Hello Lovies! I'm so sorry for the delay, it has been a pretty busy two weeks. I'm excited to see all those who are giving Show Me Love a chance! Sparkel, you of course I know will be with me until the very end and KiKira33 I totally should have more reviews and follows, but not many people can recognize true art *dripping sarcasm* haha! I'd like to have another chapter out by the end of next week. Also, I'm thinking about writing a Bucky fanfic if anyone would be interested in reading that...? I have a feeling there may also be a sequel to Show Me Love ;) RinFox out B)
"Good morning, chica, how you feeling?" Anna's chipper voice invaded Erin's ears through her phone, more unwanted than the bright sunlight burning the previous night's sleep from her eyes.
"Mmm, Anna, What time is it?" Erin grumbled, folding her arm over her face and dropping the phone on the empty space next to her head, still able to clearly hear her friend's overly pleasant voice. "Why could you possibly want from me?"
"First, it's 7 o'clock which is when most adults start their day. Secondly, I wanted to know if you wanted to get together - maybe grab lunch or drinks." Erin could hear a deep inhale on the other line. "I also wanted to say I'm sorry about the other night at the bar for not really believing you about Loki. I know now you were in a tough place and you just needed someone to listen to you instead of poking holes in your story. I mean, I'm sure you'd understand how unbelievable it would come across to just about everyone - I mean, you essentially said you're harboring an alien fugitive."
Erin listened to her apology, Anna's sweet voice undoubtedly sincere. She took a few deep breaths, unsure of what to say. Maybe it would be better if she retracted everything she had told Anna that night, summing it up simply as her imagination getting the best of her. It would be difficult, but she didn't want to share Loki's true identity entirely - she enjoyed being the sole human being that possessed that knowledge. However, no humans knew who Loki was from the New York invasion - there were more serious matters focused on the frightening mechanical aliens flying through the sky. "It's okay Anna, I, um… I was on a lot of drugs that night and… I've been having these weird dreams." She searched for any excuse that seemed believable to her friend, "And I had been drinking an awful lot that day. I guess you're one of my very few friends and I really feel like I can talk to you, even when I am drunk, you know?"
"Of course, baby, you can always talk to me. Why don't we all get some drinks later today - Gabe is working tonight and I'm sure he'll be happy to see you. Sound good?"
"Sure thing. Okay, I'll see you later." Ending the call, Erin tossed the phone away from her, feeling the small object land somewhere on the plush sheets by her thigh. Stretching her body out like a cat, she could feel her joints and muscles popping and pulling with every twist and turn of her limbs. She slid sleepily from her bed and padded into the kitchen where she was surprised to find it empty. Erin curiously poked her head into the living room, finding Loki still sleeping rather soundly on her couch. She smiled at the sight of him snuggled underneath a small black blanket, the t-shirt and sweatpants Erin had bought him poking out from underneath.
Wanting to let him sleep some more, she returned to the kitchen and turned on the coffee maker, pulling out the pop tarts from the cabinet to put in the toaster. Erin bit back a laugh as she thought about Loki's first interaction with the dreaded toaster. She had showed him how to place the bars in the individual slots and to press down on the spring for it to start heating. It seemed easy enough until they were finished, popping up and out of the kitchen appliance. Loki was so startled by the sudden action that he magicked two small daggers in his hands at the sudden offense, causing Erin to double over laughing. After his initial embarrassment, the god joined in, chuckling wholeheartedly at himself. It was a pleasant memory, and seeing him still resting on her couch only proved how comfortable he had grown since his first arrival.
Pouring them both a cup of coffee and grabbing their pop tarts, she placed them on the table and went to wake the god. She stood over him for a moment, observing his features, sharp and angled, but his whole face possessed a childlike innocence while he slept. Erin swept his hair from his face, the black tresses shockingly soft, like refined silk. "Hey," she whispered softly.
