The Dwyer Disruption (pt. 1)

Need to know(s): Nothing. If you have a question about what I think you have a question about, it will be answered in an upcoming one-shot.

Theme song: Enemy Fire ~ Bea Miller

Characters: Loki, Brynn, assorted OCs

Rating: T (language)

Genre: Family, Friendship

Summary: Brynn and Loki's peace and quiet is threatened when the new school therapist decides to make their business her business.

Brynn fidgeted as she sat in one of the chairs lined up in the hall outside of the school therapist's office. She fretfully picked at her nails and cuticles, knowing full well that Loki would scold her after taking one look at her hangnails when she got home and not caring. All she cared about right now was why she was sitting outside the counselor's office.

It was the first day back to school for another year. Everything was mostly as Brynn had remembered from last year (minus the newness of it all now that she was a sophomore): walk through the doors; sit through an assembly welcoming the students and staff back and announcing goals and objectives for the year; meet up with her grade; sit through a mini-assembly in homeroom; get handed class schedule and locker assignment; and finally file out and go sort out the chaos for yourself, making changes where you saw fit. It was the familiar flow. But Brynn's flow had become decidedly choppier when she'd spotted the lime-green strip of paper taped to her drab gray locker.

The strip had read:

Brynna May Hagel,

As you may be aware Mr. Tyler has retired from his position as school therapist at Fredrickson Public and I have been hired as his replacement. I believe it is a school therapist's business to get to know the children in their care so that they may be able to help them to the best of their abilities and push them towards success. To help me in this endeavor, I am requesting your presence for a friendly meeting in my office during lunch today. I very much look forward to meeting and getting to know you!

Ms. Dwyer

She wasn't the only one who'd gotten the strip; there were about a dozen other kids there with her, a few sitting in the line of chairs, the rest standing and milling around, waiting for their turn to go into the office. None of them looked all that enthused to be here, but what teen would be happy with their lunch hour being eaten up by a meeting with the therapist?

Brynn's friend Devon McCredie settled down to sit on the floor beside her with a sigh. "So," he grunted, situating himself comfortably, "what d'ya think we're all here for?"

Brynn shook her head as she gazed around at everyone. "I don't know," she murmured. She nodded towards a couple kids who sat in the chairs nearest the door and stated, "Those are the new kids."

"Well that makes sense why they're here," Devon conceded. "What about the rest of us? Why us and not everyone?"

Again Brynn shook her head.

Suddenly the door of the office opened and out stepped the new therapist. Ms. Dwyer was an attractive woman: young, short, and curvy with strawberry blonde hair and rich brown eyes. Her hair was pulled back in a clean half-updo and her makeup was light and immaculately done, giving her a flawless, angelic glow. Her clothes were as neat and flattering as her hair and makeup: a navy blue, ruffled pencil skirt, a crisp white chiffon blouse, a burgundy blazer, and a pair of black, peep-toe heels.

"Oh, she can take my lunch hour anytime she wants," Devon breathed, staring wide-eyed at the woman.

Brynn smirked and rolled her eyes with a snort.

Ms. Dwyer flashed a friendly, pearly-white smile around the cluster of teens. "Hello," she greeted them all. "I'm so glad you all could join me. I'm not sure how many of you I'll be able to get through during the lunch hour, so we'll just play this by ear and see how it goes, okay?" She looked down at the sheet of paper she held and read off a name: "Brynna May Hagel?"

Brynn sat straight up at that, eyes wide. "Me?" she croaked. Her stomach suddenly clenched. Why was she the first one? Mr. Tyler, on the rare occasion he had several kids scheduled for meetings in the same hour, always went in alphabetical order. There were several kids here that should have gone before her by that logic—so why was she first? Brynn suddenly felt before apprehensive and wary about this. Automatically her fingers sought out the black circle of braided hair around her wrist and began toying with it. He was right there. Loki was right there if she needed him.

Ms. Dwyer beamed at her. "Yes," she chirped, "you first." She motioned through the open door behind her into the room. "Come on—I don't bite," she assured the girl with a giggle.

Brynn shared a quick look with Devon, who tried to be encouraging, then got to her feet and walked across the hall into the office. She noticed with some sadness that the big, completely out of date, comfy couch that every single kid had loved and fought over during class meetings was gone and now replaced with a padded bench. In fact, everything she'd known and loved about this office was gone now and replaced with things that were neat and tidy and pretty and fashionably up to date just like Ms. Dwyer. As nice as it looked, Brynn had liked Mr. Tyler's laid back, throwback, organized clutter, and controlled chaos aesthetic better. At least Ms. Dwyer hadn't been able to completely rid the room of Mr. Tyler's pine needle scent yet.

