21.

"I feel so awful," Olivia moaned, her head hanging over the toilet.

"You would," Loki said with a hint of amusement colouring his voice. "Asgardian ale is not meant to be consumed by Midgardians."

"Then why didn't you stop me from drinking it?"

"I tried, but you threatened to remove a part of my anatomy of which I am very fond." Loki smirked. "You also tried to bite me on one occasion."

"In a kinky way or get the hell of my drink kinda way?"

"I do believe it was the latter."

Olivia groaned again, her cheeks burning.

"Please, Loki, I am actually begging you to get rid of this hangover." She looked up rather pathetically, her bottom lip practically trembling. "I am literally on my knees here, man, and you know what Tony is like."

Still smirking, Loki took pity on her, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I can relieve the symptoms if that is what you so desire."

Olivia nodded.

When she emerged from the bathroom, Olivia felt a lot better. Not completely cured, but her headache was gone and nausea didn't threaten to roll over her each time she so much as moved her head. Asgardian alcohol was great, but the consequences were dire.

In the lounge, everyone looked a bit worse for wear. Their party had been small but alcohol driven; Tony kept the drinks flowing and no one could say no. Steve and Bruce steered clear, however, choosing to stick to their soft drinks.

"Someone kill me now," Darcy was muttering, her face buried in a cushion as she flopped onto the couch. Steve, who had remained sober throughout the night, looked at her with a mixture of pity and amusement.

"Hangover, Darcy?" Olivia teased.

Peeling the cushion away, Darcy looked at her with a loathing glare.

"How the hell are you not begging for the sweet mercy of death?"

Olivia looked pointedly at Loki.

"Loki, dude, please - "

"Olivia!" Thor boomed, striding into the room. Groaning, Darcy began piling cushions on top of her head. "How are you this morning?"

"I'm actually really good, thanks," Olivia said brightly. She bit back her laugh when she saw Darcy's shoulders start to shake. "That Asgardian ale was amazing."

"Yes, you seemed to take a liking to it last night."

"You wouldn't let anyone near it," Bruce reminded her with a small smile. Olivia blushed.

"Woah, guys, seriously," Tony said, wincing as he walked in. "Not so loud."

He was quickly followed by Natasha, who looked completely fine - Olivia scowled - and was accompanied by Clint, who sported a rather large bruise on his cheek from where Natasha had punched him after he got too leery.

"So what's the plan today?" Steve asked, looking around. Tony sat down heavily, nursing a bottle of painkillers, and Darcy reluctantly sat up.

"Sleep for the next two months?" she suggested. Screwing up the cap, Tony threw the bottle to her.

"It's alright for you," Olivia grumbled. "You don't have to go on patrol."

"And you have a boyfriend with healing hands."

Tony perked up immediately. "Getting handsy with a hangover? That's kinky."

"Yeah, you should Pepper know, I'm sure she'd be well up for it," Olivia snapped back.

Loki laughed quietly.

"We need to go on patrol again," Natasha said. "Olivia, have you seen anything recently?"

Olivia shook her head. "Believe me, I'd tell you if I knew."

"Are you certain that you do not want me to accompany you?"

"I'm sure," Olivia said, tying back her hair. Loki frowned, sitting on the bed, and watched her pick up her boots. He was dressed and ready in his armour.

Seeing his frown, Olivia sighed.

"Look, Loki, if I get in trouble you will be the first person to know. I'll keep my ear piece on and Jane and Darcy will be able to track my every move, remember? You could be within seconds. Literally."

"But perhaps I will be seconds too late."

Slowly, Olivia uncrossed her legs (she'd been in the process of tying up one boot) and stood up, walking across the room. She sat down next to Loki.

"Hey," she said softly. "I'm a big girl. I've got a gun!"

"You seem disturbingly happy about that."

"What can I say, I'm trigger happy."

With a grin, Olivia gave Loki a quick kiss.

His hands either side of her face, Loki pulled her closer to him, intensifying the kiss. His lips were cold against hers, moving with a strange sort of desperation that he had never kissed her with before. Her hands slid up to his shoulders, pulling him closer.

When they finally broke apart, Olivia was slightly breathless. His forehead resting against hers, Loki looked down at her.

"Wow," she finally said, giggling.

Loki laughed softly, kissing her. Her forehead, her cheeks, the tip of her nose, her jaw and finally her lips a final time.

Olivia stared up at him, her brow creased slightly as she frowned. She was unsure of what to say or what to do, clinging onto Loki's shoulders as if she couldn't bear to let go. Her eyes filled with tears.

"Oh jeez, you've made me cry now," she muttered.

"Are my kissing abilities that awful?" Loki teased quietly, his fingers gently caressing her cheek. Olivia laughed shakily, a few tears spilling over onto her cheeks.

"Hell no, your kissing abilities are out of this world, believe me." She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "I'm sorry, I don't know what's come over me these past couple of days. I've been so crazily hormonal."

Reluctantly, she pulled away from Loki's embrace, standing up. Hobbling slightly (she was only wearing one boot), Olivia went to the bathroom.

"Just give me a minute and we can go kick some butt, yeah?" she called, shutting the door behind her.

She meant to stop crying, but the minute the door shut Olivia only felt the tears increase, streaming down her cheeks at an uncontrollable rate. Her hands shook as she scrunched up some toilet paper, dabbing at her eyes and blowing her nose. She sat down on the closed toilet seat, her head in her hands.

That kiss with Loki was not just a kiss.

It was as if he was saying goodbye.

Thank you IvyLinkin, AvengersGirl-LokisSpy and VioletK for reviewing! Don't worry, there will be more action in the next chapter!