Thank you for all the awesome reviews! ;)

And now I would like to mention something that I probably should have said earlier - when I write entries, I listen to the soundtrack "Sound Advice" from While You Were Sleeping (hilarious movie!). I find it very offbeat and funny, and I think it might add an extra note of comedy if you wanted to check it out. Something like that should not make or break a story, but I find it helpful to listen to when I work on How to Live with a Demigod 101, since I practically eat, sleep and breathe music anyway.

That aside, enjoy the next entry!

Entry #10: Manhattan [or, "The Demigod Moves In"]

Clint paced back and forth in front of the door, obviously anxious.

Natasha watched from the couch, slightly concerned.

"Look! Out the window! Is that him?!" Clint panicked for the umpteenth time as a black car rumbled past. No SHIELD emblem graced the side, nor did it slow down. Also, upon closer inspection, he realized that it was not an Acura like the one Phil drove. Clint puffed his cheeks out with air and then heaved a sigh, resuming his endless trek up and down the front hallway.

Natasha finally stood and grabbed his arm. "Stop. Pacing."

"I have to cope with my nerves!" Clint explained, somehow managing to look both exhausted and hyperactive.

"Then sit down and I'll make you a cup of chamomile tea or something. But just… stop. You're upsetting me," Natasha accused, forcefully seating him on the couch. "Breathe. It'll be fine. All doors and windows now either lock from the outside or can only be opened with a key and a voice code. You have the key in your pocket. We've relocated anything extremely breakable to SHIELD headquarters. And after all, I'll be spending the first few nights here. It's not like I'm abandoning you. We make an amazing team. We are a force to be reckoned with. Right?"

"…Right," Clint mumbled, wryly amused.

"Right," affirmed Natasha. "Now, I'll go make that cup of tea while you just sit right here and rela—"

The door-bell rang.

Clint paled and appeared ready to pass out on the couch.

"I'll get it," Natasha volunteered with a surprising amount of calmness. "Excuse me."

When she unlocked and opened the door, she was greeted by two strikingly different individuals: Agent Phil Coulson, looking calm, collected, and business-like in his usual suit and tie; and Loki the god of mischief, tall, pale, and utterly disdainful. When their eyes met, he scowled, probably remembering their last little face-off.

Natasha smirked. "Phil! Would you like to stay for tea?" she invited, ignoring the demigod.

Phil shook his head with a tight smile. "No, thank you. I have other matters to attend to. The thought was nice, though," he admitted, handing Natasha the key to Loki's handcuffs. "Well, here's the juvenile delinquent. Call me if there are any problems."

"I will," Natasha promised, opening the door a little wider to let Loki through. Still handcuffed, he sauntered into the front room as if he owned the place. "And… thank you," Natasha added gratefully. Phil winked and started to walk back to the black SHIELD Acura as Nat closed the door, locking it once more. Then she turned to face the very awkward scene unfolding in the family room.

Loki was standing the middle of the floor, his arms crossed and his eyes narrowed as he stared down Agent Clint Barton, who had made a miraculous transformation from the distraught little kid to the steely-eyed man. No trace of anxiety remained on his face, and he glared back with equal passion. He had somehow spread himself out over the cushions in such a way as to leave no room for anyone else to sit down. His boots were resting on one armrest, and the back of his head on another. "Beat it, Lulu," he growled. "Go sit in the chair over there."

Loki shifted his weight to the other foot and gave Agent Barton a very small, very disturbing smirk. "I would prefer to sit on the couch, if you don't mind."

"I do."

"Oh, really?"

"Really."

"Well then perhaps you would show me to my living quarters," Loki suggested with such a degree of ingratiating politeness that Natasha had to hide a wry smile.

"You're lookin' at it, Big Guy," Clint informed him, patting the side of the couch with one hand.

Loki's expression soured rapidly. "…the couch?" he inquired in a disbelieving tone. The look on his face read plainly, You must be mistaken.

"You catch on fast," grumbled Clint.

"Alright boys, break it up," Natasha intervened smoothly, walking between them toward the kitchen. "Perhaps one of you would be so kind as to help me make the tea?"

There really wasn't much TO making tea, but Clint jumped on the idea and leaped up from the couch, following her into the kitchen like an anxious puppy. "I'll do it!"

Loki didn't argue. He simply sat down on the couch and folded his hands in his lap, peering at his surroundings with an unsettling amount of interest.

Once Clint and Natasha were alone in the kitchen, Clint unraveled completely. "HE'S IN MY HOUSE! HE'S IN MY HOUSE!" He clenched his fists and covered his eyes with them. "HE'S GOING TO DESTROY MY ENTIRE WEEKEND! HE'S GOING TO KILL FLUFFY! HE'S GOING TO DEFACE MY LIVING ROOM! HE'S GOING TO BE SLEEPING ON MY COUCH!"

Natasha was not overwhelmed in the slightest by this display of hysterics. She filled the kettle with tap water and put it on the stove. "Calm down, Clint. Yes, he's in your house. Yes, he'll be here all weekend… and probably longer than that. But you can't let him ruin your entire life. Oh, and I really doubt he's going to kill Fluffy," she reassured him, massaging his back with one hand. "But if it bothers you that he's sleeping on your couch, why don't you just chain him to the furnace in the basement?"

Clint suddenly perked up. "Really? Do you think I should?"

Natasha glared at him. "That was sarcasm."

Grumbling profanities, Clint opened the cupboard above the sink and grabbed a box of teabags. "Mmmhhmmgghrrr…"

"Loosen up. Maybe Loki's attitude will improve with a nice cup of chamomile tea," Natasha suggested. With any luck, yours will too… heaven help me if it doesn't.

"Yeah. Right." But Clint dutifully selected three teabags and stood by with them while Natasha poured hot water into three teacups.

When they reentered the living room, Loki was still seated on the couch, looking—Natasha decided—rather like an enormous cat: regal, vain, and annoyingly aloof.

He arched an eyebrow at the teacups, but said nothing.

"Tea," Natasha explained. "Don't you have that in Asgard?" More than a tinge of sarcasm flavored her words. Before she could hand Loki his tea, Clint grabbed the pink one with the lacey little flower design and offered it to the demigod.

Loki's expression did not change one bit as he accepted the cup of chamomile and slowly raised it to his lips. Clint appeared to be cringing: this revolting creature that had once stolen his mind had now also stolen his couch! And was drinking out of his teacups! And was resting his feet on his—

"Hey!" Clint immediately bristled. "Get your boots off my coffee table!"

Loki slowly lifted his gaze to stare at Clint. "Why?" he asked slowly, taking another sip of tea.

"Because it cost me 2,000 dollars, that's why!" Clint growled. "Get 'em off!"

Nat gave Loki a warning glare, and the demigod had the good sense to comply. There would be plenty of other ways to aggravate, irritate, abrade, exasperate, provoke, and otherwise cause mental anguish to Clint Barton.

Clint accepted the teacup offered to him by Natasha and drank his standing up. No way was he sitting down next to that abhorrent mischief maker.

Natasha sat on the arm of the couch and watched the two males with a wary eye. It was a good thing she was there, Nat decided with a slight nod. Someone had to referee.

Nevertheless, she could tell that this was going to be a very, very long weekend…

A good friend of mine noted that my Clint is quite different from the Clint in The Avengers - but I reminded him that as the writer, I do have an artistic license: while the typical portrayal of Clint might be a sight more austere, with fewer ornate teacups and no panic attacks, this IS a comedy. I've just tried to bring out the funny in all these beautiful characters. ;)

Please review!

~Alassiel