Adventures with the Midgardian Fool

Chapter 13: Loki

'Like a king': Three words that hadn't held anywhere near as much meaning as when I had told them to Elijah. Was it the truth? Perhaps; a little stretched, maybe. Maybe it was my silver tongue that had forged them, but my heart wielded them just as a soldier wielded his sword. The words suited the person, and the person suited the words. Perhaps even a little more so than they suited me.

Not too surprisingly, Eli didn't take off the helmet for the rest of the morning; not when he first tried to fully lift his head and wound up having it drop heavily to the side, not when we crept back off to bed and rested his head against the pillows, and not even when we got up again later that morning and faced Ben and Morgan, whom were none too pleased to discover that we had gotten an early start on our Christmas gifts. Elijah and I didn't hear the end of it for the rest of the morning as we sat down beside the tree together and opened the rest of our presents.

In comparison to every gift I've ever received in my lifetime, Ben, Morgan, and Eli's gifts to me were surprisingly delightful; a real change of pace from being given an army of newly-trained, ready-to-battle Aesir warriors, feasts held in my honour, unfathomable amounts of golden armour and jewelry, or, Gods forbid, another horse.

From Ben, I received a new dagger. He seemed to have overheard me mention that the one I'd brought over with me from Asgard was dull, not to mention worn out. Not that it had been used very recently, but the centuries had worn away at the handle, and I don't think the blade would have been able to hold up if it were pressed against the grindstone again. This new one was lovely; straight as a bayonet with a handle woven in leather, and serpents coiled around the hilt.

From Morgan, I received braided leather jewelry, namely wristbands. They were different from my Asgardian leather garments and metal gauntlets, true, but they were aesthetically pleasing, nonetheless, with colors added to the leather that even the Aesir had yet to craft. If anything, they were more comfortable than any accessory my mother would have the servants clothe me in.

From Elijah, aside from the hand-made quilt, I received two more gifts. The first was a stack of books written by William Shakespeare. Although I had read a number of them countless times over the years, I was happy to find my three favorite stories amongst the five Eli had gotten for me: Othello, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Hamlet. How he knew of my admiration for these stories, I'd never know; though, knowing him, it was sheer, dumb luck, as I knew these stories were immensely popular amongst mortals, as well.

His second gift to me had me a little more perplexed. It was something called a photo album; an item that I thought the Midgardians had done away with when their technology had advanced to the point where they could keep any pictures they treasured on their mobile gadgets. The album contained many pictures of me and Elijah. Of all the images contained within it - one Morgan must have captured the day we met as we ate lunch in the hotel room, a selfie Eli took in his car as I slept in the passenger seat beside him, one of me asleep on the blue sofa with Sif curled up on my chest at the apartment, the picture Morgan took on Eli's birthday when Eli had passed out on my lap, and many of the ones that were taken whenever Eli and I had kissed - one... one stood out to me the most. It was a picture of Eli and I in our bedroom, sleeping. Eli was wrapped in my arms as he snuggled against my chest; how we'd always fallen asleep on the nights he didn't have to work, and the days where I'd decide to join him in bed.

"I don't remember seeing that one in there before we wrapped it," Eli said as he turned to Morgan, "You snuck into our room while we were sleeping to take pictures?"

"I had to!" Morgan squeaked, "You guys looked so cute, all snuggled up like that."

"Babe..." Ben said sternly, "What have I told you about taking pictures of people in their private places? What if Eli and Loki had been doing the nasty? You really want a picture of that?"

While I did not comprehend the meaning behind Ben's words, Eli seemed to fully understand what he was saying. His body tensed as his face flushed bright red with embarrassment. It looked like he just wanted the universe to collapse in on itself.

"What is he saying?" I had the nerve to ask, "'Doing the nasty'?"

Eli cleared his throat and tried to compose himself enough to speak.

"Having sex..." was all he managed to croak out.

"Oh..." my face suddenly grew warm as I whipped around to face Ben and Morgan, "Oh! No, you don't understand! Elijah and I have never..."

