Turning Gears [Loki x OC] //DISCONTINUED\\

Seven

The morning after a rather uneventful first night with Loki, Aspen awoke with her mind firing on all cylinders. She was bristling with ideas of how to best introduce Loki into her world of machinery. He clearly loved to read, as he spent literally all night poring into books. He was already done with four, one of them even a Midgardian text. Soon enough, she'd have to go book shopping again. That was for a later time, though.

She dressed into more typical work clothes for the day, a set of overalls, work boots, and her hair tied back. When she left her room, silence was obvious throughout the floor. "ANA is Loki awake?" she asked, making her way to the elevator. 

"No, ma'am. He went to bed rather late, and is still in his bed," ANA obediently replied, her voice cheerful as ever. 

Aspen offered a soft thank you before heading in the elevator and moving upward to the communal floor. The least she could was make breakfast and start the day off right. The only problem was she didn't have the slightest idea as to what he would enjoy most. She found herself standing in front of the open fridge, staring into its contents as if it'd give her all the wisdom she'd need for a Loki approved breakfast.

"He likes sweets," a deep voice resounded from seemingly nowhere, causing Aspen to jump and yelp out like a hurt dog. She shut the fridge door to reveal a sleepy Thor, still in pajamas. 

"Christ, Thor. Could you of at least announced your presence first?" she asked, holding a hand over her heart. She could feel it race and thump away, giving adrenaline to every part of her. She felt like she could punch a bear at this rate.

"My apologies, my lady," he said, but the smirk on his face made Aspen feel that he wasn't very sincere about it. 

At that point the both of them dissolved into fits of giggles until both of them couldn't breathe and their sides ached. "Thanks for the idea, Thor,"  Aspen finally said through heaving breaths, wiping tears off her cheeks. 

"You are very welcome, Aspen," he said, seating himself on a stool to catch his breath. "So, tell me how my brother is," he said, nearly posing it as a question. He wasn't messing around with this. 

"He's fine. He doesn't seem so angry any longer. I think he's just gone into acceptance of the situation," she replied, not phased a bit by his harshness with her. She had gotten busy making pancakes as she spoke, hoping this was what Thor meant. 

"I am surprised it was so quick. He usually holds grudges for ages. Loki isn't one to give in easily," Thor pondered, stealing a handful of chocolate chips from the bag she set down. 

"I was prepared to deal with a stubborn force of nature for a while, honestly. I can't say I'm mad, though. It's a nice surprise," she said, whisking batter and getting the chips out of Thor's reach.

Thor watched her work, multitasking with ease as she put together a batter from nothing more than memory. With that, he got a small idea as to why his brother was so complacent. He didn't think to say a word about it, though. "Well, I hope his first day of working with you goes well. If he gives you any trouble, let me know," he said, standing. He gave Aspen a smile and left without even getting the breakfast he first intended for.

With Thor gone, Aspen was able to quickly finish the smorgasbord of breakfast foods she put together. Pancakes, bacon, eggs, toast, orange juice, even coffee. That was mostly for her, though. She managed to pile it all onto a serving tray and hoist it up to transport it to her and Loki's floor. 

When Aspen arrived with a ding of the elevator bell, she wasn't expecting to see Loki standing right there in the entryway. She fought every instinct to jump back and drop the heavy tray. "What is with the Asgardians scaring me this morning?" she asked, squinting at the tall man in front of her, who seemed oh so amused.