I Die Without You

Prompt 2: Unexpected Message

As Beverlee awoke from her slumber, the sun shone through the window of her bedroom. However, her mood was not exactly light-hearted.    

She stretched and got up out of bed, then grabbed her robe and slipped into her slippers. Walking into the nearby bathroom, she looked at herself in the mirror.

Why is this so hard, she asked herself,  I shouldn't be stressing myself to do this. You know what kind of person he is... What am I going to do? 

Suddenly it came to her. 

She would contact Thor. At least he would be the best resource for this kind of thing.

****

Thor took Beverlee to one of his favourite cafés not far from the auxiliary SHIELD facility and treated her to one of their signature coffees. 

"It's a very robust flavour," Thor said after taking a sip, "as soon as I had tried it, I knew it was a warrior's drink! Chef Barber now has this place as a supplier for our coffee.  One of the best parts of waking up is having a cup of this bold beverage."

"You're right, it's really good," Beverlee said, with an amused smile, thinking The God of Thunder would be great at being a spokesperson to advertise products.

"So, what is it that you need to discuss Beverlee?" Thor asked, "has Loki done something wrong?"

Beverlee sighed, it was typical for his brother from another mother to initially assume that but considering all that had gone on in the past between them, she no longer felt slighted for Loki's sake, and just took it in stride.

"On the contrary," Beverlee said, "he's been doing lots of things right," she smiled proudly. "I wanted to find a gift for him. We're meeting for Valentine's Day, and I thought you could give me some suggestions on what he likes."

Thor thought for a moment, or at least feigned it, resting his chin on one hand and looking like he was in deep thought. After a brief pause, he said, "he likes you."

"Thor, that's not what I was asking."

"Beverlee," Thor said, lightly putting his hand on her arm, "I believe there is a phrase on Midgard, 'it's the thought that counts.' Whatever you plan to acquire for Loki, he will treasure it, because it came from you."

"Thor..." Beverlee closed her eyes briefly in frustration, "I know what you're saying, and I understand that, but at least you could furnish me with an idea... something?"

It was at that moment, they both heard a familiar voice speak, making their heads turn toward the person.

"Princess?" It was Blitz, one of the Initiative members, the team in which Thor and Loki were also a part. A cup of coffee in hand, he made his way over to them and stood by their table.

"What?" Thor asked, an odd expression on his face.

"He was referring to me," Beverlee said, rolling her eyes, "Blitz, how nice to see you, what are you doing here?"

"Hey, Thor's not the only one who likes the ambiance of a café. The facility's cafeteria area is nice, but sometimes you just need to get outdoors, get some fresh air, and enjoy the experience of a cup of coffee with your name written on that cup."

Beverlee and Thor chuckled.

"May I join you?" Blitz asked. 

"Please do," Beverlee said. While she didn't dislike Blitz, there was something about his personality that occasionally made her feel uncomfortable. It was just a relief that Thor was around to curtail or prevent any possible awkwardness that might ensue.

"So what are we talking about?" Blitz asked.

"Beverlee is trying to figure out what to get Loki as a gift," Thor said, "do you have any ideas?"

"A gift for Loki, huh?" Blitz said, "is it for his birthday?"

"No," Beverlee said, feeling a little a bit uneasy talking about this with Blitz, "it's for Valentine's Day."

"Chocolate solves a lot of guesswork," Blitz said. 

"Well it wouldn't be Valentine's Day without having some," Beverlee concurred, "but what I'm talking about is something special, something that shows him how much I care about him, something he'll look at and say, 'wow, you really care about me.'"

"I think I have an idea," Blitz said, "after seeing you both do your rendition of 'Baby, It's Cold Outside' at our multi-cultural holiday party, I believe this kind of gift would benefit you both."

"Really?" Beverlee said with anticipation, hoping Blitz wasn't going to just let her down with some silly joke, "well don't keep it to yourself, tell me."

Blitz told her. 

"Loki's going to love that!" Beverlee exclaimed, "thank you, Blitz."

"You're welcome, Princess," Blitz said, smiling at her.
  

****

Thor would sometimes meet Loki for breakfast before performing their usual daily tasks at the auxiliary SHIELD facility when not put on assignment. This was one of those days they had scheduled to do so. 

However, Loki got an unexpected message from Thor on his personal communications console in his quarters that he had to cancel but would meet him for lunch if he was so inclined. 

He was. Although he was feeling better from the nightmare he had,  there was still an element that left him feeling mentally sensitive. Perhaps talking to his brother about this would help - it certainly couldn't hurt.   

When he met Thor for lunch, he saw Blitz was at the table. 

Loki rolled his eyes. He didn't dislike Blitz, but sometimes he felt uncomfortable around him. He was a handsome fellow, and it made him feel uneasy when he attempted to vie for Beverlee's attention.  Usually, this wouldn't bother him but after the events of last night... He took a deep breath, greeting them with a nod, then sat down with his tray of food.

"So brother," Loki said, after taking a sip of his tomato soup from a spoon, "what prevented you from joining me for breakfast today?"

"I had to meet Beverlee," Thor said, taking a bite of his ham sandwich, "she had requested my advice for a problem she was having."

Loki's eyes widened, the shock on his face was almost palpable.

"Thor," Blitz said quickly, "I don't think Beverlee wanted Loki to know that."

For the moment, Loki ignored what Blitz said, and turned to Thor, "Advice? Why would she not have called upon me?" After a beat, he was hit with a moment of realization. His voice became soft, almost fragile, "wait - was this about me?"

"Nothing gets by you, Loki," Blitz said, sipping a can of root beer.

Loki suddenly lost his appetite and started to just stir his soup. 

"Can you tell me," Loki said quietly, his eyes downcast, "what advice she requested?"

Thor looked at Blitz, then turned back to face his brother, "I'm sorry Loki, I can't. She didn't want you to know," he gently put his hand on Loki's arm, and gave him a sympathetic smile, "until she could tell you herself."

Loki nodded in acknowledgement. 

Blitz changed the subject about something regarding their daily tasks, but Loki was no longer listening and continued to stir his soup. 

Please don't take my sunshine away...

  ****