First thing is first: EVERYBODY WATCHED THE DISNEY+ LOKI SHOW TRAILER, RIGHT? HOLY SHIT MY BOY IS BACK!

Secondly, merry freakin' Christmas! This chapter is long as BALLS. I think it's the longest one I've ever written. Don't ask me how I did it, I'm not entirely sure myself! My fingers just kept going and going! I hope you all enjoy this lovely gift from me to you ^_^

Thirdly, there is sexual content ahead, so be warned!


Hydrangeas Say Our Family Will Flourish

Chapter Thirty-Three: What's Mine is Mine

"What do you think, Amelia? Full battlesuit? Or should I put the horns away?" Loki inquired as he preened before the full-length mirror, delicately arranging the way his hair fell while the large golden-horned helm sat atop his head.

Amelia gave a quiet huff of amusement, admiring the way her husband looked in his Asgardian leather armour and cape; it had been a while since she'd seen him wearing the golden horns, the whole ensemble always made him look delectable, but for him to wear it to a gala? It was a bit much, if you asked Amelia. Especially when Loki would rather not have all eyes on him at a Midgardian event.

"As much as I love the horns, I don't think they're going to be necessary here," she came up behind him, examined his Asgardian outfit, and then shook her head lightly, "How about your black suit?"

Loki raised an eyebrow, "Really?" He sounded surprised, but transformed his outfit anyway. After a flash of green light, he was suddenly donning his all-black Midgardian suit, something he hadn't really worn since the early days of their relationship. Amelia bit her lip to hide a cringing smile.

"Ah, you need some colour… try a green dress shirt," she suggested, "you don't need to look like a vampire tonight, or like you're attending a funeral," her voice held a jesting tone.

"As you wish, my princess," Loki responded, sounding very much like he was mocking her for her sudden assertiveness. Amelia only rolled her eyes and watched as another green flash engulfed him for a moment before revealing that his shirt had amended its colour. The green shirt looked good on him, and furthermore Loki's independent decision to add a golden tie pin to hold the tie flat to his torso was even more lovely.

He looked rather delicious.

"Perfect," Amelia nodded her head, pleased with the result.

Loki looked her over, gazing at Amelia's usual purple dress, "As beautiful as you look in purple, I think perhaps tonight you should wear my colours." He waved his hand and Amelia jumped slightly as her dress flickered from purple to green in a flash. And not only that, but the upper part of her dress had a beautiful pattern of gold trim; it was different to what she usually wore - it looked a little more elegant and most of all, it was of course Loki's colours.

She blushed, checking herself out in the mirror and feeling somewhat bashful over Loki's show of slight possessiveness. She had requested modification of his outfit, so it was only fair he got to modify hers. They matched now, for the most part. Anybody who knew them personally would see it immediately, but what about those attending the party who did not know - and were not supposed to know - of Amelia's and Loki's marriage?

They had already decided they would be subtle, what with all the people set to attend Tony's gala; there would be journalists, old and new friends of Tony, influential people, people of high political positions and others who held power in their occupations. They had to be careful, because their family had to stay a secret, that was what Loki demanded, and it was what Amelia understood needed to be for the sake of the security and safety of their children, but Amelia found herself intimidated at the thought of all these people scrutinising her and trying to figure out her place.

"What do you think, darling?" Loki prompted after Amelia's extended silence.

Amelia smiled, "I love it," she told him. She was probably getting anxious over nothing - nobody would figure out they were married just from the similar colour schemes of their clothes. She was making a mountain of a molehill.

"Good," Loki smirked, "because I think you look positively stunning."

Amelia sighed contentedly when Loki lifted her chin with one finger and leaned down to capture her lips in a soft kiss. She put her hands on his waist, slipping them below his black suit jacket and getting a little gropey in the process.

Loki chuckled against her mouth, welcoming her wandering hands and returning the favour; he pulled her closer to him, pressing their bodies together and the sound of rustling fabric filled Amelia's ears. The prospect of finally getting a night away from the children was clearly making her feel rather frisky, she hoped there would be time after the party for them to have some fun in bed before the night was up.

Amelia forced herself to pull away, smiling demurely, cheeks pink at the note of arousal the kiss had sparked. "We should save that for later. Besides, we need to check on the kids before we head down."

"Mmm," Loki hummed, peering at the pleasant flush of Amelia's cheeks, "Very well. Let's go." As Amelia turned, Loki swatted her ass, prompting her to squeal and squint at him, which he found endlessly amusing. He ushered her out of the room and down the hall to the next door along - the childrens' nursery, and entered the room.

"Mama!" Kari yelled, abandoning his collection of soft toys in favour of rushing over to his mother for a hug. The boy was terribly clingy, always latching onto his mother like a moth to a flame; Loki found himself wondering if Kari would ever grow out of it.

He looked up from his son, eyes scanning across the room.

Romanoff and Barton had volunteered to babysit the children for the night - well, it was more like they'd asked to watch the children so that they didn't have to attend the gala, urging that Amelia and Loki go instead. Loki questioned their motives, finding their reluctance to be at Stark's social gathering odd when they were usually content to mingle with guests and find an excuse to drink.

Stark threw his parties every few months, inviting all sorts of individuals, and most of the Avengers - apart from himself and Thor - were always present. Even some of the extended Avengers 'family' attended often, like Vision and Wanda Maximoff, T'Challa, and even that annoying Midgardian wizard, Doctor Strange. So why were Romanoff and Barton eager to get away from it this time?

"I just want a reason to watch a Disney movie," Clint had joked, at least Loki assumed he was joking, and Natasha had given him a sardonic smile.

"Truth is, people wonder where you've been, always asking about you at these galas, and we're running out of excuses. It's best you make an appearance." Natasha had told him outright.

So the two of them had grown tired of covering for him and had snatched up the opportunity to send him in while getting the chance to spend an evening with the toddlers - all bases covered. Loki figured he would have to make an entrance again eventually; it was suspicious that he had dropped off the map shortly before the children had been born, and that was a whole two and a half-ish years ago. He hadn't been on missions or made an official appearance as an Avenger since. Thor had been on less and less missions as he balanced his kingly duties on the side, but he had a good excuse. Loki, however, was a mystery to the press, and that wasn't a good thing when it came to Loki and the people of NY.

"Whatcha gonna watch, bug?" Amelia asked, trailing her fingers through Kari's wild hair.

The boy pointed at the television where the movie was set up and ready to watch and confidently announced, "Booty and Beast!"

Amelia gasped, "Beauty and the Beast? Nice! You're gonna love this one!"

Kari's big smile was unmatched, he was clearly very excited to watch another Disney movie with his sister, though Aster didn't look as enthused as her brother; Loki watched her chew on her fingers, looking mildly agitated, and he could guess why. Loki had hardly left her side since the moment she was born, and for them to leave her in the care of others - Natasha was fine but Clint... ugh - and Aster was clearly a little worried about it.

A little voice interrupted his musings, "Dada look weird."

Kari had taken that moment to speak up about his father's choice of wardrobe, and, rather annoyingly, Clint seemed to find this hilarious, because the man's obnoxious chuckle fluttered through the air.

"Thank you. That's so kind of you to say." Loki mumbled sarcastically to his son, who remained oblivious to his father's mocking tone. He supposed if he spent a large portion of his time wearing the finer Asgardian clothes, that was what his son had gotten used to and to see him wearing anything other than his princely attire was jarring, but still, the bluntness of children was something to behold.

Aster scooted off the recliner where she had been sitting next to Nat and climbed down to the floor, scrambling across the room with her arms crossed over her chest in request of a cuddle. Loki picked her up and almost had the breath knocked out of him when Aster squeezed her arms around his neck and didn't let go.

"We'll only be downstairs for a few hours, little one," Loki explained. But then, 'a few hours' to a toddler might as well have been 'a whole week', the two were both very impatient and couldn't comprehend the flow of time very well.

Amelia rubbed a hand over Aster's back comfortingly and confidently assured her, "You'll have fun with Auntie Nat and Uncle Clint!" Loki fought the urge to roll his eyes - they were not related, and thus not an aunt or uncle to the children, and yet Amelia insisted on calling them that. The children would surely become confused at the sheer number of aunts and uncles they had as they grew older.

Aster made a soft noise of protest at the back of her throat, and Loki pulled her back and peered at her pouting face. She was definitely putting on a theatrical display - once she settled and started watching the film, Loki was sure she would be fine. But just in case, Loki voiced his thoughts on what her potential worries may have been.

"Perhaps she's worried she won't be able to communicate with you."

"I don't see why," Clint responded, and then surprised everybody but Natasha by signing the words 'I'm fluent in sign language' with astonishing clarity.

"What?" Loki stated dumbly.

"I said-"

"No, I know what you said. How do you know sign language?" Loki asked, a note of irritation in his voice, which was only further fueled when Clint smirked smugly and nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders like it wasn't a big deal.

"Hey, Aster," Clint spoke, drawing the girl's attention. He moved his hands and fingers with expertise, wordlessly asking 'would you like some chocolate?'

Aster reacted as if she was regularly starved, squirming with the need to be placed down on the floor as Clint pulled a packet of chocolate buttons out of his pocket, and then she zoomed across the room, desperate for the taste of chocolate. Clint chuckled again, opening the pack up for her, "I have some for you too, Kari," which immediately summoned the other child. They flocked around him like birds to bird feed, and Loki made sure to give Clint a very dismayed frown. They kids were supposed to be going to bed as soon as the movie was over, and the sugary treat would make it quite a feat to lay them down to sleep, or so they would most likely find out.

