My faithful readers, I'm SOOOO SORRY for the delay! College is killer so I couldn't make time. Also, I was having a lack of inspiration to write this chapter since I was more excited to write the next ones. Well guys, I hope you like this, Chapter 9!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything but my OC, Mandy. Loki and any other Marvel characters I add later on belong to Marvel or wherever they truly belong to.
Loki P.O.V.
The rest of the night happened like a blur. Before I knew it, dinner had passed and Mandy had begun to clear the table. This time, I decided to assist her. I picked up my own plate and placed it on the sink.
She must have noticed the gesture since she smiled and said, "Thanks, but you don't have to do that for me. I can manage."
This was the second time she refused my help and though I was no longer as insulted as I had been the first time, I still was not happy about being denied.
"I merely want to repay your acts of kindness with my own but it seems you do not wish me to." I told her, while trying to hide the unhappiness in my voice.
Mandy stopped working to tell me, "It's not that I don't appreciate what you're doing. I do. It's just that I don't want to feel like an invalid. I can't rely on others forever."
As usual, she gave a good justification. It was becoming clear what she wanted to be perceived as: an independent and capable woman despite her disability. It was admirable that she wished to be treated like a normal person and not be defined as useless because of her blindness. Still, pushing away an offer of assistance would not make her appear competent as she wanted to be.
"I understand, but you take my actions as if they were based on pity." I said to her.
"Maybe you're right. You just want to help, don't you?" Mandy admitted with a tone that revealed that she was either shy or embarrassed.
She then pulled herself together and turned to me saying, "How about this: If you're up for it, you can help me out with chores tomorrow. Only if you want to."
I was unsure if she meant it or not, but to me, it sounded as if she was testing my willingness to aid her. Though I was not very fond of housework, I was not going to back away from a challenge.
"Why not?" I said in agreement. Mandy smiled then returned to the dishes. "So for tonight, you will take care of the work?" I asked her though the answer was quite clear.
"Yup, I'll do them. You can take a break for now." She told me. After speaking however, she paused from washing and spoke once again.
"Loki, you like to read don't you?" She asked. I tried to remember how she knew that I did. After a moment, I realized that I mentioned that to her the night before, when we were discussing the things I enjoyed doing.
I replied, "I do. Why do you ask?" Mandy rinsed off the soap from her hands and gestured me to follow her while she left the kitchen.
We stopped when we were before a cabinet. She stooped down and felt for the handles. Once the doors were opened, I saw the contents.
Mandy P.O.V.
Having remembered that there were books stored in the old cabinet, I decided to let Loki use them to pass the time.
I brushed my fingers against the spines of the books as I spoke. "There are a lot of stuff to read here, but as you can already tell…" I did not need to finish my sentence. I knew Loki was smart enough to get it.
He made no audible response however, which made me think that he was not interested.
I ran my fingers against the books once again as I tried to break the silence. "I'm sure there's something here that you'd like to…"
Suddenly, I felt cool long fingers touch my own. I realized they belonged to Loki, who was also scanning through the books with his hand. I relinquished my spot on the spines to let him through.
"Found something you like?" I asked when I heard him remove something from the stack.
"Yes, actually. I am not that familiar with the myths of these Egyptians." He finally said.
I smiled at that and said, "Then I'll leave you to it. You can also borrow any of the other books there. I'm sure they'll be happy to be of some use."
After speaking, I got up and went back to the kitchen to finish the rest of the dishes.
I took my time cleaning the kitchen and organizing the items I moved earlier. The peaceful sound of the evening seemed to make my pace slower but I did not mind. It was comforting to hear the rhythmic crickets chirping.
Since Loki arrived, I felt like I had to do things quickly to give him attention. Tonight however, everything was calm. There was no rush nor worry. Nights should always be like this.
Once I had completed all my tasks, I walked over to the living room where I found my guest. I could hear pages being turned gently and that assured me that he was indeed enjoying whatever he was reading.
"Loki, I'm gonna go to bed ahead, ok? You can just continue reading or whatever you want to do. " I told him.
I heard him shift before replying, "Alright then." He paused for a moment and then said, "Before I forget, I would like to thank you for the books."
He sounded strangely polite, but I made no comment about it. Instead, I said, "You're welcome. Just don't stay up too late. You don't want to stress out your body. Goodnight"
"Goodnight." He said in return.
Loki P.O.V.
I woke up once again to painfully bright sunlight. To avoid the glare, I took the blanket that was on top of me and pulled it over my head. After a few moments, a question came to mind.
Where did the blanket come from?
