Author's Note

Song Lyrics from Lawson - Four Letters
/watch?v=ONQACAueB3I&list=PLb-h0TgZRJZpYbnvq7gW1FBvsBMdCI_mZ&index=20

Additional Song: Astrid S - I Don't Know Why
/watch?v=fdcNa5_o4qw&list=PLb-h0TgZRJZpYbnvq7gW1FBvsBMdCI_mZ&index=23

Whole Playlist:
/playlist?list=PLb-h0TgZRJZooJ-TPIjxWEFoYEnXi2vcl

Luciana was sprawled over the couch, roaring with laughter. Her body shook and her hands were wrapped around her sides that were already starting to hurt from the waves going through her body. She was having the time of her life.

Loki on the other hand…

The God of Mischief stood at the bar, his back to her. He desperately held on to the counter as the horror of the last few minutes kept repeating in his mind.

"Oh my~ Get a room you two~" The godforsaken teasing voice of The Grandmaster still rang in his ear. "Oh wait. I have a better idea. Why don't we give you guys the room? Ain't I so nice." he had cooed before ushering all of his guests out of the hall. Loki hadn't been able to say anything, only staring in horror at what was happening. The Grandmaster himself had been the last one to leave, but not without a last jab at them.
"Oh, before I go; Please clean up after yourselves, would you? Those kinds of stains are so horrible to get rid of the next day. Anyways, have fun~"

Loki pressed his palms on the cold surface with even more force, the back of his hands going white from the sheer pressure he was putting on them. He wanted to scream. And break something. Oh, he definitely wanted to break something and those bottles on the top shelf behind the counter would most likely make a magnificent sound when getting smashed on the ground.
No. He wouldn't lose his temper. He would swallow down all the frustration and embarrassment and then act like nothing had happened. If he did that all the other people would follow suit. He would just have to deal with their glances, the whispering and snickering when he'd pass someone in the hallway…

He let out a frustrated groan as he turned around. His eyes fell on Luciana who was still laughing uncontrollably. Like that there seemed to be nothing left of the vexing succubus display from earlier. Although it was still fresh in his mind… No. He wouldn't go back there.
Loki shook his head before slowly making his way over to the woman.
"I wouldn't roll around on that couch like that. The things some people did on that… Just earlier I saw a couple people having fun on it, just before you arrived." he joked, as he came to a stop in front of the furniture, looking down on her. Luciana jolted into an upright position, her face twisted in disgust. "Gross!? Is there any place that isn't filthy in this building?" she asked, shaking a little. The sight made him chuckle. It seemed like she had finally reverted to normal.

"Want to have some fun on this couch, Loki~?"

Or not.

"Wh-what!?" he yelped.
In front of him Luciana was laying on the couch again, this time on her stomach. Her legs were playfully swinging in the air and she looked up at him, a suggestive smile on her lips. "You heard me~"
The prince gulped. She was just messing with him, he tried to convince himself in an attempt to calm his once more racing heart. "You're still drunk." he said, averting his eyes.
"Am I~"

The couch squeaked when the brunette rose to her feet. She was now standing right in front of him. From the corner of his eye he could see her hand moving in towards his face. But before her slender fingers could touch his cheek, he grabbed ahold of her wrist. Her eyes wide in surprise, Luciana stared at him. And he did the same. For a moment they remained in that position, silently gazing into the other's eyes.
Until Loki released her wrist with a sigh. Passing her, he plopped down on the couch. Turning around, the brunette found him staring up at her, his arms crossed and a serious expression on his face.

"Where have you been, Lucy?"

"...What?"
"That day after the banquet. You suddenly had to leave because of some urgent matter. I let you go without inquiring any further because you promised you would come back. But it's been four years and you never returned. And then back when my brother and I went to Midgard to retrieve our father, you suddenly reappeared. As if nothing had happened. With everything that went down, I didn't get any chance to talk about it. But I'm asking now. Why did you leave Lucy? Where did you go? What have you been-"
He stopped mid-sentence when he saw the look on her face.