"You can have a seat," Ms. Dwyer said, closing the door behind them and moving towards her desk. She opened a filing cabinet drawer and began looking through the contents.

Brynn quietly sat down at the edge of the bench, taking in the new look of the room. She kept her fingers on the bracelet. The second something seemed off, she'd contact Loki and he'd be there in two shakes of a lamb's tail….

Ms. Dwyer closed the cabinet drawer and came back across the room, file in hand. She sat down on the bench too and smiled up at Brynn. "Hello, Brynna May," she said warmly.

"Hi," Brynn returned, shifting away from the woman slightly. She really wanted to move as far away as possible, but she didn't want to be rude either. "Most people just call me 'Brynn' by the way."

"Would you prefer it if I did?"

"Yeah, actually I would."

Ms. Dwyer smirked knowingly. "Let me guess," she murmured conspiratorially, "you only get called 'Brynna May' when you're in trouble, right?"

Brynn couldn't help but return a half-smile at that. "Yeah," she admitted. "Or when he really wants to get my attention and make me listen, my brother will call me that."

"Oh, you have another brother?" Ms. Dwyer asked, looking a little surprised. She turned to the file in her hand and flipped through the papers in it. "I wasn't aware of that. How old is he; does he live with you and your guardian?"

"Uh, he is my guardian, actually."

"Oh, I thought Loki was just your guardian—I didn't know that he was your older brother too."

"Yeah, well, the thing is we're not actually related—we're just really close and call each other "brother and sister". Actually, Loki kinda walks the line between Big Brother and Dad more than he straight up acts like a brother."

"But it was easier for you to accept him as another brother as opposed to a father."

"Yeah, something like that."

Ms. Dwyer nodded and made some notes in the file.

"Well," she said after a moment, "since we're on the subject of your brother, we might as well get on to the topic I wanted to talk to you about." The woman closed the folder and looked back at Brynn again with a small smile. "I suppose you're wondering why I called you in first." It wasn't a question.

Brynn eyed the woman closely, fingers ever on her bracelet. "That's one question. Another one is why you picked the kids you picked out of everyone in the school."

Ms. Dwyer nodded understandingly. "I have every intention of meeting and speaking with every student in this school, I assure you. But I picked you all first because of your more… at-risk situations."

Something inside Brynn prickled at that. ""At-risk situations"?" she repeated carefully.

Ms. Dwyer nodded, evidently unaware of how she'd irked the sixteen-year-old beside her. "Yes," she responded. "You see, Brynn, as a school therapist, I feel it is my duty to know my students and make sure that they are in the best situations possible, whether those situations are related to their mental health or things happening at home."

Oh, Brynn thought to herself, understanding now and feeling more annoyed because of it. "At-risk situations" means "kids with unconventional home lives". Well, that's just peachy.

Ms. Dwyer continued: "You probably wouldn't be surprised if I told you that you've developed quite the file here at school."

Brynn looked down at the space of padding in between them, remembering all the times she'd been in this office since seventh grade, trying to work through her issues with Mr. Tyler. That man should've been granted sainthood for all the crap he'd had to go through and put up with for her. "No," she admitted softly after a beat, "I wouldn't."

"It's been made known to me that you've had a pretty rough go of it this last year—had a lot of big changes happen in your life," Ms. Dwyer continued.

Brynn bristled a bit at the woman's tone. She sounded like she was trying to get more information, trying to open her up and make her talk. Well, Ms. Dwyer was going to be a little disappointed, because Brynn didn't have any intentions of getting deep and personal with her. She didn't know the woman beyond name and occupation—why in hell would she tell her anything from the soul? If Ms. Dwyer wanted to get up into Mr. Tyler's ranks, she had a long road ahead and a lot of work to do. "Yeah, you could say that," Brynn said carefully, still not looking up at the woman.

"I just want to make sure you're doing okay and handling it all," Ms. Dwyer said. "I mean, losing your grandfather and being put under the watch of an almost perfect stranger isn't anything to sneeze at."