Loki's hand found its way around her wrist, firmly grasping her small hand that was hovering over his face. Erin let out a startled gasp as she was pulled over to hover over the god. Startled from sleep and surprised from the sudden invasion on his personal space, Loki quickly regained himself and released her hand, careful to not be too rough with her. "My apologies," he groaned out, sitting up and trying to appear as though we was already wide awake. Erin pulled away and smiled sweetly at him, trying to let him know it was okay - she truly believed after all this time that he would never purposefully hurt her.
"It's okay. I was just letting you know that I made you breakfast - coffee and pop tarts, what could be better than that?"
"Coffee," he rolled the word over on his tongue, recognizing the popular morning beverage, but unable to identify an experience where he actually drank it. "I've never had coffee before."
"Are you serious? It's what keeps the world moving. Everyone loves coffee!"
"I thought your worlds revolved around a star."
Erin rolled her eyes. "Ok, very funny. Come on," she gripped his hand, tugging him along with her into the kitchen. He sat himself down and inspected the mug of steaming black liquid.
"This looks like what we used to poison traitors to Odin some hundred years ago."
"Oh yeah, did your parents tell you those horror stories to make sure you stayed on your best behavior?"
"Not exactly. I was the one that administered it to them."
Erin choked on her pop tart, coughing aggressively. "You? You used to do that to people?"
"Well it didn't necessarily kill them, just caused their organs to burn for weeks. That was ages ago though, back when Vikings still roamed your land."
Erin stared at him across the table with, a mixture of concern and curiosity tightening around her eyes. "Loki, I don't mean to be rude but... how old are you?"
The god thought for a moment, leaning back in his chair and tapping at his chin. "A thousand years - one thousand and fifty one, to be exact." He shrugged, biting into a pop tart.
"W-what. You can't be, there's no way." Erin's voice was reaching a pitch that were offensive to Loki's ears, she was sure with the way he winced at her.
"I'm a god, darling, what would you expect?" he drawled at her.
Erin paused. She nearly forgot that Loki was a god, well almost nearly. He was immortal, as well as highly intelligent and incredibly strong despite his lean form. He also possessed qualities that made him seem so much more human than he let on - humor, contentment, anger, vulnerability. He would never in his lifetime admit it, but she could see it over the time they've spent together. It might be a tad unfair for her to say since he's only had nearly all of his interactions with her, but all of his most true human qualities seemed to be expressed explicitly with her. She couldn't help but feel a sense of pride at the thought of being the only person he could feel that comfortable with.
Erin continued to sip at her coffee, enjoying the taste of the bitter liquid on her tongue. Loki watched her, briefly staring at his own mug. He cautiously picked it up, cradling the cup between his slender fingers. She watched him take a sip, his handsome face twisting into that of disgust before setting it down as far from him as possible. Loki's eyes met hers, and Erin found herself reminded of the time her mother told her that cough syrup tasted like fruit juice. "Not good?"
"It tastes like the poison too," he shuddered, "maybe worse."
Erin covered her mouth, failing to keep from laughing at his childlike behavior. "Here, I'll fix it up for you." She took another gulp of her coffee, to Loki's horror, and made her way to the fridge, pulling out a pint of creamer and from the cabinet a small bowl of sugar. Reaching for his cup, she scooped two heaping spoonfuls of sugar and poured a pinch of cream in, watching the black liquid lighten to a rich beige. Satisfied with her work, Erin placed the cup back in front of him. "Try it now."
A little apprehensive, Loki lifted the cup to his lips once more, taking a tentative sip. His eyes widened in shock before he took more into his mouth, enjoying the taste of sugar on his tongue. "Are you sure you're not a witch?" he questioned her, his eyes lingering on her bottom lip that was somewhat hidden between her teeth.
She laughed at him, "No, sadly I'm not; I just figured you had more of a sweet tooth than you let on. However, that face of yours was priceless the first time you drank it." Her voice rang out once more in bubbling laughter before she sat back down in her chair and sipped on her own black coffee. "I assume it's because you act so bitter and stoic that you just naturally crave sweet things to balance yourself out."
