viridian love [L.L]

five- living quarters

Loki and I walked into the living space we were provided. Courtesy of the man they called 'Grandmaster.' Apparently to him, me and Loki looked 'too divine' to be in the streets. He said he would give us a place to stay as long as we held up our end. Being his party guests. This man was purely crazy. 

When the door slid open, it was like a whole other world. White LED lights were hidden behind sleek and modern-looking, pieces of furniture.
"Wow," I breathed out, walking a little further into the room. I took in the silk sheets and bottles of wine with bowls of grapes. Everything looked so....nice. 

I watched as Loki observed the room, pulling open a few of the drawers then looking out the large window, scouring alien the city view. 

Suddenly my suit felt too tight. The leather dug into my flesh as the dirt from the day had settled on my skin. I walked toward the bathroom, pressing the side button as the door opened. I was surprised to see a beautiful high-tech suite. I turned back, noticing a green aura surrounding Loki, his once dirty suit was now a dark green tee-shirt with grey sweatpants. His long raven hair was pulled into a low bun, somehow still greasy. 

"Need help with something, love?" 

I rolled my eyes, snapping out of the trance I found myself in. "No."

Loki smirked, nodding, "Sure, whatever you say-"

"Shut it!" I snapped, "I'm taking a shower. Don't come in." 

He nodded, allowing me to leave without another word between us. I took a deep breath, unzipping the back of my dirty suit. Placing it on the counter, I was only left in my underwear. Slipping my panties and bra off, I moved toward the shower. A little confused until I saw the panel open, revealing two 'hot' and 'cold' options. I pressed the hot one, stepping in after I tested the temperature with my hand. Weird, alien technology is almost the same as Earth. 

The scolding water hit my back, making me tense slightly until the pain turned into a relaxing bliss. I had bruises littered over my body. Thanks to falling a few hundred feet from a wormhole. And a few scratches on my arms and legs. Nothing that wouldn't heal in a couple of hours. My throat was still sore from coughing up water. A hard sandpaper feeling made me cough a couple of times. 

I took some soap, which was a part of the accommodations. Scrubbing the shampoo into my scalp I took another deep breath, opening my lungs as air flowed in. Allowing me some peace for the first time in months. 

I had either been with the Avengers, fighting on missions and helping Earth. Or I had been with Thor, looking for the infinity stones and again, fighting aliens. And last I was battling the sister we never knew about. Which that fight still wasn't over with. A knock on the door startled me as the soap ran into my eye, causing me to hiss in pain. 

"Aspen? Are you alright?" I heard Loki ask through the door. I nodded, then realized he couldn't see me. "Yeah I'm fine I just-" I stepped from the shower, still naked. Holding a washcloth to my eye as I tried to wash the soap out. "Fuck that hurt!"

"Alright, I'm coming in!"

"No Loki! Don-" But the door slid open before I had the chance to fully protest. Loki's eyes widened as he looked at my naked body. "LOKI!!" I shouted, hitting him with the washrag. 

"Get out, get!"

"I'm going!" He held his hands up, smirking as the door slid shut. I groaned, sitting down on the toilet seat. 

_

After I had washed all the soap from my hair I conjured a pair of clothes. A pale green tank top with grey sweatpants. On Earth, Wanda would always make jokes about them. I never understood it.

I didn't feel the need to conjure a bra. Those things kill my back and I was going to sleep. What was the point? I braided my hair into two sections on my head. Letting the french braids sit at my shoulders.

I walked out from the bathroom, seeing Loki perched in the window, reading a book. The same one he had read since we were teenagers. "Fiskerjenten." It was an old copy in the Asgardian library. Of course, it only dated back to the 1800s and we were much older but he always loved it. I still had no idea what it was about. 

"If you keep reading that over and over again I think the spine will snap." I leaned against a wall, watching him roll his eyes before the book disappeared with a green flash. 

"Maybe if I ignore you, you'll just stop talking." 

I squinted, smiling, "That would be reason enough for me."

We both got up, walking toward the bed as I raised an eyebrow at him. No way we were sleeping in the same bed. "What do you think you're doing?" Loki laughed, "Sleeping. What do you think I was doing?"

"We're not sleeping in the same bed, Loki."

"And why not?"

"Because we- Well we're not...I just don't.." I stuttered not knowing what reason to excuse myself with. 

"We used to as kids. Even when we were teenagers we-"

"That was before!!" The room went silent. Only the noise from the building could be heard as we stared at each other. Loki's eyes were still the same shade of green. Only more dull. His face had toned and his body was more buff. But he was still my childhood friend. He was still my Loki. 

"It was before you found out about your parentage." He raised a hand to protest, but I spoke first, "Which you know I do not blame you for! That was on Odin. But it was before New York and before those stupid elves." I took a deep breath, reliving all the times' everything had been messed up between me and Loki. 

"It was before you faked your death...twice." Loki nodded, not looking me in the eyes. I scoffed, annoyed by the silence. Picking up the blanket I walked over to the couch, turning off the lights with a push of a button. 

"I'll take the couch. You must want a real bed after being dead for so long." I laid down, pulling the thin blanket over my body, attempting to make the uncomfortable couch a little more bearable. 

"Aspen, please. Just take the bed. I'll sleep on the sofa."

"No, Loki. Go to sleep and leave me alone."

"Please, Pen-"  

"Leave me alone!" I raised my voice, hearing him walk back over to the bed and climb in. I knew it had to be comfortable, but I was standing my ground. I wouldn't let him win. Not now, not ever again. I was probably being immature but Loki had been our entire lives. 

The street noise suddenly got quieter, as did the hum of the building as I slipped into a blissful slumber. That was until the same nightmare popped into my head.