"Loki wasn't a stranger when it happened," Brynn snapped a bit more harshly than she meant to. "At the beginning, when he first came to stay with us, yes, but he was part of the family by the time Grandpa died and he got custody of me. I was never worried about him being my guardian—I trusted him completely then and I do now."

"I'm sure you do," Ms. Dwyer soothed in a tone that sounded like she was trying to placate a small child. "But the fact remains; you have only known Loki for a little over a year, right? There's a lot that can still be unknown about someone when you've only known them that long. And with your grandfather gone now, Loki might start acting differently because he thinks he can get away with things now that it's just you and him."

Now that insinuation got Brynn's temper flaring. "Excuse me?!" she gasped incredulously. The teen rocketed to her feet to glare down at the woman. "Loki is not a pervert! Where the fuck do you get off-"

"I would prefer that sort of language be kept out of this room," Ms. Dwyer snapped, giving the girl a scolding look.

"And I'd prefer for you to not accuse my brother of being a pedophile when he isn't!" Brynn snarled back.

"I just want to make sure that you're doing all right and are safe, Brynn," Ms. Dwyer tried to soothe. "Like I wish someone would have done for me when I was your age and in a situation very similar."

Brynn was far from soothed. In fact, this new information made her anger flare even more.

This woman was projecting onto her! She was taking from her experiences and the biases she'd developed from them and putting them where they didn't belong! "Look, Ms. Dwyer," Brynn said, trying to keep her voice calm and controlled despite how she felt like screaming, "I'm sorry for whatever happened to you when you were a kid, but that is not my life. I am fine. I am safe and happy and loved, and my guardian wouldn't ever even dream of harming me in any way."

Ms. Dwyer smiled a bit ruefully. "That's what I thought about my uncle, too," she murmured, "until he did. And I knew him a lot longer than you did Loki before my uncle became my guardian."

"Loki," Brynn practically seethed, "is not your uncle. You don't know him—you can't make judgments about him. However intelligent and enlightened you might think those glorified papers from whatever overrated school you went to, hanging on your wall make you, you can't judge him. If you do, you're just a judgmental, biased bitch that needs to pull her head outta her ass, which, honestly, really does seem like it's right up your alley."

Brynn fell silent after that and waited for Ms. Dwyer to make a rebuttal or say something equally as stupid and offensive as she had already.

For a long time, the woman said nothing, simply stared coldly up at the girl. Nothing in her face gave anything away about what she was thinking or feeling, but Brynn had a pretty good idea Ms. Dwyer wasn't pleased with her. Good. This woman had already made it onto her shit-list, so if she was on Ms. Dwyer's shit-list in turn, that would be just fine with Brynn. They'd balance each other out.

"Well," Ms. Dwyer finally said, her voice measured, "I hope you're right."

Brynn made one, brusque nod of her head. "I am," she insisted. "Are we done, now?" The teen was already turning and stomping towards the door without waiting for an answer.

"It would seem as though we are," Ms. Dwyer muttered.

Seizing hold of the doorknob, Brynn threw the door open so hard it slammed against the wall and stormed into the hall, causing a lot of surprised looks to come flying her way from the rest of the kids that were waiting for their turn to talk to Ms. Dwyer. "Listen up!" Brynn shouted at them as she raged off. "She wants to talk to us because of our unconventional home situations, and she just might accuse your guardians of being child predators! Be aware!"

From that point on, the rest of Brynn's day was pretty much ruined. She stewed in a dark cloud all day, snapping and barking and glowering at anybody not faculty that were unfortunate enough to cross her path. Most of the time her friends—completely aware of the situation after being informed by Devon (because Brynn was apparently too angry to speak of it)—managed to keep kids away from the blonde. Regardless, situations had occurred throughout the afternoon periods that resulted in a few alarmed looks from people Brynn was normally friendly with and lots of terrified ones from freshmen and junior highers.

She'd probably feel bad about it all later, but at the moment Brynn didn't care. All she cared about was the school day ending so that she could get out of this place and away from Ms. Dwyer. (Really, it was infuriating enough just to think that they were in the same building together!) She just wanted to go home and be with her brother; she just wanted to curl up beside him on the couch and talk this all out because Loki always made things better, whatever the scenario. If only Ms. Dwyer could be there to see that—maybe she'd realize what a huge idiot she was. Of course, Ms. Dwyer was such a huge idiot so deeply buried in her biases that she'd most likely see Loki trying to manipulate and take advantage of Brynn while she was in an emotionally vulnerable state. Probably nothing would make the woman see otherwise.

