The Light that Shines Within

Reminising and Looking to the Future

Cass POV

Loki was a pretty alright guy, actually. It had been nearly a week and a half since he got here and he was a completely polite and compliant member of Tower life. We were hanging out often and I was helping him get used to Earth customs and life.

It also meant that I had a week until PAX! 

I was super excited and ready to go so much it was driving me nuts! I had tried explaining to Loki several times what PAX was again when I was packing my suitcase to go. So far all he got was 'gathering place for purchasing stuff.'

I sighed and put another pair of pants in before glancing up at him with an eyebrow raised. He was sitting on the end of my bed, wearing some of the clothes I had bought him before his arrival. Green silk shirt, black dress pants and shiny new dress shoes.

Loki had an expensive taste in clothing. 

"It's not just a place to sell and buy stuff, Loki," I said exasperatedly, putting another shirt in my suitcase. "It's a place where people from all over the world go to expand their brands on the internet and meet people who could help you achieve that goal." I smiled as I put a pair of pants inside. 

Loki smiled too, shaking his head. "Yes, but you also can buy things," he chuckled and shook his head again. "What is your business there, Cassandra? Do you merely shop, or expand your brand?" I folded a pair of pants and set them aside. I was glancing at him every so often as we talked. 

"My friend, Grayson, is a Youtuber. And now she's pretty famous, actually. I pointed to the pictures on my dresser mirror. "That's her, the one with the blue hair." In the pic, it was us at summer camp years ago. We had been friends since Xavier's and been super close ever since. Grayson was skinny, darker-skinned, loud and really funny. 

Her thing on YouTube was playing videogames while yelling at the screen with different voices, skits and charity events for free. "I used to help her, back when she first got her channel." The memories came back to me slowly. Her room at school, setting up her computer for the first time, playing Five Nights with her while she found out her gifts for copying any noise once she heard it. Why she was so popular...

I put a pair of sunglasses in my suitcase absentmindedly.

"But she eventually got big, got a whole team of people and didn't need me anymore. So I'm proud of her for finding her talents and working for a good cause. " I sighed, reminiscing on better days. "But that was also before the Chitauri stormed New York." 

I sighed again, closing my suitcase and crossing my arms loosely. I went over to the open window where the city night skyline greeted me beautifully. The feeling in the room went from funny and light to wistful, quiet and sad.

"I do apologize if it helps ease your sadness," Loki said quietly. I shrugged and didn't feel like responding. Minutes passed and no one spoke. A hand found its way to my shoulder and a cold chill flowed through me. I knew it was Loki trying to be nice. "I will... Go retrieve the caffeinated beverage for us..." When I nodded, he squeezed my shoulder gently. "If it helps, I am truly sorry if my war caused you any grief." I nodded again and soon the chill left me. He was gone and I still stared out at the city night, lost in thought and memory. 

Until I heard footsteps coming up my staircase. Loki didn't make a noise when he walked and I knew those footsteps anywhere.

Shit!

I turned to see Steve just coming around the corner of my doorway with a smile. "Hey Cass, you in here?" Then he saw me. "Woah, are you ok?" He crossed the room and wiped my cheek. I had had no idea I had been crying. "Yeah, I'm good Steve," I said, trying to sound upbeat and positive again and banish my sadness. My arms were still crossed and I looked up at him with a weak smile. 

"I was just taking a trip down memory lane and it got to me, is all." I tried a laugh and it came out odd and off. He noticed and gave me a stern look. "You sure you're good? That wasn't your regular laugh. That's the fake one you use when you cry to a movie and Clint calls you out on it." I nodded up at Steve with a more genuine smile. 

"Yeah, I'm sure," I looked concerned as a thought came to me. "Why are you in my room, by the way? Do we have a mission?" Now I was serious. If there was a mission at hand, all personal shit took a back burner. Lives could be at stake.

He shook his head. 

And I was confused. "Uh... okay then. So why are you in here?" He looked down at me sheepishly and I wasn't sure if I liked where this was going. "I just bought a tablet and I was wondering if you wanted to help me put on some of those games you were talking about on it... Maybe eat some Chinese food in my room? Play some records afterwards?" I thought about that and I still felt kinda sad from my reminiscing moments ago, so I shrugged. I needed a distraction, I guessed. And helping Steve with his pop culture education, just hanging out in the Tower sounded good at the time. "But if you're busy..."

"I'd love to Steve. I could use some game time before PAX..." He blinked in surprise and a smile formed on his gentlemanly face. I couldn't help but smile a little too, he had that effect on me. "I'm just packing for the convention, so yeah, I'm free. Just let me write a note to Loki so he will know where I'm at ok?" 

He nodded grinning now. I could tell he was happy and it spread to the room, getting rid of all the sad vibes from before. I wondered if he knew he did that to places and people sometimes. I shook it off and tore a piece of paper out of a notebook, writing a note to Loki explaining where I'd be and how to get to Steve's room from here just in case of an emergency. 

Steve took my hand and we walked out together. 

And I was unsure of just how to take his affections...