"That's ridiculous, I hope you know that." His eyes leveling on hers while he chewed on his lip. "So you drink this," he lifted his mug, "bitter, tasteless coffee because you happen to be so sweet and kind in all facets of your meaningless life?"
"Precisely," she said back, confidently avoiding his jab at her. "Now, eat up because we're going out today, and you'll be meeting a few friends of mine."
"That sounds exhausting."
"Oh, it will be." She smirked at him from across the table. "So, um," she looked down into her cup, "did you happen to finish my manuscript?"
"I did not, yet at least. So far it's enjoyable - you're quite talented." Loki noticed her reddening cheeks and small smile. He enjoyed that expression on her, it was a face she only seemed to make around him.
"Well, I'm gonna get ready, you should too. It's pretty warm out today and I thought we not head to the park for a few hours and get some sun."
Loki and Erin spent the entire afternoon in the little park across from the bookstore, each borrowing a book to read while they laid out in the sun. There was a light breeze that tamed the heat of the sun and the grass was soft enough for them to take their shoes off, which they did. Erin couldn't help but watch Loki as he stretched out on the ground, his legs casually crossed at the ankle as his hand supported his torso. He looked so peaceful - she wasn't sure if the god had known much peace in his life, inner peace of course. She sat her body next to his and decided to lean her head against his lap, an action that momentarily surprised them both. Loki soon settled into the weight of her against his thigh and at throughout the day found himself stroking her hair well after she had dozed off with her open book resting on her stomach.
As the day was nearing to a close, they left the park and headed to Erin's usual watering hole to meet Anna and Gabe.
"So, do you have any friends that you miss back home?"
"No." Loki turned and saw Erin's shoulders deflate as her attempt at a conversation was suddenly shot down. He sighed, "I kept to myself most of the time. Growing up, my only friend was really Thor, but he was friends with everybody so they only tolerated me because I was always with him. It was… sad as a child, but I grew to crave solitude more than the company of those who never wanted to be around you to begin with."
They continued on in silence, and eventually Loki felt Erin's small arm wrap around his torso, her cheek flush against his chest. "For what it's worth, I enjoy spending time with you." Loki smiled down at the top of her head, finally pressing his cheek into her hair and hugging her in return.
"Me too."
They stepped into Anything Goes, shaking the cold night air from their persons. Erin immediately spotted Anna at the end of the bar chatting with Gabe and she headed straight for the pair, her hair flowing behind her in copper waves. "Hey Anna," she called, reaching her friend and hugging her tightly.
"What's up chickadee? You look exceptionally adorable today." Anna remarked, taking in Erin's loose sweater and perfectly shaped jeans.
"Why thank you very much," she smiled, cocking her hip and resting her hand on her waist. Her eyes traveled to Gabe who stood behind the bar in his tight shirt, muscled glory. "What's up Gabe, still haven't found any new hires?"
"It hasn't been easy," he chuckled, flexing his arms across his chest, "but we have Brad starting here after the weekend and we're looking to hire this girl - Heather - I just haven't made the call yet."
"Surprised she wasn't his first call," Anna quipped, earning a glare from the Gabe.
"Oh? Is she a cutie?" Erin asked, wiggling her eyebrows at Gabe suggestively.
"Well, I happened to be here on the day she dropped off her application," Anna started, her tone lowering, "and let's just say she's got quite the little figure on her - tight ass, long legs, perky tits. Threw in something about being a cheerleader for the Eagles."
"Well she sure does sound like quite the lady. Gabe, you have to get on that!" Gabe grumbled in agreement before Erin's attention was brought back to Loki, who was standing behind the trio at a distance and shifting his weight on his feet. Erin cleared her throat and gestured to Loki, pulling him next to her as she announced, "Guys, this is Sam. He's a friend of mine who is staying with me from out of town. Uh, Sam, this is Anna and Gabe."