"Dude, I know," Ben cut in, "Trust me, I know. I've lived in this house for eighteen years. I know how thin these walls are. If you guys would have done anything, I woulda known."

Ben's words didn't seem to bring neither me nor Elijah solace as we held our heads in our hands, trying to shake off the mounting humiliation.

"Just outta curiosity, why haven't you guys done it yet?" Morgan asked.

I explained that while there were no laws on Asgard about having sexual relations with a partner before marriage, it was more widely accepted for a couple to wait. I knew Thor had two to three women in his chambers per week before meeting that Jane Foster, and nobody batted an eye. On the other hand, I preferred to admire from a distance. The women of Asgard were like delicate flowers to be acclaimed and respected, not plucked or trampled upon; the only exemption being Valkyries, for they would kill a man for so little as breathing suspiciously in their direction. Eli was like a delicate orchid; lovely and difficult to grow. He'd told me stories of failed relationships and traumatic experiences that were best left unspoken, and it didn't take a genius to realize that he wasn't eager to take the intimacy to that level again just yet.

Just as well neither of us had forgotten about my current situation. We had a day to the first anniversary of my banishment; March 21st. On that day, I would be taken away from Midgard and given my final sentencing. Who knows if I'd ever see Elijah again after that. We were already really into it in terms of our relationship. I didn't want to make it any harder for him to have to say good-bye than it was already going to be when it came time.

"I'd rather wait." was all I could say.

"I'm out of practice." Eli piped up.

"I so call bullshit to that!" Ben accused as he pointed to him.

The blush on Eli's face intensified, but he said nothing more about the matter.

The rest of the morning was spent admiring our gifts and listening to music. Since we'd all grown rather annoyed with the Christmas music that'd been playing on the radio, Morgan took it upon herself to fill the living room with music from her IPad. I never thought I'd say this, but the sickening concoction of blaring instruments and screaming was more favorable to hearing about "rockin' around the Christmas tree" or "having a holly, jolly Christmas". For once since the holiday season started, it was peaceful.

The four of us sat around the living room, sharing stories and occasionally singing along to songs I'd become familiar with in my time on Midgard. I still couldn't say whether or not I had a favorite artist, though the musical group known as Imagine Dragons did have a number of songs that I was fond of, even the one known as "Thunder", even though it reminded me a lot of Thor.

Then came a song that I'd become all too familiar with, mostly because Eli played it every chance he could from his cell phone, and cranked it up on the radio whenever it came on in his car; the song known as "Despacito".

"Yes!" Elijah cheered from beside me.

Judging from the mischievously guilty smile that played on Morgan's lips, she'd selected it on purpose. The song did have a nice rhythm to it; an upbeat tune, a great song to listen to during the summer. It was almost worth dancing to.

Hmm... dancing.

When I thought about it, I'd never seen Eli dance to any of his songs, not counting the flailing, bouncing, head-banging throws of death he always did in the seat of his car or on the couch whenever one of his favorite songs played. Listening him sing was one thing, which could either sound pleasant, or like caribou with a bellyache, but could he dance?

There was only one way to find out.

I stood up from my seat and turned to Elijah as I extended my hand.

"May I have this dance?"

Eli seemed taken aback by my request, "Me?"

I rolled my eyes, "No, I was speaking to Sif... Yes, you!"

"But... I can't dance."

"It's easy. I'll show you."

Eli hesitated for a moment before slowly accepting my hand. Ben and Morgan were quick to clear the area of any furniture, which was probably for the best, because if things went south, I'd rather Eli land on the carpeted floor instead of on a glass-top coffee table.

"What do you say we try to tango?" I asked.

"I don't know how to tango..."

"Heimdall's eyeball, Elijah, just move your feet to the music, and let me take care of the rest."