It was not the one that I was provided with the night before. It had a different design. Moreover, the previous one was beneath me since I did not slip under the covers last night. But then again I did not recall falling asleep.
Getting up, I found my book neatly placed on the table beside me. I picked it up and found something pressed in between the pages. There was a hairpin placed on the page I was reading last night.
I immediately recognized the hair accessory. It was the same one used by Mandy.
Knowing that, all the other clues fell into place. Mandy must have noticed that I had fallen asleep while reading and set the book aside. She must have also given me the blanket and left a bookmark for the page.
Being reminded of her, I also recalled that I offered to assist her in doing her chores. I quickly went to the kitchen where I normally found her.
Unsurprisingly, she was there, setting the table. Food was already prepared and she seemed to have done all the work again.
"I thought you agreed to let me help you this time." I told her. She was startled a bit when I spoke but calmed down a second later.
Mandy tucked a part of her hair behind her ear before saying, "I didn't forget. I actually tried to wake you earlier but you were wouldn't get up. So I let you sleep in."
I wanted to argue but something else caught my attention. While she spoke, she kept pushing her hair out of her face. I realized that the hairpin she left me was the one that always held her hair back.
I silently ran back to fetch the pin since she seemed to have a difficult time without it.
"Mandy, I believe this is yours." I said as I returned it to her.
She smiled as she received it and placed it back on her wavy black hair.
"There we go. Thank you." She said, not even asking where I founded it or how I knew it was hers.
Mandy then gestured me to sit down and have breakfast with her. As we ate, Mandy told me that she was still open to my offer to assist her with work. She promised to let me do the dishes with her after the meal. I, however, was too busy wondering if I was going to regret what I said.
We began with clearing the table, something not at all difficult. It was merely taking all the items to the sink to be washed. The next step was the challenging part.
I have been fond of cleanliness, but being raised with servants who did the cleaning for me, something as simple as washing the dishes was alien to me. My pride was further demeaned when I realized that a blind girl was doing it better that I. She had washed several plates already while I was stuck with my first.
It would not be long before she would notice and say that I was terrible at it and that I was wasting time and water.
"How are you doing?" she asked, almost as if she knew what I was thinking.
I did not reply. It was already embarrassing that I could not keep up. I would rather not verbally admit defeat.
"You know, I learned an easier way to do this." She said after waiting for a response that never came.
Mandy grabbed another soiled plate and gave it to me along with a soapy sponge. She then placed her hands on mine and made me mimic her actions as she washed the dish.
"So you just move it around like a circle." She instructed, though I was not paying full attention anymore. My mind was more focused on her soft hands holding my own. Once again, she was getting a bit too close for comfort and causing my body to heat up.
"Did you get it?" she asked, breaking my train of thought.
Awkwardly, I replied, "I believe so. You can release me now."
Mandy did as I asked and returned to her half of the work. I did mine as well without word and still with some difficulty.
We spent the rest of the day doing all other chores. Almost like a pattern, Mandy had to teach me how to do them step-by-step. At least, she spared me some dignity by treating me like an equal trying to learn a new skill, and not as a child who knew absolutely nothing.
By nightfall, she decided that I had done enough for the day and rewarded me with time to curl up to good books and not housework. I was very thankful for that.
Mandy P.O.V.
I knew Loki was probably exhausted and he deserved some time to relax. I had fun working with him, though I think I could have done things faster on my own. Still, his efforts were much appreciated.
I left him to the books once again since I he seemed to be enjoying them a lot. He spent several hours in silence, almost making me forget he was even there. After a while, I decided to bother him, just to hear his voice.
"So, what are you reading now?" I asked softly so I would not startle him.
I heard him flip a page before answering, "It's a book of fairytales. The stories are quite odd."
I moved closer to him and asked, "Didn't you hear them as a kid?"
"No. I grew up with legends and epics. Not tales such as these." He replied
"Oh, ok. I haven't heard them in a long time. Mind if you read them for me?" I requested, hoping I could get him to share his hobby with me as well.
A few seconds passed before he said, "I suppose I could. I have been quite a storyteller in my day."
Loki began to read tales of Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Cinderella and Rapunzel. His voice was like velvet as he spoke the words so fluidly. The stories sounded so beautiful when spoken in such a regal tone.
Time floated along as he read tale after tale. Though I was enjoying myself, I noticed Loki's interest waning. Before long, I heard Loki close the book and sigh.
"Are you ok?" I asked him.
"I am." He answered but it did not sound convincing. I went on to push him into giving an honest reply.
"It doesn't seem like it." I told him.
