A New Life: LokixReader Chapter 12

You and Josie decided to go for a stroll around the land around your house. It was a forested area but you took a path you traveled often. You considered inviting Loki along. After thinking about it you concluded that he would decline your offer. He’s probably nose-deep in his books by now. I shouldn’t bother him. You and Josie walked the dirt path and chatted while you took in the beautiful summer view. The birds were singing and you saw wild flowers all along the trail.

“So he’s from Norway?” Josie asked you. Somehow the topic got onto Loki.

“Uh, yeah!” You lied to her. You knew she was going to be bombarding you with questions sometime, but you still weren’t prepared to lie to your best friend. Guilt twisted your stomach.

“That’s so cool. He speaks English very well. So I take it he doesn’t have a girlfriend then?” She asked innocently, bending down to pick up a daisy from a nearby patch. You knew where her questioning was heading and it made you uneasy.

“Loki’s not dating anyone. Not that I know of.”

Her eyes brightened up. She stuck the daisy behind her ear and smiled at you. “Hey, can you-“

“No, Josie. I’m not setting you two up.” Your tone surprised you. You came off a little harshly and even Josie blinked at you. You tried to lighten your voice. “What happened with Roger?”

“We broke up like three days ago. Did I not tell you?” She picked up another daisy and put it behind your ear to match hers. You touched it softly, feeling the petals between your fingers. You rolled your eyes at her teasingly.

“No, you didn’t tell me.”

“Oh, oops.” She giggled and you both continued to walk. “But why not? Loki’s damn sexy!”

’Why not?’ That’s a good question. You thought about your reluctance. Josie went through boyfriends faster than you went through gas in your car. You didn’t want her to toss Loki to the side after a week. He seemed to be in enough pain. Also, Loki was a God. He would not have agreed to go out ‘with a simple mortal’ as he likes to put it. There would just be pain on both sides. But what if they did fall in love and stay together? That thought hurt you more than you thought. No, she doesn’t even know he’s a God. It couldn’t work.

“I just don’t think he’s your type, Josie.” You decided to go with that reason. It was part of the truth.

“Aww, you just want to keep him for yourself!” She teased and poked you in the side. Your eyes widened and you didn’t respond right away. Her eyes enlarged and her mouth dropped open in shock. “Oh my, God! You like him, don’t you?”

Your face reddened and you pulled back from her, stunned. “What? Don’t be silly. That’s like saying I enjoy the hordes of zombies in Left 4 Dead.”

“Then why are you blushing?” She grinned at your reaction.

“Because you’re putting me on the spot,” you pouted at her. She laughed and patted your back comfortingly.

“Alright, alright. I’ll drop it. For now.”

Where in Tamriel did she come up with that idea? Completely insane. Sure, he’s handsome. Yes, he entertaining. I like his company. So what?

She changed the subject as you two walked on. You were grateful she didn’t press you further. She loved to tease you but knew when you drop it. One of the reasons you two got along so well.

You ended up at the lab, well, what was left of it. Now that it was daylight you could see the scene better. Cement rubble was scattered all over the place. You saw a pile of still-working tech placed to the side. Your parents must have found them in the wreckage. You saw your father lifting up a larger piece of cement while your mother reached under it to grab something. You and Josie approached them, just standing on the perimeter of the rubble.

“Hey Mr. and Mrs. [Last Name],” Josie called out in greeting. They glanced at her and smiled. Your mother grabbed whatever was under the slab and your dad dropped it. They walked up to you two, your mom putting the piece of tech in the pile.

“Hello, Josie. Good to see you, dear. I assume [Name] has told you what happened?” Your mother asked while giving her a hug. Josie hugged her back and nodded.

“Yeah, I’m so sorry. This really sucks. You guys don’t deserve it.” She looked sympathetic and scanned the area that used to be the lifework of your parents. “I hope those S.H.I.E.L.D guys figure out where those bad guys are.”

Your dad sighed tiredly. “We hope so too. It took us a long time to create the core. With all the data gone, it will take even longer to make it from scratch.”

“You think that Mr. Stark would help you guys out. I mean, c’mon! He’s Iron Man!” Josie crossed her arms as she complained.

“Hey, he’s a very busy man,” you defended Tony. You were wondering the same thing but he’s your idol, so you could make exceptions for him.

“Yeah, I’m sure he’s very busy with all those cool toys of his.”

You would absolutely be in heaven if you could take a look at his lab. All of those genius inventions scattered around. You stopped yourself before you got into hardcore fangirl mode.

“[Name],” your dad started, “Would you be a good girl and go fetch us some lunch?”

“Sure,” you smiled. You figured they didn’t have a big breakfast since they were too focused on the lab. You remembered you didn’t exactly have a full breakfast either thanks to Loki. “You hungry?” You asked Josie and she nodded.

You both walked back to the house. It was a nice day and you decided walking would be better than taking the golf cart back. This time you took the direct path to your house rather than the trail from before to save time. As you drew closer to your house you noticed Loki lying on the porch. When you got closer to you could tell he had his arms crossed behind his head and his eyes were closed. He must be napping in the sun. Must be nice.