With a nod from Elijah, I pulled him against me and began moving in rhythm to the song in small steps... or tried to, I must say. Dancing must have been foreign to Eli's body, as we started off our dance with him stepping on my toes a number of times. On the other hand, Frigga did everything in her power to ensure Thor and I both knew how to dance, stating that it was essential for us during balls and celebrations if any women came to fancy us. What a joke. Thor could snap his fingers and have every woman in the Nine Realms throw themselves at his feet. He didn't need any sort of skills to do that, except for maybe those to be used in his bedchambers.

Then there was me; the God of Mischief. In every dance lesson I'd ever had with Frigga, I had the grave misfortune of being partnered up with Lady Sif. Every screw-up or misstep was corrected with a kick to the shin or a punch... somewhere. I practically had the skills beaten into me, and I seldom had the opportunity to use them. Very few women wanted to be known as the one who danced with Loki, the Lie Smith. Perhaps the only one I truly remembered was a woman named Sigyn. Lovely lady, but already engaged, and, truthfully, not all that worth killing her man for.

Eli, though... He was worth every misstep and toe trampled upon, and I gave him the same advice my mother had given me in each of our lessons: Don't let a mistake stop you. Keep moving.

As the beat picked up, so did our steps and, by some defiance of any basic logic, so did Elijah's ability to keep up. The missteps occurred less and less, as did him stepping on my toes. The timidness in his movements became stronger and more confident, until we turned, and everything took off from there; stepping, sliding, dipping, bowing, even leaping occasionally, our movements combined with the intertwining of limbs. It had to be one of the most enchanting dances I had ever had the joy of being a part of, no matter how clumsy the start. Mother would have been proud.

We ended our dance with one final bow, and the dying note of "Despacito" was replaced with the duet, Ben and Morgan, applauding our performance.

"Damn, Erai!" Ben said, "I didn't know you could dance!"

"I can't," Eli panted, his short stamina clearly strained by what'd just occurred, "I didn't know what I was doing most of the time. I probably looked like an ox having a stroke."

"No, you were really great!" Morgan beamed, "And I got it all on camera!"

"Indeed," I chimed in, "You really were fantastic, Elijah."

"Dance some more. Please?"

"It better be a slow dance," Eli stated, "Because I think if we do the tango again, someone's gonna have to sweep my ass up off of the floor."

"Okay."

A slower song was put on, another one of Elijah's favorites, apparently, as he held the same reaction as he had to "Despacito". This one, however, was one I was not familiar with. It had never played on any of the radio stations we listened to, nor had I ever heard Eli play it on his own time, but it was something the two of us could slow dance to, wrapped in each other's arms as we swayed rhythmically from foot to foot. As we danced, I was acutely aware that Ben and Morgan had joined us, swaying in their own sort of dance in the room surrounding us.

"It's funny," Eli suddenly piped up, "I haven't danced with anybody since my senior prom."

"Yeah?" I inquired, "And what was it like?"

"Surprising. Nobody had ever asked me to dance before, and whenever I'd ask anyone else, I'd always get shot down."

"Those people should be locked away in Asgard's prisons for doing such a thing. You were wonderful."

Eli let out a quiet, yet appreciative laugh, "Thank you."

"Now let me ask you this: Who was better, me or him?"

"You, definitely."

"Are you saying that as to not hurt my feelings?"

"No, but at least you know where to hold me. This guy's hands gradually gravitated from my waist to my butt."

"Then, if our paths should cross, I shall swiftly remove his hands from his wrists."

A chuckle escaped Eli's throat, "You're silly."

"It's silly that you think I'm joking."

"Don't worry about him," Eli said, looking up at me, "That was three years ago. We haven't spoken since then. Besides, I'm a lot happier here with you than I'd probably ever be with someone like him."

I think we both felt a tightness pull at our chests at those words. Already December, already nearing the New Year, and the clock just wouldn't stop ticking. If I had a choice, I would forget Asgard, forget being a god, forget everything to stay here. Even if it meant losing all of my strength and magic, even if it meant never seeing Thor, Odin, or Frigga again, even if it meant having to become a full-blown mortal, or even a Jotun, I'd take it to stay. But I'd had a choice, once. I chosen exile over immediate return. I'd chosen a chance at power over my own family. I'd chosen wrong.

