Loki's magical friend? - ON HIATUS

3.

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Chapter Three: Poptarts and Pranks

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A few hours passed and I decided to bring Loki some food. Besides, I needed a break from my homework. The concentration was making my head hurt.

I walked into the kitchen. Unsurprisingly, Thor was there, scoffing away at Poptarts. Judging by the empty boxes surrounding him, he was most likely just starting his fifth pack. He really loved those things. Then, I had an idea.

"Thor?"

"Hmm?"

"I was just going to bring Loki some food, do you have any suggestions?" I asked.

The God seemed to think for a moment, before looking at his hand. 

"He has not tried poptarts, here, give this to him, he will love them... mmm...." He handed me an unopened one, 

"Um, thanks, I'll do that..." I trailed off, Thor had obviously forgotten this whole conversation and went back to eating his favourite snack, completely oblivious to my prescence. I shook my head in amusement and walked back to Loki's cell.

I walked in, holding a plate of poptarts, a small cushion and one of my favourite books. My eyes bulged. 

WHERE HAD HE GOTTEN ALL THIS FURNITURE? 

What used to be an empty room, save for a small cot in the back of the room, was now furnished with a small bookshelf, a comfy-looking armchair, and the cot had been transformed into a plush, comfy bed.  

He looked up as I approached, obviously annoyed at interrupting his reading. A feeling I knew all too well. I smiled warmly and held up the plate. 

"I thought you might be hungry, so I brought you some pop tarts. They're like biscuits with a jam filling, they're quite good." I explained, sensing his confusion. I walked over to the table and set the plate down. I left the cell, standing on one of the platforms. Placing the pillow on the ground, I transfigured it to a small but comfortable armchair and sat down. "I also thought I would keep you company, seeing as you've been on your own for so long down here. Plus you're giving me a break from my homework so it's a win-win for both of us." I opened the Princess Bride and began to read the familiar text. 

As I read, I saw out of the corner of my eye, Loki reaching for one of the pop-tarts and eating it. His eyes widened in surprise and he looked at the pop tarts with delight. I smiled, happy to see him relaxed. Although the others seemed to hold a grudge against him - admittedly, it wasn't misplaced - I could not hold such animosity against someone who I had only heard about through stories. It wouldn't have been fair, and it allowed me to make my own judgements on his character, a lesson I had learnt after my third year at Hogwarts

. As time passed, we grew accustomed to the quiet silence and sound of pages turning. It was peaceful, a rarity in the Avengers tower. It wasn't until I checked my watch that I realised I'd been here for over three hours! I turned the chair back to a pillow, unlocked the cell and retrieved the plate. He looked up, the sudden movement distracting him from his book. "I'll be back soon. I just have to put this back and grab my homework." He nodded in reply, eyes not leaving me as I left the room. I went up to the kitchen and was met by Nat and my uncle having a flour fight which, by the looks of it, was getting a bit out of hand. Thor and Steve watched in amusement.

"Got you Clint!"
"HA! Take that!"

Nat got a face full of flour. The whole room gasped and waited in a mix of eager anticipation and fear over Nat's reaction. She opened her eyes, narrowed her eyes at my uncle and grinned. He gulped in terror.

 He had made a grave error. 

"Uncle Clint, I think you should start running." I stage-whispered. She strode towards him menacingly, hand reaching out for the bags of flour. Uncle Clint bolted out of the room, Nat simply walking, winking at me as she passed. A few moments passed and a high-pitched shriek rang through the tower.

 Not a second later, Tony's voice came through the intercom. "Okay guys, who brought a little girl to the tower? I'm joking, I got that all on camera though." 

 Thor, Steve and I looked and each other and began to laugh. Once we had composed ourselves, I washed up the used plate and went to my room. I strolled over to my poor desk, which was covered in various pieces of spare parchment and piles of heavy books. Levitating all the equipment I needed, I made the journey back down to Loki, still covered in remnants of flour.

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Loki's POV: 

The young mortal entered, carrying a book and some sort of rectangle on a plate. She entered, placing the unfamiliar item on my table and left, waving what looked like a wand?

Interesting.

A chair appeared and she sat down after explaining the object. Apparently it was called a pop-tart. This must be what Thor constantly yabbers on about. I looked over at her, not wanting to be seen attempting the unfamiliar food. When I saw she wasn't looking, I nervously took a small bite, expecting it to be poisoned, but was met with an explosion of sweet goodness. 

My eyes widened. 

No wonder Thor loved them, they were delicious.

Time had slipped away faster than I had originally thought, and would have continued to do so, had the young mortal not suddenly stood up and announced she would be back soon. Her absence was unpleasant. I had rather enjoyed her silent company, which was unusual in itself, as I did not often take to strangers, let alone Midgardians.

It wasn't long before she came back, books, quills and parchment floating behind her. She also appeared to be partly covered in flour. She wrote notes from her books and then began to practice practical elements. After hearing her growl in frustration for the third time in a row, I looked up and went as close to her as the cell would allow me. She looked at me, startled from my sudden movement.

  "You need to make your wrist movement shaper." I said calmly, watching as she tried again with my corrections. As she succeeded in making an orange turn into a ball, she turned to me, mouth slightly agape and eyes wide. 

"How do you know how to do that? Are you a wizard too?" She asked, still shocked.

 I gave her a small smile and waved my hand. Three of me appeared, all identical. I waved my hand again and turned her ball back into an orange. Her eyes held an emotion of pure curiosity and joy.  "Nay, I am a god, but I am practised in the magical arts. I would be happy to help you with your schoolwork if you require it, though from what I can see, you're not an ordinary witch." 

She nodded. "I would appreciate that, thank you Loki." She smiled warmly at me and I gave her a rare smile back. I felt a feeling of... was it happiness? This young woman had been nothing but kind. 

I didn't deserve it. 

The hours passed and all too soon, she had to go. She promised to come back tomorrow and bid me goodnight. I summoned a bed and lay on top of the covers, thinking about the perculiar mortal I had met. I smiled slightly and requested to JARVIS that the lights be turned off. I turned over and swiftly went to sleep.

Maybe Midgard wouldn't be so bad after all.