10.
"I need a car."
Looking up from his work, Tony raised his eyebrows.
"Well, since you asked so nicely," he drawled. "Why?"
"Personal reasons."
"Such as?"
Olivia sighed and sat down on a stool across from Tony, looking at him with a forlorn expression.
"I have to go see my family," she told him.
Tony snorted. "Sorry," he muttered, trying not to grin. "Your . . . family?" He snorted again, finally giving in to his supressed laughter. Olivia glared at him furiously.
"I'm glad that you find this so amusing."
"Sorry, but I thought you hated them?"
"I do."
"So why are you going to see them?"
"Because Mom's organised this big family thing and she somehow roped me into coming and I'm taking Loki because I don't want to put up with those bitches on my own," she moaned. Tony grinned.
"You're taking Reindeer Games to meet your parents? Do you have a death wish?"
"They've already disowned me, what else can I do wrong?"
"Fair point. Alright, but if you so much as scratch it I'll be sending you the bill."
"Oh yeah, because you totally can't afford paying for a paint job," Olivia snapped.
"Be nice, I'm lending you a car."
Olivia sighed. "Thanks, Tony."
Loki wasn't sure what he was expecting, but the house Olivia pulled up in front wasn't it. It wasn't just a house; it was a manor.
"Here we are," Olivia said, cutting the engine. "Home sweet home."
She had been quiet for the whole journey and Loki knew better than to make her talk.
"Should I be fearful?"
"Fear for your life, mate."
Undoing her seatbelt, Olivia opened the door and climbed out. Loki followed suit just as the front door of the manor opened.
"Olivia!"
Striding forwards in her heels, Olivia's mother - Anne, Loki remembered her name to be - pulled her daughter into a poor excuse of a hug, kissing her cheek. Smiling, Anne cupped Olivia's face.
"Oh look at you," she said. "You look well."
"Thanks. So do you," Olivia lied. Despite the make up and designer clothes, Olivia could see the signs of age and stress in her mother's face. "Mom, this is Loki."
Releasing her daughter, Anne looked at Loki with a wide smile.
"Hi, you must be Loki," she said. "It's lovely to meet you."
Loki smiled back, shaking her hand.
"Thank you. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Mrs Murphy."
"Please, call me Anne," she said. "Come inside, both of you. Jim will get your bags."
Jim?
Our butler.
Loki raised an eyebrow at Olivia when Anne turned her back on them. She rolled her eyes.
The interior of the manor was just as magnificent as the exterior, though Olivia was thoroughly unimpressed. She'd always thought the house was ostentatious.
"Christopher and the girls are already here," Anne said. "We're having a drink in the lounge."
"Great," Olivia muttered under her breath. Loki smirked.
"Liv!"
"Hey, Chris!" Olivia grinned for the first time that day as she embraced her older brother, the two of them rocking slightly. "Christopher, this is Loki."
"It's nice to meet you," Christopher said, extending his hand. Loki shook it.
"Likewise."
"Ooh, weird name," one of the women piped up.
"And these are my sisters, Harriet and Molly."
The four siblings bore an uncanny resemblance to each other; each one had the same thick black hair and large blue eyes.
Harriet is married to Marco, the half Italian man, and Molly is married for the second - no, third time.
Three times married at such a young age?
Yeah, she's a slut.
"Olivia." Olivia's father, Jason, stepped forwards. He and Olivia hugged for a brief second, barely touching each other, and he kissed her cheek.
"Hello, Dad." Olivia's voice trembled slightly.
"You look well."
"Thanks. So do you."
Jason nodded in acknowledgement and looked at Loki.
Immediately, Loki could see Olivia in him. The only difference was that while Olivia's eyes were warm and happy and filled with emotion, her father's were cold.
"Loki," Jason said, holding his hand out. "I don't think we've met before."
"No, we haven't, but I've heard so much about you."
Don't you dare tell my dad that I've been slagging him off, Loki.
Don't fret, love, I have no intentions to.
They shook hands and Loki didn't miss that Jason tightened his grip ever so slightly before letting go. It was a pathetic attempt at asserting him dominance over the younger male.
"Why don't you come and sit down?" Anne suggested. "Have a drink."
Sitting down, Olivia and Loki accepted their glasses of red wine. Olivia sipped hers before putting it down.
"So, how's New York been treating you?" Christopher asked pleasantly, his arm around his fiancée's shoulders.
"It's actually quite nice," Olivia said with a small smile. "I've made some new friends and caught up with some old."
"Such as?" Jason inquired.
"Tony Stark."
Jason and Anne exchanged glances, Jason sitting up a straighter in his chair.
"Do not tell me that you work for him," he said. "Olivia, we raised you in such a way that you should never work for someone else."
"I do not work for him, Father, I work with him," Olivia snapped back. "In a manner of speaking."
"What about you, Loki?" This came from Molly, who was eager to diffuse the tension between her father and sister.
"I work in the same field as Mr Stark and Olivia."
"Was that how you two met?"
Loki and Olivia exchanged secret glances.
"No," Olivia said. "I'm afraid it's quite a dull tale, isn't it, Loki?"
"I just happened to be in Central Park at the right time in the right place," Loki said, grinning at Olivia.
"You could say it was love at first sight."
"Until you nearly knocked me off your Vespa."
"It's not my fault you didn't hold on properly."
Loki and Olivia grinned at each other, both trying not to laugh as they twisted the truth.
Loki, dear, I don't mean to alarm you but we're beginning to sound like your average couple.
I can assure you that our arrangement is far from orthodox.
Arrangement? Who said romance was dead?
Laughing softly, Loki weaved his hand into hers and kissed Olivia's cheek. She blushed.
"So, how long have you been together?"
"Oh, not long."
"Where do you live, Loki?"
"With me," Olivia said, yet another twisted truth. Jason's eyebrows shot up and Anne's eyes shone.
"I thought you haven't been together long," Jason said accusingly.
"Neither were you two before you got married," Olivia retorted.
Anne flushed and took a sip of her wine.
Well, Loki thought. This shall be interesting.
Olivia grinned.
Thank you IvyLinkin, AvengersGirl-LokisSpy, smore9 and Dreamer1920 for reviewing!
Question: would anyone be interested in a post-Avengers fic? The basic plot is that Loki won and, several hundred years later, a young woman, Tori, is chosen to be his bride. There are a lot of twists involved and based on the theory of Loki being married to Sigyn in Asgard and her presumed death after Ragnarok. It sounds complicated but it really isn't. So, if I were to post it, would anyone be interested?