A week after the raid on the Scottish Hydra base - another success - Maisy was somewhat alarmed to find that she and Loki had been invited to a party. If it had been one of Tony's parties then it might not have been so surprising, but the invite came via text from one of Maisy's college friends. Apparently, this friend was getting married and was having an engagement party.
Maisy and Loki discussed the idea of going and though Maisy was apprehensive, Loki insisted that they go. He claimed that she'd already met all of his important acquaintances on Asgard but he'd yet to meet any friends of hers from before the lindworm incident. So, now they were both dressed to the nines and headed for a cocktail party at the friend's penthouse (this particular friend had inherited a fortune and a toothpaste company right out of college).
Once they'd been let into the penthouse they were greeted with pulsing music and an atmosphere rather more like a club than had been expected. Maisy felt on edge from the moment they set foot inside and she gripped Loki's hand a little harder than she probably should have. It wasn't that she was nervous… it was just that she hadn't seen any of the people here in a long time and she was worried about what they would think of her. Not nervous at all.
"Aaaaaahhhh!" A voice squealed, "It's Maisy-Waisy!"
Maisy looked up to see the bride-to-be running straight at her with arms wide. The impact was almost enough to knock both high heel wearing women over, but luckily Loki gently pushed them back into a less precarious position.
"Taylor! It's so good to see you!" Maisy giggled, "Congratulations!"
"Thank you, thank you," Taylor took a step back and looked Maisy over with an appraising eye, "Wow, still the best dressed in any room I see. That dress is fantastic, you make it yourself?"
"I did," Maisy gave a little twirl, showing off her knee length, backless, black sparkly dress. Taylor clapped, her charm bracelet jangling.
"Damn girl! Do you still design?"
"I do! I'm working at a boutique and the owner sells some of my stuff from time to time!"
"You ever done a wedding dress?" Taylor grinned, wiggling her eyebrows, "Because I don't have one yet and my budget is unlimited thanks to dear old Dad, may he rest in peace."
"I designed my wedding dress," Maisy pulled out her phone and showed one of the pictures she'd had Linn take of her before the ceremony, "And I'd love sitting down with you to design yours!"
"Oh my gawsh!" The hostess took the phone and scrolled through the few wedding pictures Maisy had. She elbowed Maisy teasingly when she came across a picture Linn had snagged of Maisy and Loki kissing. "Best dressed and best arm candy, eh? Glad you ditched old Smeagol, he was seriously giving off bad vibes."
"You have no idea," Maisy cringed thinking of Egil, "But this is my husband, Lo-"
"Oh I know exactly who he is," Taylor offered her hand for Loki to shake and he took it, "Loki of Asgard, yeah?"
"And you are?" Loki asked.
"Taylor Album, soon to be Taylor Album-Nahzari," she withdrew her hand after a firm shake and smiled again, "Maisy and I went to school together. We were suitemates junior year."
"How lucky for you," he smirked.
"Smooth talker, huh?" Taylor laughed, "My boy toy isn't so quick with words, but hey! At least he didn't destroy Manhattan!"
Before Loki could respond to that the woman was back talking to Maisy.
"I've got to go charm Rahim - my man's - parents. They think I'm after his money - as if I need it! You enjoy the party. Open bar. Some of the girls are over there already getting wasted. We'll definitely talk dresses when I'm less tipsy!"
With that, she was gone and Maisy felt as if her head was spinning.
"I like her," Loki said thoughtfully.
"Really? She said that thing about destroying the city."
"Exactly. And she glared at me. She isn't afraid of me and she wants me to know it. I like her."
"Well that's good, because we're about to meet probably a dozen girls just like her," Maisy took a deep breath and locked her arm with his, glad to have him by her side, "Actually… these ones might be even more brave than she was since they've probably been drinking since they got here… and they are kinda rude to start with."
"I look forward to meeting them."
Half of the people Maisy knew from undergrad seemed to be at this party. And even though Taylor was the star of the night, when she wasn't around everyone swarmed Maisy and Loki. Endless questions and jibes about the Battle of New York flitted through the air. Though Loki handled them civilly and quickly, it was all getting to be a bit much for Maisy.
When she asked if people could stop bringing up Loki's past for a while, however, the new topic of conversation was almost more irritating. Married life.
"Aren't you a little young to be married already?" One friend asked.
"Yeah, you're younger than me and I don't plan on getting married for a while yet!"
"I just turned twenty-five," Maisy replied, "I'm not that young."
"Yeah," the friend whispered drunkenly, "But isn't he, like, thirty-five or something?"
"That's not that much older!" Maisy insisted, not wanting to reveal the true age gape.
"Ugh, not for me."
Another friend approached.
"Hey Maisy! It's been too long! This your husband?"
"Yes, this is Loki."
"It's about time you settled down!" The girl laughed uproariously, "Geez, you've been dating him for, like, a decade, haven't you?"
"Uh, no," Maisy furrowed her brow, "I think you're thinking of my ex. We dated for two years."
"Oh! What happened to him? He still in the area? My sister is already twenty-three and she doesn't have a boyfriend! Maybe I can set them up."
"Egil is dead," Loki said, putting a comforting hand on Maisy's shoulder, "Terrible car wreck."
"Oh geez!" The friend threw back her drink, "That's awful. Sorry to hear that, M."
"We'd broken up before he died. In fact, I was already married when it happened."
"So glad you're married," the friend smiled and held out her hand to show off a massive diamond, "Married life is the bomb, isn't it?"
"The bomb," Maisy smiled politely, "How's your husband?"
"He's great! Real babe, that one!"
Another friend came up and greeted Maisy, exclaiming over how long it had been since they'd seen each other and how wonderful it was that she was back.
