Erin woke, squinting her eyes as she pulled herself up from her bed. Wait a minute. Curiously glancing around, she noticed she must have fallen asleep reading to Loki. The lower half of her body was tucked into the large chair in which she sat in while her arms were folded underneath her jaw, the top of her head resting comfortably against Loki's side. Anna Karenina lay next to her on her bed, turned faced down to hold the page she had last read.

She arched her back, feeling little pops as she released the tension that built up while sleeping in her awkward position. Erin rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand sloppily, glancing at the young man through her fingers. He seemed at peace in his slumber. She smiled, happy that he was able to rest easy.

Pulling her phone out of her pocket, she was surprised to find that the time was well after four in the afternoon. "Fuck," she cussed under her breath, angry at herself for losing that much daylight.

Erin pulled her hair into a knot on top of her head, ignoring he tangles in her hair, and went to the bathroom to ready herself for the rest of the day that she had left, also deciding not to do much more than wash her face and brush her teeth. She examined her face in the mirror and rubbed at the impressions made on her cheek from her bedsheets.

The young woman searched her room and found her comfy spandex pants and pulling them on over her bare legs. She pulled the sweatshirt closest to her off of a hanger and swapped it with the oversized t shirt that she had worn throughout the night. She checked on Loki once again to make sure he was okay, softly brushing his oily black tresses from his face like a mother to her child. The sun was already preparing to lower into the horizon and Erin found herself cursing winter and daylight savings time for taking the sun away from her so soon.

"Guess we're skipping straight ahead to dinner," she said aloud to herself, preparing to search her kitchen for food. She pulled a large pot from her cabinet and started cutting vegetables to throw into it, pulling as much from her fridge as she had. Luckily she had found beef buried in there as well, still fresh to her surprise. After placing all the vegetables in the pot with the beef and stock, she covered it with a lid and turned the stove on low before returning to her bedroom to seat herself beside the sleeping man once again.

Picking up the book she bagan, "'None but those who were most intimate with Alexey Alexandrovitch knew that, while on the surface the coldest and most reasonable of men, he had one weakness quite opposed to the general trend of his character.'" Erin glanced up to find that she was being watched by a pair of eyes, their green irises barely able to be seen through the long black eyelashes that fluttered around them, blinking away the crummy sand that invaded. She pulled herself from the seat, suddenly aware of how close she was to this dangerous being, but his hand shot out from the blankets and cool fingers wrapped themselves around her wrist, steadying her from her flight.

"Don't," he whispered, his grip tightening around her. "Please, keep reading to me."

She watched him, his breath no longer deep but short and shallow. His eyes held hers with an quiet strength that seemed to extend to the hand that held her own to the bed.

Slowly, he withdrew from her, holding her gaze as he brought his hand to rest on his chest.

Erin lowered herself back into her chair hesitantly. He appeared so vulnerable, unlike that arrogant man who had originally introduced himself from the night before. His face did not betray him except for the way his brows knit together, as if they were cowering from her. She felt the weight of the book in her hands, it's presence more prominent than ever before. She opened it and continued, "'Alexey Alexandrovitch could not hear or see a child or woman crying without being moved. The sight of tears threw him into a state of nervous agitation, and he utterly lost all power of reflection…'"

Erin continued to read to Loki, who would often drift off, slowly closing eyes, his jaw loosening until he would awaken once again and continue to watch the young woman speak. After a few hours, Erin's phone went off, trilling loudly and interrupting both of them from their story. She rose and entered the kitchen to check on her food, stirring the contents slowly.

"What is that smell?"

She jumped at the closeness of him, his tall form leaning over her to peer into the large pot. "It's beef stew, my mom used to make it during the winter," she glanced back at his and cast a reassuring smile. She could hear his stomach rumble slightly, to which he responded by stepping away from the stove, rubbing the back of his neck.

Erin covered the pot once more and turned to face the god, wiping her hands on her pants. "I went out and got some clothes for you to wear yesterday," she rushed past him and went to her room, chatting along the way as he followed her, "I wasn't really sure of your size or style, but I think I got a good variety for you," she reached into the drawer and pulled a pair of sweatpants and a long sleeve shirt, "Here you go." She handed him the neatly folded clothes.

