Watch Your Step

The atmosphere at the Stark tower was only slightly awkwarder than usual. The Avengers were wary, thinking of what Clint and Steve had told them, about the the way Loki looked at the girl, touched and tenderly held her as if he would crush her if he wasn't paying enough attention.

It was definitely something weird to witness or imagine but the way he acted when he got home was even worse. He was smiling, an eerie look on his face as if his mind was elsewhere. However, that didn't change his attitude towards the Avengers one bit. He would still growl at everyone or ignore them if they were crossing his limits, but when he was alone, he was creepy. To the least.

And that was when they knew Loki had fallen head over heels. Or at least that was the conclusion they reached after spying on both of them and trying to figure out whether it was just a part of a sick plan of world domination or some other Loki-like thing.

On the other hand, Loki was feeling like a schoolgirl. He would randomly find himself touching the cheek she had kissed, or sighing dreamily when thinking of her. Then he would proceed to scold himself and make mental notes that he was not in love with a mortal girl, no matter what everyone else said.

However, as days went by and he hadn't stalked her at all, he allowed himself some time to think. He eventually got to accepting the idea that he felt indeed guilty for what happened to her. The more he looked into it, the more he realized that he didn't exactly analyze the consequences when he was in New York, when he fought the Avengers or even while he was imprisoned in Asgard. The only ones that ever managed to make him think or care about his actions had been Thor while they were fighting and his mother. Or...adoptive mother, who he missed dearly. His heart ached at the thought, missing the only person that didn't judge him, but he tried to make it go away. He didn't need this right now.

Sure, he had mixed feelings on whether or not he felt guilty about the whole attack or just what happened to her. Then he would ask himself if he actually allowed a mere mortal to change him mind of such important matters. 'Maybe it would have been better if she died during the attack.' he would think, but immediately panic at the idea of never having gotten to meet her. Either way, his train of thought would usually end with him facepalming and trying to find something to distract himself or one of his new 'friends' pestering him with questions or purely mocking remarks.
And today it was no different. Tony joined him on the balcony soon after, throwing an arm over his shoulders.

"Thinking of her, Reindeer Games?" he asked, that cheeky grin ever-present.

"It is none of your concerns, Stark." he spat, pushing his hand away.

"Awwwww, don't be so meeean. I have a bit of a background with women. Maybe I could help." he tried getting close to the Trickster again.

"I do not require any assistance, Man of Iron. I am a God." he hissed, preparing to take his leave.

"You may be, but even as a God, you still need to go talk to her." Tony shouted after him, smiling knowingly not a minute later.

Though he completely ignored the ridiculous comments of a man who knew nothing about him, as soon as he entered the living room he shrugged and teleported elsewhere, failing to notice Clint passing a 20$ bill to Steve, with a sad smile on his face. What was the bet he had lost? Loki not resisting another day without going after Alana.

//To Alana

It had been a couple of days since she last saw Loki...errr....met? Heard? Talked to? Whatever. Since she freaked out when she found out who he was and hurt herself like the clumsy idiot she is. Moving her foot around on the pavement, she squinted her eyes when she felt the slight discomfort while bending her ankle to the left. He was right, his magic was too limited to finish it, but at least it saved her from a visit to the doctor and possibly an uncomfortable bandage.

Leaning her head upwards towards the darkening sky, although she couldn't exactly see this simple fact, she inhaled, a lazy smile making its way on her features. She was so confused at this point, that the only thing she could do was smile. She obviously didn't hate him, for she wouldn't have hugged/kissed his cheek so easily if she did. But could she consider him a friend? The more she thought about it, the more she realized she didn't blame him almost at all for having lost her sight and her carrier.

Technically, it was his fault because he had been the one to bring all the aliens here, but it wasn't him who hit her or who complicated her surgery... With a loud sigh she leaned against the bench back, closing her eyes and wondering if she'd ever hear of him again.

Little was her surprise when with a sudden gush of wind, she heard the all too familiar voice of the Norse God whispering into her ear.