"And how long have you two been married?" The friend gestured between Loki and Maisy.
"Almost a year," Loki replied, tucking a strand of hair behind Maisy's ear, "I can't recall the exact date, but I'm sure my brother will know."
"Ooh, that's a big no no," the friend said, "Forgetting your first anniversary!"
"I don't remember the day either," Maisy blushed, "It was… kind of a crazy day."
"So almost a year," the friend smirked, "But no baby bump?"
Loki and Maisy both looked at each other with wide eyes and then stared back at the friend.
"Uh," Maisy coughed, "No."
"And why not?"
"We aren't sure if we're ready for children at this time," Loki replied.
"They all say that! And then they keep putting it off and keep putting it off and then next thing you know they're both fifty years old and Maisy will be all dried up!"
Maisy felt her face burning.
"And then the next thing you know you're adopting a kid from some impoverished country or something."
"And what, exactly, is wrong with adoption?" Loki asked a dangerous smile on his face.
"Oh nothing!" The friend said, "It's just everyone will be saying to your face how sweet and charitable you are when they're really going to be thinking it's such a shame you didn't have one of your own!"
"Will they now?"
"You know they will."
"I wonder what on earth my parents could have been thinking, then, when they adopted me!" Loki said and the color drained out of the woman's face.
"Damn, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"
"Whether we have kids or not," Maisy snapped, "It's not really your business. And if we decided to adopt then that kid will be our own even if not by DNA and people can just shut their traps."
The no-longer-a-friend made a hasty exit and Maisy and Loki found a sofa that was off to the side and out of the commotion a bit. They sat there quietly for a time and Maisy couldn't help feeling pissed. Her face was set in an intimidating expression and everyone knew to stay away from her for the time being. Loki just put an arm around her shoulders and drew her into his side. He could feel how tense her muscles were.
"Of all the things to say!" She finally spluttered. A waiter passed with a tray of bubbly drinks and she snagged one.
"Your friends do not hold their drink well," Loki laughed, "We can hardly fault them for that."
"I can fault her. Ugh! Can you believe those things she said?!"
"A detestable woman, truly."
"As if adopted kids are a lesser alternative! That, that, that fiend!"
"Fiend, hmm? Oh yes, certainly."
"I could smack her," Maisy took a sip of the drink and wrinkled her nose, "This tastes off. Like paint or something."
Loki took the drink out of her hand and finished it for her. She tapped her foot against the floor anxiously.
"She is only drunk and speaking what she thinks is true. I'm sure she meant no offense," Loki set the glass down on the floor and leaned in to kiss her cheek, "Do not let her get to you."
"Are you okay?" Maisy asked, "You know all of that stuff she said isn't true, right?"
"It depends on the situation," Loki replied, "Frigga loved me as if I'd been born of her. Odin will never see me as an equal to Thor. While I am certain that you would love any child unconditionally, not all mothers would. So, in some unfortunate instances, your friend was right."
Maisy hugged him tightly and then muttered: "I'd still like to smack her."
Once they'd stayed a socially acceptable amount of time at the party, they wished Taylor and her fiance well once more and made their way home. When they got there Maisy burst into Linn's room to find her young companion studying.
"What's up? How'd the party go?" Linn smiled and Maisy practically tackled her in a hug, "Oof! Loki! Help!"
Loki poked his head in the room.
"Ah," he pried Maisy off, "She's just overly emotional at the moment, don't mind her."
"Linn, you know I love you right? You know we love you?"
"Yeah…"
"Good. Because we do. A lot. And if anyone ever tells you that we don't or they say that we're being charitable or something by letting you live here then you can tell them to go screw themselves. Because we love you."
"Loki, how much did you let her drink?"
"I'm completely sober!" Maisy gave Linn another hug.
"For the record," Loki patted Linn on the head, "I am rather fond of you myself."
"Loki! Don't suppress your feelings!"
"Are we sure you shouldn't be suppressing your feelings a little more, Maisy?"
"Loki!"
"Fine. I love you as well, Linn."
"Now join in the hug!" Maisy demanded.
"What's gotten into her?" Linn whispered.
"Just go with it," Loki wrapped both of them in an awkward hug and they sat like that for a moment.
"Kay, dis was fun, but I got Pre-Algebra homework to do."
"Sorry," Maisy finally let go with a laugh, "I'm feeling weirdly emotional."
"Oookay den. Love you guys too. Can ya get out of me room?"
"Come along Maisy, we'll watch a Disney movie or something and allow Linn to get back to her work."
"Okay. As long as we don't watch Tarzan."
"Why?"
"Because I can't handle how loving his gorilla mom is right now."
"His what?"
"You'll find out some other time. Right now we're going to watch something full of happiness. We're watching Frozen."
"Again?"
"Yes again! You've only seen it once!"
"And how many times have you seen it?"
"I've lost count."
"Norns, how many times do I need to watch it?"
"Until you lose count."
"What is wrong with you tonight?"
"I'm just emotional, alright?!" Maisy snarled.
"Alright, alright! We can watch Frozen as much as you like!"
A note from the author: Rereading this, I wish I'd written more with Taylor in it, she was kinda fun. Or maybe annoying, idk. Anyway... I hope you enjoyed this kind of random chapter!
Thank you so much for reading, I apologize for my infrequent updates!
Special thanks to Ninja Squirrel for reviewing: When I said "it just might work" I was totally thinking of Master of Disguise sorta. I knew I'd heard someone in a movie say it and I even could hear his voice in my head but I couldn't place it. Thank you very much for reminding me what it was from lol! Also, those manikins sound terrifying.
Until next time my lovelies! :D