A shaft of sunlight shined brightly through the blinds directly into Angela's sleeping face. With a low groan, she tossed her arm over her tired eyes, tring to block out the light. Pain bloomed from behind her eyes, as her head throbbed harshly against her skull. Slowly, her brain caught up to speed.
'I didn't think I drank that much last night…' she lamented over her hangover headache.
Her eyes flew open.
Oh shit.
Last night.
She shot up rim-rod straight from her position in bed, eyes wide as saucers. The memory of her about to kiss Loki played again and again like a damn bad movie scene. To say that Angela was mortified about last night would be the understatement of the century. A violent cocktail of embarrassment, self-loathing, and regret exploded in her chest.
Oh no… what had she done?
The night had gone so well at first. She had never had so much fun when she went out before. Never before had she allowed herself to relax and just let go. But with Loki she felt… safe. Safe enough to let go of her control for a moment. He wouldn't let anything happen to her, and he definitely wouldn't judge her. And then she had to go and fuck it up.
What they had was good, why did she have to go and do that?!
Loki didn't seem to mind her flirting with her… but he had rejected her all the same. It felt like she was tossed into an entire ice-filled lake when he did. Then came the sting of rejection, like a million angry wasps at once. It stung her eyes, causing them to well with tears. Quickly, she swiped them away furiously before they even thought about dropping. There was no way in hell she was going to cry over a man, let alone one she had barely known for a month.
'But Loki was different…' her heart whispered.
And he was.
Memories of him describing Asgard to her, with vivid detail and wild hand gestures conveying his excitement. He didn't just explain how it looked or what to do, but he gave in depth lectures about its history and its culture. That night while they star gazed, she remembered how he explained exactly where the rest of the Realms were and their history too. And when he explained magical theory to her, she couldn't help but admire his passion and marvel at how well he knew his craft. He was intelligent.
T he way he took care of her sprang to mind. From the night she woke him up by screaming, he seemed to become a bit closer to her. He didn't have to stay up with her that night on the cramped couch, but he did. He also didn't have to buy her the necklace. The fact that he even entertained the silly game of twenty questions astounded her. Then he continued to baffle her by actually remembering her favorite gemstone. The memories of the carnival and the day after flashed by as well. Even though he could act aloof, Loki seemed to care and more importantly, he was very sweet. Angela took a glance at her dresser where the stuffed snake sat coiled up. No, he was beyond sweet. Going out of his way to remember the breakfast he saw her enjoy before, winning her a gift… He was thoughtful.
His thoughtfulness made her heart pound, but not as hard as it did when she witnessed him using his magic. Hearing about magic was one thing but seeing him was a-whole-nother thing. The feel of his powers brushing against her skin gave her chills. It was cold, yet she didn't have goosebumps just from them. It was strong, like him. It was able to overcome hers easily, which helped him protect the both of them as he trained her. It was controlled and demanding. When she first felt his power, she could tell that if he really wanted to do damage he could. He was powerful.
Witty retorts seemed to come to that man naturally, and Angela had always found wit to be amusing. His snarky comments and his teasing demeanor always seemed to get a small laugh out of her somehow. She didn't know a time where she had laughed so often in her life. Her favorites were his impersonations of things, especially if he used his seidr to shift. That seemed to get her no matter how bad her mood was. Loki was a drama queen as well. And that tickled her as well. At times he could easily pass even the most acclaimed actors and actresses to shame with his antics. She knew that most times he turned his dramatics up just to see her crack a smile. And don't get her started on all the little pranks he played. The stories he told her of his misadventures had her in tears.He was funny.
He was amazing, and she didn't want to lose him.
Only one question remained - what to do now?
Had she ruined their friendship? Would he be disgusted and want to move out? Where would he go? She should have let him speak last night, when he was trying to tell her something after the whole ordeal, but at that moment she couldn't handle it. It was unfair to him.
Realistically, she should be a big girl and talk to him about it. Go straight to him and apologize. Blame it on the alcohol and promise to never let it happen again. So long as they never spoke about it again after the conversation, everything would be fine. They could go back to being roommates and friends. Nothing more, nothing less. The awkwardness would be a killer, they both were adults they could handle it. It would be doable.
However, it hurt her stomach to even think about seeing him right now. And what if she really did ruin everything? For most of her life she had been alone. She shortly lived with her mom and them, but ever since then she had been alone. With Loki, Angela wasn't so alone anymore. She never had someone to come home to before. It was the first time she had a home.
This left option two - run. Go to work, clear her head, and give it some time. It was early in the morning, her alarm hadn't even gone off yet. Escaping the house would be pretty easy. Loki had a pretty set schedule. He usually woke up around the time she got out of her morning shower.
Was it cowardly to avoid him? Yes. Yes, it was.
All she needed was a moment to collect her thoughts. She needed to think about what exactly she would say to the demigod.
With her resolve solidified, Angela left her room. Quiet as a ghost, she slipped from room to room, getting ready for the day at breakneck speed. She made it as far as the front door before she heard Loki's voice.
"You're leaving awfully early, darling."
Fuck.
Panic flooded her system like a tsunami rushing in. Years of training was the only thing that saved her from freezing like a deer caught in headlights. Her mind scrambled to come up with something.
Option three - play dumb.
She turned around with a smile, "Yeah, it's going to be a long day today. Sorry, if I woke you up." Her voice was steady, but her heart was hammering away at her chest.
"You didn't," he reassured. "I actually— well, I wanted to come along with you. Like Darcy suggested?"
She didn't have to fake the confusion because she had completely forgotten about Darcy inviting him to help volunteer down at Puente.