Amelia didn't seem as bothered, she smiled brightly and sighed, addressing Natasha, "Are you… one-hundred percent sure you don't wanna go to the gala?" She always had to make sure, always had to double-check, sometimes even triple-check.

"We're sure, Amelia," Nat responded firmly, "Go and have fun."

"Go get drunk," Clint added.

Amelia almost sputtered, "We're not gonna get drunk." They weren't even serving Asgardian alcohol, so Loki couldn't get drunk if he wanted to - or, if he was truly desperate to get drunk, he could drink out Stark's entire supply of alcohol, but why would he do that?

"I've been to so many of Stark's galas. You've been full-time parents for the past two and a half years, so you two enjoy yourselves, and don't worry about the kids," Nat reassured.

"They're in good hands," said Clint. Tch, Loki gave the man a narrow look.

"Alright," Amelia conceded, "If you say so. Now you-" she pointed to Aster, who was happily munching away on chocolate buttons, "no making spider illusions to scare people, and you-" she pointed to Kari, equally ravenous for the treat, "no levitating objects into people's faces at high speeds. We don't want a repeat of last week."

Kari looked bashful, chocolate smudging his lips, "I sowwy."

"I know, bug, it was an accident." Amelia smiled crookedly, remembering how her son had inadvertently slammed the television remote into her face when trying to float it over to her with good intentions, and had almost taken her eye out in the process when he sent it through the air just a little too forcefully. Amelia had held her face in her hand in utter silence, both completely taken aback and blinking back tears of pain while Kari had begun crying almost immediately, knowing he had done wrong. Amelia didn't want the boy to see that he had hurt her.

"Right, we should head down then," Loki said quickly before Kari could start feeling bad again about what he had done. The two of them hurriedly kissed both their children on the forehead and said goodnight in case they weren't back before the kids went to sleep, and prepared to leave the room, but not before Loki could send Clint a parting glare and speak sternly.

"If any problems arise, text my phone."

"You got it," Nat subtly rolled her eyes, "have fun."

"Buh-byeeeeeeeee!" Kari called, while Aster waved her parents off.


When they reached the hallway that led to the communal living space - which was currently furnished in a party-like manner - Loki hung back and let Amelia enter the room alone so that nobody would see them entering together. Loki's intent was to not arouse any suspicion or give away any clues that he was linked to Amelia in the slightest, which he assumed wouldn't be too hard. He would later find out that he was very wrong in that assumption.

Amelia's first instinct was to head over to the table full of food and pick up a decadent little chocolate-frosted cupcake so that she didn't immediately look like she'd wandered in and gotten lost. She didn't want to stand out, so she tried to move with purpose, avoiding making eye contact with anyone lest they struck up a conversation; her plan was to find and hover nearby any one of the Avengers so that she could avoid feeling awkward and looking like she'd attended a lavish party by herself. But at the same time, she had to be careful not to look like she was too familiar with them. This was going to be more difficult than she had first thought.

While she was carefully and slowly devouring her delicious, rich, chocolatey cupcake, she gazed across the room and took in the sights. There were maybe a couple hundred people present - mostly friends and business partners of Tony, but also quite a few journalists. They were spread across the room save for a bundle near the seating area - Amelia assumed that's where Tony was sat and people had naturally flocked around him but she couldn't quite see through all the fancy suits and dresses standing in the way.

On the other side of the room, Bruce and Steve were entertaining many other people at the pool table, taking turns playing billiards and clearly they were recounting a hilarious story because quite a few of the guests were grinning or laughing as they spoke.

Looking towards the dance floor, Amelia picked out a few familiar faces - Scott Lang, aka Ant-Man, was busting a move and looking entirely unapologetic about it. She also spotted Sam Wilson hanging out near the floor-to-ceiling windows, talking to some unfamiliar faces - these Avengers were people she had met briefly but didn't really spend a lot of time talking to.

The music was definitely the type to inspire dancing, but Amelia didn't really feel like making a fool of herself in such sophisticated company, she didn't quite have the confidence that Scott Lang did. There was also a layer of noise from people talking to one another that left the room feeling very lively.

Amelia finished the last bite of her cupcake and quickly sucked chocolate frosting off her thumb and then promptly jumped when a hand tapped her on the shoulder. She spun around, expecting a stranger, but relaxed in pleasant surprise when she recognised Thor standing before her with a grin on his face.

"Thor!" Amelia exclaimed, forcing herself not to be too loud as to attract any attention, "I didn't realise you were going to be here!"

"I didn't realise you were going to be here, you usually do not attend these little parties Stark throws," Thor spoke, and then looked down at her pretty attire, "you look lovely, by the way!"

Amelia smiled and looked anxiously over her shoulder to make sure nobody was paying attention to their conversation. They appeared to be in the clear, "Thank you, Thor. Loki colour-coded me today, as you can see," she gave a gentle laugh, "so, are you here with Inga?" She peered around, searching for the Asgardian woman.

"Ah, no. She has been feeling nauseous the past few days-" As he said those words, Amelia's gaze snapped back to his, her eyes wide and full of assumption.

"Nauseous? For a few days?" Amelia knew what that was symptomatic of.

Thor shook his head, laughter bubbling from his throat, "No, she's not pregnant. She believes she caught something from a patient, so she's at home resting."

Amelia let out a breath, somewhat disappointed at the news, she would've loved to have a little niece or nephew, but Thor and Inga were all about taking their time, "I see, I hope she feels better soon."

Thor nodded, "Also, we think it's for the best we don't allow Midgard to know of our relationship just yet, and the risk would be too great if she had accompanied me here tonight."

"Oh, naturally. There'd be a hell of a lot of broken hearts out there if the world found out you were taken," Amelia snickered. She fully believed the same went for Loki; Amelia had made the mistake of searching Loki's name on the internet once and she had found some… interesting results. Her husband had a huge following online and was popular among young women - they liked to write… stories about themselves meeting Loki, and some of them were shockingly explicit.

Amelia knew all about the world of fanfiction, she had written a few self-indulgent stories of her own for her eyes only when she was a tween about herself and Legolas from Lord of the Rings. But Legolas was a fictional character, and Loki was a real person. It was just kinda weird from her perspective, seeing all these crazy X-rated stories about her husband. She'd gotten flustered and turned off her iPad after a short while, making sure to never mention it to Loki. What would he think?

He'd probably find it funny, actually. He'd probably read some aloud just to make Amelia blush. She could never let him find out.

"I suppose there would be," Thor responded, rubbing his fingers through his beard idly.

Suddenly, Amelia saw the movement in her peripheral vision of many people turning their heads, and the noise layer of chit-chat dissipated so that the only sound was that of the music coming from the speakers. Amelia followed their gazes, finding that they were all staring at the entrance of the room where Loki had finally decided to make an entrance.

Loki glanced around, seemingly confused that everybody had stopped talking just to observe him, and Amelia couldn't blame him - surely humans were past the staring phase by now? Did they stare when Bruce or Steve entered the room? Probably not. Amelia frowned at the people around her.

She watched her husband's gaze pan around the room and then land briefly on her, lingering for just a moment. Amelia couldn't quite discern from where she stood, but from the specific way he inclined his head, she assumed he had rolled his eyes, which brought a smile to her face. Loki ignored the prying eyes and made his way to the bar to pick up a drink, and after the first couple steps, everybody seemed to move on, returning to their conversations and no longer gazing bug-eyed at her husband.

"That was rude of everyone," Amelia murmured as the ambient noise of people talking once again filled the room.

"Mmm," Thor agreed, "perhaps they are just surprised to see him. He hasn't made a public appearance in quite some time. I heard there was speculation that he was dead." Thor found the misunderstanding incredibly amusing, letting out a roaring chortle.

"Dead?!" Amelia gasped, "Why would people think that?"

Thor shrugged, "From their perspectives, it was like he disappeared off the face of the planet. Even I was surprised that he put his Avenger duties completely on hold for the sake of you and the children," he made sure to say those last words quietly, worried that the room was full of eavesdroppers.

Amelia smiled, glancing back over to the bar. Loki now had a drink in hand and was scanning the room just as she had done moments ago when she arrived. Thor wasn't the only one who had been surprised with how Loki had allocated his time; Amelia had expected him to return to frequent missions after the kids had turned six months, but he never broached the subject, and Amelia never mentioned it either, because she loved that he was always there, and she didn't want it to change. The only time he was away was when he put ninety minutes aside every day to do some high-intensity workouts in the training room - or the training grounds, if they were in Asgard - just to ensure he stayed physically fit, which was generally super early in the morning before Amelia and the kids awoke, or late at night after the children had gone to sleep. Even then, he wasn't truly away since he was still in the same building.

Loki really went above and beyond, putting every minute of every day into helping his family flourish, and just pondering on it made Amelia feel dreamy. It was impossible to quantify just how much she loved the father of her children.

"You might want to tone down the ogling if you don't want anybody to know you're involved with my brother," Thor leaned down to speak quietly into her ear, and Amelia blushed.

"Oops, are the love hearts visible in my eyes?"

Thor pretended to scrutinise her for a moment, "Yes. Very much so."

"Right, I'll stop," Amelia laughed, "we should probably stop talking now, in case people start to notice and get curious how we know each other."

Thor looked apologetic, "Indeed. But rest assured I will come and see you after the party, we can talk more openly then." He gave her a brilliant smile and a wink.

"Of course! Talk to you later!" Amelia parted with a smile just as radiant, and then turned to face the room, trying to figure out where to wander to next. The crowd around Tony had dispersed just a little, she could see him talking animatedly to the circle, waving his hands as he spoke and decided she could probably get away with slipping into the small group and pretending that she was hanging off the man's every word like everybody else was.