After another sigh, he said to me, "It's just that the tales are very unrealistic." I chuckled a bit at his comment before saying, "Well, they are fairytales. Magic and fairy godmothers don't really exist."
He was about to say something, but then held it back. After a short pause, he spoke again. "It's not just that. I meant that everything is one sided and stereotypical."
I straightened up before requesting, "Care to explain?"
I heard the book being opened and the pages being flipped. "Everything is taken as black and white. All the protagonists are depicted as everything good, great and perfect. The antagonists are seen as purely evil and their reasons for doing what they do is either omitted or ignored." He said.
Loki was actually looking deeper into the story than most people would. Normally, anyone would just hear it and accept whatever happened and never care to understand what was between the lines.
"Now that I think about it, you're right." I told him honestly.
Loki then continued. "Not only that. The villain in almost every tale was a sorcerer or a witch who could create various spells and yet they are defeated by the so-called hero with a mere battle weapon or a kiss from a maiden. Is not the sorcerer much more intelligent than him? Why would the fates choose to side with arrogant princes who simply got whatever they wanted, and intervene with matters not their own?"
I could hear anger in his voice as he spoke. It was as if he was talking about an actual person rather than just the fairytale.
"So you side with the villain, then?" I asked but trying not to offend him. He did not answer right away, but when he did, he defended his statement.
"No. I just think that people focus too much on their hero that they neglect to see the good in… well… the other characters. The villains have reasons behind their actions too."
It seemed like Loki understood what it was like to be treated like a villain opposite another viewed as a hero. What could have happened to make him feel that way?
"I do not understand how people enjoy these stories." He admitted.
"They are for kids, who don't think so much about the details. What matters to them are morals saying good always wins over evil and stuff like that." I justified.
"So does that mean that those who always lose and fail are the bad ones?" he said, questioning my claim.
"You really take this seriously, don't you?" I asked him rhetorically. I could already tell the answer. There was that annoying silence between us again. To break it, I said, "Loki, could you check if that book has the story, Beauty and the Beast?"
I heard him flipping the pages for a moment, and then closing the book. "No, it is not here." He informed me. "That's too bad, it's my favorite story." I told him, hoping he would take interest. I could feel him shifting on the couch before asking, "Is it similar to those other tales?" He was most likely tired of the patterns of the ones he had read to me.
"It's a bit different, actually. Would you like me to tell you?" I gave him the opportunity to state if he really wanted to hear it or not. "If you think it is has a better plot than the rest, be my guest." He replied.
I refreshed my memory first before I started. I told him about the prince who, unlike the ones from the earlier ones, was selfish and vain. "One cold winter night, an ugly, poor, old woman came to his palace, asking for shelter. All she could give him in return was a rose. He was not impressed by it at all so he sent her away." I said. I then talked about how the woman was actually an enchantress who was trying to test the prince and since she saw no kindness in his heart, she transformed him into a hideous beast. "The only way to change him back was by finding a person who would love him regardless of his monstrous looks." I added.
"No one ever did, right?" he asked, though it sounded more like a statement rather than a question.
"Actually, someone did." I said, assuring him. I then told him about the girl who came to the prince's home to save her father. "At first, the two couldn't get along because of his attitude, but eventually, things changed between them."
"Changed?" Loki asked, sounding quite confused. I nodded in response before proceeding with the rest of the story.
"Neither wanted to admit it, but they were falling in love with each other. It was only when the beast was dying that she revealed her true feelings to him." I said.
Loki spoke up, "She really cared for him, a monster-prince? It was probably out of pity. No being would do such a thing."
I smiled to myself before responding. "Pity is different from love, Loki. Pity can only do so much. Love goes beyond appearances. It's the inside that matters." As soon as the words left my mouth, I realized just how cheesy they sounded. Nevertheless, they were true.
He seemed to have ignored my earlier statement and just asked, "So did she break the spell?"
"Yes. As soon as she said she loved him, he became normal again. And I suppose, they lived happily ever after together." I told him.
Loki said nothing for a while, probably contemplating on the ending. I did not force him to comment.
A yawn escaped my mouth while I waited for a response.
I decided to call it a night and said, "Well, it's late. We better get some sleep."
I then got up from the floor where I was sitting on while we were sharing stories. I heard Loki move as well.
"Goodnight, Loki." I greeted.
"To you as well." He said, before I left for my bedroom, and slipped into the mysterious world of dreams and nightmares.
End of Chapter 9
Well? Did you like it or not? Sorry if it sucked and Thanks if you like it. Leave a review if you can. Have a nice day!