Chapter 16

The Seventh of December

How long has it been, now? I keep forgetting to ask. As I stir the pot of stew that's slowly cooking on the hob, I ask myself that question. It feels like weeks, but it could just as easily be months.

So much has changed. What would my friends and family think of me, should I ever come back to them? Would I tell them about our... relationship? Would they be happy? Concerned? Angry? They'd most probably be concerned, and for good reason!

Even I question my sanity, lately.

I soon feel Loki's presence behind me; his arms slowly wind around my waist.

"More stew?" he asks in clear disgust. I don't have to see his face to know that he's currently sneering at the food presently being lovingly cooked.

"Yes," I say shortly. "More stew." I know I shouldn't really blame him. A guy can't help his royal upbringing, after all.

So crippling. So... debilitating, being raised by the king and queen of the gods. Tragic. Really.

"I have taught you how to prepare many meals, Shana," Loki says into my ear with his head resting lightly on my shoulder. "Yet you always return to these simple dishes."

"Loki, no amount of sweet talking is going to stop me from dishing this up," I warn him, turning the temperature down a couple of notches to stop the stew from boiling over.

"I wouldn't dream of it," he says while watching me slowly stir the mixture. "I was merely suggesting that we have some extra variety for our meals." With an annoyed huff, I spin around and point the wooden spoon threateningly towards him.

"You've got a problem with my cooking?" I ask him, my eyes narrowed.

The old bastard knows I don't do cooking.

He opens his mouth, suddenly looking quite unsure- maybe even scared.

"Now, Shana," he says, lifting his hands to signal surrender. "I never said that..."

"Then shut up or cook." Grabbing one of his raised hands, I place the wooden spoon in his open palm and quickly manoeuvre him in front of the oven.

"Just... stir it until it looks like stew," I helpfully instruct over my shoulder as I rush out of the kitchen before he realises what I've done.

Nobody messes with my dinner, princess.

-BREAK-

Dinner was fairly quiet. Loki and I eat our stew in silence, with Loki frequently giving me cautious glances. Laid out in the centre of the table are several side dishes to go along side the stew- just simple stuff, like meats and salads. I pick at the salad sitting on the plate beside my bowl of stew, deeply set in my own mind.

What would I be doing right now if I were safely at home, rather than here? I must admit, things are a lot easier now with Loki, although I still miss my family.

They must have surely noticed that I'm missing by now. Every other day, Mom would call to check up on me- to see if I'm alright, or if I've settled in with my course. She must be beyond worried, now.

How long has it been, though? How long have my friends and family been stressing over me for?

There's only one way for me to be sure.

"Loki," I call softly.

"Yes, Shana?" he raises his head, still looking worried that I might abandon my dinner entirely and just bite his head off instead.

"Oh, don't look at me like that," I berate with a eye roll.

"Like what?" He asks me carefully.

"Like I'd go all praying mantis on you and bite you pretty face off," I say with a teasing smirk spread across my lips. "I only wanted to ask you what the date is."

For a brief moment, confusion takes over his features, but realisation quickly dawns.

"I believe it is the seventh of December," he informs me. I stare at him blankly for a moment. Should I be shocked? Horrified? Or maybe just relieved that it's not worse than it could have been?

"The seventh of December," I repeat emotionlessly. It was... what? Mid to late October when I arrived here? So that means I've been here for...

"2 months," I say, still not quite sure how I'm supposed to react. On the one hand, it feels like it's been much longer than that; yet it means I've missed so much.

"Actually," Loki says, gently placing his cutlery back on the table as he looks into his half full bowl. "It has been 51 days."

I don't quite know whether this helps the matter or fucks it up even more. There's only one thing my mind focuses on.

"So... I missed Halloween?"

Loki raises his eyes to stare at me. Not a thing can be heard as we stare at each other- him in stunned bewilderment and me in blank shock.

"It's a... mortal holiday," I explain when he doesn't respond to my question.

"I... suppose so..." he says slowly, his concerned eyes slightly narrowed.

Leaning forward in my seat, I move my bowl and plate to the side, making way for my elbows. Resting my forehead in my hands, I stare towards the stew and the salad set in the middle of the table, though not really seeing them.

"I missed Halloween..." I mutter mostly to myself, the facts now starting to settle in. "I missed bonfire night... I missed my Mom's birthday... I missed one of my friends' birthday... no... two friends' birthdays, and I'm about to miss Christmas..." Loki's silent for a long time, before he finally pushes his own food away.

"Come with me," he says as he walks towards the door. When I don't stand up to follow him, he turns around to look at me.

"Please," he says, his voice soft but firm.

