Madness: DxD

Plan Z

I'm on my couch, half-watching a late-night TV rerun that looks like it was filmed through a potato and edited by someone with a personal vendetta against color correction. Nevada cable in '03 is an insult all on its own.

TV (static): We'll be right back after these messages.

Y/N: Wonderfull. Exactly what I needed. More commercials. And to think I was considering hanging up the goggles.

I lean back. The room's quiet. Well, there's the pipes groaning. Wind scraping the siding. Rossweisse muttering in her sleep two rooms over.

Then I hear it. Soft at first, then clearer. Rossweisse's muttering my name in her sleep.

Great. Either she's dreaming about me or calling for help. Given her personality, it could honestly be both. She's a Valkyrie with the subtlety of a fireworks factory.

I get up without a sound and make my way to her room.

Her room's dark, save for the faint moonlight leaking in. She's curled up in the blankets, breathing unevenly. Dreaming hard. I step inside. The floorboard doesn't creak. I don't allow it.

Her eyes snap open right as mine glow in the dark.

Rossweisse (startled, yelp): Y-Y/N?! W-what—?! I almost thought you were a hungry beast about to devour me!

Y/N: Now that you mention it.

She's panting, cheeks going red in an instant. Like clockwork.

Rossweisse: Y-you can't just... stand there... looking like a horror movie poster!

Y/N: I can, actually. Turns out I'm very good at it. You were calling my name in your sleep.

Rossweisse (covering face): I—I was? What did I say?

Y/N: My name. Not sure why. Could've meant anything. Maybe you were dreaming about taxes.

Rossweisse: I wasn't dreaming about taxes!

Y/N: Then you were dreaming about me. Which is significantly more concerning.

She makes a tiny noise somewhere between sputtering and imploding.

Rossweisse: C-can we not... talk about that?

Y/N: Sure. Let's talk about something else then. How do you feel about a trip to Asgard?

She freezes like someone just hit pause.

Rossweisse: Asgard?! No. No way. Absolutely not. I am not going back there.

Y/N: Why not? Odin's a friend. He owes me a drink. Or ten. We could drop in, say hi, raid his pantry. Make it a night trip.

Rossweisse: Y/N, you literally killed his son.

I cross my arms.

Y/N: Loki was an adult. Adults make choices. His choices were ill-advised. Also irritating.

Rossweisse: That doesn't make it better!

Y/N: Odin's fine. We had drinks afterward. He complained, I nodded, he paid. It was a very diplomatic process.

Rossweisse: You can't just kill someone's son and then "have drinks afterward"! That's not normal!

Y/N: Come on. You've been cooped up here for days. Asgard might do you some good. Fresh air. Shiny buildings. Divine nonsense. All the stuff you pretend not to miss.