On her way to Tony, however, somebody bumped into her without too much force, but enough for Amelia to take a startled step back. An almost frantic voice sounded, speaking so fast that Amelia struggled to keep up with it, "Oh my god, I'm so sorry Mrs. Avery, I didn't mean to bump into you like that, are you okay? I wasn't watching where I was going, I'm so sorry!"

Amelia stifled a laugh at the young man's string of apologies, "Peter, you don't have to call me Mrs. Avery. Amelia is fine. And don't worry, I'm good." Peter Parker relaxed at her assurance, but only fractionally; while Amelia wasn't close friends with him, she knew him well enough to know that he was generally all over the place at social functions, and the proof was right there before her.

He was wearing a suit, nothing too fancy, but it definitely helped him to fit in among the sophisticated and wealthy people present, and he probably felt as uncomfortable as he looked in it.

"Right, sorry," he apologised again. It was a good job he hadn't been moving more quickly or he might have spilled his drink all over Amelia's dress; he took a hesitant sip of the dark liquid in his glass and Amelia found herself wondering if whatever he was drinking was alcoholic.

"Are you old enough to drink?" She scrutinised him with a smile and Peter's eyes widened, looking immediately guilty.

"I- um, it's just- just a soda," he blatantly lied.

"Is it? Why are you acting guilty then?"

"I'm not acting guilty," Peter vehemently denied.

"That's exactly what a guilty person would say," Amelia grinned.

Peter pouted diffidently, "Alright, fine. It's vodka and coke, and… I turn twenty-one in five days, so I figured it couldn't be too disastrous if I… had a taste." He was utterly adorable, looking like he'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar - a look Amelia most often found on Kari's face.

"Hehe, I see. And do you like it?" Amelia inquired curiously.

"No, I hate it. There's too much vodka and not enough coke. I should've just gotten a plain soda." Clearly Peter felt too awkward about heading back to the bar and just requesting a non-alcoholic beverage, which was why he was slowly trying to get through his current one.

Amelia snickered, "Alcohol isn't for everyone. And since you're still underaged, I'm telling Tony."

Peter's eyes grew to the size of saucers at Amelia's words, "No- no, please Mrs. Avery, don't tell Mr. Stark!"

"I'm kidding," Amelia laughed, assuaging his fears before he became too panic-stricken, and he let out a breath, dramatically putting a hand to his chest over his heart.

"Are you trying to kill me?" he sighed in relief. The movement of his hand near the base of his throat drew Amelia's attention and she almost choked on her own breath when she noticed the familiar red spandex of his Spider-suit peeking just into view from below his collar. She immediately grabbed at his collar under the guise that she was fixing its presentation and whispered tightly.

"You're wearing the suit under this?" She asked incredulously. Why would he wear it to Tony's party?

"Oh god, oh jeez," he mumbled, "you saw it? Crap! Do you think anyone else saw it?" His eyes began shooting around the room, checking to see if anybody was staring at him. If anybody found out, he was toast.

"No, I think it happened just now when you touched your shirt," Amelia murmured, pulling her hands back after successfully hiding the Spider-Man suit from view. "You ought to be more careful… this would be a bad place for someone to find out exactly who you are." The amount of journalists present ensured his secret would be out into the world in a heartbeat.

"Thanks for that," he rubbed the back of his neck, and then took another disgusted sip of his drink.

"You know you don't have to drink that if you don't want to, right?" Amelia remarked, finding his determination to finish it oddly endearing. He shrugged in response. "You didn't answer my question, by the way. Why are you wearing that suit here?"

"Well…" Peter began, smiling slightly, "you never know when trouble's gonna strike, I can't very well go swinging around to save people without my face covered up. I gotta be ready, you know?"

Amelia bit her lip, "Well I hope for everyone's sake that trouble isn't gonna strike." She glanced over her shoulder, quickly searching for her husband's position. He was talking with a few random people in the centre of the room, pulling out his natural charisma, laying on the charm and probably just telling them what they wanted to hear. At least he was close by in the event that something did happen, but she recalled her birthday almost three years prior when she was kidnapped by aliens and figured that Loki's proximity didn't always guarantee complete security.

Anything could happen. The thought sent a wave of anxiety through Amelia and she frowned - that particular brand of anxiousness wasn't something she had felt for a couple years now.

"Everything will probably be fine. I just like to think ahead and ponder all the potential outcomes." He gave a smile and looked across the room at Loki before tilting his head, "Hey, if you're here, and Mr. Loki is over there… where are the, uh, little ones?"

"Oh, they're up in the nursery watching a movie with Nat and Clint," Amelia revealed, cautiously making sure nobody was listening in, "they offered to babysit while Loki and I came to the party."

"Awesome, I'm gonna go see them! I've only ever seen them a few times and I love kids, and they're so cute and I wanna show them my web shooters cause I think they'd find them pretty cool!" He spoke at a million miles per hour, seemingly super excited at the thought of spending time with Kari and Aster, and he quickly gulped down the rest of his beverage, his face twisting in displeasure at the taste.

Amelia stammered briefly, but Peter was gone in an instant, rushing for the exit before she could explain that they were supposed to be going to bed once they finished their movie and could go without the added excitement. She sighed, groaning slightly at being left alone in the middle of the party once again; she was about to ask Peter if the two of them could just stick together for the rest of the evening because it would give them both less of a reason to feel awkward, and since nobody knew Peter's identity as Spider-Man, Amelia wouldn't be at risk of being noticed.

But she supposed she'd have to figure something else out. She just hoped that this wouldn't result in her children being awake for half the night because they'd only be sleepy and groggy the next morning.

She took in a breath, straightening up her shoulders and resumed her initial plan of slipping into Tony's little circle. Amelia grabbed a flute of champagne from the serving tray of a passing waiter, just so she had something for her hands to interact with, and found a way to inconspicuously slide between two people who were too involved with Tony's words to acknowledge her.

Tony saw her immediately, of course, and Amelia saw the warmth and greeting reflected in his eyes without him having to say a word, and he quickly continued with what he was explaining. Amelia had no clue what he was in the process of talking about, because she could barely discern his rapid techno-babble speech. She barely picked up on the word 'propulsion' and assumed he was talking about the improvements he was making to his newest suit.

Amelia sipped her champagne idly, forcing herself to mimic everybody else's faces as if she knew what the man was talking about, but her attention was drawn easily away when somebody slithered into her peripheral vision, standing opposite her in the circle. Loki. She locked eyes with him, feeling a jolt of gratitude that he was standing close by, but it came with a secondary wave of agitation that she couldn't stand next to him, lean into his side, put her arm around him or hold his hand like she usually would. She did smile at him though, biting her lip to stifle it just a bit, and she saw the corner of his lip tilt upwards in response.

"-Anyway, I'll delve further into it at the press conference next week," Tony finished his technobabble speech and motioned to Loki, "as you can all see, Reindeer Games here has decided to join us, I'm sure you've all missed him." Loki gave Tony a dark look at the mention of his favourite nickname to use while a few of the attendees around the circle chuckled.

"Yes. It's good to be back." Loki responded, his words absolutely drenched in sarcasm as he gave a sardonic smile to those around him.

"A lot of us have been wondering where exactly you went. You haven't made any public appearances in what seems like three years, and Tony here never made many comments on the matter," one man spoke up from Amelia's right, his tone only vaguely accusatory and more curious than anything.

"Well, I do have a life outside of the Avengers," Loki responded smoothly, "I have mostly been aiding my brother in the expansion of Asgard in Norway. As his chief advisor, I have many tasks that require a large portion of my time." While it wasn't exactly a lie, Loki was definitely overplaying the truth - being Thor's chief advisor wasn't what took up the most of his time.

"Say, I for one would love to visit Asgard, when are we humans going to be able to travel there and see the sights ourselves?" The man to Amelia's left interjected, and Amelia realised with chagrin that she had inadvertently put herself between the more vocal, bold guests present. It made her paranoid that people were looking at her whenever they looked at them.

Loki pursed his lips, eyeing the man coolly, "It's not a tourist attraction. No Midgardians currently have authorisation to enter the kingdom, and I believe it will remain that way for quite some time." Amelia liked how easily the lie slipped off his tongue, and she preened slightly, taking great pleasure in the fact that she alone was the only Midgardian authorised to enter Asgard.

"Sounds kinda discriminatory against humans if you ask me," the same guy spoke, a cocky smirk on his face that suggested he was just joking around, but Loki appeared unamused by his jest.

Loki coolly took a sip of his whiskey and gave the man a tight response, "My people were forced to watch their entire planet succumb to the eternal flames of Surtur shortly after a sizable chunk of the population was wiped out by the murderous Goddess of Death. Please forgive us for exercising caution."

Amelia glanced slowly around at the faces of those present, they all looked incredibly uncomfortable, and the man who had spoken was staring down into his own drink with an expression that suggested he was rethinking his life. Tony appeared to be regretting inviting Loki to the gala.

"Well, I think that makes perfect sense," said the woman standing to Loki's right. She wore a glamorous dress, had very expertly applied makeup that made her lips and eyes look bigger, and her shiny blonde locks hung in curls down by her shoulders, "Hopefully your people will be able to establish a profound trust with humanity, and vice versa." She touched her hand to his forearm briefly, a fleeting gesture that made Amelia vehemently dislike the woman immediately.

Loki looked vaguely taken aback by the contact but hid it well, eyes flicking rigidly down to his arm and then to the woman's face - she was smiling in a way that was clearly flirtatious, but the frown on Loki's face didn't shift.

He then looked to Amelia, whose jaw was clenched as she glared openly at the brazen woman. Loki's mouth opened and he paused for only a moment before responding concisely, "Yes. Hopefully."