Well, as infuriating as that was, it was okay. Ms. Dwyer really couldn't say or do anything to cause harm to Loki. S.H.I.E.L.D was in charge of keeping an eye on Loki and wouldn't take any charges Ms. Dwyer might accuse Loki of seriously because of it. For one thing, they already had a CPS agent coming to the Hagel home for regular checks just to make sure everything was on the up and up.

For two, Loki was much more of a "conquer the world" type as opposed to a "child abuser/groomer" type. Any diabolical schemes Loki was likely to hatch up would be far more grandiose than getting his rocks off on a minor. Besides that, Loki wasn't a pervert. At least no more so than anyone who enjoyed an innuendo or off-color joke from time to time.

Finally, the last bell of the school day rang.

By that time Brynn was more tired than angry anymore, so her friends weren't flanking her as she made her way to her locker to drop off the last of her school supplies there as she didn't want to lug it home unnecessarily. As soon as she reached her locker, however, Brynn realized it would have been better if one of them had.

"What the hell?" Brynn murmured once she spotted the orange paper taped to her locker. Rushing over, she seized the paper and ripped it down to read.

Ms. Hagel,

As our meeting ended in a rather untimely manner today, I did not have a chance to give this to you. Please take it and assure that your guardian reads it. I expect to meet and speak with him as soon as possible.

Ms. Dwyer

Brynn just about ripped the paper unfolding it to see what exactly it was. The anger once again flared up hot and high within her as she saw that the paper was a request for Loki to meet with Ms. Dwyer and "ensure your charge is in a healthy and suitable position at home". "Un-freaking-believable!" Brynn gasped incredulously. She'd already told the woman off and, while it hadn't been explicitly stated, it wasn't hard to figure out that Brynn had no intentions of ever going back to Ms. Dwyer for anything; so what the hell made the woman think Loki would want any part of a meeting with her either? Especially once he found out the implications she'd made against him, because there was no way Ms. Dwyer could possibly think Brynn wouldn't tell him everything that had transpired today!

Brynn began to vehemently crumple up the paper, for a moment having every intention of throwing it away, but then she stopped.

Maybe Loki meeting with Ms. Dwyer wouldn't be a bad idea. Odds were if Brynn through this request away, she'd just keep getting more of them from Ms. Dwyer until the woman got the idea that that method wouldn't work and would start calling the house phone. She'd probably start hounding Brynn at school too until a concession was reached. But if Loki came it asap and met Ms. Dwyer and dealt with her there was a good chance all of this headache could be over quickly. The god could easily intimidate Ms. Dwyer away, make her fear even thinking about trying to interfere in their lives again. Then they could go on without any further annoyances from her.

Brynn didn't like the idea much—she had no desire to put Loki through something like she'd gone through today with Ms. Dwyer—but she knew it was probably their best bet to be free of further hounding. A little headache now could save them a lot of headaches later. So, sighing heavily, Brynn resigned herself to straightening out the orange sheet and folding it up to slip into her back pocket. "It'll be worth it later," Brynn muttered. "Just keep telling yourself that."

When Brynn exited the front doors of the school, she immediately began scanning the parked vehicles. It didn't take long for her to spot who she wanted; he was the tallest, most handsome, and most otherworldly looking person around after all—an absolute eye-catcher was Loki. In fact, more than a few people were gawking his way as he stood there waiting, nonchalantly leaning against the Chevy.

Brynn's sour mood immediately dried up as the happiness of seeing her guardian after a long day apart surged through to replace it. She broke into a jog for him. Really she just wanted to sprint to him and throw herself into his arms, but that seemed a lot more desperate than she wanted everyone around to see her as, so she controlled herself. She couldn't control the mile-wide grin from spreading across her face though.

Loki was smiling too as he spotted her coming his way. Pushing off the truck he held open his arms. "There's my girl." The god hugged her close as she came into his arms.

Wrapping her arms tight around her brother's waist and burying her face in his chest, Brynn instantly felt all of the negativity of the day wash away. She quietly sighed in contentment. Loki always made everything better.

After a moment the pair pulled apart and met gazes.

Loki reached up and gently brushed some stray fringe out of Brynn's eyes and held her face as he looked her over carefully. There was a hint of concern in his emerald eyes. "Are you all right?" he asked.

Brynn raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Yeah," she answered, cocking her head, "why?"