-BREAK-

We're back in woods again, only this time we're in a different clearing- a larger clearing. In the distance, I can hear the cars driving down a nearby road. The sun has long set, making way for the moon, which shines high above us.

Standing beside me, Loki looks over the clearing with a calculating expression. Just as I'm about to ask why we're waiting in the woods, he carefully raises his hand outwards and sweeps it slowly to the left and downwards towards the ground. As if some kind of cloaking spell was lifted (which it could very well have been), objects begin to materialise one by one across the field. Soon enough, the clearing isn't nearly as empty as two chairs, a table, a tent and a large metal container soon take up half of the space. With my eyebrows raised high, I nod by head appreciatively at the magic show.

"Look who's showing off," I say teasingly, looking to the side to smirk at Loki. Showing no reaction to my gentle teasing, he walks ahead to a clear patch of grass in the middle of the camp. Holding out one of his hands, he slowly lowers it, which somehow causes the grass to gradually sink away. With a flick of his wrist, the clear patch of ground is suddenly occupied by a small pile of wood, and with a loud snaps of his fingers, he steps back as the wood ignites into flame.

"Shit," I say appreciatively. "Remind me not to piss you off." Lifting his head, Loki smirks at me.

"Shana," he says, his tone patronizing. "You have already angered me enough in the past to send most heroes and kings fleeing in terror from my wrath." Hearing that, I laugh hard enough to snort.

"Yeah," I say once I've calmed down enough to speak. "Sorry about that, but you just make it too damn easy!" I don't know whether the tightening around his mouth is from disapproval or from suppressing a smile, but I'll just guess it to be the latter.

Walking towards the metal box, he pulls the lid open.

"What's in there?" I ask him as I make my way towards where he's standing. Turning around with what looks like a narrow rectangular cardboard box in his hands, he lifts it up for me to see it.

"I was under the impression that mortals frequently use these in their celebrations." Frowning, I step a little closer until I'm right in front of him, taking the box out of his hands. On the box is a very colourful picture that's set on a dark background. It looks kind of like sparks, though it's not that easy to tell in the darkness. Stepping a little bit away from Loki, I turn towards the fire, twisting the box to face the light. Seeing some brightly coloured writing, I read the words 'The Big Bang', decorated by what now obviously resembles-

"Fireworks," I say, now completely catching on. "Yeah, we use them now and again."

Taking the box from me, Loki calmly takes the fireworks out of the box, placing one on the ground as required.

"Are you sure you know how to do this?" I ask him anxiously, realising that he plans on lighting one this exact moment.

"Your confidence in me truly is overwhelming," Loki says sarcastically as he snaps his fingers, lighting the fuse.

"Well, you're the alien who's most probably never lit a Midgardian firework before," I remind him anxiously. He turns his head to the side to give me a mock glare, turning it back forwards just as the firework flies off.

"Nice," I say in awe as the firework explodes in the sky, bathing the night in bright, rich shades of blue and silver. Even though I don't see it, I feel Loki's eyes drift to my face, and continue staring at it.

"Do you like it?" Loki asks, with a strange emotion in his voice.

"Well, yeah," I say. "Obviously. All mere mortals love bright and shiny things, right?" From my side I hear him give a soft sigh of what sounds suspiciously like relief.

Was he... nervous...?

"Of course," he says softly, walking closer to me.

"Come, sit with me," he says as he gestures towards the chairs set to the side of the tent. "That was by no means the last of the fireworks."

I follow him to the chairs, making myself comfortable as I sit down and watch the show. Another firework is set off, only this time it was set into the ground and ignited by magic.

"Do you do everything with magic?" I ask him. He turns away from the green explosion in the sky, his eyes eerily shining from the light.

"Wouldn't you, if you could?" he asks me in return. Frowning, I consider the question. I nod my head slowly.

"It would be pretty cool," I softly admit as we watch another firework fly off to the sky. "And pretty fucking convenient." The firework explodes into a mass of blue and sliver sparks like the first one- the bang like a gunshot.

"Wouldn't people know we're here?" I ask him; he turns to face me.

"What?" he asks me carefully.

"Those are some pretty big bangs," I answer, pointing towards where the firework had exploded. "I'm sure people will notice."

"Fear not, Shana," Loki says in confident reassurance. "Many mortals celebrate for many varied reasons. The odd firework being set off- even in the depths of the forest- shouldn't arouse too much suspicion. It could always be either children playing foolish games or adults celebrating an event."

"And if that's not the case?" I ask him. He's quiet for a moment, considering his answer. The fireworks pause for a moment as he thinks.

"Then I suppose I must fight."

I stare at him, not sure what to make of that answer. He's a Norse god- a Viking. Of course he'd want to fucking fight. The world must really be messed up for me to defend my captor now, though.