The proceeding lull in the conversation grew unfortunately awkward, and Amelia was practically begging someone - anyone - to say something in order to return to regular conversation. Her pleas were answered by an elderly man standing near Tony, "I'm curious, is your attendance here an implication that you're going to return to the Avengers team and take on regular missions again?"

Amelia could see that Loki hadn't expected to be asked that, and although it wasn't obvious to the rest of the company, Amelia could see that her husband floundered for a few seconds as he thought over his answer, "I am… unsure," he murmured, eyes zipping subtly to Amelia, "I think… perhaps it will be possible to… balance my time evenly between aiding the Avengers and aiding the kingdom of Asgard."

"Really? So you are rejoining the team soon?" An older woman exclaimed, seemingly excited at the prospect.

Loki was taken off guard by her enthusiasm and cleared his throat, swirling his whiskey around in the glass, "I… I suppose."

While the other faces around them were filled with pleasant surprise and zeal at the news, Amelia was filled only with anxiety and hurt. She had hoped the issue of Loki resuming his work as an Avenger would be something the two of them could talk over together extensively, not a decision for Loki alone to make, and he seemed to realise his error, because he looked apologetic as his eyes flickered to Amelia's.

She looked down, frowning at her champagne which she had barely sipped.

"Oh, that's wonderful news! It will be so good to see you out there again, keeping our world safe!" The annoying woman at Loki's side fawned, attempting to endear herself to him, she even inched a little closer to him, to which Loki leaned away, "I do hope you will make more public appearances in the meantime." Her laugh bubbled up out of her throat in a way she probably thought was cute. It wasn't.

"We will see," Loki replied, neither here nor there.

Amelia tried to ignore the woman, knowing she had nothing to worry about in terms of Loki and other women, but it didn't stop the burrowing jealousy at the fact that this lady - some nameless journalist with a pretty face - was able to stand closer to Amelia's husband than she herself without any consequences.

She considered walking away from the group, but she didn't really want to be any further away from Loki, and she was curious at what her husband would talk about with these people - namely, whether he would make any other brash decisions in spite of her standing right there.

"I have a question," the blonde woman spoke, giving his forearm another presumptuous little touch that made Loki want to take a step away from her, "that ring on your finger… am I right in assuming that you're married?"

Loki, Amelia and Tony all visibly froze while the other people present all stared down at Loki's hand, their eyes picking out the simple silver band that encircled his ring finger. They couldn't tell, but on the inside of the ring, Amelia's name was engraved in Asgardian runes.

"Whoa, I hadn't even noticed that," said one voice.

"Are you actually married?" Another incredulous sounding person enquired.

"Who is she? The people of New York would love to know!" A journalist cried.

Loki bit the inside of his cheek furiously, cursing himself for forgetting to remove such a blatant implication of his marital status, and at the same time, Amelia moved her hands to subtly hide her own silver wedding band.

He had to think fast before any rumours blossomed, "No," he answered with swift confidence, "no, it's just a piece of jewellery, nothing more than that."

Even though Amelia knew it was for the safety and privacy of their family, it still stung to hear Loki brush the evidence of their union aside like that. Being the incredibly skillful liar that Loki was, everybody promptly believed him, not questioning his words for even a moment.

"That's good to hear," the blonde woman said shamelessly, endeavouring to instantly turn on the charm, making sure Loki caught sight of her demure smile, "because I would love to get to know you a little more… intimately." This time her hand landed on Loki's arm and didn't leave, latching on.

That was the last straw for Amelia. She forced herself not to crush the champagne glass in her raging grip and quickly stepped away, spinning on her heel and storming away so she could cool off elsewhere.

Nobody but Loki and Tony noticed her leaving the group, and Loki stared after her, this time cursing the woman at his side for her immodest behaviour which ended up causing his wife distress. He grabbed the woman's wrist and pried her hand from his arm.

"I'm not interested," he growled, and cared little for the appalled look on the woman's face - she probably wasn't the kind of woman who was used to being rejected - and took advantage of Amelia's unnoticed departure by following after her.

Tony looked over the mix of confused and scandalised faces of the people before him and forced a smile, "So, who wants to hear a really interesting anecdote about the time I had a whole moon thrown at me?"


Loki strode across the room slipping his wedding band into his pocket to avoid any other close calls from other observant humans, intent to rejoin his wife and apologise for the situation that had arisen, but despite his deft weaving throughout the groups of people, one Midgardian approached him daringly and stood in his way, raising his hands to stop Loki in his footsteps.

"Excuse me, Mr. Loki, can I have a word?"

Loki glared at the man and made to move around him, but the human was all too persistent, quickly scurrying back into his path and keeping him from walking away.

"I don't have time for this," Loki groused.

"Please, just a moment of your time! I have something I need to say!" The man's brown eyes looked almost pleading, and Loki frowned, scrutinising the man with irritation and a little bit of curiosity. His hair was black, his skin was brown, he had a moustache and glasses, and he wore a smart, simple suit. His polite disposition didn't suggest that he was a journalist, which Loki had just about had enough of that day, so who exactly was this man and why did he want so desperately to talk to him?

Loki peered across the room to where his wife was taking a seat at the bar, and pursed his lips, breathing a sigh out of his nose, "Fine, be quick about it." His wife's feelings were more important than appearing courteous to the guests, so Loki tried to hurry the man along.

The human looked happy that he'd been allowed the chance to speak, "Thank you! My name is Calum Collins, I'm a senator and a friend of Tony Stark's. I've actually wanted to meet you for quite some time, but it wasn't until tonight that I have been afforded the chance. When I heard you were going to be here, I knew it was an event I couldn't miss!"

Loki inwardly cringed, wondering why this man seemed to be telling him his whole life story when he had just told the man to hurry it up; his eyes kept flicking over to where Amelia sat alone on a barstool, slumped dejectedly on the bar surface.

"You see, I owe you, Loki. I am indebted to you, in fact, because you did something for me years ago that I will never forget, and I am thankful everyday that you did what you did," Calum continued cryptically, "If you hadn't saved my girl that night, I don't know what I'd have done…"

It began to make sense. Loki had saved somebody this man cared about, and that's why he was just short of falling to his knees and kissing his toes in gratitude; Loki generally never hung around for too long after rescuing civilians from danger, usually they were in too much shock to thank him, and by the time their astonishment had worn away, he was long gone from their presence.

"Right. Well, you're very welcome. Now, if you please," Loki motioned for the man to stand aside and let him pass, but Calum didn't budge. In fact, the man's eyes shone with mirth.

"You don't remember her, do you? My little girl?"

Loki stifled the urge to roll his eyes, "I save a lot of people, it's difficult to remember all their faces."

"That's okay, I understand," Calum assured, "her name's Rio, and let me tell you, she wishes she could be in my shoes right now standing in front of you! She idolises you!"

Loki forced a polite smile, "Well, that's… wonderful." Part of him wished the man would become offended at the sarcasm in his voice so that he'd walk off and let Loki be on his way, but either the man was entirely oblivious to it, or he just didn't care.

"She tells all the kids at school that you're her friend! Tells them you saved her and that you like Harry Potter - which I was surprised to hear! She honestly never stops talking about you, and I think, I mean - if it's alright with you - perhaps one day I could… bring her to see you? Just for a short while, just so she can see you again."

Loki gave a half-hearted shrug, his face twisting into an expression mixed with agitation and uncertainty, "I… have a very busy schedule…"

Calum looked disappointed, but he tried to hide it, smiling through it with unbridled optimism, "Ah, right, of course. Don't worry about it, I know you must be busy. Sorry to hold you up, but… thank you again," the unwavering appreciation in the man's voice despite Loki's blatant rudeness gave him pause, and Loki gave the man an odd look as he finally stepped out of the way.

Loki faltered as he passed him, his mission to return to his wife once again delaying as familiarity suddenly struck him. Calum had said his daughter's name was Rio - Loki did recall the name. His eyebrows furrowed as he searched his memories, and then he turned slowly, seeing that Calum was still standing by with a hopeful look on his face.

"Oranges and lemons?" Loki uttered faintly, the words to an obnoxious song that popped into his head alongside the name.

Calum's face practically lit up like a Christmas tree, "Say the bells of Saint Clements!" He finished the lyric keenly, grinning from ear to ear, "Yes! That was always her favourite song!"

Then, despite himself, Loki smiled.

"I do remember." Rio Collins, the little girl who had been kidnapped by moronic terrorists who demanded a ransom. They'd kept her locked in a room and she had tormented them by singing that song - Oranges and Lemons - at full volume, completely fearless in the face of what should've been a terrifying situation for a little girl. She'd demanded Loki save her stuffed toy, and he had. That was almost five years ago now.

It had been some time after Amelia had learnt of his true identity. When Loki believed Amelia was done with him and wouldn't give him another chance at redemption; it had been that very next morning that Stark had revealed Loki's presence on Earth to the population of Manhattan. Loki had been sure it would not go according to plan, that humanity would vehemently reject him, and yet when the world saw him carrying Rio to safety, they chose to give him another chance. Amelia chose to give him another chance.

If it wasn't for Rio, Loki may never have ended up where he was now - the husband to a gorgeous wife and the father to their two beautiful children.

Loki was speechless for a few seconds, he momentarily couldn't seem to contain the joy he felt. "I remember her. Of course. Rio, how could I forget?"

Calum looked beyond happy, "Oh, she's going to be over the moon when I tell her!"

"How old is she now?" Loki asked, very interested in knowing how the girl was doing now.

"She's eleven years old! She'll be twelve in January!" The man responded with boundless vitality - it was truly no wonder where his daughter had gotten all her optimism and energy from.