Her expression was sad. Incredibly so. The green in her eyes was wavering and it seemed like she would burst into tears any second. A pang ran through his body.
He fought the urge to clench at his chest. It felt like someone was stepping on him. Breathing felt like a chore and with every inhale his heart ached. He couldn't stand the sight of her like that. It hurt him.
He felt his arm move, reaching for her. But before he could completely close the distance she moved, plopping herself down on the couch next to him.

Luciana looked towards the ground, trying to keep the tears in her eyes from spilling. Maybe it was the alcohol in her system but she felt way more emotional than usual. The secret she kept was weighing down on her, bordering on crushing her under its weight. And she wanted to tell him. She wanted to answer his questions. All of them. She wished she could tell him everything. But it wasn't allowed.

They wouldn't allow it.

The timeline wouldn't stand for it.

"I can't." she pressed out. "I can't answer your questions."

"Why not?"

"I can't tell you that either. I wish I could. There's nothing I wish for more, but I can't. I just can't…" Her voice was breaking off in the end and she had to swallow before being able to continue speaking. "I know this probably won't mean much if I say it now but… At the end of the day it doesn't really matter where I was, because I'm not going back there. Ever. I'm not leaving again, so… I guess what I'm trying to say is…" she turned her gaze away from the floor, her eyes focusing on him instead. "I'm here no-Waaah!?"

She hadn't even completely finished her sentence when her body was suddenly yanked forward. Loki had grabbed her wrist, pulling her towards him in an embrace.
Or what was an attempt to be one.
Just like her, he was still under the effect of the drinks he had downed over the course of the evening and hence couldn't quite assess the amount of force needed. Resulting in him using too much strength, hereby ensuing that Luciana's body slammed into him, sending them both toppling backwards.
"Do you want to fool around on the couch after all~?" she teased half-heartedly, propping herself up from him. But when she saw the way he looked at her, the crooked grin on her lips froze. He was staring at her, or rather something on her, as if in a trance.
"You kept it…" he spoke softly, almost whispering the words. Slowly his hand reached upwards for the small green gem that was dangling from her neck. Gently he took it in his palm.
Luciana's features changed. The smug grin getting replaced by a genuine smile. "I never took it off."

Hearing that, Loki's eyes wandered from the necklace back to her face and he drew in a sharp breath. Suddenly, he was hyper aware of the fact that she was currently on top of him and his heart started hammering in his chest all over again. One of her hands was placed on his chest, so he knew she could feel it. Which didn't make the whole situation any better. He could feel his cheeks growing hot from under her gaze and images from earlier started flashing in his mind.
Not good. He needed to bring some distance between them before-

Before what?

Before he would end up doing something he would regret later.

But would he really regret it?

Wouldn't it be what he deep inside had always wanted to do?

Luciana could see him struggle inside his mind. But he wasn't the only one. She was facing a similar predicament of her own.
Every fiber in her body was telling her to go for it, screaming at her to finally do what had always seemed to be an impossible wish. A wish that kept her standing on her feet. A dream that kept her mind from falling apart as she went back in time repeatedly. Keeping her from breaking as she relived the same events again and again and again.
Yet it was her mind that was currently yelling at her to break away from him.

You can't. It will affect the timeline.

They won't allow it.

They will come for you.

They will erase everything.

There is no point.

The voice in her mind kept screaming louder and louder. Yet there was also another voice talking to her. It was the cocktail she had accidentally drunk earlier. And it was telling her to screw all reason. Alcohol was truly a terrifying drug and Luciana was reminded all over again of why she never drank.
But wasn't that just another reason to act through it?
After all, she had already strayed significantly from the timeline's predetermined path and so far nothing had happened. Maybe she could go a little further.
Maybe…

Maybe was enough for her.

Unconsciously her head had already moved forward while her thoughts had still been battling each other. And in the time she had made her decision, she was already crossing the remaining distance between them.
Loki had barely enough time to blink in surprise when he already felt her lips on his.
It was as if time was standing still. His mind couldn't process what was happening.
She was kissing him. Luciana was kissing him.
His heart that had been racing before was now almost bursting inside his chest. Too perplexed, he missed his chance to return the kiss and soon her warmth disappeared from his lips.