"Good evening, darling." his voice was smooth and slick and shivers went down her spine but she jumped just a little, not so startled to have him stalking her again. Daresay, quite happy actually, since it meant she didn't scare him off with her....bitching.

"Hello, Loki. How are you today?" she questioned, looking into his general direction as she spoke.

"I am well, my dear. How is your ankle?" he purred into her ear and watched with a pleasant smile as a small shiver became visible. Could it be that they had similar effects on one another? He wasn't sure how he felt about that but at least he wasn't alone in this.

"My ankle is okay. Thank you very much for healing it. You saved me from a lot of trouble." she answered with a smile and he was ashamed to admit that this time he was the one to feel a small tingle in his stomach. She had a full-teeth-showing smile and it brightened up her whole appearance, regardless the unfocused or sometimes closed eyes.

His mind couldn't help but grasp the fact that she was a beautiful mortal. Er... Midgardian. Errrr. Woman. Yes. A beautiful woman.

"What were you doing out here?" he questioned after a moment of silence.

"Just enjoying the weather. You know, there aren't many things a blind person can do." she answered, her eyes open as she looked at the sky, ignoring the fact that she couldn't actually see it. "The sky is dark, isn't it?" she asked him, not moving her head.

"Yes." he was startled by her sudden statement. "How do you know?" she simply shrugged.

"There is a noticeable change in the atmosphere. I think I should head home before it starts raining. I haven't brought an umbrella with me." she got up and took her walking stick out of her bag.

"May I join you?" he wouldn't admit that he was slightly anxious to hear her answer.

"Sure. But I have to go to the local library first and check something." she extended her walking stick and patted he ground tentatively.

Although he took a moment to wonder what would a blind person do at the library, he was delighted by the idea of visiting a place stuffed with Midgardian books, something he could occupy his time with when he wasn't stalking a certain lady, so he nodded shortly after. Only to announce his approval out loud when he saw her confused look once she didn't receive an answer.

They started walking, a bit rushed as to avoid the rain and in a couple of minutes they reached their first destination. He left Alana at the counter, talking to the nice librarian about some 'audio books' she had ordered and headed directly to the History and Mythology shelves, burying his nose in a thick old book about Norse Mythology.

Minutes passes like seconds and it still seemed as if he had just gotten into the library when he felt a warm hand press on his back.

"There you are." she whispered softly, patting his back to figure how he was seated. She soon noted that he was leaning against a bookshelf, probably reading.

"Oh yes, my dear. I must have lost track of time. Are you ready to go? Have you received you...audio books?" he turned over and looked at her with a warm smile gracing his features. Then it struck him.

"How did you find me?" if he could remember well, he had walked four rows to the left and then took one turn to the left then another one to the right.

"Telepathy, of course." she rolled her blind eyes, grinning widely. "I asked Mrs. Funders where was the Mythology section. I was pretty sure I'd find you here and I was right." she shrugged, reaching out and patting the book in his arms.

"What book is this?" she questioned, having trouble feeling the thick golden letters on cover although they were pretty prominent.

"Norse Mythology." he stated, eyeing her curiously. "Are you ready to go home?" he repeated the previous question.

"I would, but it's raining. Let's just say clumsy blind people and rain don't get along." she shrugged for the dozenth time that day and opened the book at a random page. "Were you reading about yourself?" a grin made her way on her lips and he looked a bit dumbfounded.

He cleared his throat before speaking. "In actuality, I was reading about my Mother. The mortals seem to portrait her quite well." her grin grew into a warm smile and possibly, full of compassion.

"Would you like to read to me?" her question was definitely unexpected. He took a moment to process what she said but then his features brightened as he slowly took her hand and walked her to the center-reading room. He chuckled as he realized that she asked him right before he could offer to use his powers to take them to her house. But oh well. He would choose spending more time with her over any activity.

So he took a seat next to her and opened the book on his lap, feeling her curl up against him as his cheeks flushed the slightest shade of pink.