The Adventures of Loki and his Commander

Chapter 9

A few days had passed since your fight with Loki and you hadn't spoken to him since. Simply put you were very upset with him for what he had said to you. It was the reason you had to dress up for this blasted ball in the first place wasn't it? Had he not made his assumptions about Matthew you could've been able to politely decline him but you didn't because you had to prove Loki wrong.

It was the only reason you dug up the box of the only fancy dress you owned from under your bed. You would've just worn the fancy dress shirt you owned but you had spilled something on it the last time you wore it and you hadn't bothered to get it fixed yet. Of course you had another emergency dress shirt but it had fallen victim to a rip as well and was in dire need of some rethreading.

Which left the dress as your only option- unless that is you were willing to just show up in your casual very much non-fancy clothes. You had already considered that option and sadly parted with the idea all the same. No you were going to put up with all the laces and the sashes of that damned dress walk into the ball with Matthew only to rub your friendship in Loki's face. Well Odin's rather since he would definitely be disguised as him.

But well you were petty enough to find the satisfaction you needed in that as well.

You were standing in front of your mirror all dressed a few minutes before Matthew had agreed to pick you up at your house. The dress still fit you as nicely as it did the day you bought it. It had been an impulse purchase of course. You got it the day you were promoted to General at the Asgardian army. However this was really the first time you had ever worn it.

It was a nice floor length black dress with some gold accents to it. No hoop skirts were required- it wasn't a ball gown just a pretty dress. You liked the sleeves of them especially- they were slimly fitted around your arm up until the elbow before flaring out into bat sleeves made of a sheer black mesh fabric. It also had a golden belt cinching up at your waist.

You wore simple flats though- you couldn't expect yourself to deal with heels as well.

Shortly after, Matthew had arrived at your house and the two of you made your way to the palace. He of course complimented your appearance however this time he seemed to be at a bit of loss for his words. You expected the same- seeing the woman you only ever saw in either an armor or the casual attire, dressed up in a fancy dress should have that effect on you.

"I mean I- uh, wow you look absolutely stunning." He had finally said after a fair amount of stumbling and word searching.

You gave him a genuine smile, "I could say the same for you!"

"You would be lying then, to think I could ever even compete with you on beauty." He replied.

You laughed it off but you couldn't help it but think that's not something you say to a friend.

No, that was just Loki getting in your head. That's simply how Matthew was, he liked complimenting people.

Gods was this getting annoying. The constant back and forth between your own thoughts and what Loki and said and what you were deliberately thinking just to oppose what Loki had said. Was this how it would always be now? Just you constantly worrying about whether or not you would break Matthew's heart?

You stopped worrying about it shortly after you arrived at the palace though, even though you were holding onto Matthew's arm for propriety's sake.

The ballroom- the largest one in the palace was exceptionally decorated. You recognized the seating, the buffet, the musicians and everything as something you had chosen out with Loki a few days ago though you hardly gave yourself any credit for it. It was beautiful, it truly was and even though it wasn't the drunk, disorderly and deafening that you were used to and preferred it was still pretty damned great.