Luciana chuckled at the sight of the God of Mischief's face. The way he was gaping, in utter shock and with his cheeks all red was too adorable. But there was something in his blue eyes that were piercing her. There was a kind of burning behind them. A fire.
And she was being drawn to it, like a moth to the flame. Before she knew it, she was already leaning in again, only this time it was him who initiated the contact. Loki's hand reached behind her head, pulling her close. Their lips touched again, but this time both of them engaged in the kiss which was quickly growing deeper, leaving them breathless by the end of it. Yet they didn't stop, instead going for it again and again. They had been dancing around each other for so long. But now it felt like they were finally, truly dancing together. Or at least their tongues were.

When they finally broke apart, both of them were breathless, gasping for air. The fire in Loki's eyes was now blazing even stronger than before and she wondered whether it would burn her if he kept on looking at her like that. She could tell that he wanted her, desired her. She could see it. And being still on top of him, well… she could also feel it.
Not that she minded. Far from it. Although, she wasn't really keen on continuing things on this filthy couch.
A smirk on her lips, she let her left hand trail downwards along his stomach, coming to a stop at his belt. He let out a ragged breath at the sensation, the red on his cheeks growing a darker shade.
Slowly Luciana leaned down again. She was about to suggest a change of scenery to him when suddenly an obtrusive beeping resounded throughout the hall. A sound that froze the blood running through her veins.

No. It couldn't be.

"What's that?" Loki asked from under her.

No. Please. Please let it stop.

"Is it… coming from your arm?"
Luciana clutched her left arm, all color draining from her face.
"Lucy? Is something wrong? Tell me-"
"I- I need to go."
"What?"

Before the God of Mischief had any chance to protest, she had already scrambled to her feet. Her hand still pressed on her arm, she took several steps backwards.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." she repeatedly said, almost manically. The next moment she spun on her heels and darted off towards the exit.
"Lucy, wait! Lucy!" Loki called after her. But it was too late.
Luciana was gone.

It might take 3 more drinks I'll tell you what's on my mind

The next morning Luciana woke due to the throbbing pain in her head. She was laying on her side, the Tempad clutched to her chest. She must have fallen asleep while holding the device. Her eyes didn't dare to look at its screen at first. But the silence in her room and the circumstance that she was in fact still here, on Sakaar, had her hoping that it would be fine. Slowly, she brought the device up to her face and sure enough, the line flowing across it was looking the same way as usual. There were no branches, warning signals or whatsoever. For a brief second she wondered whether it had been a dream after all. But the pain in her head reminded her that yesterday night was a reality.

Luciana sighed. Pushing herself upright in her bed took a lot more strength than usual and she immediately wanted to just lay down again, for several reasons. Instead though, she turned her head, gazing outside the huge glass wall. The sun was already high up in the sky. How long had she been sleeping? It had to be at least noon, if not later.
Over the backrest of her couch lay her clothes. On the left the bright yellow of her once beloved dress made her eyes sting. And on the right there was the outfit she had worn at The Grandmaster's party. Looking at it dared to bring back images from yesterday and she felt her cheeks beginning to flare up. Immediately she pushed the memories away. Remembering that would do her no good. She had almost crossed a line yesterday. The way she had barely managed to avoid the worst was both a miracle and a warning at once. She had to forget. That was the smart thing to do and the only way she could keep going on like before.

Although, seeing as she would have to wear the blue fabric from now on, this wouldn't turn out to be an easy task. And she didn't even dare to think about how she should act around Loki the next time she saw him. It scared her. And for a second she thought about trying to avoid him altogether. Unfortunately, that was the one thing that was absolutely out of the question.

After getting dressed, she took another look out of the window. That's when she heard a loud thump and the next moment a figure flew past the glass, towards the ground. She could barely make out the red cape fluttering before he was gone.
"Th-Thor!?" she yelped. She had heard that he was being kept inside the Hulk's quarters. But had he escaped?
Before she had any chance to think about this further another figure dropped past. Only this one was much bigger - and green.
"Hulk!? …Is it raining men on this planet now?"

For a moment she stood there, massaging her throbbing temples. Then the brunette let out a sigh and made for the door. If the God of Thunder really had escaped, he would need any help he could get to stay hidden from The Grandmaster's eyes. Especially with the Hulk on his tail. That guy was practically a neon sign.

