28 JANUARY, 2011
ASTRID
For a Friday, Astrid was feeling more sluggish than ever.
She suspected the biting cold and grey sky was no help. The instant she pulled back the curtains in her bedroom, she was faced with five inches of snow on the roof of the adjacent building. She dressed herself in a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. Astrid liked to look her best on most days, but the sun was being a bitch, which put her in a mood. She splashed some cold water on her face and ventured out to the living room to see if Loki had arisen.
He had spent nearly one week acquainting her with the books he brought her from Asgard. Loki had been right about their library. Her pride would never let her say that, however, so she had kept her mouth shut and scoured through the pages while he sat by her side.
He wasn't a terrible reading partner, but as had become tradition in the last few days, there were moments when she wanted to sew his lips shut. He was gracious enough to remain mostly silent while she read; he would, however, stop her every now and then to point out something she had missed or taunt her for turning the pages too slowly. He seemed to like watching her, whether it was a long stare when he thought she wasn't paying attention, or pointing out every mistake she made. He was remarkably meticulous.
The first book she read, a small one, detailed necromancers: those who could communicate, and even perform magic, with the dead. She knew Loki was convinced she was some sort of magical being, but she had never felt anything that remotely suggested she could talk with the dead. Another book, called Astrology: An Asgardian Guide, recalled the craft of predicting the future simply by observing the stars and planets in the sky. On one hand, the stars did fascinate her. On the other, being either locked in her apartment for weeks or sent on a suicidal mission for Scott Gilbert warranted a heavy lack of stargazing.
"I'm not saying that I can predict when and how a person will die just because of their zodiac sign, but I am saying that, according to this book's very specific instructions, if you were born on the sixteenth of June, you should watch out for derailed trains," Astrid had said, tossing the book aside with a huff.
The third book, heavy and bound with smelly old leather, had been her most useful one. Not because it explained anything about her condition, but because there were quite a few tidbits of helpful information about Asgard. She had made a mental note to look through it when Loki wasn't breathing down her neck.
She found Loki in the living room, sitting on the sofa with his long legs outstretched on the table and a steaming cup of tea in his hand. In the other was The Great Gatsby. Astrid smiled.
"Good morning," she said softly, so she wouldn't startle him out of his trance. She did not want tea spilt all over her sofa, although it seemed he had claimed it.
He actually smiled back. She had never seen him look so serene. His eyes were not as wide as usual, less overwhelmed and a more concentrated green. His mouth was set in a relaxed smile, one that was neither smug nor sly. His posture was not stiff, not proper; he sat like a human being. Astrid found that for the first time since she had met him, she didn't feel like hitting him. "Good morning," he said.
"I didn't think that you knew how to work my coffee machine," she said, sitting down on the opposite end of the sofa, "especially since it doesn't function worth a shit."
"I'm afraid I don't, actually," said Loki. "This is the worst tea I've ever had."
Astrid took the mug from his hands. "That's not the machine's fault—it's the man behind the machine."
![FROM THE ASHES - L. Laufeyson [1], de theblondewriter255](https://img.wattpad.com/cover/234271533-80-k863148.jpg)
She began to brew a brand-new cup (after dumping the old one into the snow on the fire escape). "For future reference," she said, spooning sugar into the mug, "we should set boundaries. I'll start: Don't touch my stuff."
"I have no interest in your stuff," said Loki.
She sat down and flicked the book in his free hand, which earned a glare. "Rereading, are we?"
"When a human comes across a good story, it is in your nature to revisit said story until you find no more enjoyment in it."
Astrid hummed. "One winter, I did watch Mamma Mia! so many times that I got bored of the musical numbers—those were dark days." She watched him carefully. "Do you do that with everything you come across? Just keep coming back until it bores you?"
The spy in her itched to ask, Why did you come back to me? After all, he did claim to be the God of Lies.
"Not everything," he said, giving her a split-second glance. "Some things are better if you appreciate the little time you have with them."
"Nice sentiment," she mused, "for someone who's immortal."
"I never move. It's the universe that moves around me."
"I wonder why I could never put my finger on the reason I don't like you."
He paused his reading for a moment. "You have a queen in your world, yes?"
"Correct. I applied for the position, but that's not how it works."
"But there are four men on your shirt," he said.
She looked down at her Queen sweatshirt. "This is a band. They play music for a living. You've heard of music, right, E.T.?"
Loki rolled his eyes. "Of course I have heard of music. I'm not daft," he grumbled. "Who is in this band of men?"
"Why exactly does this interest you?"
He shrugged indifferently. "I suppose that since you are so willing to learn about my world, it is only fair I appropriate myself with yours."
Astrid raised a brow. "That's a lot to learn."
"Then it's settled." Loki slid a bookmark into the novel. "We'll teach one another."
"You're going to need therapy when we're through with American history," she told him.
Loki hummed. "Wait until I tell you about the Dark Elves."
~
"There is a legend among my people," said Loki. "If you toss a golden coin into the well in the garden behind the palace, any wish you make will come true."
Astrid nursed her own mug of coffee. "Have you ever wished for something? Better clothes, maybe?"
"I never needed to," he said. "When we were children, my magic was perfectly sufficient to torture my brother."
"And...?" she prompted. "Did you tear him limb-from-limb, or just take away his dessert privileges?"
Loki smiled fondly. "Once, I transformed myself into a snake and snuck into Thor's bedchambers. He made to pick up what he thought was a real snake, for he truly admires the creatures, and—"
![Dark Star || Loki [1]](https://img.wattpad.com/cover/117929761-64-k570944.jpg)