The Fates' Favorite (Loki Laufeyson)

Part 30

The next couple weeks went by faster than any other had in the tower, even though I hadn't had a single mission.

I passed my GED test easily, then was scheduled for entry exams for the three different schools Tony was 'willing' to send me to. I studied relentlessly for those tests, genuinely nervous of not meeting Tony's expectations of me.

I had tried telling him I'd go to community college, at least to start, but he was having none of it. Columbia, NYU, and Cooper were the only colleges he'd even allow me to look at within New York. The highest approval rate amongst those schools was only 15%.

Even with that, though, he practically begged me to go to MIT, and insisted I take the entry exam either way. By quinjet, it was only a 45 minute journey, though it was closer to 4 hours by car. Teleporting the distance would be almost impossible for me, though easy for Loki.

Nonetheless, I didn't have to fully choose which school I wanted to go to until mid-December, so I had time even after the schools determined whether or not they'd accept me.

"Hello, gorgeous." Loki smiled as he waited outside the MIT's main office building. "How'd it go?"

Loki had yet to tell me what his blowout with Thor was about, but things had gone back to normal between them, so I assumed it was likely unimportant or had been solved already.

I shrugged, pulling my beanie more securely onto my head as the crisp air greeted me. "I guess we'll find out when they send me my scores."

"I'm sure you did wonderfully." He held his arm out with a smile, holding a hot coffee out to me. "Walk with me?"

I quirked an eyebrow up. "I never say no to coffee, but why exactly are we walking around?"

Loki breathed out a laugh as we started walking, and he shook his head. "My mother is back on the realm."

I nodded. "So, you should want to go back qui-"

"No. I wanted to spend a bit of time with you first." He corrected.

I bit my cheek for a second, squinting at the distance. Loki, avoiding his mother? That couldn't be a good sign. I glanced at him as we continued walking, debating on whether or not I should ask.

"You're avoiding her?"

"Uh... No. She's occupied at the moment, anyway. Last I checked Stark was setting up a pair of guest rooms for her."

"A pair?"

"She brought someone."

"Oh, cool." I wrote off, "Who?"

"Her name is Sigyn." Loki sighed.

I looked at him and raised my eyebrows, making him chuckle.

"I'm aware of the midgardian lores. She is not my wife." He warned quickly with a grin. "Once again, Thor and his oafish companions' teasing."

"And you... Decided you need to tell me this specifically?"

"Well, yes." He responded, "I... Assumed this should be information you know before you meet her. I have never courted her."

I chuckled slightly, nodding, "Well, that is good to know, I suppose. And why did your mother bring her?"

Loki cringed at that question, making my grin widen, "She is my mother's youngest handmaiden. It's typical for royals to bring the youngest as a travel servant, since they don't have many responsibilities outside their work."

"Frigga didn't bring her last time, though."

"She didn't wish to impose, given it was a last-minute trip." Loki responded. He huffed, before wrapping his arms around my waist. "Ready?"

"Of course."

Loki teleported us straight to the common rooms, not bothering to hide the rather affectionate grasp he had around my body and even smiling when the saw the look of surprise on my face.

"How'd the test go, kiddo?" Tony was quick to ask as he saw us.

"I think it went well. Hopefully, at least." I smiled softly.

Loki's grip around my waist adjusted to one arm, standing beside me and lightly guiding me towards the kitchen island stools.

"I fed Shadow the bowl you had in the fridge. I couldn't stand his begging." He mumbled as the dog pranced in.

I had noticed his growth picking up exponentially within the last couple weeks, as he now stood above my knee, and was nearly constantly hungry.

"Thanks, Lo." I murmured back as I moved down to the floor, sitting cross-legged to give him affection.

"The recruiter will call me within an hour, I'm sure. I'll let you know how you did." Tony smiled. "I'd put my money on you doing almost as well as I did."

I rolled my eyes at the billionaire, who shot me a grin before scuffling off towards his lab with a drink.

"You can't possib-" Thor stopped both his sentence and his stride down the hallway, smiling as he saw me on the floor. "Hi, Aurora."

"Hello, Darling!" Frigga's voice came next.

"Hi, Frigga." I smiled. I took short note of the blonde beside her, a fully blank expression on her features as she glanced back at me. "Have you guys eaten? I can cook, if not. I know these two surely won't." I shot a quick glance to each of the male gods, who rolled their eyes.

The queen chuckled, "Tony ordered lunch in your absence."

"And if he hadn't, we would have." Loki defended, a playful glare towards me. "We don't always wait for you to return."

"More often than not." I corrected. "Though I'm glad you wouldn't make your mother starve simply because you refuse commonplace chores."

"I cleaned the dishes the other day!" Thor defended.

"And I 'magic' them away, so they're no longer your problem." Loki shrugged, suppressing a smirk.

"Spoiled brats." I grumbled.

"Indeed, spoiled." The queen agreed with a disapproving look towards her sons.

"Mother!" Thor gasped.

Frigga smiled at her son, before following me towards Shadow's bowl.

"Your hound has grown well thus far."

I smiled as I took a glance at him, nodding. "He eats like a horse. I'll be having to make a trip to the market soon." I joked as I tossed a couple snacks into it.

"I can accompany you." Loki immediately offered from his place.

I shook my head with a grin. "Oh, no. I could never tear you away from your mother's visit."

Of course that trickster would still be looking for ways of avoiding whatever in the world was going on between he and his mother. I, for one, was not going to be his excuse to the goddess.

"Well, certainly she'd understand you should have help g-"

"Sigyn can accompany her." The queen stated, catching on to Loki's attempt quickly. "That way she has an extra set of hands, and I can have some time with my sons."

Uh-oh. She wanted them alone. Somebody was getting scolded.

I internally cackled, which I'd assume Loki picked up since he quickly shot me a warning glare.

"That's an awful idea." Thor stated.

Loki instantly jumped alongside his brother's statement. "Besides, Aurora is a lady. Ladies need gentlem-"

"If you say I need a man to go with me and so help me gods. You both will leave here limbless."

Loki gave me a desperately pleading look, but I simply shook my head.

"Great! That's settled, then." Thor said through a gruff clear of his throat, having no desire to argue. "Loki, why don't we show mother The Square?"