The Scientist (Loki x OC)

Pt. 4: The Sorcerer Dares

Despite the slight pain in his neck, it was the most restful sleep Loki had gotten in a while. It took a split second for him to remember where he was before he stood up and stretched a bit. It was indicative of the fact that the lights were off that his courteous host was still asleep or at least in her room. A walk into the hallway confirmed his suspicions as Luna's door was closed with no sound or light coming out. Loki took this opportunity to use her bathroom.

He looked like a mess. A clean mess, but still a mess. His hair by itself would take forever to tame, but to his dismay, there wasn't a hairbrush in sight. Luna must keep it in her room. He made a mental note to try and snatch it later.

To pass the time until Luna was up, Loki decided to snoop a bit. If he's going to stay for an undetermined amount of time, it would be worth it to know his way around without asking.

He started in the kitchen. Despite the excellent dinner he was provided with the night before, there wasn't much in the fridge. He moved on to the cupboards, noting how nicely everything was compartmentalized and organized. Luna's array of mugs stood out to him. They were all different sizes and shapes, each unique by themselves, though he did recognize a few of the designs as the symbols donned by the Avengers. Unlike the plates and bowls, none of these were parts of a set. He turned a few over in his hands to admire before moving on.

The bookshelves caught his attention next. They were lined up along one wall of the living room. Almost every single shelf was full and equally as compartmentalized as the kitchen cupboards. There seemed to be at least one book for every single genre, each put into place alphabetically. It reminded him of the private libraries back on Asgard. Though they were much more massive and held more of an extensive collection, they were always impeccably organized. As he skimmed through the titles and authors, his eyes landed on one seemed to be just his type. Easing it out, he glanced at the front and back covers. All he needed now was a cup of tea and he would have a perfect start to his day.

From his exploration of the kitchen, he knew where the teapot and tea assortment were housed. After studying the knobs on the stove and testing a few of them out, he put the water on and selected a tea bag along with a fresh cup. While he waited for the pot to whistle, he decided to lean against the counter and start reading the book he chose. In no time, the pot let Loki know that the water was at optimum temperature. He made his tea and sat down in the chair by the window to continue reading. Not long after, Luna stepped into the room, rubbing her eyes, apparently having been woken up by the teapot.

"Oh hi. You made...," Luna spoke, peering in his direction, "tea." She dry-coughed a bit while making her way to the kitchen to fetch herself some water. After doing so, she padded back into the living room. "How was the couch? Not too bad, I hope."

"It was ideal, thank you," Loki said, taking a sip from his cup. Luna leaned a bit against the back of the couch and looked at the book he had in his hand.

"'Red Dragon'? Nice choice," she remarked. Loki smirked a little, keeping his attention on the page. Luna looked him over. He looked endearing in her clothes, like a new boyfriend that stayed the night for the first time. She looked around for a bookmark for him before speaking again. "So, for today, I was thinking we could go shopping for clothes and other things for you." Loki's attention was now on her, accepting the bookmark she handed him. "Not that you don't look fantastic in my clothes. You just might be more comfortable in your own." She said a little quieter than before, adjusting her glasses and briefly looking at the floor.

"Do you really think it would be wise for me to go out?" he said, eyeing her skeptically. She fidgeted a bit, wrapping an arm around herself.

"I could always do you up like Clark Kent. You know, a little bit of a different look so you can hide in plain sight," she said confidently despite feeling the complete opposite at the moment. She seemed to have convinced him a little.