"It's just… you didn't feel all right until you saw me. You felt… rather dark and angry."

The sensation of being able to feel each other's emotions had been happening ever since her brush with death in the Battle for Asgard. It had taken quite some time to become accustomed to it, and it was still weird to have a discussion involving phrases like "You felt a certain way" coming out of the opposite person's mouth; but apparently Brynn had become used enough to it that the concept had slipped her mind, especially when others things and emotions had been preoccupying it.

"Oh, yeah," Brynn muttered, a little bit of her poor mood creeping back in. She looked back over her shoulder towards the school to make reference to Ms. Dwyer when she spotted the bitch herself standing there at the doors, talking to a junior high student. Well, wasn't that convenient? "That would be because of her," Brynn stated.

Loki followed the girl's gaze. "Is that the new therapist?" he asked. There had been mention of Mr. Tyler's retirement and the hiring of a new therapist in the "back to school brochure" the school had sent out a couple weeks ago.

"Ms. Dwyer, yeah," Brynn answered, continuing to glare at the woman. "I had a meeting with her over lunch—several kids did actually, but I was the first one she talked to."

"I'm guessing you didn't like whatever it was she had to say," Loki surmised, watching the woman in question as well. She had finished her discussion with the girl she'd been speaking with and was now looking in their direction.

More accurately, she was looking at him.

To her credit she was trying to be subtle about it, looking away every few seconds to speak to a passing student or staff member or to apparently cast her gaze around as if looking for anyone who may need her or she needed to talk to, but then she would always look back in Loki's direction and look him up and down, scrutinizing him. The god felt his skin crawl ever so slightly.

"Well, considering she accused you of being a child molester," Brynn snarled, "no, you could definitely say I didn't."

Loki's gaze snapped away from Ms. Dwyer, who was currently trying to look like she wasn't leering at him, down to Brynn. "What?" he gasped incredulously.

Brynn looked up at him; irritation was very clear on her face. "Yep," she replied. "Apparently you're a pervert that likes underage girls. Sicko."

"She said that?" Loki asked, raising an eyebrow.

"More like implications. She was saying stuff like you're basically still a stranger to me and that you might act different now that it's just the two of us alone and trying to let me know that her office was a safe space where I could talk about and confess anything if I needed to." Brynn snorted derisively and rolled her eyes. "She was totally projecting stuff that happened to her at my age onto me because apparently, our "situations are similar"."

A corner of Loki's mouth twitched as he looked back up towards Ms. Dwyer who quickly averted her gaze. "Well," he murmured after a moment, "I'm not all that thrilled with being labeled as a sexual deviant, but I suppose I'd rather have a therapist that will look out for you as opposed to one that doesn't."

"Not me," Brynn snorted. "At least not Ms. Dwyer. Long as Mr. Tyler is still doing therapy business, I'll go to him."

"That would probably be the wisest decision," Loki agreed. "If this woman is convinced of what she's claiming about me, it would probably be best that we try to avoid her as much as possible."

"That sounds like a plan to me," Brynn agreed, "but I'm afraid you're gonna have to have at least one meeting with her." Loki looked at the girl curiously and Brynn had never felt so bad as she did at that moment pulling the paper out of her back pocket and handing it to him. "Sorry, Bro," she murmured sympathetically.

Loki read the sheet, his heart sinking with each word. "Well," he sighed after a moment, folding up the paper and tucking it into a pocket, "I suppose I'll have to go."

"If you don't want her calling us or coming around to the house to pester you, then yeah."

"You really believe she would do that?"

"I wouldn't put anything past this bitch."

The god gave the girl a reprimanding look for that statement.

Brynn looked defiantly back at him, not the least bit sorry. "Well, she is," she insisted. "As big a bitch as Amora and Lorelei just in a less murderous, world-dominatingly evil, overthrowing-the-Asgardian-throne kinda way."

"All the same," Loki said. "So far this woman's only crime has been to look out for you-"

"Which she did by accusing you of wanting to sex me up," Brynn reminded him.

"Still," Loki pressed on, giving Brynn a hard look, "this woman deserves respect until she proves herself unworthy of it, and you will grant it to her accordingly."

Brynn shrugged in concession. "Alright," she said, "fine. But I'm tellin' ya, my instincts are tellin' me right now she's gonna lose that respect real damn quick."

"Your instincts, eh?" Loki teased, raising an eyebrow and smirking.

