2.
"So, are you from Asgard?"
Loki looked up from the congealed mess of eggs that Olivia claimed to be a Midgardian delicacy. She sat across the counter from him, her wide eyes filled with a childlike curiosity that he found difficult to look away from. He quirked an eyebrow.
"You know of Asgard?" he asked pleasantly, his lips curving into a small smile.
"Dude, your name is Loki and you fell from the sky. I was bound to do some research."
His smile didn't falter.
"And what kind of research did you indulge in?"
With an elegant shrug of her shoulders, Olivia smiled.
"Answer my question first."
Amused and impressed, he nodded. "Yes, I am from Asgard. Now answer my question," Loki ordered, lacing his fingers together and leaning forwards, towards Olivia. Pushing her plate away with a wide grin, she mimicked his actions.
"You are Loki, the God of Mischief," she began, pausing for confirmation. Loki nodded again. "You're from Asgard, but you're really a . . . Frost Giant?" Olivia used the easier term to pronounce to save humiliation. Again, Loki nodded. "And you're the one who was responsible for that freaky alien attack last month!"
After a brief pause, Loki nodded a final time.
"Ha, I knew it!" Olivia cried triumphantly, pulling away and slamming her hand against the counter.
"Are you not afraid?" Loki asked, curious.
"Truthfully, I've been so lonely since I moved to New York that I would be happy if Hannibal frickin' Lecter kicked my door in."
The reference was lost on Loki, the look of confusion on his face making Olivia giggle.
Triumphant and happy, Olivia gathered the plates (Loki didn't seem to like the eggs she made him) and put them in the sink to be washed later. Turning to face Loki, she grinned.
"So, what do you want to do today?"
"I had no plans in mind."
"Oh come on, lets go crazy," Olivia said. "Actually, no, I've seen you do crazy and I happen to like New York the way it is."
Loki couldn't help but feel amused by the mortal woman's way of speaking. Though she spoke lightly of his failed attempt to dominate Midgardians, she wasn't mocking him. It seemed to be a joke to her, but not one where he was the one being laughed at.
Though he wouldn't admit it, Loki quite liked it.
"Why don't I take you around New York?" Olivia suddenly suggested.
"Do you think that is wise?"
"Well, you don't have any freaky alien buddies hanging about, do you?"
"I can assure you that I am alone," Loki told her.
"Great. Then I think it's safe to take you around New York." Olivia suddenly looked doubtful. "You can't go out like that, though."
Loki glanced down at his armour and compared it to what Olivia was wearing. Midgardian attire seemed terribly dull.
Looking up, Olivia jumped when she saw that Loki's armour had been replaced with dark trousers and a plain white shirt. He looked normal and - Olivia blushed - quite handsome.
"How did you do that?" she asked.
"Magic." Loki grinned.
After a moment, Olivia grinned back.
"Whose idea was it to go ice skating?"
Wobbling, Olivia clung to the side of the rink, glaring at Loki as he stood in front of her, smirking. He seemed perfectly at ease on the ice.
"I do believe it was yours," he said, his smirk growing.
"Yeah, well, I changed my mind."
"It isn't as hard as you think it is." Loki glided backwards to prove his point.
"Are you kidding? These skates are like frickin' death traps."
"Your language is appalling."
"I only said frickin'."
Rolling his eyes, Loki skated forwards and extended his hands. Olivia eyed them warily.
"If you let go, I will help you," he explained patiently.
"If I let go, I'll fall over," Olivia snapped, but slowly loosened her grip. She placed one hand in Loki's and, after a moment of hesitation, took hold of his other one. She fell forwards, her knees wobbling and her feet gliding apart. She probably would've fallen over if Loki hadn't pulled her up.
"You seem to have little control of your feet," he commented, amusement colouring his tone. Olivia glowered at him.
"It's harder than it looks!"
Laughing, Loki began to slide backwards again. "Just put one foot in front of the other and slide," he instructed.
Her grip on his hands tightening slightly, Olivia's eyes were on the ground as she tried to follow his instructions. She mimicked the way his feet moved, a grin slowly spreading across her face.
"Hey, I'm skating!" she said happily.
Olivia's triumph ended quickly as she once again lost control, this time nearly toppling over. She would've hit the ice had Loki's strong arms not caught her by the waist and stopped her.
Slightly breathless, Olivia's eyes slowly rose to meet Loki's, a blush appearing on her cheeks. Loki gazed back at her, very aware of just how close their faces were.
"Erm," Olivia stammered, breaking the trance they both seemed to be in. Quickly, Loki pulled her up so she was standing upright and released her waist.
"Perhaps you need some assistance," he said, his lips curling into a small smile.
Olivia nodded, taking Loki's hand.
Loki steered Olivia and Olivia focused on not falling over, trying to ignore the jolt of electricity that shot through her each time Loki smiled at her.
It had been a long time since Olivia had been on a date. Back home, she was overshadowed by her beautiful older sisters. In New York, all her attention was on trying to look after herself. She'd been cut off from her family and she couldn't access her savings account; she'd been well and truly disowned.
"That was fun," Olivia said a little breathlessly when she and Loki left the ice rink. Loki made a noise of agreement.
"I suppose," he said, but gave her a small smile. Olivia grinned.
"You want to get some lunch?"
Olivia was singing.
Sitting on the sofa with a battered edition of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream in one hand, Loki listened to Olivia sing along to the radio as she moved about the kitchen. It was small without much room, but still Olivia danced about.
"Here we go," she said, leaving the kitchen and handing Loki a bowl. "It isn't much, but it's better than a microwave meal."
"It will suffice," Loki told her. Olivia rolled her eyes, crossing her legs and shoving a spoonful of rice in her mouth.
"So," she said, swallowing. "If you're from Asgard, what the hell are you doing on . . . what do you call it?"
"Midgard."
Olivia screwed her nose up. "Midgard," she repeated. "What the hell are you doing on Midgard?"
"You already know."
Frowning, Olivia stared down at her bowl as she thought. Suddenly, her eyes widened.
"You got kicked down here because you tried to take over it?" She raised her eyebrows. "Damn."
"I do not wish to discuss it any further," Loki muttered, looking away.
"Hey, you're not the only one who got kicked out." Loki looked at her. "I've been disowned from my family."
Raising an eyebrow, Loki asked, "And what warranted such extreme actions?"
"Me being a disgrace to our family's good name," Olivia said with a harsh, bitter tone. "I didn't conform to their narrow view of normality. I was the black sheep of the family."
Loki looked Olivia up and down, his brow furrowing. How this young woman could be the disappointment of any family, he couldn't fathom.
As if sensing his thoughts, Olivia grinned sheepishly.
"So we're kinda in the same boat, I guess."
"Yes, I suppose so," Loki said.
Her grin widening, Olivia put her bowl down and jumped up. Running to the fridge, she took out two cans of Pepsi, handing one to Loki.
"I would give you Champagne, but I don't have any, so this kind of fizzy will have to do."
With an amused smile, Loki took the can from her.
"A toast," she said, sitting across from him once more and holding up her can. "To being devils and black sheep and really bad eggs!"
Laughing, Loki lifted his can and tapped it against Olivia's.
The look on his face when Loki took his first mouthful of Pepsi sent Olivia into hysterical giggles.
"Do you honestly consider this a beverage?" he asked incredulously, looking at the can with obvious distaste.
Olivia didn't stop laughing for ten minutes.
Thank you Smileychameleon, smore9, AvengersGirl-LokisSpy and Cerca 39 for reviewing! I hope you all had a brilliant Christmas!
