Winter In New York

Chapter Eight: Mistletoe Mishaps

December 5th

"Do you happen to have any of that eldritch liqueur from yesterday on hand, do you?"

The next morning I was humming along to some Christmas carols as I cooked up a storm of green and red pancakes in the kitchen of the common floor. All throughout the tower Tony had been hanging mistletoe, and so I wasn't surprised to see one hung on the range hood above me appear just as Loki came to a stop next to me, his hand on my hip and his chin on my shoulder as he inspected the pancake currently in the pan before placing a kiss on my cheek.

"I do in my apartment back home, just not hear unfortunately," I said with a sigh, wiggling out of his grip to make myself a glass of water and flick on the kettle "Besides, you might be a god to the mortals but too much of it will still effect you in the long run."

"Oh, you... you... huglausi blot!" Loki groaned, sitting himself down in one of the island bar stools

"Did you just call me a cowardly heathen?!" I exclaimed, turning to the raven haired god "Say that again and you won't get any pancakes!"

"You know Norse?'

"Sucks to be you, man," chuckled a tired Clint as he sat next to Loki, grinning at me when I passed a plate across from him

"I heard booze and pancakes," Tony said, moving to sit his grease covered ass down at the kitchen table, grinning at me and kissing my cheek in thanks as he took the plate of pancakes from my hand "Are we decorating the tower today?"

"I can't see why not," I shrugged, passing a plate of pancakes to the others as they slowly came up for them "But no, you may not have any of my liqueur because it will put you on your ass faster then you can say ho ho ho."

Tony pouted as he ate, but I ignored him. The last person who I made a plate for was Loki, and I grinned at him as I sat on the edge of the bench opposite of him and winked, an action that did not go unnoticed to the other avengers in the room. However instead of giving in to their interrogating I finished my breakfast and went and stood in the living room.

"I think we should start in here, yes? Put up a tree?" I called back to the others

"I'll go and get the decoration boxes after I eat. Capsicle, Nat, you're with me," Tony ordered

"Bring back a needle and some wire or string as well please."

The others agreed, and so I started making some popcorn. By the time everyone had finished eating and had started decorating I had made several large bowls of popcorn and was sitting with Loki on the kitchen table showing how to make a popcorn garland for he had expressed to me that he had never made one before. In reality, he was just eating whatever pop corn I wasn't using like a kid in a candy store. We were sitting side by side, and so when Stark flew over in his suit with a sprig of mistletoe held above us I glared at him.

"Stark," Loki growled, but I cut in before he could say anything

"Tony your father smelled of elderberries and your mother was a hamster."

"What, now your insulting me using Monty Python quotes?" he chuckled under his helmet "Nice try, Vampy."

rolling my eyes when he still didn't leave I pulled Loki's chair more towards mine and lent over to capture his lips with my own. Whopping and hollering sounded throughout the floor and I sighed as I pulled back, my eyes lost in the green forest of Loki's own eyes. Finally, Tony disappeared and I pushed Loki's chair away slightly, far enough that we were no longer squished against each other but close enough that our thighs still touched.

Once we, and by we I mean I, had finished the garland together we wandered over to the mostly decorated tree, the top of which just barely grazed the ceiling. Looking up at it as I worked together with Loki to wind the garland around the branches the height of it began to become a daunting mess.

"Do you trust me?" Loki asked, clearly seeing my distress and crouching down

"Why should I?" I asked skeptically, this time his wounded look was evident to me as it crossed his features, softening them

"Just... trust me."

Nodding, I took the garland in hand, only to squeal as I was hoisted up onto his shoulders. Biting my lip I looked down at him as if he was crazy, winding the garland around the upper branches nonetheless. I put the star on the top whilst I was up there, and then when I was let down I immediately lay on my back on the floor with my eyes closed for a minute or two. Later, I was sitting at the kitchen table putting together a gingerbread house when I heard someone sit down next to me I turned my head in that direction and saw Loki, the flashing Christmas lights reflected in his eyes.

"You asked me why you should trust me," he started by saying, a frown gracing his features "Now hear my answer : It is because of all the mortals I have met, of all the beings in this forsaken realm of yours, you are the only one who has turned my head. I want you, not to possess or own you, but to love you. To know what it is to be truly loved, will you not give me that chance?"

"Is this... this isn't about the comment that Morel made yesterday, is it?" I asked "Because, Loki, you don't... we don't have to go there, if you don't want to. Just because other people are trying to push us in that direction doesn't mean that that is our set path... It's been a nice couple of days, and I thank you for that, but really, you're still just a god, Greek or otherwise, and..."

"This is certainly not about Morel's comments, or Tony's mistletoe. I want you, Isabella Edwards, and it scares me. You are the first mortal I have found myself... attracted to, in such a way. Please, Isabella."

"Okay. But I'm not mortal, I'm a day walking, vampiric witch."

"Okay?"

"Okay..." I trailed off with a smile, leaning across to kiss him before pulling away when a final thought crossed my mind "Hey... didn't you kill someone with mistletoe once?"