to use and control my powers." To Loki, I said, "I'm sorry, but I don't think being lied to by a Norse god would be good for my health and mental stability."
"Loki, are you okay with this?" Skye asked, concerned. I knew that she was worried if Loki might go ballistics and destroy London.
"Of course I'm not!" Loki snapped. "But if it's what my princess wants..." He said to me, gentle and warm, unlike the Loki I thought him to be.
"Thank you." I breathed out a sigh of relief, glad that he wasn't going to flip off and kill everyone. He leaned in and gave me a long kiss. It was like a farewell kiss, long and lingering, as if he wasn't ready to let me go yet.
"Don't worry, you'll be reunited after we've run some tests on-" Hunter was cut off by Loki's sharp intake of breath.
"Tests? What kind of tests?"
"We need to make sure she isn't some sort of alien or something that would kill us if we unlock her powers and-"
"No." Loki said flatly. What, it's just a test! "I will not allow her to be poked and prodded like an experiment!"
"But she's-"
"No." I suddenly landed on the ground. He must've stopped levitating me. He grabbed my arm, a little too tight for my liking. "You will not have her." I felt myself being separated, as if my limbs were being pulled away. Both Loki and I were shimmering in the same glimmery light he was. "Hold on to me." He whispered. I did as I was told, out of fear and nothing else.
"No!" Skye yelled. Just before everything faded away, I heard the familiar bang of a gunshot and someone protesting.
We arrived on Asgardian grounds. Crystal was slightly shaky on her feet. Per usual, the first time you travelled between realms. But I knew something was not right with her. She was ghostly pale, her lips quivering slightly. I saw why.
Her shirt that she was wearing was stained with blood on her stomach. She was shot by the bullet that was initially targeted on me.
I quickly grabbed her before she fell to the ground. She was losing blood, and fast. Her eyes were fluttering, threatening to shut. "Crystal! My pet, please hold on." I pleaded. I carried her, trying not to cause unease to her. I called for help.
"L...Loki..." Her voice barely audible. She let out a rattled breath.
"Please stay with me my darling." The sick bay seemed so far away, with Crystal's life slipping away every second. "I love you, Crystal."
She was trembling. "I love you too...Loki." She whispered. Those words made my heart flutter and jump with joy.
"Mother!" I caught sight of my mother, Odin's wife in the distance. She saw me and hurried towards me.
"My goodness what happened?" She asked, concerned.
"She has been wounded." I said, my breath shaky. I am fearful of her, the love of my life. She may be dying, and I would be at fault. The three of us hurried to the sick bay. The nurses quickly went to work, sending me and my mother to wait outside. I protested at first, but after my mother's consoling, I reluctantly agreed.
I paced back and forth outside the sick bay doors, unable to stop worrying over her condition. My mother was saying encouragement to me, but I paid no heed. "Why do you worry so much over a Midgardian? You said it yourself that you have no desire to care about the mortals!"
I turned around to face her, my face twisted in anger. "Crystal is not any Midgardian! She is special. She is better than those weak mortals!"
My mother's face softened. "Do you love her?"
A simple question. A question that determined my true feelings for her. "Yes. I love her with all my heart."
"Then you need not worry too much, for the love of your life should last long."
Never had she been so wrong.
"I'm so sorry, Loki, but she... she suffered blood loss that we could not stop. And her body structure is not one we have seen. Our deepest regrets, Loki Laufeyson." The nurse told me.
I was beyond shock, and anger, and despair, and rage. I was lost. Lost without her. I have known her for two days, and yet she was taken away from me. She was to be the love of my life, and she was stolen from me before I could even start. I felt at such a loss as I made my way to the bed where she lay, my beautiful Crystal. As I approached her, I was telling myself that she was merely asleep, and that she would wake up, and we would continue our life together. But I was foolish to wish for such absurdities, for I knew she would never be returned to me.
I sat at her bedside, admiring her. Even the dead can be beautiful. But no one could match her beauty, even in death. Her skin was pale and cold, her cheeks rid of the usual tint of blush that she had. I held her hand.
"This is unfair. Everything about us is unfair. I have lived many lives, being a God, tricking and fooling many people. But no one could ever match you. It's unfair to see such beauty taken away from life so easily. I wished to live my life with you, to be happy, and to live a better life with you. I'm in love with you, and it hurts to see the life escape you. I'm in love with such a beautiful, innocent creature." I whispered softly to her, knowing that she wouldn't hear me, but I continued anyway.
"You were taken away from me when I was just getting to know you. For that I'm enraged, but I know not to avenge your death, for you would wish for a better cause. Instead I would live, live my life in your honour. I would do good in your name. I would become better in your name. I would change, just for you."
"You were supposed to live a life with me. I would've treated you like a queen, the only one I ever had eyes for. You were to be loved, and respected, and cared for. I would've given you that tiny piece of the heavens reserved especially for you and make sure you never wished to leave. It is, as they'd say, the Hades and Persephone story of the Greek. Of course, we would've been happy. But you were taken from me so suddenly."
"I will tell you this, my love: I will never love anyone as much as I love you, for you are the woman in my dreams, the queen of my heart. For you I would kneel. And for you alone. Farewell my beautiful darling. May you be forever content in heaven." I kissed her forehead for one last time and left her, my heart heavy, but with promise that I will forever remember the woman that capture my heart.