Flawed Minds

Chapter Thirty Seven

Nova's P.O.V.

I blushed furiously and turned away, feeling as though my head was cloudy as I asked myself what I was thinking? Kissing Loki, god of mischief- and getting a little distracted when I was unable to squash the desire to do it again. I could almost feel his gaze burning into the side of my head as I desperately tried to compose myself enough to speak, anything to break the silence that had followed.

"I'm sorry, Loki, I don't know what came over me," I spoke quietly, painfully aware that the excuse was feeble at best.

"I don't see why you should apologize," He responded, the grin on his face very obvious in his slightly smug tone. "I actually found that rather enjoyable." I looked back at him, almost jumping at how close he had gotten to me once more.

"I would be lying if I told you I didn't enjoy it too," I admitted, my mind feeling strangely unbalanced, and I leaned into him once again, almost as though I was hypnotized, closer until our lips brushed once more and... I finally forced myself to focus, moving away from him slightly and shaking my head to clear it. It was as though I could sense something was wrong, and as I looked him in the eye, I immediately noticed a feeling in the atmosphere that was unmistakable. Mischief was imminent. "Loki." I whispered. "What have you done?" I demanded an answer, almost glaring at him, and yet he continued to smile.

"Strangely, I don't know." He admitted, and I could only believe that he was telling the truth because he was obviously quite amused at the turn of events.

"So this isn't you taking advantage of me letting my guard down?" I questioned him, wanting to be sure.

"Of course not," He almost looked offended before the smile returned once again. "I wouldn't want to ruin things when they were going so well." I couldn't stop the eye roll before I began to get distracted by a faint rumbling from the ground. We shared a confused glance.

"Well, it's not me," I murmured, looking around as the rumbling increased. "At least, if it is me, I'm not aware that I'm doing it,"

"Ditto," Loki spoke, his voice a little louder now so that he could be heard over the rumbling. "Although, it's strange- Is it just me or does it feel like this was always supposed to happen?" My stomach sank as he spoke those words, unable to deny that we shared the exact same feeling. It was as though we were both using some sort of magic without realizing it at all, and for a moment I was fearful of the damage it may cause. Standing by Loki's side I took his hand just as we saw what looked like a split in mid air; bright light escaping from a crack hovering at about shoulder height. The low rumbling stopped just as sudden as the crack seemed to explode with light, and I buried my face in Loki's chest for a few moments before even thinking about taking a glance at whatever we had accidentally summoned in front of us.

"I definitely didn't expect that," Loki's voice cut through the almost silence left behind after the rumbling, and I looked to see what could only be a swirling oval portal made of silver and green light, the surface rippling like droplets hitting a pool of water, distorting the images within.

"Okay, I have no idea how we did that," I murmured, regarding it nervously.

"Neither do I," Loki spoke thoughtfully. "Let's see where it leads," He began to stride toward it and I watched in shock before automatically grabbing his arm, stopping him in his tracks.

"No! I can't let you do that." I insisted, finding that I felt a little awkward trying to tell him what to do.

"Come on, it'll be fun."

"No, you can't-" I pulled him back once again and he glared at me.

"I shall do what I please," He responded arrogantly, before noticing my annoyed expression and taking a pause, adding; "But, for argument's sake, why should I not?" I let out a sigh, releasing his arm.

"I can't just let you go through that portal, Loki," I told him firmly, watching as his expression fell slightly. "My job is to keep an eye on you and make sure you don't do anything awful, that also means preventing you from leaving. I don't want to have the Allfather as an enemy, nor do I want to disappoint Thor." Loki rolled his eyes, the hopeful expression reappearing on his face as he spoke.

"Oh for Odin's sake- Then you should come with me!"

"Come with you?" I froze for what felt like hours, while it was truly only for a few seconds, my eyes wide as I glanced between Loki and the swirling silver-green portal behind him, between his outstretched hand and the mirage of images I thought I could see on the other side. The low whooshing sound it made was the only noise in the expectant silence as I contemplated what to do- I hadn't even considered the possibility of going with him. If I stayed I would have to personally apologize to Thor and the Allfather, and would likely have to aid them in finding Loki, but I would be able to return to my team soon after. If I took Loki's hand, however, there was no telling where this adventure would take me or what would happen, and no telling when I would ever see the Avengers again, if ever. But, I would be with him, and would be able to stop anything bad that he may or may not have planned.

 I was torn, half reaching for his hand and half ready to step back, but the feeling I had tried to ignore, the feeling of being pulled in certain directions, was getting stronger and stronger. I suddenly felt Heimdall's eyes on me, and closing my own I reached out to him in my mind. 'I'm sorry Heimdall, tell Thor I'm sorry too, but I swear I won't let him out of my sight, you can trust me.' I could almost feel Heimdall's sigh as he contemplated my words, before eventually he nodded, just once. I opened my eyes once more, meeting Loki's almost uncertain expression before reaching out and grasping his hand firmly, seeing the smile spread across his face as he pulled me with him through the portal. It felt as though we had been plunged into icy water, and I couldn't suppress the sensation of going in the right direction, and the feeling of excitement that built as we began an unexpected adventure.

Author's Note: This chapter is a bit shorter than the others, but I think that this is where I shall end this story- on a lovely little cliffhanger. But in any case, Darling Readers, you can always imagine what sorts of adventures they could find themselves on if you so wished, for the possibilities are endless and the multiverse is vast. If you have stuck with this story all the way through all I can do is say thank you, I am truly grateful you've kept reading. It means a lot to me, for this is the first story of this length that I have truly completed. Thank you for every read, every vote, and every glorious comment! 

I am uncertain if I will write another fic, I do have a couple of story beginnings that were written a while ago that I could revisit and see where they go, and I have a couple one-shot  type stories- I've never taken requests before but that's also a possibility. Who knows! Thank you again for reading :)