I held Eli closer to my chest.

"No matter what happens," I whispered to him, "I will always be with you. And I swear to you, when the time comes, I will return."

"You promise?"

I looked down at Eli just in time to catch a glimpse of a tear straying down his cheek, and I gently brushed it away with my thumb.

"I promise."

Eli had blindsided me by bringing me along to a friend of the family's house for New Year's rather than going to his parents. Well, we did go to his parent's, and then we immediately hopped into his mother's clunky-looking vehicle and were carried off to another house owned by a couple I hadn't been introduced to before; Skip and Ronda. From what I could gather from my first five minutes of interacting with them, Skip was a lot like a twig-like hybrid of Ben and Lou; older and gruff looking, but a complete jester at heart. Ronda was a whole new breed of her own. Stoic and cold, she was friendly enough to hold lengthy conversations with, but the line that her mouth was usually flattened into and the displeased look in her eyes always made me wonder if I had said something to offend her.

Seeing them interact with Elijah and his family, on the other hand, was like night and day. Skip would want to get into in-depth, serious conversations about what was going in their lives, still teasing and cracking jokes here and there, but with his flamboyancy reigned in to where it was like I was looking at a different person. Ronda seemed to love Eli like he was her own son, hugging and kissing him on the cheeks like my mother used to do to me and Thor when we were children; like she still did every now and again. While her gaze and tone were stone cold towards me, she laughed and gossiped with Eli over countless topics within a span of ten minutes.

One such conversation I couldn't help but overhear as we sat around the dining table eating was that Skip and Lou had apparently been making bets as to whether or not Eli and I would kiss on New Year's or not. Apparently, Skip was betting that it would be a kiss so deep and passionate that it would outdo every other couple that kissed at the stroke of twelve. Lou, still not having forgotten my little stunt on Eli's birthday, figured I wouldn't have it in me to kiss his youngest child in front of him. Meanwhile, Eli and I were doing some meddling of our own, debating on who we should allow to win the bet. On the one hand, Lou's ego was pretty bruised when I proved him wrong about not thinking that I was a god. Another blow like that with one of his children would probably land me outside of his good graces for the rest of time. On the other hand, though, I wanted to show whoever I had to that I wasn't afraid or ashamed of being with Elijah. With him loving me, I no longer needed anybody's approval. He meant the world to me, and that was that.

The dishes that were at this gathering were small and simple. Chris and Lou had brought a vegetable platter and a fruit salad, Eli and I had brought his delectable beast patties, as well as an apple pie, and Skip and Ronda had laid out a cold cut platter, potato salad, chips and dip, and an intriguing dessert called 'monkey bread', which looked like neither monkey nor bread, and was not bread made from monkey, nor a monkey made from bread. All I did know about it was that it was much too sweet for my palette, and that Elijah was delighted to have it, eating a fair portion of the dish himself within an hour.

After a few plates of food had been consumed, Skip pulled out a deck of cards.

"So, Loki," he piped up as he shuffled the deck, "Ever played Tunk before?"

I shook my head, "Can't say I've ever heard of it."

"It's pretty easy to figure out," Eli explained, "Every player gets three cards and three quarters, and the rest of the deck is put in the middle along with a cup or a dish. Each card is worth a certain number of points; kings, queens, jacks, and tens are all worth ten, the aces are worth eleven, and the numbered cards are worth the same amount of points as their numbers. When it's your turn, you can either draw a new card from the deck, or pick up the card the person before you threw down. Whichever you choose to do, you have to throw down a card from your hand, preferably the one that helps you out the least. The goal is to get three cards of the same suit with as many points as you can; the highest score being thirty one. If you feel like you have a higher score than someone else in the game, you knock on the table once, which is a tunk. After someone tunks everyone gets one more turn as a last-ditch effort to beat the tunker's score. The person with the lowest score has to toss one of their quarters into the pot. If a person loses all of their quarters, then they're on their honor. If the person on their honor loses again, then they're out."