Angela had assumed that when he said he'd think about it, that was his way of letting them down gently. She didn't know that he would actually consider it.
Before she could speak, Loki began to talk once more.
"I… I spent most of the night thinking it through. I believe that I should see what it looks like at least… I need to see what I did. I'd like to help if that's alright."
How could she say no when he sounded so unsure of himself like this? It wasn't like him; he was mostly cocky. "Of course, Loki," she assured him. A part of her wanted to hug him and let him know it was ok, but she didn't feel right doing that after last night.
Instead, she gave him an easy, warm smile that he slowly returned.
"Do you need me to wait for you to get dressed?" she asked him.
Green shrouded him for a moment, and then he appeared with his smug little smirk again, fully dressed. "Not necessary," he responded cheekily. He gestured to the door, "After you."
The fact that he was being his usual self set her at ease. Maybe he didn't mind, but still she wasn't going to bring it up just yet. He deserved to have his full attention on fixing himself.
With a nod, she led them out the door.
The ride to Puente was filled with Angela's voice. She explained what needed to be done, and what all had happened in town. To say the town was struggling, was… an understatement. Loki, god bless him, didn't steer the conversation away at all. In fact, he seemed interested in everything she was telling him. She could see the guilt creeping in behind his nonchalant facade though.
He didn't say a word for the longest time, just nodding along and the occasional "Mmhm," or "Uh-huh" to acknowledge that he was paying attention. It wasn't until they drove past the town line that he finally cracked.
He surveyed the area with wide eyes, taking in the construction all around, the signs for missing people, the memorial for those who died, the yet to be repaired buildings, and the makeshift camps for those without a home now. Angela allowed him to take it all in. It's a surreal experience to be present with the fallout of your mistakes, especially on such a grand level.
"How many perished?" Loki asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Angela looked out to see them passing the small memorial, two crosses in the middle of town, surrounded by stuffed animals and flowers. "Just two," she answered, "A handful or so were injured."
A man had been crushed by some rubble that fell when the robot's laser cut through. The other was a small girl, who ran back inside to save her kitty. The laser cut her clean through.
Many others were hurt, but luckily Thor, Jane, Darcy and Selvig evacuated most of the town before the robot made it.
He didn't speak again, and silence reigned over them until she put the car in park.
"Do you think this will be enough?"
Her eyes took him in as she tried to find the best way to handle his question.
He could never bring back the two people he killed inadvertently. Nor could he take back the grief and the struggles these people have gone through. But with time, he could help lessen it.
So, she answered as best she could, "It's a start." She reached over and gave his hand a squeeze, trying her hardest to convey that she was here with him, and she was going to stay here with him, he wouldn't have to do this alone.
He nodded, as if trying to let her know he understood exactly what she didn't say. Loki gave one last look around, and then nodded in resolution, "I'll try my hardest."
Smiling, she nodded back at him, and then motioned to leave. "Then let's get going. I have to meet my time, but I'll take you over to where Darcy and Jane usually are."
Gone was the contemplative, morose Loki and in his place was the eager Luke. The transformation was smooth, that she almost couldn't believe how quickly he could morph from one identity to the next. Loki opened the door and jogged to the other side to open hers for her, and that's when she got a good look into his eyes. Despite the polite smile, and eager look, underneath it all, Angela could still see his actual feelings, bubbling beneath the surface.
Jane and Darcy were standing outside of the only diner in town, and Angela steered Loki to them quickly. The moment the two women saw them, they were all wide smiles and bright eyed.
Loki greeted them first, "Ladies."
"Luke!" Jane chirped, "Good to see you again."
"A pleasure to see you too, Dr. Foster," he replied in kind.
"You can just call me Jane," she responded.
Before the group could finish their pleasantries, a man dressed remarkably similar to Angela stepped to them. "We're ready whenever you are, Agent Lawrence."
Angela nodded towards him; it was Agent Lewis who had come to get her. "Just give me a moment guys," she told them. Lewis nodded and gestured to the other two to wait for a moment.
Angela turned her head back towards her friends, and Darcy smiled at her, "Don't worry, we'll take care of him."
Brown eyes met Loki's green ones. He smiled, but she could see the concern in his visage.
"Be safe, love." He said softly.
Her heart lurched inside her chest. Love? That was new. "I always am," she reassured him. Quickly, she turned to hide the heat on her face from him, "You guys have fun!"
The mini outing to the BiFrost site was short. It took them less than ten minutes to get there.
It seemed undisturbed, as undisturbed as a desert could be. The survey the area and the perimeter of the runes that were etched into the ground. There were tracks, but they were faded and hard to make out. They were probably some sort of animal tracks because they definitely weren't human from what they all could make out.
"Do you have anything?" Agent Lewis asked her, while they were atop the rune.
Spreading out her senses the way Loki taught her, she felt around. Her eyes closed in concentration as she found the place they had last opened. It wasn't open, but it was still there. as if it wasn't properly sealed off, which makes sense considering how quickly everything went down last time.
The thought of something or someone coming through made her anxious. "Yeah, give me a moment."
The portal didn't seem like someone had opened it again, but to be on the safe side, she summoned her powers. Loki said the only thing that could stop her using her powers properly was a lack of imagination. If she could imagine it, it could be done. Blue surrounded her entire being, and she imagined herself sealing off a door. This time, she felt the way shut off, instead of merely close.
"Woah, since when have you been able to do that?" Another agent asked.
She paid him no mind as she thoroughly searched the area with her powers. "I've been practicing," she murmured.
Satisfied, she gave them a nod, "Let's head out, everything's clear here. You guys can report back to HQ for now."
"Yes ma'am," Lewis acknowledged. "You heard her, to the car!"