"Wow," Loki breathed, "it seemed like only yesterday…"

"They do grow up so fast," Calum remarked with pride and then chuckled, "they waste no time!"

"No, I suppose not," Loki replied, thinking of his own two children upstairs at that moment watching a movie. He wondered if they too would grow up in a flash; it did often feel like it was only a few weeks ago that they had been born.

He looked at Calum, feeling an odd sense of understanding with him. They were both fathers who loved their children dearly, and while Loki worried about Kari and Aster's safety often, he had never experienced the terror of them being taken from him like Calum had.

It was then that Loki comprehended the limitless gratitude overflowing from the man. Calum must have thought he would never see his daughter again that night, and perhaps if it wasn't for Loki, there was a chance that could have become reality.

"I am… glad to have helped," Loki told the man earnestly, "and maybe… I could find time to meet her again."

Calum looked very affected by his words, and then rather unexpectedly, he grabbed Loki's upper arms and pulled him into a tight hug. Unsure of how to react, Loki simply froze, letting it happen while praying nobody was looking their way. It didn't last too long, and Calum pulled back with a glowing expression.

"Loki, thank you. For everything. And that would be tremendous."

Calum finally let him be after that, and Loki watched him walk away. He was so taken aback by everything that had just occurred that he almost forgot where he'd been headed. Loki turned, eyes falling back to his wife at the bar, and his gaze narrowed at the sight of her leaning away from a man sat beside her - a man who was inclined just a little too closely towards her.


A few minutes earlier…

Amelia plonked herself down on a vacant barstool, seething grouchily as she stared at the surface before her. The nerve of that woman. The audacity. She needed to cool down before she marched back over and confronted the lady, giving the game away in the process. She knew her involvement with Loki had to stay a secret, but she never imagined it would be so difficult to keep it under wraps.

Loki certainly hadn't helped matters. He just stood there and let the woman flirt with him, why hadn't he moved away from her or just outright told her to stop? Did he really just enjoy the attention that much?

Amelia growled low in her throat, swirling the very little amount of champagne left in her glass; she shouldn't have come to the party - Loki should've just attended alone and Amelia could've remained blissfully unaware of the woman brazenly flirting with him. It put her in a sour mood.

It would probably be best if she just walked out now and rejoined the babies upstairs for the rest of the Disney movie they were watching, then she could grumble to Loki when they slipped into bed later that evening. She became even more crabby when she realised they'd likely miss out on the alone time she had been hoping for; before the party, she had pictured them making passionate love at the end of the night while they still had the chance, but now she was too peevish to see that happening. Great. They could've taken their sweet time too, instead of rushing through it like they normally had to do, what with the kids being unpredictable with when they needed attention.

Just when she was about to slip away and head for the exit, a man sat down right beside her and greeted her.

"Alright darlin'? You're looking rather lonely over 'ere all by yourself," his accent was strictly cockney, coming across as brash and garish, and he looked to be in his late thirties. His hair was blond and shaved close to the scalp, his eyes were small and a little squinty, and a very unimpressive, dull blue hue.

Amelia's mouth fell open as a result of her displeasure at the way he spoke to her; she didn't like being called 'darling' by anybody but her husband, and the way this man was leering at her did not make her feel comfortable or safe in the slightest.

She must have taken too long to say anything - which really wasn't that long - because the man continued to speak, "Have I rendered you speechless? Must be my dashing good looks," he laughed at his own joke, "the name's Leon Royce, I'm a journalist for the New York Post, and who may I have the pleasure of talking to today?"

Amelia really didn't want to speak to the guy. He gave off all sorts of wrong vibes, and for a while now Amelia had been the type to trust her gut instinct - and her gut instinct said to walk away from the man. But, Amelia was also terribly flawed in that she didn't want to be rude, even when rudeness was warranted, so she bit her tongue and gave the fakest, most forced smile she had ever given.

"Um. My name is Amelia." She didn't give her last name.

"Amelia! Ah, what a beautiful name for a beautiful lady!" Leon let his eyes rake over her body, spending extra time dragging over her breasts and legs; Amelia wanted so desperately to slap the man across the face for looking at her like she was a piece of meat. She didn't respond to his attempt at a compliment and turned her head, hoping the journalist would get the hint.

He didn't get the hint.

"So tell me how ya know Tony Stark. You must have a high-end job to be invited to a gala like this." If that was true, Amelia wanted to know how this man had gotten himself an invitation.

"No, I'm just a friend of his," she responded dismissively, looking down at her drink instead of at the man's face.

"Oh wow," he said, and it sort of sounded like he didn't believe her, as if she was claiming to be his friend just to sound braggy, "you know any of the other Avengers personally then?"

Amelia paused, eyes narrowing suspiciously, and then she realised she'd been sucked into a conversation with a man who was clearly looking for a big scoop that would further his career, and that he wasn't just asking out of his own interest.

"No. Just Tony." Amelia answered, not only because she didn't want to fall victim to the man's investigative journalism - or rather, interrogation - but because implying that she was close with any of the Avengers would be a breach of her safety, especially to somebody who worked for the newspaper.

"I see," he paused for a second, "and what're you doing sitting here all by yourself, love?"

Amelia's hand clenched subtly. The pet name sounded god-awful coming from his mouth, unlike when it was Loki's voice speaking the term of endearment. Whenever Loki called her 'love', it always made Amelia melt, but when this guy referred to her with the word all casually, it made her want to throw up.

"Just taking a break from the crowd, that's all."

As she spoke, she sensed somebody taking a seat at the barstool to her left; she turned her head and relaxed instantaneously upon seeing that it was Loki. Her comfort levels flew back up and she felt safe and secure knowing he was right there beside her; he gave her a brief look, his eyes communicating what he had to refrain from saying with his mouth. I'm sorry. I love you. Is this moron bothering you?

Amelia gave him a smile that said she was fine now that he was there. Her previous exasperation was forgotten for the moment in the light of her husband coming to her rescue. Still, they had to maintain the illusion that they didn't know each other, so their gazes really didn't hold for all that long before Amelia's eyes were back on her empty glass. She chanced a glimpse back to Leon in the hopes that he had lost interest and was no longer paying attention to her.

Leon was staring guardedly over Amelia's shoulder at Loki, his eyes full of distrust and suspicion; she really didn't like that he was looking at her husband with that awful stare. Unfortunately, he noticed she was now looking at him, and took this as an invitation to continue their very much one-sided conversation.

"You 'ere with anyone tonight, darlin'?"

Amelia swallowed tightly, knowing that Loki certainly wouldn't like the way the journalist was addressing her. He was surely bristling behind her and getting ready to interject should the man start to harass her.

She wanted to say that she was here with somebody, because really didn't trust the man, but if she claimed to be there with somebody, he would most definitely ask who, maybe even ask her to point them out, and then she wouldn't know what to say, because she wasn't supposed to have any ties to the Avengers, and she didn't know anybody beyond that.

"...No," Amelia murmured reluctantly, and cringed when Leon brightened at her answer.

"Sooooo," the man spoke, the syllable drawn out in a way he probably thought was smooth, but was in fact entirely grating, "you got a boyfriend?"

Amelia ground her teeth together, "Well, no-"

"Really?" Leon sounded far too pleased, "Pretty thing like you hasn't been picked up yet, huh?" He didn't let Amelia correct him and turned to flag down the bartender, "Oi, mate. Two martinis over here," he pointed down at the space in front of him and the bartender dipped his head in acknowledgement, preparing to make the drinks.

Amelia was infuriated by just how tactless the son of a bitch was. The way he addressed the bartender was disgusting, as if he had the right to order the man around, and he didn't even say please - plus, the way he assumed he could get Amelia a drink. There was no way she would accept anything from him, least of all a martini.

She grimaced as the drinks were placed in front of Leon and herself, looking down at it with distaste. She shifted uncomfortably, aware that she was squirming. Amelia was not going to drink that.

"Anything for you, sir?" The bartender asked Loki.

"Just a red wine, please."

"Coming right up."

Amelia much preferred a man with manners, case and point.

"So, how about you and I head back to my hotel room and get to know each other?" Leon looked like the mouse that got the cheese with his crooked grin, thinking he'd somehow won her over simply because he believed she was single.

Amelia allowed herself to be a little smug, "Oh, I don't think my partner would appreciate that."

It was a joy to see the satisfaction wash off Leon's face, and Amelia wondered if Loki was taking a subtle glance over to enjoy the view as well, because it was truly a gratifying sight.

"Hang on, love, you said you didn't 'ave a boyfriend!" His tone was accusatory and sharp, and it sent a thrum of anxiety through her. The knowledge that Loki was right beside her was the only thing that kept her calm and composed.

"I don't have a boyfriend," Amelia stated, raising her left hand to show the man her rings. She wore both the silver wedding band and the gold-emerald engagement ring Loki had given her initially, even though it wasn't customary to wear both, she couldn't bring herself to remove such a beautiful piece of jewellery, and besides, nothing in Asgardian culture gave any reason for her to take it off, so she used that fact for her benefit.

A very unflattering look came over Leon's face, which wasn't saying much because every look of his seemed to be unflattering, and his eyes fell to the engagement ring first, "A fiance?"

"Husband, in fact," Amelia clarified complacently, "I'm married. Happily."

Leon eyed the rings, bouncing his leg up and down idly as his eyes flickered back and forth between her hand and her face, "Tch. That's your engagement ring? It ain't even a diamond, love."

"So what?" Amelia responded tightly, ready to defend her husband's choice in proposal jewellery in a heartbeat.

"So that's pretty cheap of him. Why'd you go and say yes to some prick who don't even know how to buy a proper engagement ring?"

Amelia looked down at her hand, stretching her fingers out to admire the emerald placed between petal-like gold; she knew her husband well enough to know he was seething at this man's nonsense.