"Simple enough," I commented, "And what happens if someone gets thirty one points?"

"Then that person wins that round, and everyone else at the table has to throw in a quarter. Anyone that's on their honor is out. This doesn't apply if you draw thirty one after somebody tunks. It just means you're safe from being eliminated The game keeps going until there is only one winner. If two people tie on the last round, then the quarters that are in the pot stay there, all players are back in, everyone gets three more quarters, and a new game begins for the double jackpot."

In all honesty, the game, when Elijah explained it, didn't sound easy at all, but I would try, and being the God of Mischief that I was, I refused to lose.

Eli lent me three of his quarters as Skip dealt the cards. Once every one was given three, he took a card from the deck and placed it face up next to it as he set it down; a five of clubs.

"Ooh!" Skip breathed, "That's too big for you, Lou."

"You're right," Lou retorted sarcastically, drawing a card from the top of the deck, and laying down a deuce, "It is."

"What the hell is this?!" Chris exclaimed, examining the cards in her hand, "You didn't give me shit!"

"Me either," Eli added, "I got nothin' but crap."

"Good!" Lou said, "That means I can take your guy's quarters."

"Not on your life, Papa..."

"No," I commented, "Because I'm going to get them all first."

Out of the corner of my eye, I could just barely see Ronda rolling her eyes. I wasn't completely positive on my speculations, but I was getting the distinct impression that she didn't like me. For what reason, I didn't know. I'd done well to ensure that I kept my meddling and mischievousness to a minimum, and I still received the look of pure vexation whenever I so much as opened my mouth to speak. Perhaps Lou had told her about my little stunt on Elijah's birthday, and that had made her form a sour opinion about me. Or, perhaps, as it was in a lot of cases, she just didn't like me.

I took the time to pick up my cards and look at my hand; a three of hearts, a seven of diamonds, and a king of spades. I'd seem I wasn't off to a very good start, myself.

Chris went after Lou, then Ronda. As she picked up a card, I heard her sigh irritably before taking one from her hand and holding it up to me, "You wan't it?"

All I could see was the delicate blue patterning on the back of the card.

"Put it down, and we'll find out," I replied.

Ronda looked at me quizzically before setting the card down on the table, revealing a queen of diamonds.

"I'll take that," I said as I snatched up the card and threw down my three.

Before I could so much as glance in Eli's direction, I heard him knock against the table. Everyone let out a collective groan. Either he tunked because he had a really good hand, and had hid it well, or he was just winging it and hoped his score would be higher than someone else's, and with the way I knew Eli could be at times, it could have easily been the latter. My curiosity and eagerness to see what he had ate away at me rapidly as everyone went around and drew one last card. I only had a meager seventeen points, and with every other person saying something like, "Well, that helped me a lot!" or, "Boy, I really needed that!", I had a feeling I wasn't going to make this round.

I panicked.

I didn't even look at the card I drew from the stack. I just picked it up and threw down my hand, "Thirty one!"

All eyes were on my cards; a queen of diamonds, a king of diamonds, and an ace of diamonds.

"Beginner's luck!" Skip called over to me before looking over to Eli, "Wha'cha got, tunker?"

"An ace of diamonds..."

I froze as the words hit me, and I looked over to see him holding up said ace. I felt a tap on my shoulder opposite of me and and saw Ronda's face had twisted into a scowl as she held up a king of diamonds.

"You rotten little cheater!" Eli yelled playfully, throwing his cards in my face, followed by Ronda.

"How did you do that?!" Skip inquired, "There's no way that should have been possible... unless I grabbed one of my fucked up decks by mistake."

"Nah," Eli snorted, "Loki's just got a few tricks up his sleeve."

Ronda rolled her eyes again, "Screw this! We're starting this game over."

We played a few more games, without me cheating, before Eli decided to leave and stepped out onto the porch to smoke. I could sense that there was something on his mind that he wasn't exactly willing to speak. Not wanting to be left to be subjected to Ronda's hateful glares for another lengthy game, I decided to step out too. Eli had settled himself on the couch out there, and I could tell from the blank look in his eyes that he'd already lost himself in thought.