A few minutes later, the young woman was running across the streets of the chaotic city. Avoiding people left and right, she followed the clear signs of destruction Hulk had left behind. In her back a projection of The Grandmaster was plastered on the tower. He was calling for the help of Sakaar's citizens to retrieve both the Asgardian and his champion. She had to hurry if she wanted to get to them before anyone else could.

Luckily, her eyes soon caught sight of a spaceship surrounded by several scraps of metal. It looked different than the ones The Grandmaster owned, yet it seemed familiar. Could it be…?
Curious she ran towards it, picking up the pace as her ears detected a pair of voices she immediately recognized. And sure enough, once she reached the entrance, or what was left of it, to the aircraft she was greeted by the sight of two of her friends. One which she hadn't seen in a long time, ever since the battle of New York.

"Thor, I think I'm freaking out."
"No, no, no. Don't freak out. You're okay. Put these on."
"These are Tony's clothes."
"I know, come on."
"Is he here?"

"Nope, but I am."

At the sound of the female voice both their heads snapped around and their eyes caught sight of Luciana who was waving at them from right outside the ship.
"Lucy!" "Luciana! Oh, thank god." Both men exclaimed her name.
"Hello Bruce~ Didn't I tell you to call me Lucy back then?"
"Oh, yes, right. Lucy. It's good to see you."
The God of Thunder gave his friend a strange look. "How come you seem more happy to see her than me?" he asked, slightly offended.
"Well, she was pretty nice back then. Besides, she is kind of the most normal out of you guys."
"Pfff."
"Face it Thor, I'm just more popular than you~" she teased.
"Yeah, right. Anyways, help me calm him down or else we'll be facing another code green. ... The sun's going down. The sun's going down."

As the God of Thunder let Dr. Banner outside, the latter glanced at Luciana, his eyes clearly seeking for help. But other than he hoped, she only gave him a reassuring smile and a pat on the back before following behind the two men.

The three made their way through the city, avoiding the big streets and instead traversing through the smaller side alleys. Dr. Banner had changed into the outfit that had once been Tony Stark's. Sadly, he still seemed to be on the verge of a mental breakdown, so they soon took shelter in a niche at the side of the road. All the while the God of Thunder still kept on repeating Natasha's words over and over.

"Sun's getting low."
"Would you stop saying that?" Bruce snapped, obviously irritated. Seeking help, the blonde glanced over to her.
"It is getting annoying." she curtly responded, earning an ironic "Thank you." from the prince.
"I just need you to stay calm."
"Calm? I'm on an alien planet!"
"It's just a planet. You've been on a planet before."
"Yeah. One."
"To be fair, this one is like the freakiest one I ever laid eyes on." she interjected.
"Not helpful, Lucy!" the blonde hissed. "Anyways, now you've been on two. That's a good thing! It's a new experience."
Dr. Banner rubbed his hand over his face. "Is he for real?"
"Yep. He is."
"How do you keep up with this on a daily basis?"
"Well, I kinda took a break from the stupid these past four years."
The scientist groaned. "You know, in the past I always felt like the Hulk and I, we each had a hand on the wheel. But this time, it's like he had the keys to the car and I was locked in the trunk."

He looked over at Thor who was nodding along, trying to be understanding. However, behind him Luciana mouthed quietly "He's never driven a car before.", effectively exposing that the blonde hadn't understood a single word of what Bruce had just told him.
"All right, well, you're back now. That's all that matters." Behind him Luciana slapped her palm against her forehead.
"No, it's not what matters. What I'm trying to tell you, is that if I turn into the Hulk again… Banner may never come back. And we're stranded on a planet that is designed to stress me out."

As their conversation went on Luciana caught sight of something weird going on on the main street.
"I don't wanna fight your sister. That's a family issue."
"She's an evil being."
"I don't care what she is. Lucy, help me out here!"
"Bruce, you're asking the wrong person here. Do I look like I've ever succeeded in keeping out of their family business?" she half-heartedly responded. Her eyes were fixed on the continuous flow of people that was streaming towards the road. And they were all clad in even weirder outfits than usually. Plus they were all strangely… green.