"Because," said Amelia, "my husband doesn't need to compensate for anything."

The sound of Loki exhaling an amused breath brought Amelia quite a bit of contentment in knowing he approved of the insult. Leon looked visibly affronted, but instead of taking a damn hint, he leaned in closer, giving Amelia a toothy smirk that she hated more than anything.

"I've got a big dick," he felt the need to inform her.

"I didn't ask," Amelia responded sternly. Why were so many men just like this?

"I'd be happy to show it to you."

"I just told you I'm married." And even if she wasn't, the answer would still be no.

Leon lowered his voice marginally, "Yeah, well your husband don't 'ave to know about it, love." Loki's superior ears could definitely still hear the man clear as day over the music and chatter in the large room, despite Leon's attempt at talking quietly.

"I'm gonna have to decline your most generous offer," Amelia sneered sarcastically, not even trying to hide the glower on her face.

"Aw, come on love! I'm a Londoner - American girl's love and English accent. You really telling me I don't do it for you? I will show you a good time, you might even decide to leave him after we're done. I'm that good!" Leon had leaned in closer, his tone moving over into forceful territory, and Amelia scrambled to veer back so he wasn't directly in her face, her hand quickly pawing blindly behind her in search of Loki's arm.

Her fingertips had barely made contact with his wrist before Loki was on his feet in a heartbeat, positioned between Amelia and the man who was making the mistake of harassing her. Amelia exhaled the terrified breath she had been holding, the tension melting away a bit as her husband jumped to defend her from the creep.

She couldn't see Leon's face now, but she assumed he looked like he was in the process of shitting himself. Loki spoke with surprising calmness that was underlying with deadliness, "She said no."

There were a few beats of silence, and then Leon spoke, his voice wavering in confidence, "Nobody asked you, mate. Piss off, I'm tryna pull."

"The only thing you'll be pulling is your miniscule cock when you masturbate alone in your hotel room tonight."

Amelia had to clap a hand over her mouth so as not to practically squawk out a hysterical laugh - her husband's comebacks were legendary. Leon didn't seem to think Loki's insult was very funny.

"Why you prissy piece of shit-" Loki cut the man off by giving him a firm shove, pushing him back several paces. Leon only just managed to catch himself and he gawked back at Loki like he'd done the most unforgivable thing.

"You don't want to make a scene here. I don't want to see you within twenty feet of this woman for the rest of the night. Walk away." Loki spoke, his tone quietly enraged. Amelia did not hear another word from Leon, blissfully, and she subtly peered over her shoulder to see him skulking away with his tail between his legs.

It was a huge relief. Amelia breathed a shuddering sigh - that had been hellish.

Loki returned to his seat, a comforting hand resting lightly on her upper back in a way that any onlookers could interpret as a friendly consolation - it was the most he could get away with under so many curious eyes. If it wasn't for the fact that they were surrounded by strangers who knew who he was, he probably would've swept her into his arms and held her close.

"Are you alright?" He asked gently.

Amelia drew in a steadying breath and nodded tightly, "I'm fine."

"I'm sorry I didn't intervene sooner."

"No, no, it's fine, I- I appreciate that you let me… stand up for myself. For as long as I could, at least," she felt a little embarrassed that she had lost her composure rather than putting her foot down and assertively telling the man to go fuck himself.

"You were spectacular, darling." He took his hand away, figuring that if he let it linger any longer people might start to suspect something, and Amelia gave a small smile at the compliment. She supposed it was quite significant that she had kept it together as long as she had, it certainly showed that her confidence in herself had built back up slowly. Ever since that day Eruk had stolen her away, she had felt like a cowering mess whenever somebody even raised their voice just a little, so for her to react strongly and speak firmly to that son of a bitch - it was good. It was a good thing and Amelia was proud of herself.

Still, it had pretty much emotionally drained her and she wanted to get away from the noise.

"I'm gonna… go back to our room," Amelia told him quietly, "this party wasn't as fun as I expected it to be."

Loki looked at her for a moment, his eyebrows furrowing apologetically, and he nodded his head, "Go relax, I'll rejoin you soon."

Amelia smiled sadly, eyes flicking briefly to his lips, wishing she could kiss him goodnight, and she slipped off the barstool and made her way out of the room, unseen by almost everybody present.

Loki sighed, staring after her. Up until he watched her walk away just then, he had intended to stay just a little while longer, but the look in her eyes before she left… he just wanted to be with her. Fuck the party, he'd rather make love to his wife.

He swallowed down the remainder of his wine and stood, smoothing out his suit before following after her.

Across the room, Leon Royce loitered by his lonesome, eyeing the exit of the room where Amelia had just left moments ago - he was resonating with dark intentions and inflamed by what the Avenger Loki had just said to him.

The journalist watched said Avenger sneakily follow the woman out just moments behind her, Leon's thin eyebrows rose up with suspicion and he was filled with the intuitive feeling to shadow them both - because why would Loki pursue that woman out of the room? What was that wicked Asgardian planning? Something was going on.

Leon spotted an opportunity. He glanced around briefly before trailing out of the room with the intent to stalk them both.


Loki caught up with his wife relatively quickly with long strides, he didn't call out to her, once again not wanting to risk giving away that he knew her by name - while the hallway outside the main room was currently vacant aside from them, there was definitely a chance someone could walk out and see them at any moment, so he did not let his guard down yet.

This being the case, Amelia heard footsteps fast approaching her and swung round, startled, clearly nervous that it could have been that damn journalist. She relaxed quickly upon realising it was, in fact, her husband.

"Loki, what are you-?" Amelia trailed off when Loki grabbed her upper arm and glanced over his shoulder briefly before pulling open the closest door - which just so happened to lead to a walk-in closet full of cleaning supplies used by the maid staff - and ushered Amelia in, closing it firmly behind them. "Loki?" She questioned in the darkness of the small room.

Instead of answering her verbally, Loki fumbled for the light switch so that they could see each other clearly, and then he took her face in his hands and gave her a slow, lazy kiss that was welcomed and joyfully reciprocated. Amelia melted into it, sighing as all the tension slowly seeped out of her shoulders and allowed her to relax.

Loki deepened the kiss and Amelia moaned softly. The sound struck a note of arousal within Loki and he growled low in the back of his throat; it reverberated pleasantly between them and made Amelia shiver.

When they parted, they didn't stray far from each other; Loki pressed his forehead to Amelia's, his nose brushing against her own as he held her close to him and revelled in the fact that inside this closet, they didn't have to pretend to be strangers to one another.

"Are you truly alright?" Loki asked, needing to be sure. The man's harassment had been revolting, and Loki was absolutely going to speak with Stark about this particular guest, he was sure Stark would have the man banned from any future events in a heartbeat once he knew what Amelia had endured.

"I am now," she whispered, arms winding around his neck.

"I should have kicked him out," Loki murmured, wishing he had done just that. It maddened him to know that sleazy bastard was still in the gala, potentially pestering other women and making them feel uncomfortable.

"It was for the best that you didn't make a scene," Amelia reminded him, "and I shouldn't have come, I don't think I like the idea of attending a party with you while not being able to speak to you or even go near you without risking our safety. Let's not do this again."

Loki pressed an apologetic kiss to her forehead, "Next time we're in Asgard, we'll have our own party." Amelia closed her eyes and smiled gratefully, she was thankful that Asgard was one of the few places they could show as much affection as they wanted without risking anything at all.

Amelia's hands shifted, palms running down the front of Loki's black jacket, creeping underneath to drag over the material of his green shirt, "I was hoping to get some time alone with you tonight." She had hoped it would be back in their room, but now she was quite eager to feel Loki's skin against hers and she didn't think she could wait.

"I'm all yours, love," Loki breathed, his deep voice rumbling pleasantly in a way that sent wonderful tingles down Amelia's spine.

"Yeah, you are all mine," Amelia sighed. She roughly grabbed his tie, the golden pin falling loose and hitting the floor with a quiet ping, and pulled him closer so that her lips could brush against his ear, "So put your damn wedding ring back on."

Loki shuddered and let out a soft chuckle, "As you command." He was surprised she had noticed he'd taken it off in all the commotion, but she seemed to understand why he'd made the reluctant decision. He wasted no time pulling it out of his pocket and placing it securely back on the corresponding finger.

"Much better," said Amelia, "now come here." Loki allowed himself to be pulled down and kissed with more force; Amelia could feel the smile on his face as she nipped at his lips, demanding more, and her hands tightened on his hips, showcasing her desire for him to bring her pleasure.

"What would you like me to do?"

There was something that was just wonderfully perfect about Loki asking such a question, because it gave Amelia power knowing he would give her whatever she wanted; Loki peppered kisses from the corner of her mouth down to her jaw, and then nibbled and pecked at her neck, knowing just where each sensitive spot was to make her gasp.

"I just want you to- fuck me," Amelia stammered, and her hand slipped down between his legs, feeling the weight of his cock through the fabric of his pants as it hardened, "-please, now."

Loki groaned and ground his hips forward against Amelia's hand, basking in the friction, and then with deft fingers, he pulled her dress up to reveal her panties and slipped his fingers below to pull them down her legs. His hands then explored, ghosting over her stomach as he hiked the dress up further and resumed kissing her neck.

"Loki, now," Amelia repeated with a little more force and a lot more desperation.

A throaty chuckle escaped him and he obliged, reaching blindly with one hand to unbuckle his belt and unzip his trousers; he worked too slowly with his dexterous fingers and Amelia took over while tilting her head back to give Loki from access to her neck. She pushed down his trousers and underwear, freeing his erection which she took eagerly in her hands and began to stroke.