Brynn mirrored his expression right back to him. "They were right about you," she pointed out a little smugly.

The god was silent for a moment. "… Fair enough."

Taking a deep breath, Loki refolded the paper and slipped it into a pocket. "Come on," he sighed, smoothing a hand over Brynn's hair and smiling affectionately at her. "Let's go home." With that, he turned and opened the passenger door of the truck. "My Lady," he said, playfully bowing to her.

Brynn snorted and rolled her eyes. She exchanged a cheek kiss with her guardian and returned his loving gaze before reaching up and snatching the sunglasses he had folded in the front pocket of his over-shirt. "I'll take these," she chirped, climbing into the truck.

Loki smirked in amusement and stood straight once more, looking at Brynn with a raised eyebrow. When she looked back at him and playfully stuck her tongue out at him as she slipped the sunglasses on he snorted and shut the door on her, then started to move around the truck to the driver's side. He paused before going around the front of the truck to look back up at Ms. Dwyer. She was now staring openly at him, not trying to hide it, once again looking him up and down carefully. Loki felt his skin and temper prickle a bit, having an idea of what might be going through her head.

One thing was sure: this woman's presence and influence in their lives was the last thing they wanted or needed and would have to be brought to an end sooner than later.

"You sure you don't want me to go with you to the meeting tomorrow?" Brynn asked, looking at Loki in her vanity mirror.

The god looked away from braiding back her hair to meet her eyes in the mirror, smirking. "Considering what happened between the two of you today, I don't think that would be a good idea," he responded. He glanced back down at his work, though he didn't really have to; he'd always had nimble fingers and he was quite adept at this job now.

"Yeah, you got a point," Brynn admitted. "I just don't like the idea of you facing her alone."

"Am I really so feeble?"

"No, but it's just she seems like the type that's not gonna let you get a word in edge-wise and will be all up in your face making accusations and stuff."

Loki chuckled. "Well, I thank you for your concern," he murmured, finishing the braid off with a hair tie to hold it in place, "but I think I will be able to manage Ms. Dwyer." He squeezed Brynn's shoulders and smiled at her. "There—all done. To bed with you now. Come on." He moved towards the girl's bed and pulled back the covers, waiting to tuck her in.

Brynn slipped into bed and leaned back against the pillows as she helped Loki smooth the blankets out. "I'm just glad we don't have to worry about Ms. Dwyer screwing up everything for us," she remarked as she tucked her stuffed alligator Albert under the covers beside her. "Except maybe our peace and quiet."

Loki hummed in agreement as he moved to switch off the lights by her bedroom door. "Turns out dealing with S.H.I.E.L.D has its advantages after all," he said as he came back to the teen's bedside. "But I doubt they'll do much in helping us be rid of her presence. I think we'll have to find a way to deal with that ourselves."

"Whoopee," Brynn remarked flatly, tracing a circle through the air with her finger.

As per their nightly ritual since coming back from Asgard, Loki sat down beside Brynn and leaned up against the headboard where he would remain until his charge had fallen asleep. As of right now, it was the only way Brynn could get to sleep and for Loki to truly relax for the night. It was definitely a step up from having to sleep in the same bed—though they still ended up doing that sometimes too.

"Don't sound so enthusiastic," Loki teased, looking lovingly down at his little sister as he stroked her forehead.

Brynn rolled her eyes as his sarcasm. "Ha." She tugged at her brother's shirt to get him to lay down more beside her and scooted so that she was curled against him, her head resting on his chest, an arm slung over him. With one arm folded beneath his head, Loki wrapped his other arm around her and Brynn cuddled closer into his side, smiling and sighing with contentment as he kissed her crown. Yes, this man was totally trying to take advantage of her; his feelings towards her weren't genuine in the least bit!

"Am I being too perverted?" Loki questioned teasingly, apparently having been thinking along the same lines.

Brynn giggled. "Very," she replied. "I feel extremely violated! Unhand me, you depraved fiend!" Without any warning she dug her fingers into the man's ribs, wiggling them in deep.

Loki jumped and yelped out a surprised laugh at the sudden tickling. In half a second, however, he was recovered and taking his revenge; pinning a struggling, shrieking Brynn against him as his own skilled fingers attacked each and every ticklish spot he knew the girl possessed: midriff, ribs, armpits, hips, knees, feet. "You insufferable brat!" he laughed manically.

