Growing love and the seventh stone | Loki fanfiction

Chapter 7 - What next?

"Don't get me wrong, I am very glad we escaped, but for how long are you allowed to drive?", Loki asks as he clenches his teeth.
"Five years", I answer as I shift up a gear and go over the speedlimit.
"Uhh", is all Loki can say. His hand finds the grab handle over the door and clings onto it. "I am more comfortable in alien space ships."
"Don't worry, you are just sitting in a small metal box on wheels, driven by a midgardian going over 100 km/h", I tease.
He throws a warning look at me.
I smile and look into the rear-view mirror. "They don't seem to follow us", I say.
"Great", Loki presses out.
A moment of silence passes by as I think about what to do next and Loki tries to get comfortable in his seat. Judging by his tensed position, it doesn't work.
"Just a question", I say, "with Thor's latest lightning strike, will my house be repairable? Maybe we can go back tomorrow or something like that."
"No", Loki says. "That thing is destroyed. Probably a spot of black dirt on burned ground."
"Well, that's exhilarant ..."
Silence ensues once again. The car hits a bump and Loki jerks in his seat.
"Please - drive - carefully!", he says.
"I am", I answer calmly. "Turn on the radio, that could distract you."
"I don't need midgardian distraction."
I roll my eyes. "Just do it. It's that button over there. Don't hit it ... just press it gently." I smirk.
He smiles back. "You are driving like you are hitting every button on this thing."
Loki reaches to the radio while I get lost in my thoughts about where to stay for the night. I come to an idea as I pull over on the highway.
Meanwhile Loki skips through the channels. Gangster rap, pop songs, everything. "What in Odin's name is this?", he mumbles. Then he hits a channel with classical music. I recognize the piece as 'Moldau' by Smetana. He listens for a few seconds. "This actually sounds nice."
I nod. After a minute I say: "At the moment we are driving to the nearest big city. We have to find a hotel where we can stay without standing out."
"What is the next big city?", Loki asks and looks at me.
"It's -" Then I remember. Whoops.
Now it's Loki's turn to roll his eyes. "It's New York, isn't it?", he asks.
I nod ashamed.
He sighs. "It might have escaped your notice but the people there are not too fond of me."
"But there are a lot of hotels", I offer. "And the Avengers Tower, where we might get the stone back to give you back your powers, and maybe we can even find the tools to do that there."
Loki thinks about it. "You are right", he says, but he doesn't sound enthusiastic. "Well we have to find something to practice magic. And while I can't learn magic at the moment, maybe ..." He looks at me.
"Me?", I ask excitedly. "You mean, I could -?"
"Probably." He chuckles. "You would learn from the best."
"Ouh, yes!", I say. "Yes, I want that!" The thought of me learning magic really brightens up my mood. And since we are out of the immediate threat, I can feel something like butterflies in my stomach. Is it the adventure?
"You want seat heater?", I ask suddenly.
"What?", Loki responds.
"Seat heater." I press a button.
"I am a frost giant."
"Then let's hope you don't melt like a snow man", I say cheekily.
He raises an eyebrow and looks at the dashboard. "I am scared of what this vehicle can do." Still, he changes channels at the radio again. 'Supermassive black hole' gets on. Loki listens. "This song isn't about space", he says after a few seconds.
"Nope, it isn't", I grin.
He turns his head at me and examines me. My cheeks flush red. "What?", I ask him.
"Nothing", he replies smiling.