"Surely you have some kind of defence set up?" I ask him. Perhaps I shouldn't ask it, though. It would most probably be something that involves death, mutilation, implosion and the erasing of existence for anyone who dares step foot near the cabin. But it's too late to back out of the question, now. And besides, I remain ever optimistic that he won't turn around and go stabbing people in the eye just because it seemed fun at the time.

"Of course I do," he says, sounding a little bit offended. "I have built an enchanted ward around this patch of the forest to deter all Midgardians. No one should come searching for us."

Somehow, that's a relief to hear. Leaning to the side slightly, I rest my head against Loki's shoulder as I stare up at the fireworks. Everything almost feels good and fine here in the woods, watching the sparks fly in the air. But not even magic can keep the fireworks flying. At some point halfway through the show, we'd moved from the chairs to sit by the fire and watch the last of the fireworks go off.

"Thank you," I say as I watch the shifting colours of the fire.

"For what?" he asks, acting oblivious. I turn to look at him with a raised eyebrow and a smile on my face.

"I know what you did, Loki, and why you did it. Thank you," I repeat honestly. "Though I have to say, I'm very curious on why you had all of this in the first place, as I clearly remember you telling me that you don't actually poof all of this out of thin air. You weren't bullshitting me, were you, Loki?" I ask him, allowing my voice to lower slightly at the end to get the threat across to him. A smile crosses his face, and I can clearly see what he's thinking: 'bless the darling mortal, trying to threaten a god.'

"No, I didn't lie," he says, winding an arm around me as he turns back to look at the fire. "The tent was from when I first arrived at Midgard and was building my shelter. The fireworks were bought out of curiosity to see whether they bore much resemblance to the ones in Asgard." He halts in his explanation, watching as the fire cracks through a log.

"Do they?" I ask him, eager to learn more about this foreign place straight from the source. He turns back to look at me.

"No," he says. "Though they are similar, the ones in Asgard were far more extravagant and would set the sky alight with creatures of myth set in fire and embers. The colours would be so vibrant and varied, many of them have no name in any mortal tongue." He pauses in his speech, staring at me intently.

"But tonight is better than all of those nights in Asgard combined," he says, his hand moving to grip mine. "I had no father judging me; no brother outshining me and no image to live up to. I have grown to care very deeply for you, Shana," lifting his other hand, he places his palm on the side of my face. "Very much so."

This is the opportune moment to kiss. This is the moment in every film where the couple kisses, and it's not like it would be the first (and hopefully not the last) kiss between us. All I have to do is lean in and connect lips with him.

And so I carefully, gently lean forwards and tenderly kiss him. He opens his mouths, accepting me wholly and lovingly and we kiss under the moon...

Nah, that's total bullshit.

Falling forwards I crash our lips together with tooth shattering force.

"Fuck!" I exclaim, darting backwards and raising a hand protectively in front of my mouth. The taste of blood fills my mouth; though when I dab my finger around my mouth, it comes out clear. Loki laughs beside me, his body shaking with the laughter as he's obviously unaffected by my screw up.

"Allow me," he says, still chuckling slightly as he says it. Wrapping his fingers around my wrist, he lowers it from my mouth. Using his other hand, he cups my cheek gently.

"Are you ready?" he asks me in a whisper.

"Yeah."

"Are you sure?" I can feel his breath on my lips as he asks me.

"Fuck yeah."

"Really? Because I'm not fond of the taste of blood should you wound yourself aga-"

"Fuck you and kiss me, already," I interrupt him with my eyes narrowed to thin twin slits.

"As you wish, my lady," Loki murmurs sarcastically before finally leaning in to kiss me- just as I was about to retort sharply.

Hands are everywhere- in my hair, on my face, on my-

Wow. My eyes blink open in shock as I pull away slightly to stare at him in surprise. He looks back at me, his mouth pulled up into a devilish smirk.

"Well..." I say, clearing my throat as I dig for something smart to say. "Huh." With a grin, he leans down to rest his mouth on the side of my throat.

"Huh." Mind... Blank... Dead... What...?

"Couldn't... er..." I roll my head to the side, going a little high on adrenaline. "Couldn't help but notice there's only one tent."

"You don't say," Loki says into my throat, before returning to his previous feast.

Huh...

A/N: The Big Bang fireworks mentioned in this story are by no means related to The Big Bang fireworks that you can find on Google Images. All similarities are coincidental- I called them that because it sounded like a cool name for fireworks rather than some mess of words like 'The Scorching Scorpion'... that most probably is actually a thing... and actually sounds kind of cool... Alliteration FTW!