Loki reached out a firm hand and shook Anna's hand, who returned it with a wide eyed and slightly quivering grasp, and then Gabe's who firmly returned the shake with a tight lipped smile.
"It's nice to finally meet the person that's been taking up all of Erin's time," Anna regained her composure and smiled meaningfully at the two of them. "How long are you planning on staying, Sam?"
"Uh, well until the end of the year, roughly." Loki answered, albeit slightly unsure of how much information was good to divulge to this new group.
"Yeah, he's just exploring his options for future possible locations to move to," Erin added.
"That's great, where are you from?"
Erin intercepted the question, answering confidently, "Oslo, Norway. He did spend a few year in Stockholm, though - isn't that right, Sam?" She stared daggers into Loki's pale green eyes, making sure he understood this was the story they were sticking with and was happy to see the affirmative nod he returned.
Gabe chimed in, halting the interrogation if only for a brief moment, "So, can I get you guys anything? Well, I already know what Erin wants," his gaze slid over the young woman before returning to Loki, "but what's your poison, man?"
Loki did not like this guy very much. Now that he was able to interact with the well structured adonis in person, he was reminded of how much like Thor this Gabe guy really was. He easily gained the attention of everyone because of his good looks and commanding presence. He was kind and easygoing and was undoubtedly sure of himself when it came to getting what he wanted. Loki just hoped that he didn't want Erin. He then watched as the bartenders eyes hungrily traveling the length of the woman's body once more. Of course he does. The god tried shaking the irritating thought from his mind before it festered.
"I'll, uh, have whatever you have on tap," he answered, recalling what he heard men say before when Loki followed Erin to the bar before she had met him. Gabe nodded and after a few minutes, came back with a pint of beer for Loki, who thanked him while slipping his arm possessively around Erin's waist.
Anna rolled her eyes, "Check your testosterone at the door, gentlemen."
Erin responded with a giggle before rubbing Loki's back reassuringly and unraveling herself from him. "So Anna, where's hubby this weekend?"
Her friend groaned into her drink, taking a large gulp of her vodka cranberry. "He's off with the mistress yet again, living a glamorous life of infidelity."
"Sweety... aren't you still seeing that fitness instructor?"
"Oh, no! He left after he discovered that Victor the veterinarian and I were still sleeping around." Both women burst into a fit of laughter upon hearing the conversation they just had.
"Well as long as you have your morals." Erin remarked dryly.
Loki watched the two women in their exchange, sitting on the stool opposite of Erin. For a moment he was briefly reminded of feeling like the outsider once again like with Thor; it wasn't a pleasant feeling, but it was a feeling that Loki had grown used to over time. However, with Erin, it felt worse - like he was in a room with a single candle that was suddenly blown out and all he could feel was the cold dark emptiness from the four walls closing in around him. He shuddered at the very thought, until Erin's small hand found his, her fingers interlacing with his own. A small smile graced Loki's lips, knowing that she would never let him feel a loneliness like that while she was around.
"So, Sam," Anna interrupted his thoughts, "tell me how we can get you to spend more time with us while you're staying here." She smiled at him, a sultry smile hinting at her lips.
Loki returned the smile and joined in on the girls lighthearted chatter, with Gabe occasionally checking in, and Loki couldn't help but feel like he was a part of something that he had never truly known.
The moon was high in the blackened sky when Loki and Erin said their goodbyes to Anna and Gabe, Erin visibly intoxicated after her many drinks with Anna. Loki kept his hand firmly positioned at her back to steady her slightly wobbly figure.
"It was a pleasure meeting you both," Loki said sincerely to Erin's friends as they all made their way to the door, "I hope we can do this again."
"Of course we can! Now, you get our baby home safe and sound for us," Anna cooed, pinching Erin's already pink cheeks playfully before turning to face Loki fully, "and maybe I'll get to show you around the city sometime if you're ever free."