"Crazy bastard who thinks he's a god!' Brynn squealed.

"I think you're the only crazy one here!" Loki taunted, delving his fingers into her tummy to rip uproarious screams of laughter from the teen. "You certainly are acting like a crazy person!" Roughly nuzzling down into the girl's hair, Loki blew a raspberry onto her neck.

"Uncle!" Brynn howled, tears making her vision swim. "Uncle! Uncle!" Her guardian released her and she pushed away from him to the other side of her mattress. Grabbing Albert, she placed the plushy between herself and the god, like a shield, and hugged him to her, making certain every vulnerable bit of her was hidden behind the large toy. Brynn glared playfully out from behind the 'gator. "You ass," she panted. Her stomach and sides hurt from laughing so much. "I'll tell Ms. Dwyer on you—say she was right and you abused me."

Loki snorted and rolled his green eyes. "Sure you will," he said sardonically. "Come here, you." He reached across the mattress and grabbed Brynn, pulling both her and Albert towards him. Wrapping the girl up in another hug, he kissed her forehead and gazed into her eyes for a moment. Those gorgeous, blue-gray eyes that could see straight through him and melt his icy, Jotunn heart to slush. "I love you, Princess," he murmured in all sincerity.

As it always did whenever she heard him say those words, Brynn's heart swelled with happiness and a grin broke out on her face. Pushing Albert up out of the way and behind her, Brynn wrapped her arms around the god and snuggled close, nuzzling into the warmth of his chest. Ms. Dwyer had literally no clue what she was talking about. "I love you too, Loki."

The pair lay wrapped together in silence for a moment before Brynn finally broke the quiet:

"But you're gonna have to fix the blankets and everything before you leave because they're all twisty and lopsided now."

Snap!

"And I don't suppose we're writing down that little bit of magic in the book either, are we?"

"What S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't know won't hurt them."

"Amen to that.

"One less headache to worry about."

"I get the feeling Ms. Dwyer's gonna be more than just a headache, Loks. She's gonna be more like a stomach ache and an ear ache and a toothache and a Charlie horse and—might as well chuck out the whole body right now and get a new one."

"Well, that's an uplifting thought on the eve of my meeting with her."

"Sure you don't want me to come tomorrow?"

"Very. If Ms. Dwyer is going to be a whole body spasm, the last thing I need is another headache brought about by you two going at it again."

"I could totally whup her ass."

"That's hardly the point."

"But we do agree that I could whup her ass."

Loki sighed heavily. "Yes, Brynn, we agree that you could "whup her ass"."

"Damn straight."

"… Although that probably doesn't mean much. Just looking at the woman, she hardly appears to possess any sort of challenge."

Brynn snorted in amusement. "Yeah, right?" Then she fell quiet for a moment processing what the man had said. "Hey!" she shrieked in indignation once it clicked. She pushed away from her guardian just enough to glare up at him.

Loki chuckled and simply hugged the little bringer of hellfire and brimstone against him again. "Go to sleep, Little Sister," he said, tucking her head under his chin.

Unable to deny the temptress that was her brother's cuddles, Brynn allowed him to pull her back into the snuggle despite her annoyance. But she still pouted. "You're really lucky I like snuggling, Merlin," she said as she nestled back into his embrace. "Otherwise I'd be openin' up a can of my whup-ass skills on you right now."

"Mmm, yes, I have truly been spared," Loki responded drily. "Thank you for your mercy."

Brynn grumbled, "Yeah, you're welcome." Then she added in her sweetest, cutest voice as she nuzzled into his chest, "Lullaby, please."

Loki snorted. "After you just threatened to "open a can of whup ass" on me you expect me to sing you a lullaby?" he asked teasingly.

"Yes." Brynn hugged him tight. "Pwease?"

"Well, I suppose since you said "pwease"…."

"Yay!"

The god laughed at the quiet exclamation from the Midgardian. She never failed to amuse him; and she never seemed to fail to keep up with him when it came to wit either. What had he ever done to deserve her?

Running her braid through his fingers, Loki quietly began to hum a tune he'd learned long ago from his mother when she'd sung him to sleep countless nights. A tune that he now shared with Brynn. A tune that, perhaps, she would share with her own children someday. A tune that would now bind their families together forever. "My mother told me someday I would buy… galleys with good oars and sails to distant shores. Stand up high in the prow—noble barque, I steer. Steady course for the haven—hew many foe-man…."