"Everything all right?" I asked as I settled myself beside him.

"Yeah," he replied, snapping himself from his thoughts, "I just... really needed a smoke."

"It's more than that, isn't it? I've been with you long enough to tell when something's bothering you. What is it?"

Elijah dropped his gaze to the floor and took another drag from his cigar, filling the air between us with its vanilla scent and a pinch of unease.

"I just can't believe it's already New Year's," he finally piped up, "It seems like just last month I met you at Shuto Con."

The meaning behind his words made my stomach sink like a stone. Nine months had already passed since that fateful day, yet it felt like it had been no more than two or three. Living with him, Ben, and Morgan had made life so much easier, not to mention more enjoyable. The days just seemed to pass us by one right after the other, but now? Now it only meant one thing: time was ticking, and we didn't have very much of it left.

"Hey," I said resting a hand on his shoulder, "We still have time."

"Three months..." Eli muttered out, "It's not a lot of time."

"True, but it's going to be the New Year in a couple of hours. Let's try to make it the best one we've ever had."

Finally, Eli lifted his gaze. Tears were filling his eyes like overflowing basins. He wrapped his arms around me as I pulled him to my chest.

"I don't want you to go," he muttered out against the fabric of my shirt.

"I know," I said softly, "But it won't be forever. I promise."

"How do you know? What if Odin decides to be a dick, like keep you locked away in a prison cell forever, or worse?

A light chuckle escaped my throat as I ran my fingers through Eli's short, downy, blond hair, observing the dark brown roots that were already peeking through. He'd bleached it not that long ago, and although the process was lengthy, the end result was nothing short of beautiful.

"I can already tell you none of that is going to happen," I replied, "Frigga would never allow that. Believe me, she's probably the reason my father has survived as long as he has."

Eli let out a small laugh as he tried to wipe his eyes, "You think?"

I smiled and nodded, "I know, so, please, don't cry. Everything will be all right in the end. And if not... well, I haven't been bested by the walls of a sell yet."

We sat there until Elijah had finished his Cheyenne. Before we could stand up and make our way back inside for another game of Tunk, however, Ronda came out onto the porch, a cigarette pinched between two fingers.

"You," she said, pointing a long, slender finger at me, "I'd like to speak to you out here for a second."

Eli raised his brows as he stood up. The redness in his face and eyes had calmed down some, which I saw as a good thing. I think Ronda would have skinned me alive if she so much as assumed I'd upset him. Hel, she was probably about to skin me now for cheating.

Ronda crossed her arms as Elijah stepped out of the room and leaned her shoulder against a nearby wall. The lines in her face were deep with displeasure, and her brunette hair seemed to be more unkempt than when I had stepped out of the dining room. Her lips were still pressed in the same flat line as it'd been roughly all evening; a look that'd make you think I had insulted her ancestors. Decapitated a family memorial, or something.

"Listen," I started, "If I've said something, or done something to disrespect you or your family, I can assure you that I didn't intend-"

Ronda lifted her hand, silencing me, "Cheating at Tunk isn't uncommon in this group. Trust me."

"Alright, then... What is this about?"

Ronda straightened herself and sat down in a chair across from me.

"Lou's told me quite a bit about you."

"Oh, yeah?" I inquired, "And how much is 'quite a bit', exactly?"

"Enough that I'm not even going to bother trying to figure it all out, but I do know this: Tina-"

I tried as hard as I possibly could to keep from having my face twist with annoyance at hearing that name. This woman was a friend of Eli's. Hel, she could have passed for his aunt, or some other relative, with how much she cared for him. Hearing her do something as blatantly disrespectful as... dead-naming him? I would be lying if I said it didn't disgust me.

"Eli..." I corrected.

Ronda closed her eyes and sighed. She was most likely ready to snap my neck.