"Fine, you won't have to fight anyone. But we're in danger here, so we have to move." the prince announced the end of their conversation as he rose to his feet. He was shuffling through some pieces of fabric that were sprawled over a nearby wall. It was then that the brunette realized what was going on and she knew it was bad news. Immediately she spun around to the two still bickering men.
"Guys, we have a- What the hell is that?" she exclaimed in disbelief at the sight of Thor.
"A disguise." he replied, giving her a thumbs up.
"No, Thor. That's a towel. You use it to dry yourself."
"Yeees. But you can also use it as a disguise. It's multifunctional."
"Why is he like that?"
"I wish I knew, Bruce. I wish I knew…"
"Anyways, let's go!" the God of Thunder announced, pushing the scientist forward from behind in the direction of the main road. "Listen, we're gonna go to Asgard and you're not gonna have to think about the Hulk ever again."
"Uhm, about that-" Luciana called after them.

But it was too late.

Once on the street, Bruce got hit by a cloud of green powder, leaving him stained in the color of his other half.
"Oh. This is bad…" Thor mumbled to himself as he looked around.
The three of them had found themselves in the middle of some kind of street festival. And the thing being celebrated was - the Hulk. Around them the crowd of customized people was chanting the green guys name on repeat. They had covered themselves in green paint and clothes. Some of them were even carrying around huge paper replicas, built after the Hulk's image.
"I tried telling you guys, but… Huh? Where did they go?"

She had only taken her eyes off them for a second, but the spot where Thor and Dr. Banner had been was now occupied by a row of citizens doing some weird dance.
"Urgh, I didn't come here to watch the Hulk's mating dance! Goddammit… THOR! BRUCE!"

On repeat, Luciana screamed out the names of her two friends, but her voice got drowned under all the noise. She would have used her powers, but the sluggish feeling and her headache wore down on her. And the noise around her didn't do the latter any good either. Luciana tried to concentrate, attempting to filter through the sea of voices for a familiar one. But unlike normal, the attempt seemed to exhaust her incredibly fast and the pounding in her head became worse with every ongoing second.

"..ann..? Lu…? ..er?"

There.

Off in the distance, she could hear the faint voice of Thor, who was screaming for his companions.

Focussing back on the road ahead, Luciana darted off, pushing her way past the crowd. Her vision was a bit blurry and she bumped into more than one person along the way. God, this was worse than being drunk, she thought. She stopped at the edge of some stairs. Looking down below, she spotted the figures of Thor and Dr. Banner - together with Scrapper 142.

Not good.

Not wasting another moment, she jumped over the railing, speeding down to the ground. Landing smoothly on her feet, she immediately headed over to the group. Unlike the two men who had her back to her, the other woman had already noticed her presence and a smug grin appeared on her features.

"The princess is joining us it seems."
"Princess?" the God of Thunder asked, turning around. "Lucy! There you are!"
"Oh, thank god…" Dr. Banner sighed in relief.
"I told you yesterday already, I'm no princess."
"And I chose to ignore that. Anyways, I'm quite impressed you managed to land on your feet in these fancy heels."
"Oh, I can do this in even higher heels." Luciana replied nonchalantly, not disclosing the fact that the landing had actually hurt quite a bit.
"I'm sure you can. Are you otherwise alright though? Those are some dark circles under your eyes. Had a long night?"
Her smile almost slipped at the other woman's words, but she managed to keep a calm expression. Although, she could see that her opposite had picked up on it, as the smirk on her lips grew a bit wider.
"I have no idea what you're talking about. I went to bed rather early.
"Mhmm."

"What's going on?" Dr. Banner whispered towards the God of Thunder, who was watching the scene in front of them just as perplexed.
"No idea…"
"Is this what they call a cat fight?"
"What are you two whispering about?" both women asked in sync, glaring at the two.
"N-nothing!" they replied in unison.
Scrapper 142 scoffed before turning on her heel, walking away. However, after a few steps she turned backwards, gesturing to the three to follow her. Luciana was the first to move, quickly catching up to the woman, leaving the two men staring after them.
"Women are scary." the scientist mumbled.
"They sure are, Banner. They sure are…"

The minute that we get closer
I get colder