Loki took long strides down the hallway of apartments with a little bounce in his step. He'd looked up the girl's address in the TVA directory. She was the only Mabel there.

She lived in the agent buildings that were a little less grand than the one they'd put him up in. He'd been afforded a luxury condo. But that made sense. It was him after all.

He narrowed his eyes as he looked around. These residences were disgusting. Not that they were dirty, just crammed together, cramped and stark. A cement bunker. He thought of Mabel's lovely brown eyes in juxtaposition to this bleak living arrangement and pursed his lips. She belonged in a beautiful high rise with a gorgeous view, not an austere hovel. A palace even. He shook his head. What was wrong with him?

He reached her door and knocked. Leaning back he stuck his hands in his pockets. She'd be so excited he was at her door, he could see it now. She'd smile wide and invite him in, and then he'd rock her world, and he'd leave. Simple as that.

What he got instead was a distinctly feline roar that split his eardrums. He took a few steps back, his hand on his neck.

The door flew open, and there she was, holding onto the collar of… was that? A Sabre Tooth Tiger, in a crouched position ready to pounce on him and rip him to shreds. He froze in terror.

"Loki… Mr. Laufeyson. What are you doing here?" she asked alarmed.

His eyes fixed on the beast's teeth which were the same size if not larger than the horns on his helmet. He swallowed hard.

"I had… that is to say… A question… Could you maybe put that creature inside?"

She looked down as if confused. "Zabu? He won't hurt you unless I ask him to."

Zabu began a low rumbling growl in his chest.

"His noises beg to differ."

Mabel bit her fingernail. "Hmm, maybe you're right. My Zabu was an Avenger on his timeline. Weren't you my love?" she said, her voice growing soft toward her gargantuan pet feline.

Loki stared at her in awe and then back at the tiger. A giant cat Avenger? This was a mistake coming here.

"Come in, I'll put him in my bedroom."

He watched as she dragged Zabu back through the door, the creature fighting her all the way. How was she holding onto it? Loki took another swallow trying to slow his heart rate and walked in. He closed the door behind him slowly, ready to bolt if the beast came charging out at him.

He turned around and found himself in a lush jungle of sorts. There were plants everywhere, and it gave the cramped space a wild freshness. Her other furniture was midcentury modern, but with tropical elements thrown in. Despite himself, he smiled. From what little he knew about her, this seemed to fit her personality.

"There, you'll be fine now," said Mabel coming back into the living room. She dusted her hands and sat on her brown leather couch. "Sit, please," she said gesturing beside her. She had on her uniform, and once again, he was consumed with the wicked question of what her breasts might look like under that shirt and tie.

This was already not going the way he'd planned, and a ball of frustration settled in his stomach. It was an entirely new feeling.

"I don't have a lot of time…" she said, then pointed to the visual of Miss Minutes in her tiny computer next to them on the wicker end table. "Ha! Time…" She giggled at her joke.

He looked over at the little clock illustration and he jumped as it winked at him and waved. "Yes, very amusing," he said.

"Sorry, what I meant was I'm due at my desk soon. You said you had a question?"

He sighed. He had a speech all prepared, and now his mind was blank. This was a completely new and aggravating feeling.

"I came to talk about last night."

She nodded. "I'm sorry if I upset you in any way."

"It's not that I assure you…" He stopped. He supposed he was upset. But he'd never let her know that. "I came with a proposal."

Zabu's growl from the bedroom was loud and swift as if in answer to his offer. Loki winced, locking his muscles, prepared to run. But Mabel paid the prehistoric cat no mind, so he relaxed.

"Oh?" she asked. She tilted her head and his breath hitched. Something deep inside him awakened. A little glowing ember of heat. Her eyes were gentle and curious, her hair moved to caress that sweet face. Her white-blonde spunky locks looked so soft, he wanted to plunge his hands in. For the third time that morning, he swallowed the lump in his throat. He pushed down the vexation at her preventing him from saying what he wanted to.

"I came to offer my services in reference to further research for your work." He spread his hands out with a grin.

Her eyes opened wide in surprise, and he felt a pulse of electricity down his arms. Those eyes did something to him, he couldn't deny it.

"Oh!" she said.

"Should you wish to explore the world of sex further. I assure you, there's more to it than what we did last night."

"Oh, I'm aware of that."

He waited for her to say more, but she just sat staring at the wall, the tip of her index fingers running circles over her knees. He locked onto the movement and thought about those knees wrapped tightly around his waist yesterday.

She bit her lip and looked back at him, her eyes holding him in a spell. "As much as I'm sexually attracted to you, I'm afraid the answer is no."

Now it was his turn to be surprised and he narrowed his gaze. A sting jabbed at that newly lit ember. It was ludicrous. "May I ask why?"

"I just don't think it's a good idea."

"I see…" He pursed his lips and stood, pretending to brush off some hair from his shirt. "Well, I'll be off. Training day."

She stood up beside him. He looked down at her and that heat sprang up again. Oh, this was going to ruin his day.

"Good luck!" she said. "How exciting. I think you'll love it here."

"Yes, well…" He wanted to yell. He'd fought frost giants, mastered the ways of magic and led an army of Chitari, (albeit to failure, but he wasn't going to dwell on that right now), and this little chit of girl in this tiny flat was turning down a chance to be with him in all his prowess.

It turned him on so much, he could hardly stand it.

"I'll see you to the door." She opened it for him and he exited, completely flummoxed. "Goodbye Mr. Laufeyson. You know where to find me if you have any questions." He raised his finger to say something as she closed the door in his face.

Mabel closed the door and leaned her head back against it, breathing heavily. "Oh cripes," she said.

After they'd had sex, she'd come back to her apartment. She'd stood where she was standing now and gone over every detail of what had transpired. Every move of his fingers, every thrust, every nuzzle of his head against hers.

She still didn't understand why sex caused people to kill, but she did understand why people wanted to do it over and over and over again. Turning him down had been one of the hardest things she'd ever done. The endorphin release had been incredible. But beyond that, the sweetness in his eyes when he was preparing her down there with his fingers had touched her deeply. This stranger, a god from another world. They'd connected.

Then she'd done something to upset him, and he'd crushed her. It shouldn't matter, he was nothing to her. But the sweetness was replaced with coldness, and it stung. Sex was supposed to just be a physical act, but she found that somehow, it wasn't. So she decided to close that branch of her research. She didn't think she could stand that turn of coldness a second time.

She never thought she'd see him again, especially not at her door. And now he was offering her his body for more "research". The god of Mischief. An agent of complete chaos. And she wanted him. And she was so confused.

He must feel sorry for her, that was the only reason he was here. She'd saved him the trouble.

She took a deep breath and let Zabu out of her room. The tiger went into stealth mode and began to pace the apartment.

"He's gone," she said. Zabu bumped his head against her leg and purred. "You don't like him very much do you?"

Zabu growled deep in his throat.

"I can't help but like him. Is that weird?" She thought of how the TVA's shirt stretched so perfectly over his muscles, and the straight line of his jaw, so sharp it could almost cut her.

The cat looked up at her and tilted his head in confusion.

She laughed and scratched his neck. "I'm confused too. He seems like such broken boy. But it's over now. He'll do his thing, and I'll do mine."

He grunted his approval.

"But if he's offering… Shouldn't I take advantage?"

Giving up, the tiger went and laid down under the sun lamp she'd set up for him and stretched.

Mabel checked her watch. She was almost late! She grabbed her tempad and ran out the door.