Raindrops Keep Falling (Valoki College AU)

You're the Cream in My Coffee

You're the cream in my coffee
You're the salt in my stew
You'll always be my necessity
I'd be lost without you...

"Sorry! Sorry!" Loki hears her voice instantly and he watches her as she desperately clambers over other students sitting in the same row. He glances down at his laptop, commending her mentally for her ability to be precisely one minute late. Without fail. Every class. Luckily for the perennially late Miss Valkyrie Sutton, the professor was always at least two minutes late.

"I overslept!" Valkyrie breathes at Loki as she lands in the seat next to him.

"Again?" Loki asks, drawing a subtle smile across his lips. She moves like a small tornado, pulling things from her bag in a frenzy, tossing her hair up into a bun high upon her head and then she pauses and looks at him as though she's been there all along, ready for class.

"I believe you have something for me?" Loki says as he extends a venti black coffee in her direction. She snatches it from him in the blink of an eye.

"Check your email!" she squeals as she takes a sip from the cup. She moans in exaltation, worshipping at the altar of her black liquid deity.

Loki sighs, running a hand through his hair. "I don't see it?"

"Did you check your spam folder?" Valkyrie asks nonchalantly, leaning closer, peering over his shoulder. Loki shakes his head and Valkyrie puts her cup beside her on the floor. Loki moves his mouse around helplessly and Valkyrie reaches over and pulls his laptop away from him. "Look, see here? It's in your spam...so I'll just mark my contact as important always...it was probably because of all the links I included. And the cute pictures of dogs."

"You sent me dog pictures?"

"Of course I did. They make you happy and the rush of endorphins allows for better studying and overall performance."

"You...you don't need to send me pictures of dogs, Valkyrie," Loki says, barely managing to keep his composure. He wants to laugh but he's just too bewildered to even process properly.

And then she accidentally kicks her coffee over.

"Fucking...fuckshit," Valkyrie cusses, drawing a low chuckle from Loki.

"You've got a mouth on you," Loki whispers. He leans over at the same time as Valkyrie to help her attempt to clean up the mess at her feet. They bump heads and cheekbones collide.

"Ow! Shit!" Valkyrie curses again. "I bit my cheek."

"Apologies," Loki is laughing as he rubs his reddened cheek. Valkyrie punches him in the arm. Hard. "Ow!"

Valkyrie purses her lips and smirks. "Apologies."

Loki stops for a moment but he can't help the smile that creeps across his face. She has spunk. He knew that, of course. But something about him didn't fully appreciate her until this moment. Of all moments? Spilled coffee.

"You're amusing, you know that?"

"Stop looking at me like I'm some kind of science experiment, Loki," she says sternly. He stops smiling but he can't help it if the corner of his lips turns up at the sight of her, huddled between the two rows of lecture hall seating.

"I'll go get some paper towels, okay?" Loki offers.

"Class is beginning so if you would all kindly take your seats!" The professor yells from the front and a silence falls over the hall.

"Shit," Valkyrie whispers again. She slides back into her seat and the two of them watch as the coffee puddle begins to travel, painfully slowly, crawling down the incline of the lecture hall seating. She's holding what's left of her coffee in her hand and as she starts to try and contain her laughter, her whole body shakes. Loki deftly grabs the cup from her hand and holds it in his own. Valkyrie is mouthing 'oh my god' over and over again. Loki's own resolve is breaking.

Valkyrie inhales sharply and shakes her head. Loki glances at her to see tears in her eyes. The coffee is slipping steadily under the students in front of them, but no one has noticed.

"I'm going to cry," she whispers, whole body trembling. She doubles over and grabs Loki's hand and squeezes it tightly. "Oh my god, this is the end."

"Calm down," Loki rolls his eyes, but again can't help the smile that spreads to his mouth. They stay this way for a while, him smiling like an idiot, and she clutching his hand so tightly her knuckles have turned white.