Loki nodded obliviously to her before turning to Gabe. The bartender scratched the back of his head, extending his hand towards Loki in the shape of a fist. Loki stared at in curiosity before wrapping his own slender hand around it, shaking it awkwardly. They broke away, uncomfortably avoiding the other's eyes.
"Take care of her," Gabe muttered to Loki, turning to Erin and ruffling her hair. She giggled and swatted his hand away, "Guys, I'm not moving across the country - just going home to bed, and I'm not that drunk!"
"Sure you're not, sweety." Anna appeased the young woman, "I'm gonna head home myself; it's been a pretty long day." She started walking off in the opposite direction of the couple and in the direction of her home.
Gabe took his cue to go back inside, "See ya guys," leaving Erin and Loki to start their walk home, Erin occasionally tripping over invisible obstacles.
"That was fun! Did you have a good time?" She tilted her head up to Loki, searching for any expressions that would give him away.
"They were interesting people."
"Good interesting?" she fished.
"Interesting interesting." he laughed at her face as it contorted into a pout, her eyebrows knitting together comically. "You're no fun," she whined at him in a childish manner.
Loki couldn't help but laugh at her behavior, the immaturity she possessed more endearing than annoying. "I never said I was, darling. However, I happen to find myself quite entertaining."
"Yeah, a real hoot." She moved her eyes in what he could only guess was an uncoordinated eye roll. They only had another few blocks to go until he could get her to bed. "Does Thor possess your degree of humor?"
Loki grew quiet for a few moments and Erin wondered if his brother was a subject that was best left alone. Erin, for the most part, tried avoiding the topic after noticing how he avoided it, but the liquid courage flowing through her veins at the time was not going to take no for an answer. Erin was still surprised at his voice answering her question.
"He was funny is his own way. If you could think of a big dumb brute then you are not far off from my brother." He smiled to himself, seeming to forget the woman walking with him. "We'd often play harmless pranks on each other; he would throw my favorite books into the eternal flame when - when our father wasn't watching over us, and I would turn into a snake and stab him." He smirked at the memory.
"'Harmless pranks?' You could have killed him!" she exclaimed, appalled by how both brothers had treated one another. Loki's expression doesn't falter as he watches her range of emotions - shock, curiosity, bewilderment, awe. Erin wasn't angry or afraid of Loki's powers, but she was puzzled by them and found herself wondering just the extent of Loki's powers. A memory flashed before Erin's eyes - emerald green scales slithering towards her as she walked towards the bar on a particular sunny day. "You?! You were the snake I saw that one day, weren't you?" Judging by the mischievous glint in her companion's eye, she'd say she had been correct. "Were you going to play that prank on me?!"
"No! No, no of course not." He chided her, ushering her past the front door of her house. He easily led her into her bedroom, allowing her to sit on her bed as he turned on the light so they could see easier. Once the light filtered through the room, Erin pulled her sweater over her head, revealing a black bra. Loki averted his gaze respectfully, feeling a tightening in his stomach as he heard her unzip her pants and toss them onto the floor. His thoughts were firmly trained on a stray sock on the floor when he felt her gentle fingers slide across his palm as she pulled him over to the bed with her. Erin pulled back the covers and slid between the sheets, her grasp on Loki firm. He pulled his hand from hers and took the comforter, pulling it up over her shoulders. Erin smiled gratefully at him and snuggled further into her bed, Loki watching her fondly.
"Stay here? Just until I fall asleep." Her voice sounded small and timid, nervous for wanting to be in his company like this. She kept her eyes down, hidden behind long dark lashes.
Loki reached forward and patted her head, her hair coiling around his fingers like copper snakes. "Get some rest, I'll be right here." He leaned forward and turned off the light by her head and then grabbed her manuscript from the dresser. Loki then settled into the foot of the bed and continued reading Erin's work by the light of the moon.