Loki grunted as he pumped his hips in time with Amelia's strokes, finding her keenness to be incredibly arousing. He knew her fervour didn't just come from the fact that it had been just over a week since their last intimate coupling, it was also born from her jealousy earlier that evening as she witnessed a female guest openly flirting with him, and again just a few minutes prior after having to endure that greasy journalist's persecution. She craved reassurance in the arms of the man she loved, and Loki was more than willing to give that to her.

He finally gave her mercy, slipping his hand between her bare legs to run his fingers between her slick folds, and she grew taut immediately as she let free a quiet whimper, gripping and holding his arm in place with her free hand so she could grind against it ardently.

"Oh, my darling, one would think I haven't touched you in months," Loki remarked on her earnest display and she let out a soft noise of embarrassment, dropping her head forward to hide her face against his shoulder, which he found wholeheartedly amusing, but she did not stop seeking out her pleasure against his hand, in fact she only seemed to grow more zealous.

"I need you," her words were muffled against the material of his jacket.

"Then I won't draw this out any longer," Loki promised. She gave a groan of disappointment when he retracted his hand and swatted hers away from his member, but it quickly evolved into an anticipatory gasp when he lifted her against the wall with his strong hands beneath her thighs.

"Lift your dress," he instructed firmly, and she floundered, pawing at and bunching up the fabric far more than was needed, exposing herself to him completely, "Good, little dove." Another noise escaped Amelia - that pet name always had her feeling hot and bothered.

Loki's hands were occupied keeping Amelia lifted up, but he didn't have to ask her to help him out - she reached a hand down between them and guided his cock between her folds and into her hole. He slipped in slowly, a breathy moan leaving his throat as her wet heat encompassed him entirely. He bottomed out completely and remained there, still, waiting.

"Alright?" Loki asked her, wanting to make sure he wasn't hurting her.

"Ah, yes… yes," Amelia chanted, almost rasping, her words completely pleasure-addled. Well, that answered that question. She looked positively dizzy with it, her cheeks burning a glorious pink from the stimulation; she was absolutely beautiful, and it seemed she was never going to let him forget that. He saw it every time he looked at her, especially when they were connected like this, seeing Amelia in the throes of ecstasy was his favourite thing to experience. "Go… go," she urged him.

Loki did, moving leisurely at first; she tipped her head back, mouth agape, blinking slowly at him with a look in her eyes that suggested she was drunk with pleasure. To see her like this was a privilege that only he knew, that no other would ever know, because Amelia belonged to him, as he did to her.

"Mine," he growled, pecking her on the lips.

"Mine," she responded after a moment with equal intensity.

He increased his pace gradually, taking great rapture in the sounds his wife was making; her long moans and her short, vocal gasps made him weak at the knees, telling him he was doing a damn good job. Usually, Amelia was quite the contributor when it came to sex, she would meet his thrusts by pushing back on his cock, she would run her hands all over his body or kiss every inch of his skin that she could reach, but today she was clearly in the mood to relax and let him do all the work, which Loki was perfectly fine with, because she deserved this, and Loki was content to ler her have this. Plus, he loved watching her luxuriate and take her pleasure from him in this way.

She did move her hand to where they were connected and teased his cock with some featherlight touches as it moved in and out of her, before using the pads of her fingers to circle her clit.

Her flushed face and rosy cheeks were quite the visage. The desire to kiss her arose and thus he did so, not once faltering in the pace of his pumping hips; Amelia's free hand shot up to curl around the back of his head and tangle in his soft, silky hair, holding him in place and demanding more. She murmured unintelligible words against his lips in between her whimpers and sobs.

Loki couldn't figure out exactly what the faint, wobbly words were that were getting squashed between the noises of smacking lips, but he did manage to pick out 'Loki' and 'love you'.

He dipped his head to suck a hickey into the flesh where her neck and shoulder met, and mumbled between gasping breaths, "You still with me, love?"

"Mmm! Ye-yeah, I'm good- you're so good," she panted, "Loki… I'm glad you're my husband."

Loki bit his lip to stifle a grin against her neck, "Is that because I know how to fuck you in just the right way to bring you pleasure?"

"It- it's cause… you're everything to me," Amelia whimpered, "I'm so lucky… to have you. You're so caring and- and loving, and strong." Her hand softened in his hair, stroking through his locks lovingly, "And you're all mine… blows my mind."

Loki sighed against Amelia's neck, his hot breath on her skin causing her to shiver, "That is… exactly how I feel about you." He pulled back to look her in the eyes and his hips almost stuttered at the sheer level of adoration and devotion in her gaze. He kissed her gently, conveying all his emotions with just the simple action.

As he kissed her, Amelia began squirming, her hips now moving to meet his thrusts as much as she could in her restricted position, and her fingers moved more quickly across her clit; she was close. Loki could tell from the way her thighs quivered against his palms.

He sped up to a steady, hard tempo and it was only moments later that she fell over the edge; the sounds she made were heavily vocal and breathy, but Loki remained confident that nobody would hear them over the music playing in the main room, which was muffled within the closet. He slowed only minutely, giving his wife a few long thrusts to reach all the deep places within her, and she twitched, trying to catch her breath, trembling from the waves of pleasure from her orgasm that rolled through her and brought her an intense contentment.

When Loki came, it was with a muffled growl as he nibbled the mark he had left on her neck, and he emptied inside her, going still after only a few moments. They remained connected while they recovered; Loki could feel the heat rising from Amelia's glowing skin and he hummed gently, pressing his cheek to her own.

"Are you alright?" He asked for the third time that day, but she looked utterly exhausted and he felt it was justified.

This time, Amelia gave an open-mouthed smile and blinked tiredly, nodding her head lazily, "So good."

That was the face of somebody who was fully satisfied. For a moment they just sunk against each other, breathing hard, allowing the warmth to wash over them and soothe them, replacing every thought and feeling with contentment.

Loki slowly lowered Amelia so she could stand with her own two feet, but he had to hold her up because her knees couldn't immediately support her, wobbly as they were, but she found her footing shortly after, giggling slightly as she realised what they had just done. Tony would not be happy if he ever found out Amelia and Loki had had sex in a cleaning closet.

The gratifying moment didn't last long, because unexpectedly, the handle to the door jiggled and then it completely flew open, revealing the face of journalist Leon Royce.

Amelia almost choked on her gasp, her hands quickly rushing to paw at herself in an attempt to hide, but she found immediately that there was no need, because somehow she was already decent. There was no longer sticky wetness on her thighs and her panties weren't tangled around one ankle. She was clean and clothed, and so was Loki. The only explanation was that her husband had performed some sort of clean-up spell with the speed only a god could muster the moment he sensed the movement of the door handle.

She let out a breath, thankful that her dignity was still intact, and then glared at the man who had interrupted her sweet moment with Loki.

"You! I fuckin' knew you were sketchy!" Leon shouted, pointing an accusatory finger at Loki's face, "Seducing innocent women for your own gain, I know what you were doin' in here! You disgust me!"

Amelia's mouth fell open in surprise at the man's ludicrous thought process, but it was rapidly overshadowed by rage - had he been listening to them or something? The thought repulsed her and made her feel sick. Furthermore, she didn't know why Loki wasn't completely freaking out at being caught with his arms still around her. He had been so worried about being associated with Amelia, and now here was staring at the man with a stare more dangerous than a blade's edge, silent and calm.

"And you, fuckin' slut!" Leon turned his hollering voice on Amelia, "Won't cheat on your husband with me, but you will with this son of a bitch?" He had the gall to look appalled. "Wait 'til the world finds out that all Loki does at these high-end parties is fuck bitches in cupboards!"

Loki's calm facade snapped and he advanced on the journalist, who immediately cowered away like the chicken he was, but Loki grabbed him tightly by the arm and kept him from fleeing; Amelia nervously followed them out of the closet, anxious to see if her husband had any plan on how to resolve this situation.

"You will not refer to her that way, you vile human," Loki hissed, and promptly caught Leon's fist when the man tried to throw a pitiful punch at his face, "you will tell nobody of this encounter," he said, his voice low and dark, ladened with promises of death.

"Like fuck I won't! I'm telling everybody! Just you fuckin' wait! You 'ave no idea the power I hold, I could tell the world you raped this bitch, in fact I will," Leon snapped, turning to gaze at Amelia with a look of crazed revenge, "What's ya husband gonna think of this, darlin'? Finding out you're fucking the most hated Avenger?"

Amelia snapped, rearing back with a strong fist and bringing it square into the centre of Leon's face with all of her strength; she hit him so hard that he flew out of Loki's hold and thumped as he hit the floor, screaming like a child as he clutched his definitely broken nose. It was already gushing blood after mere moments, and Loki briefly fixed Amelia with a look of approval.

"You fucking asshole!" Amelia snapped, "He is my husband!"

"Ugh, you crazy fuckin' bitch!" Leon cried, squirming as he rolled around on the floor in agony, "Like I'm gonna fuckin' believe tha-" his eyes caught sight of the matching silver bands on Amelia's and Loki's fingers and he promptly swallowed his words, staring up at them both in disbelief. His brain could only assemble one witless word, "What?"

Amelia clapped her hand over her mouth, realising she'd just given away a very sensitive piece of information that could potentially bring a lot of harm, her eyes flickered to Loki's in panic, but he only looked mildly exasperated that she had said those words in a moment of passionate defence. She couldn't understand why he was so calm.

"I don't fuckin'... this is… this is fuckin' huge." Leon's bloody face looked hideous as he grinned like the cat that got the cream, "This is the scoop of a fuckin' lifetime. Holy shit, I'm gonna be rich once I expose this!"

