I hate everyone except you

14. Be good

Venus hadn't been able to sleep much that night. Her mind raced with thoughts. But she still had to wake up to go to breakfast. If she wasn't hungry, did she technically have to go? She decided on no and went back to trying to sleep.

And then Frigga showed up to escort her. Venus sat up in her bed. Maybe if she didn't respond Frigga would leave. But she knocked again, forcing Venus to open the door.

"What if I 'accidentally' sleep through-" Venus opened the door. Not to Frigga. Or Thor. But to Loki. "Oh..." She blushed at him seeing her looking so tired. "Sorry, I thought yo-"

"You're fine. Frigga wanted me to come escort you." Loki stood outside the door, even though Venus had opened it enough for him to come in.

"Are you going to come in? I have to dress." He happily obliged and sat in the same wood chair he had been in the first day they had talked. Venus noticed how light he looked. Like he wasn't being drained by his thoughts. "Give me a second." She ran to the washroom and came out in another black dress. "Ready?"

They walked to the dining hall together. They both were in all black. Loki with one of his midgardian suits; Venus took a mental note that she liked that better than the leather. When they walked in Frigga smiled. Odin almost fell over and died right then. And Thor cheered for them both.

"Brother! Venus!" He tapped the chair next to him. "Now we can eat!" Loki sat down and gave him an irritated look. Venus sat across from Loki, in his old seat. A couple days ago he was angry she was there but today it actually brought him some comfort he didn't know he wanted. Venus and Loki spoke to no one at the table. Thor tried to make jokes but Loki just had to consistently tell him to 'close his mouth while he ate', 'don't touch', and reminded him that 'he was not his brother'. He eventually gave up when Thor had finished two platefuls and was getting more. Loki gave Venus a look and she almost laughed out.

Frigga spoke to Venus the most. The same as the first couple days of her being here. She whispered proper etiquette or what food was actually worth eating and little jokes about Thor as a child. Venus didn't mind the talking, it gave Frigga something to do. Odin left first and without any announcement. Once he was out of the room, Frigga said to forgive him and that he was stressed.

Before Thor left he asked if Venus wanted to join him for training today. Loki looked up from his plate.

"I will only go train with you on days in required." Thor laughed and said goodbye. And walked out while smiling to himself. A golden retriever.

"Venus, I have nothing planned for you today." Frigga smiled at both Loki and Venus, who just nodded. Frigga walked over to Loki and kissed his cheek goodbye. She whispered something into his ear before leaving.

"What was that?" Venus looked up from her plate. "What did she say?" She was openly smiling at Loki now.

"Be good." Loki smiled back at Venus.

"Does she have to remind you?" She laughed. They finished their food before talking more. Loki may make fun of Thor for his eating but he definitely chews with his mouth open, too, sometimes.

"I have to run to the dungeons to speak with someone but then I don't have anything for the rest of the day." Venus could tell that he wanted to be with her today so she smiled and nodded. "Do you want to come with?" She smiled brighter and nodded again. "Okay." Now they both were smiling like children. Venus grabbed a roll before walking out with him.

He must not have been in a rush because he slowed down his walk to stay in step with Venus. Loki took them to the far side of the palace, where the stairs to the dungeon were.

"Just stay right behind me and no one should give you a second glance." She nodded and did just as he said. They walked down a long hallway with some Asgardian soldiers looking at them. Loki didn't even bother to look at them; he just looked forward.

The door at the end of the walk was metal and had a combination he had to put in. Once they were in the room is where Venus stayed directly behind him. Both sides were glass rooms filled with many different species. They all yelled at Loki. One said he had betrayed them and that they would find him. Loki gave a fake smile and a sarcastic wave to him. Some of them had looked at Venus with a standard male gaze. She stared back and flicked one guy off that whistled. Loki stood and talked to one of the Asgardians from the outside of the glass. Venus couldn't hear what was being said. She didn't care really.

"Shall we go?" Loki started back to Venus and rested his hand on her back. He was guiding her down the hall.

"Loki?" She was almost silent compared to the noise from the rooms. He looked down. "Where's your room?" Loki was confused as Venus had been in his room just yesterday. "Thor said, you have a room in the dungeon. Where's that one?" He looked at her eyes and could tell she really wanted to know.

"Okay." He laughed and led her to one of the glass rooms. "Here we are." Venus looked at it. That's not what she expected.

"This is one of the cells." She looked back to him in question. He nodded. "Thor said it was your room."

"Maybe he was trying to make a joke." He was laughing; she was not. "When I haven't been 'good' Odin puts me here. There's special spells on the walls that won't let me use my powers." Venus looked at its white walls. There was nothing of the cell. How could they put him in here?

"Can I show you somewhere else, too?" Venus nodded but was still staring at the cell they had reserved for when Loki made mistakes.

This time, Loki's hand wasn't on her back but had actually reached for her own hand. She opened it for him and they walked side by side. "Where are you showing me?" Venus asked as the exited the stairs from the dungeon.

"To somewhere quiet." He smiled and walked with her to the edge of the palace limits. "The north cliffs of Asgard." When he said that, he opened a green portal and she could see some of the ocean on the other side. She looked at him as he led her through it.

"Loki." Venus walked to the edge of the cliff, though she took a quick step back when she saw its height. "You can just go here whenever you want?" He nodded and sat on the edge, the same way he had the day she arrived in Asgard. When that storm rolled in. Venus was still standing. She was in awe. "I've never seen the ocean." Now she started to sit with him.

The waves crashed hundreds of feet below them, on rocks that seemed small but were probably huge boulders. And the water stretched for miles and miles. It was a little cloudy but not so cloudy that the sun wasn't showing. Venus watched as her feet kicked and the wind blew her dress a little bit.

"The sun sets right there." Loki pointed straight ahead. The sun would set right in front of them.

"Can we watch?"

"If you'd like."