The Joy of Mischief | Loki

One | Nightmares

KIERA STARK'S EYES FLEW OPEN as she jerks herself upright, her body coated in a layers of sweat. She squeezes her eyes shut, remembering fragments of her horrifying nightmare. At least it was only a nightmare. Kiera turns her head, glancing at the alarm clock beside her bed.

5:27A.M.

She ran a hand through her long brown hair, sighing at the time. Why did she have to wake up so early? Her legs swung out of bed and onto the cold hardwood floor. She takes a moment to rest her hands in her head, before getting up and exiting her room.

She heads towards the kitchen, her stomach grumbling with hunger. Before she enters the kitchen, she can hear the beginning of "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen, faintly playing throughout the hallway. Tony stood next to one of the many coffee machines, waiting for his coffee to finally finish.

Kiera walks over to the granite counter top, crossing her arms over her chest. "Had trouble sleeping again?" she asks, nonchalantly. Once the machine kicks off, Tony grabs the cup of coffee and turns around to face her. "Yeah," he replies, taking a sip of his coffee. "You?"

Kiera uncrosses her arms and walks over to the fridge. "Yep." She opens the fridge and grabs the milk carton from its shelf. Tony sets down his coffee and walks over to her with a frown on his face. "What was it about?" Kiera hesitates before placing the milk on the counter. Should she tell him about her nightmare? She decides to ignore his question and pour herself an ample serving of Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

"Forget I asked."

He picks up his cup of coffee and starts walking back to his room. "You were dead," Tony stops in his tracks and narrows his eyebrows. He turns around to find Kiera staring down at the floor, tears on the verge of falling. "You were stabbed." Tony gulps down the lump in his throat. "And I was the reason for your death."

After a long moment of silence, Tony speaks up. "Things haven't been the same since New York." With a frown plastered on his face, he looked down at his coffee. "After I entered the wormhole, I haven't been able to sleep."

Kiera raised her head, "Tell me about it." The desperation in her voice was unmistakable. Never had he talked about New York. Not after what happened in the wormhole. "What happened?"

Tony bit the bottom of his lip, praying he wouldn't have another anxiety attack. He looks back up at Kiera and inhales sharply. "When I entered that wormhole..." his voice was shaky as he spoke. "There was an entire Chitauri fleet awaiting." He pauses, before approaching her. "I just keep thinking, what if there are more out there?"

He scoffs at the idea, "Hell, we barely survived the Chitauri." He stops in front of her, his breathing heavy. "What happens if another attack strikes? One that's stronger than the Chitauri," his voice sounded like it had been cracked in half. "What will we do then?"

"We'll fight with everything we got," she says, confidently.

"And if that doesn't work?"

"Then at least we died for a good cause."