He eyed them disdainfully before taking them from her hands and staring at her pointedly.

"Oh! Right, sorry, the bathroom is right across the hall from my room when you're ready" she rushed out of the room to give him some privacy.

The stew was just about finished as she stirred at the broth, bringing the liquid to her lips and tasting it. Behind her, Erin was able to hear Loki shuffle into her bathroom, closing the door behind him quietly, followed by the sound of running water.

For the next fifteen minutes, Erin placed a tray of canned biscuits in the oven and pulled two bowls and spoons from the cupboard to set the table. She heard the water shut off as Loki made his way back into her bedroom. She gave him a few minutes to himself before she tapped lightly on the bedroom door, "Dinner is ready if you'd like to eat," her voice was quiet, but nearly a whisper when she caught sight of him through the small opening of the door. She could make out his reflection as he stared at his bare torso in her floor length mirror.

His body was still dripping with water, gliding down the contours of his body and stopping at the waistband of the black sweats he wore. He was examining the injuries on his body, as was she from a distance; the bruises on his back and shoulders were large and covered a good amount of his right side along his ribs. She watched every bone and muscle in his body work together as he brought his hand up to his neck to rest in the space next to his collarbone, his lithe form stretching and enjoying the warmth that the shower provided him.

The sudden trilling from the alarm set on her phone alerted both of them, and Erin rushed back to the device on the kitchen counter, trying to slow her breathing as he emerged from her bedroom to stand before her, a grey long sleeve shirt in the place of his pale and bruised torso.

Erin quickly pulled the biscuits from her eyes, avoiding his eyes as she set them on the stove and picked up the pot of stew to bring it to the table. "I, uh, I made you food," she said lamely.

Loki's face remained blank but his eyes took on a mischievous spark as he sat himself in the wooden chair opposite her, more interested in watching her stammer over her words than saving her from her blunder. Silly girl, he thought amusedly, nothing escapes my observation - least of all sneaking! The sudden sound erupting from his belly made the god retract his original plan of humiliating her, fearing that he wouldn't be able to enjoy the delicious smelling food she provided.

Erin was quick to fill his bowl, slipping a biscuit onto a napkin and handing it to him quietly. She then made herself some food and sat adjacent to him as he stuffed his face with the stew.

They ate in silence, the only noise heard was the awkward scraping of silverware and chewing.

Erin watched him as he ate from the corner of her eye, studying his movements. Although he seemed to move the food quickly into his mouth, Loki still had his dignity. He posture was perfectly upright, and he kept his elbows off the table as he captured the perfect mouthful onto his spoon before gracefully lifting it to his lips. Every mother's dream, Erin thought to herself as he used a napkin to wipe at an invisible spot on the corner of his mouth.

Erin felt her face heat up as his eyes met hers, his eyes squinting down at her ever so slightly. She abruptly pushed herself back from the table and collected the leftover food off of it, setting it all down by the sink so she could distract herself with the dishes. The pleasant course of action was hopelessly crushed as she felt his cool breath on the back of her neck. She shivered at his breathe, not daring to face him.

"You think I such a fool," he started, "that I can't even recognize a peeping tom when I see one? I am the god of mischief, and your tomfoolery is quite," he pause, slipping his fingers around a stray curl that escaped her bun, "mischievous."

Erin's knees were shaking, and she feared that if he remained this close to her, towering over her, then she would crumble. The skin between her thighs grew warmer as it felt the heat coming from his body. She finally looked up into his eyes and saw a flicker of something roguish. He was teasing her.

Erin placed her hands on his chest, trying to push him away from her to give herself a little air. The god appeased her only by taking a single step backward, his intimidating presence still looming over her. Erin kept her head down, desperately fighting the heat that crept up the back of her neck.

"You know," he leant forward to lower his head by her neck, his breath hot on her ear," if you wish to look upon my body so much, perhaps I could let you have a little more fun with it. Other women have come to pleasure me to satisfy their needs, I see not why you, a simple woman can do the same. My brother seemed to enjoy the services that you human women provide."