You stepped around him. Josie followed suit. You could see her eyes appraising him. It reminded you of that waitress from the diner. You didn’t get angry, but felt more of a subtle agitation. You were broke out of your thoughts when you felt cold fingers wrap around your ankle. You jumped and squeaked a little in alarm. You glanced down to see Loki holding your leg lightly as he peered up at you with one open eye.

“Your absence was noted.” He stated indifferently.

“We went for a walk. Were you looking for us?” You asked incredulously. You could see no reason why he would be looking for you.

“No,” he confirmed your thoughts. “Make me aware next time of your departure.” He let go of your leg and returned to his relaxed pose.

“Uh, okay?” You replied and walked into the house. You entered the kitchen and turned to see Josie’s beaming face. “Don’t say a word,” you warned her. She made a motion to zip her lips.

You two prepared a basket filled with sandwiches and juice boxes. You also added a bag of cookies. I haven’t had a picnic in a long time. You arranged everything into the basket with care and picked it up. You headed back outside and passed Loki. You saw him sit up and give you an expectant stare.

“We’re going to go have a picnic. Want to come?” You were surprised to see him nod and get up. You felt a surge of happiness as he took the basket from your hands and nodded for you to lead on.

The three of you walked on, you looking around at nature while Josie talked Loki’s ear off. She asked him about his alleged home back in Norway, if he missed it, how he liked Canada, etc. You could feel the annoyance radiating off him in waves. Why he didn’t snap at her was beyond you. He’s probably trying to be nice. You decided to play ignorant to the conversation as you tried to make shapes in the clouds above. Josie was now talking about her plans for school next year and what her interests were. Loki said about a total of five words. He practically slapped your mouth shut when you went off about Hamlet, but not Josie was talking a million times more than you and he put up with it. Maybe he does like her… You frowned at the thought.

You saw your parents ahead and ran off, leaving Loki and Josie alone. They weren’t speaking to you anyway, so you didn’t see it as being rude. You glanced behind you to see Loki giving you a confused look while Josie gave you an appreciative smile and thumbs up. You kept running until you were standing in front of your parents.

“We’re back,” you announced, outstretching yours arms dramatically. They smiled at you and waved at Josie and Loki behind you. They arrived a moment later and Loki sat down the basket.

“Thanks, guys.” Your dad reached down and grabbed a sandwich before heading back to his work. Your mom followed suit.

“Hey Josie, got the blanket?” You asked her. She grinned and fanned out the blanket and spread it across the grass. You and she sat down on it and you began unpacking the contents of the basket. Loki finally sat down next you to and took the sandwich from your grasp. “Hey!” You complained and he merely smirked before biting into it. You handed him a juice box and he stared at it cautiously.

“What is this?”

Josie butted in before you could reply. “A juice box. You don’t have them in Norway?”

“No.” He handed it back to you. “Open it for me.”

You rolled your eyes and stabbed the carton with the straw. “Yes, your highness.” You handed it back to him and he took it without saying thanks. So rude.

You noticed him stare at the daisy behind your ear while he ate. “Does that signify anything?” He asked, gesturing to the flower.

“Oh no, it’s just for fun.” You picked at a yellow flower next to you on the ground. You held it up to him and smiled. “Would you like one?”

His mouth twitched in amusement. “Does that seem to befit a person of my standard?”

Your eyes brightened up in a sudden idea and you grinned happily. You started gathering up more flowers beside you until you acquired a small pile. Josie understood what you were up to and laughed at your antics. You started twisting the stems together in a ring shape.

“Ta-da!” You exclaimed proudly, holding up the flower crown. Loki raised an eyebrow at you. You realized he didn’t understand what it was. “It’s a flower crown. A crown.” You put emphasis on the word to cater to Loki's royal background. He covered his mouth and looked down. You could see he was trying not to laugh. He failed. He looked at you with a smile so genuine your heart melted.

“Get on with it, then.” He waved you over to place it on his head. You beamed happily and kneeled to his height. You laid it on his head and you pulled back to see. You laughed at the sight. He was adjusting it to fit his head better, trying to make it perfect.

“[Name], get closer. I’m taking a picture of this.” Josie held up her phone towards you two.

You sat closer to Loki and laughed again at the sight of the mighty God in a flower crown. He looked at you with an amused smile, not even looking in Josie’s direction. You heard her phone make the sound of a picture being taken. You moved over to her and looked down at her phone to see the picture.

Your heart rate increased a little as your eyes scanned over the photo. You and Loki looked so happy looking at each other. There was emotion in this picture that tugged at your heart strings. You couldn’t place a finger on it.

“Can you send me that?” You asked her. Josie nodded and sent you the picture via text. You got it and showed it to Loki. His smile disappeared into a thoughtful stare. With a sigh he took the flower crown off his head and placed it on yours.

“This suits you better.” He went back to eating, starting on his second sandwich.

You touched the crown gently and grinned at Josie, ignoring the weird feeling in your chest. “Look, I’m a princess!”

You missed the longing look Loki sent your way.