mischevious

Chapter 1 (Abigail)

"Thank you so much, Daddy!" I squealed when he finally agreed to let me have my eighteenth birthday at his mansion. He hated having to chaperone my parties and usually didn't, but this one he couldn't run away to his basement this time. "Oh, will the avengers be there?"

"I'll find out, dear." He said in his typical dad voice, almost sounding like he didn't want to just because he thought my friends would either embarrass him or that he'd expect someone to get too drunk, like Thor, and start to give piggyback rides like before. After all, if one thing truly did connect them together, it would be that they truly wanted to protect everyone on earth from the dangers that they fought almost every day. 

I ran into the dining room to reopen my notebook with all of the party planning in it. Normally I hated large parties, but this one was to signify me finally becoming an adult. As well as a goodbye. I had a plane ticket ready in my suitcase upstairs to run off to a new place. I loved my family and friends dearly, but I knew what the whispers and stares were about as I walked down the streets: everyone wondered if the Stark family would continue to accept me or if I would be turned away from one of my homes. My mother had already left California to live in Texas so I knew I didn't want to go there and possibly the only reason my father let me stay was because I begged not to move schools in my freshman year of high school. He also wanted me to attend college but I had convinced him that it would be best if I took a year off to travel, starting in Italy. From there, I didn't know if I would stay or come back to the states and try to find somewhere quiet to live and change my name.

Truth was, I didn't want anything my father could offer me. I had better things in mind for my life that didn't include fame. I wanted to be able to help people and make their lives better but I wasn't quite sure how I was going to go about it just yet. I had the destinations, but no sure route to get there. And maybe I was being a bit selfish, but was it really wrong of me to try without help?

Sighing, I finally finished my list and made sure I had my credit card in my purse before heading out to get everything I needed. First and foremost would be the invitations to let everyone know the party would be three weeks from today and to let them know it was a black tie event. Then I would be sure that everything would be ordered in time for the party. It would be easy enough to get I was sure, decorating was going to be the difficult bit. 

******

Just as I knew the party had been a hit and now it was time for me to leave. I checked and double checked my bags and my ticket to be sure I wasn't forgetting anything. I would just leave my father a note in the kitchen by the coffee machine. Either him or Pepper would find it in the morning since they were usually the early risers any more; as for the others that I came to know as family, I hoped they would understand. I felt like I was betraying them by sneaking out, but I knew I would stay if they asked me to stay and I just didn't need that. 

Daddy, 

Thank you for everything. You've taught me how to get by on my own as well as teaching me to care for myself out there. There is no changing my mind and I have to do this. When I land, I'll let you know where I am. I need this.
Love, Abby

I finished writing and folded it up into an envelope marked "Daddy" so that with any luck nobody else would mess with it. Sighing, I looked around at what had been my home one last time. I grew into who I was here, I learned from every resident in the house, and more importantly, I knew that they were all a phone call away when I was ready to call. 

"If you're planning on sneaking out, you should probably make sure nobody is awake." 

I jumped at the cold voice. Shit. Just the person I didn't want to see. "Loki, please don't say anything. And don't try to stop me.."

"Stop you?" He interrupted with a short laugh. "Why would I do that?" 

That voice. He knew that he was going to get me to agree to do anything he said with that voice. While it was kind of funny, he was the one that my father would send to get me to do something I didn't want to do. It was all about the control in his voice, and while I was younger, the fear. Everyone warned me about him and how I should never trust him. 

"Because you're doing it now. I need to do this, for me." I said as strongly as I could. 

"You're a leader, I couldn't possibly question why you're doing this. You just simply want to spread your wings right?" I nodded slowly. "Tell you what, before you jump on that plane, why don't we get a late snack?"

"Okay, but really, I'm not interested in staying." My voice was trembling while my head flooded with images of the aftermath of my sudden disappearance. "What do you want?"

"How about some French toast?" Loki asked, his voice unchanging as he kept a close eye on me as he began to get everything we would need. I once again could only nod. 

"Can I ask you something?"

"Why not." 

"Have you ever felt like you couldn't be who you were meant to be because of a name or your family?" He gave a quick nod as if he didn't trust my line of thinking. "What if you could have changed that? Or could now? The more I'm here, the more that my dad's side of the family questions why I'm here. Not to mention that even he is trying to get me to use my brain for weapons. I don't want that."

Two pieces of bread swirled around some eggs and were put on the skillet once they were properly coated. 

"Do you know what I am?" Loki asked, keeping his head low, but I knew his eyes were going between me and our food. 

"Yeah, the god of mischief. Honestly, from what I hear, the most powerful of them all." 

He couldn't hide the grin on his face when I admitted that I thought he was beyond powerful. "Yes, but do you know where I come from? Who my family is?"

"You're from Asgard. Son of Odin and brother of Thor. What's that got to do with anything?" 

"Wrong. I am Loki, son of Laufey. An ice giant." He said a little more coldly than usual. "Not so much a giant, I suppose, but that's why Odin claims he stole me from my blooded family on Jotunheim. That is why I am not allowed the throne, simply because Asgard couldn't possibly have an ice giant on the throne." He flipped the bread, and just as always, it was at the perfect time when it was beginning to brown but not burn.

"I-I'm sorry, Loki."

"Yeah, well that's just how it is. And I've been locked in the dungeons on Asgard because of my fun. I tried to bring them to Asgard to prove my loyalty and prove who I believed was my family. It wasn't enough. So, I changed that and just began to do what I wanted and didn't care who I hurt." He took a breath. "Which is exactly what you're willing to do, isn't it, Abby?"

I shook my head quickly. "No! I don't want to hurt anybody. I just want to be able to make my own way. I don't just want to be known as the Stark heiress or whatever, I want to help people. I want to be a doctor of some kind but if I stay here, I won't have to prove myself. Ever." 

After that, we sat in silence for a while until the French toast was done and we began to eat our late snack. We talked more and lost track of time while sitting on the couch drinking hot chocolate. We laughed, I cried, and I finally got to know more about him. The real him. I yawned and looked at the clock. 

"My flight! I missed my flight!" I jumped up, ready to quickly rinse my cup and bolt to make the next flight. 

"Abby, stay one more week, please?" Loki asked. "You and I both know you don't want to leave without talking to your father. You don't want everyone to worry about you like that."

I sighed, looking up to him. "Okay, fine, one more week. On one condition." He raised an eyebrow at me. "You allow me to talk to you, day or night. We have these late nights more when nobody is around to interrupt us. Deal?" Loki nodded slowly in agreement. "Thank you." I told him softly before wrapping my arms around him in a hug and judging by how he tensed, I assumed it had been quite a while, if ever that someone had hugged him like this.