"... Eli is over the moon about you. I haven't seen her-"

"Him..."

"... Him this happy in a long time. Probably ever, so I just wanted to make something clear to you, right now. On Lou's behalf, of course."

I rolled my eyes, "Of course..."

Ronda leaned forward more in her seat and the seriousness in her features hardened. Her dark brown eyes seemed to darken into a soulless shade of black, and the threat in her voice was thick.

"If I hear you hurt him, in any sort of way, I'm gonna have to kill you. Is that understood?"

A chill shot down my spine as I nodded, "Yes, ma'am," I extended my hand to her, "Pardon us."

With a slight nod, and the first smile I'd seen her crack towards me all evening, she returned the gesture and we shook on it, forming a fragile truce between us. I was relieved. Hopefully, this meant I could go the rest of the night without having to squirm under her hateful, critical gaze; walking on eggshells to keep from having my neck snapped.

As Ronda was finishing her cigarette, Eli's head appeared from within the dining room.

"Come on, you guys!" he shouted, "The countdown is about to start!"

I don't think I had every gotten up from a sofa so fast in my life. Before I could pass her on the way inside, however, Ronda snagged me by my arm and leaned in towards me.

"Remember what I told you..."

I immediately knew the meaning behind her words.

Sorry, Lou. It looks like this will be another quarrel with me you're going to lose.

"I will ensure his happiness," I replied, "I'll make sure of that."

"One minute!" Eli's voice rang out from inside.

"You better," Ronda warned before swatting my shoulders, "Now get outta here. Go get him."

I bounded out of the porch and into the living room, where Eli was already waiting, along with Chris, Lou, and Skippy, watching the clock countdown live at Times Square on the television. I wrapped my arm around Elijah's waist as I observed the bustling crowd of onlookers that were clothed in their warmest attire. I was less focused on the clock than I was on everything else. Men, women, and children were smiling and waving at the camera, celebrities stood on stages in the background of the announcers, microphones in hand. Lights were shining and bells were ringing, and all the while, I stared at the shadow surrounding it; the aftermath of the chaos I unleashed not long ago. And even after all that, one of the city's most prominent locations appeared to be virtually untouched by the Chitauri. It was moving. Even though some parts of New York were still completely damaged and under reconstruction, the Midgardians were still able to find it in themselves to come together there to welcome a brand new year.

Somewhere outside of my thoughts, I felt Eli wrap his arm around my waist and jostle me from my thoughts with a gentle squeeze. As I gazed down at him, I could tell he knew what I was thinking.

"They'll fix it," he said as a smile spread across his features, "There were probably potholes that needed to be filled anyway."

I forced out a light chuckle as I managed to tear my gaze away from the leftover carnage back towards the countdown clock. Thirty seconds left.

"Have we decided who's winning yet?" Eli piped up.

"Yes, I have."

"Booze or buss?"

"Buss."

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see his smile grow, "Alrighty, then."

"Ten!" everyone's voice joined together as one as the numbers on the clock grew to large proportions in vibrant colors, spinning and exploding with the passing of each number, "Nine! Eight! Seven! Six! Five! Four! Three! Two! One! Happy New Year!"

As the cork was popped off the champagne bottle and everyone was focused on giving everyone hugs and New Year's Day wishes, I bent down as Elijah perched himself on the tips of his toes. Within seconds the room fell silent as he threw his arms around my shoulders as I wrapped mine around his waist, and our lips locked in a deep, passionate kiss. I could feel their eyes burning into us, as well as Chris snapping a picture with her phone.

"Twenty bucks. Pay up, Lou!" Skippy said, turning towards Elijah's dad.

I don't think either Eli nor I were paying any mind to everyone else. We had engrossed ourselves in the moment for several long seconds before we pulled away and gazed deeply into each other's eyes.

"Happy New Year, Loki." Eli said, taking my hands into his.

A warm smile solidified itself onto my features, "Happy New Year, Elijah."

We indulged in the moment for a few seconds more, before we heard Lou call out to us.

"Get a room, you two!"