Bend Around the Wind by Scyllaya

Chapter 26: Deal

Chapter Twenty-Six

Deal

Andromeda Galaxy

Bawa Kawa System

Open Space

'I'll clean it up,' Juyu said after Stark managed to spill something bright and sticky all over the kitchen floor. Loki just put his legs up to the chair next to him to avoid getting his boots dirty.

'Really?' Stark asked. He was a mess, his clothes looking only slightly better than the floor. 'That would be great. You'd be better at it. Not that I think cleaning is a woman's job or anything. Not at all, but I wouldn't know where to start.'

Juyu just shrugged and started searching in the kitchen. 'You took us in. We have beds to sleep on and plenty to eat. I might as well help and earn my keep,' she answered.

'Well, thanks then. If I tried I think I would just make it worse,' Stark said. Loki could very well believe that.

'It's just mopping up a floor. I'm sure you've done it before,' the girl said after she found said mop.

'Uhh... not really,' Stark shrugged as he carefully went to the sink to wash his hands and clean up his shirt.

The Skrull stopped and looked at him. 'What do you mean not really?' she asked.

'Hey! I'm not the only one,' Stark said right away. 'Loki, have you ever mopped a floor?' he asked. Loki snorted derisively and went back to eat his fruit. Even the idea was ludicrous. 'See?' Stark shrugged.

'How could you have never cleaned before?' the girl asked, quite shocked, if here tone was anything to go by.

'Well, you know... he's a prince, I'm a billionaire, which means I'm disgustingly rich... at home at least.'

'Stark!' Loki scowled.

'What?'

'Risks of voluntarily spilling out personal information,' Loki reminded him. Stark was chatty. Loki assumed that he was used to everyone knowing everything about him and his life, so he never bothered with hiding much. Well, only certain topics. As time passed he was more and more willing to casually talk about them to the girls. Loki gave up on stopping him after a while, because at least it was always superficial information. He still did not want others to know who he really was, so Stark should learn to keep his mouth shut.

'You've always had servants then,' Juyu concluded.

'Yeah, not that you're a servant, you've been totally freed from servitude,' Stark insisted.

'I know, Stark. I do not mind. I will go mad if I can't do anything,' she said. 'I am not used to being idle.'

'You could clean up the bridge too,' Loki suggested. 'Or the bathrooms.'

'Loki,' Stark chided.

'What? She just said she was bored,' he pointed out.

'Juyu, do whatever you want. If you feel like helping out, thanks, but it's not mandatory.'

'Go clean up, Stark,' Juyu said. 'I don't mind.'

'Thanks,' Stark said again and left. Juyu was silent for a while, cleaning up the mess the human made.

'So...' she spoke then. 'Prince, huh?'

'It's none of your business,' Loki told her firmly.

'There are no princes around here,' she said. 'There's only the Royal Family of the Skrull Empire, and you are not a Skrull.'