Loki's Endgame

Prologue

You wake up in a small bedsit, dingy and run down with a stale, musty smell that clings to it. As you open your eyes, you smile, it may be a terrible place in a frankly terrifying neighbourhood, but it was worth it. There was no way you were turning down the offer to move to Manhattan over summer for an internship at one of the most prestigious geological companies in the world.

It had been the first time you had really been away from your parents. England seemed so far away from the crazy bustling streets of New York. Everything seemed different, but you were acclimatising quickly to the fast-paced life here and it suited you.

Your childhood had been quiet, tame, happy, nothing out of the ordinary. Your parents were happily married and everything was just... okay... fine. So why did it feel like sometimes that wasn't enough? You blame the dumb soap operas your mother favours... the desperation for unrealistic drama had clearly gotten to you in your years of living in boring suburbia... but you could never quite shake the feeling of wanting more than the easy, relaxing surroundings your parents had brought you up in. You wanted... adventure... a sense of belonging... to leave your mark on the universe... somehow.

When you told your parents you wanted to move to America for the internship, you could sense their fear, the fear that their only daughter was finally leaving after 18 years. Your mother had been supportive, but in the weeks prior you often caught her red-eyed and visibly upset, though she'd never admitted it. Your father seemed genuinely pleased.

"Y/N, this summer will change your life. It will make or break you. Do not waste a single opportunity thrown your way. Your soul outshines this small town, go find where it belongs."

You smile, taking in your fathers words. As you get out of bed the wooden floor feels cool under your feet, comforting in the American humidity. You run into the bathroom, splashing water over your pale skin. Your eyes are reddened by sleep, making the grey irises look almost blue. As you brush your teeth you run your fingers through your matted brunette hair... you would definitely need to brush it before you left for work... your hair was a constant frizzy mess in the heat. As you struggle to untangle your finger from the nest of hair, you yawn audibly... coffee first... hair taming later... That shit took too much energy first thing in the morning.

You walk out of your bedroom into the combined kitchen and living room. The cream walls peel slightly, highlighted by the July summer sun shining through your tattered curtains. You pick up your mug and sigh, of course you hadn't washed it. Living alone did have its drawbacks... namely, a solitary dirty mug filled with old, stale tea and no alternative.

A car horn sounds loudly outside, making you jump a little. You turn your attention to the hustle and bustle of the street below, and glance towards the clock on the windowsill... 08:50am.

08:50am??

Your meeting was at 9:00am.

"Ahhhh shit!"

You throw down your mug, it bounces off the sink and lumpy tea runs slightly over the counter. In a blind and confused panic, you run back into the bedroom, thrusting your hand into the wardrobe in which the door had fallen off long ago.

You pull out a clean, crisp white shirt, thankfully ironed and some coloured slacks. Black trousers were boring, negative. Forest green was much more you. As you run to the front door you slip into your heeled ankle boots, grab your purse and blazer and run out into the street, stumbling a little as you run.

You hail a cab and jump in, today was not the day for the calming walk with your headphones in that you usually took to the office. You smooth out the crumpled paperwork in your purse, ready for the meeting due to start in 4 minutes...