Erin moved away from him, pushing Loki back further and knocking him over slightly. "Your brother? You mean Thor, don't you?" She searched his face, but was only met with a wide eyed, blank stare. She rushed into her bedroom only to retrieve a minute later with a book in her hand. "Vikings worshiped the Norse gods and goddesses. Now, I know it says somewhere in here that Thor is your nephew," she started thumbing through pages, scanning them briefly, "but it may be possible that he could be both, if some weird incestual shit went on." She made it through a few more pages until he snatched the book from her hands.

"Hey, give it back!" She reached to take it back from him, but given his height he merely just held in over her head, while he smirked down at her. "You're," she jumped, "such a," another jump, "bully."

He suddenly stopped and handed the book back to her, rubbing at his damp hair. He retreated to the wooden chair by the table. "Yes," he stated, pinching the black material covering his legs, "that oaf is my adopted brother," he said with distaste. "It's his fault that I ended up in this mess." Loki sounded like a child the way he blamed his brother, Erin was waiting for him to stomp his feet on her kitchen floor.

"What do you mean, 'his fault?'"

Loki found a loose piece of string and twirled it around his finger, cutting off the circulation in the digit. "New York. He and his group of super imbeciles took what belonged to me, and now I am forced to carry out my sentence on this earth living with your kind." He spat the last few words at her.

"My kind?," she bit back, "It's my bed you've been sleeping in, my food you've been eating, my hot water you've been using and my books you've been reading!" She cocked her hip and crossed her arms angrily, "So if you could kindly pull that royal nordic stick out of your ass and show me some sincere gratitude then maybe I'll think about letting you stay here instead of throwing your ass back onto the street where you belong!" Erin finished, poking his chest.

Loki snapped the loose string with a forceful tug and stood, towering over her, "And what makes you think that you can keep me out, hmm? You think that you stand a chance against me? I could end your insignificant life."

Erin stood toe to toe with him, her nose inches from his, "You're still weak. Even you still need time to fully heal. Now I'd appreciate it if instead of belittling me in my own home you'd maybe say 'thank you' or 'great cooking, Erin.'"

They continued to stare into each other's eyes, neither wanting to submit to the other until Loki stepped back and sat in his chair, grumbling under his breath. Erin released the breath she had been holding and continued doing the dishes, ignoring the weighted silence in the air.

"Thank you," Loki muttered, barely able to be heard over the running water.

Erin turned to him, "What was that, Your Highness?"

Loki cleared his throat. "Thank you, Erin, for this marvelous feast. I do hope to taste your cooking again soon."

The young woman smirked, her back straightening with pride, "Now was that so hard?" she smiled and him, watching as Loki rolled his eyes.

"You, woman," Loki commented, biting back the smirk playing at his lips, "are delightfully infuriating."

Hours later, Erin was fixing her makeshift bed on the couch while Loki watched her from the archway between the living room and kitchen.

"I guess you can take my room for a few more nights, that is until your body heals a bit more." She saw his face out of the corner of her eye, scoffing at her. "Look, you can act like that all you want, but I saw the bruises. I would like for you to accept my help, because I don't many people in this part of the world would." She straightened up and turned to face him, her hands resting on her hips.

"Fine."

"Good." She patted his arm as she passed him to go to her room to grab a change of clothes. "I have to go to work at the bookstore tomorrow. You're more than welcome to join me if you'd like to get out of the house."

"I suppose it will be a pleasant change from these gloomy walls," Loki commented, following behind her and sitting himself on her bed.

"That's fair," she remarked, "Well, I'll leave you to it then, goodnight." She closed the door behind her, leaving Loki to himself.

He sat there for a moment or two, reflecting on the time he had spend with the woman. She was stubborn and had a spark, that was for sure. He chuckled, for a small and fragile human, she knows how to match me. Loki stretched out onto her bed, surrounded by her smell. He turned over to the book on the nightstand and continued to read from where she had left off.

Meanwhile, Erin set her neatly folded clothes onto the coffee table and looked around before her shaking knees gave out and she collapsed onto the couch. Her hand flew to her head as she leaned back to stare at the ceiling, Picking a fight with an immortal god, Lord I must have a death wish.

Author's Note:

Sorry for such a delay friends, it's been awhile since I have had the time to sit down and write. This chapter may be short but I hope that it's worth it. Check my profile out for postings of future Chapters. Much love, xoxoxox