Amelia ground her teeth together in immediate panic, floundering in place as she tried to think of something. Maybe nobody would believe him - maybe Leon's article would get lost in the pages of the newspaper and assumed to be the ridiculous lies of a reporter hoping to cause mayhem. Or maybe he would be believed, and the Tower would be swarmed with reporters waiting for Tony to give a comment on the matter.

"You aren't going to tell anybody," Loki repeated with startling confidence.

"Go fuck yourself, you prick!" Leon hissed, and then quickly scurried to his feet while simultaneously nursing his broken nose. He didn't get far, because Loki once again grabbed him and spun him round, shoving him up against the wall and holding him up with one hand.

Amelia watched apprehensively. What was Loki going to do or say to ensure Leon didn't reveal their secret to the world?

"What the- get the fuck off me you-" Loki pressed his free hand to Leon's forehead, his fingertips alight with green tendrils of magic, and Leon went immediately slack in his grip. The man's wide eyes looked dazed, and his eyelids slowly fell like he was immeasurably tired.

Amelia watched cluelessly for a few moments until Loki retracted his hand and stepped away; Leon half collapsed against the wall, brushing his crooked, bloody nose with his hand and wincing in pain. "Wha… what happened? My nose? Ugh…"

"You ran into a door," Loki told the man, "you should watch where you're going next time. Now leave - wouldn't want anybody seeing you in that state, would you?" He pointed down the hall towards the elevator that would take Leon back down to the exit of the building. The journalist looked ghastly and confused, looking between Loki and Amelia with a distinct lack of hostility that had been there just a moment ago, and then he shockingly did as he was told, following the hallway down towards the elevator.

Amelia stared, her mouth agape. "You're just gonna… let him go?"

Loki watched the journalist stumble away with abhorrence, "Trust me, I'd love to break his fingers one by one and listen to him scream, but Stark would give me an earful. It's not necessary now anyway," he looked back at Amelia, gazing at her up and down, "I'm sorry, I should've been more attentive… I did not realise he had followed us out."

Amelia still didn't understand why Loki had just let him go. She hugged herself nervously, shifting her weight from foot to foot; her cheeks were still rosy from what they had done together in the closet but the satisfaction had worn off the moment Leon had thrown the door open.

"But… but you let him go. Don't you think he'll tell the papers what he saw?" Amelia stammered, clearly upset.

Loki's face softened, "No, he won't. Trust me." With that, he walked past Amelia and pressed the 'call elevator' button to take them to their floor. Amelia glanced back down the now-empty hallway, visibly discomposed.

"Loki… what did you do to him?" Amelia asked tentatively. Loki's assurance that everything was fine had her demanding some sort of explanation, because she was beyond confused at what she had seen.

The elevator doors opened, and Loki ushered Amelia in with a hand at the small of her back; he hit the button for their floor and faced the doors as the lift began to move - he didn't look his wife in the eyes as he answered her question, "I erased his memory."

Amelia's eyes widened and she blinked a few times fast, "You… what?"

"I manipulated the area of his brain that stores memories. He will not remember what he just saw, nor will he remember the encounter with you earlier when he harassed you. Do not worry, our secret is still safe." He explained himself plainly.

Amelia frowned, lips parted, "You can… do that?"

Loki finally looked at her, his eyes searching hers, "The magic is complex, but the human brain is not. I have long since mastered the spell."

A look of concern passed over Amelia's features and her eyebrows furrowed slightly, "Loki, isn't that… isn't that like… evil magic?"

"Dark magic," Loki quickly corrected her, "It's not evil." He sounded defensive, and under the intense, drawn out look from his wife, he grew somewhat tense. "I had no choice but to use that invasive magic. It was not for wicked intent, it was to keep you and the children safe."

"I understand that," said Amelia. She wasn't sympathising with that journalist bastard in the slightest, there was just something else bothering her, "but will there be… repercussions? For using that magic? It's the kind of magic from that restricted book that went missing ages ago, right?" It had always stuck in her mind.

"There will be no repercussions so long as it remains between us." That was Loki's nice way of saying 'so keep your mouth shut and don't tell Thor'. Amelia sighed, a troubled feeling worming its way into her head.

A silence fell between them, and Amelia yearned to break it. "You, ah, ever use that magic on me? Erasing my memories?" She questioned with an entirely jesting tone, but Loki didn't laugh. He didn't say anything. "Loki?" A hint of alarm seeped into her voice as she spoke his name tersely.

Loki looked at her with a frown, examining her face for a few moments. When he spoke, his voice was quiet, "Sometimes when you sleep, you have nightmares. You toss and turn, and it always wakes me up," he told her softly, "and I can't stand to hear you cry out in distress, so sometimes… every time, I use my magic to just… take the nightmares away."

The admittance was incredibly wholesome, Amelia hadn't been expecting it at all.

"I erase the nightmares from your mind, replace them with something… nice, if I can." He sounded apologetic for some reason, "I know, I should have told you a while ago…"

"Oh, darling…" Amelia murmured, pulling him into an embrace, "that's… so sweet, Loki. Thank you." She had wondered from time to time and never understood why she never had nightmares anymore. Now she realised that she did, and Loki simply took her memories of those dreams away so that they could not plague her.

Loki relaxed, glad that Amelia was not angry in any way. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

The ding of the elevator signalled that they'd reached their floor and they stepped down, Loki took his wife's hand in his own as they made their way back to the nursery. Amelia smiled, squeezing Loki's hand back before suddenly faltering as she remembered something that popped into her mind from earlier. She came to a stop short of the room and Loki glanced back at her with a furrowed brow.

"What's wrong?"

Amelia sighed, "Loki, did you mean what you said earlier? When you told those people huddled around Tony that you were gonna start taking on missions again?"

Loki frowned, seeing the torn look on his wife's face, "I fear that my continued absence might make people suspicious of me. I don't want anybody to try and look into why I've not been present for my duties as an Avenger." His eyes flickered away briefly as he tried to think of a way to calm Amelia's nerves, "If I were to take missions again, they would not be frequent. I would not be gone all the time," he assured her, "I wouldn't let that happen."

Amelia could tell Loki's priorities were that of his family, and that he felt so strongly about being there for Aster and Kari when they needed him. Maybe Amelia could handle being alone with the kids a few times a month while Loki kicked ass and saved people. She gave a hesitant smile and nodded her head.

Loki cupped her face and kissed her softly, brushing his thumb along her cheek with an abundance of tenderness. "I love you."

"I love you too," Amelia murmured, taking a moment to appreciate Loki's small displays of affection. "Hey… what time is it, by the way?"

Loki checked his phone, "We were only downstairs for an hour and a half."

"Are you serious? It feels like we spent hours down there. I wonder how the kids have gotten on…" Amelia tilted her head, eyeing the door.

Loki smiled and motioned the door for her to enter first, which she did; she placed her hand on the scanner and the room promptly opened, and the sight that greeted them was… chaotic.

"Oh, hi guys!" Peter Parker exclaimed where he was hanging upside down from the ceiling in his Spider-Man suit, sans the mask. He seemed super chill about his current position, like it took no effort at all to hold himself there.

The children were, of course, wide awake. Aster was running around in circles below where Peter was hanging, giggling and playing some sort of improvised game of peek-a-boo, and Kari was climbing along the many strands of webbing dotted throughout the room. It looked like Peter had created a jungle-gym out of the fluid from his web shooters, and Kari was hanging precariously from them at a very high altitude. Amelia would've freaked out if it weren't for the fact that Clint was following him along his climbing route, ready to catch him if he were to fall, but it looked like Kari was doing a good job of staying steady.

The movie was paused and forgotten on the television screen behind them, and Natasha sat on the recliner, watching the scene unfold with amusement.

"The children are supposed to be asleep," said Loki, putting on a more grave tone than was necessary.

"Sorry Mr. Loki, Aster was showing me how she can use her magic to make spiders appear, which is amazing, but Kari wasn't a big fan, so I was trying to teach him that spiders aren't that scary, though I don't think he believed me. Anyway, I showed them my web shooters and they think they're super cool, so I shot them across the room and guess what? Turns out Kari is an expert climber! He could totally be my little Spider-Apprentice! If he wasn't afraid of spiders, that is…"

"Oh jeez," Amelia murmured, knowing the kids wouldn't get to sleep so easily that night after all the excitement.

Loki rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed, "When did you even get here?" he asked Peter.

"Amelia said I could come say hi!" Peter dropped from the ceiling, feet planting onto the ground so that he was the right way up, and he picked up Aster who squealed in excitement, clearly overjoyed with Peter's presence.

"Oh she did, did she?" Loki questioned, turning to his wife with an accusatory eye.

Amelia's jaw fell open at Peter's claim, and she pouted at her husband who definitely wouldn't believe her if she told him that she definitely didn't tell Peter he could come and say hi. The hyperactive Spider-Man hadn't even waited for her response before zipping off up here to interrupt the childrens' movie. Then again, she probably wouldn't have had it in her to deny Peter his request - he could be very inadvertently persuasive with his large, youthful eyes.

Oh well. Amelia supposed he could probably stay for a little while longer; he seemed to know exactly how to keep the kids happy, and that meant she could relax after the long evening she'd had.


I hope you all enjoyed this looooooooong chapter! You know what would be a great Christmas present from you to me? If you left a comment ;) I would appreciate it so much!

I wanna tell y'all that Leon Royce is based entirely on a real person who I know, and guys, I didn't exaggerate, he IS that bad.

It's a very stressful time of year, I hope everybody here is doing well. At least we have the Loki show to look forward to in May of next year! It's closer than it seems. Dang I have seriously missed my Loki content. 3 I'm so so so excited to see what the Disney+ show will bring :3