Hell or High Water (#Wattys2016)

•No, She Don't Mess Around•

At the moment, they currently broke that record with a maximum of forty, possibly forty-seven counting the children. Plus, two of the workers hadn't come in today. Rachel was ready to tear her hair out, but somehow managed to bear through it and was thankful Charlotte, Thelia, and David had shown up early when she needed them to.

"Already covered, boss," Charlie responded, trying her best to sound openly helpful and failing like hell on the inside. One glance at her supervisor said she would be turned into stone soon if she didn't stop daydreaming and finish that mango smoothe. She usually hated when Rachel called her by her full name in that condescending way she had when a rush of people came in, it was only Spring break for god sake, how is she going to react in the Summer?

Charlie filled another order and thought that maybe Rachel is still getting the hang of being a first-time supervisor. Nothing about either of their jobs were easy, but Charlie hoped she could make her feel a little more at ease - once the onslaught of impatient and noisy costumers are gone that is.

"Thelia, we're out of creamer!" The blonde immediately stopped wiping a table and jogged into the back, she came back a few minutes later, walking purposely behind Charlie on her way to the counter.

"Someone is major PMS-ing, am I right?" Thelia whispered, trying desperately not to outright laugh, least they appear to be slacking off.

Charlie snickered and hurriedly regained her spot at the register, wondering briefly how Loki was adjusting to his new environment.

°°°°°

Charlie got her answer when things finally came to a standstill and she was looking forward to closing in twenty minutes, passing the time by refilling the napkins and wiping off a few tables, she just started counting the money for that day when who should walk in?

"You do enjoy tormenting me when we're CLEARLY about to close, don't you?" Charlie said warily, that was the only form of greeting she could muster up and was sticking to it. Her back ached and she longed for a six hour shower and a hot meal, or in this case a TV dinner, and didn't think she could handle another round with 'Mr. Issues'.

On the upside, the dressed down look was working for him, none of that odd asymmetrical clothing seemed present, though he must love the color green. Although the ray bans were just... Completely ridiculous on him. Charlie glanced at Thelia and mouthed 'did you do this?', gesturing to her own eyes to empathize her point. Thelia shrugged and smirked. An open book, that one.

"First, I can see you. Second, only because you are a very hard person to talk to, is your mobile not working properly?"

Charlie was taken aback for a second before realizing that of course he would know what a cell phone is, it's not like he's an actual god or something!

"I was working, why?"

"Because I am taking you to Asgard. There you will experience firsthand what awaits us and stop this mundane milling around, I have more pressing matters to attend -"

"Okay, hold on, pal. Who are you to just waltz in here and tell me what to do? Or drag me to some fake place where you and your obsessed Comic-Con friends probably Cosplay?"

Charlie realized the one sure tactic to getting through this crazed fantasy of his is to not fuel it for any reason, she was sure he meant well, for what she had no idea, but it was time to stop acting as if this situation is normal - Thelia had welcomed him into her apartment for god sakes. Whatever he had to say she would listen to, but damn if she was going to put up with him dropping by her workplace and ordering her around, who does he think he is? A fricking prince?

Loki took off his sunglasses a pinched the bridge of his nose.

"By the Norns, Charlotte, are we on this again? This is truly maddening. Now who is being irritating? I can not express how important this situation has become, only you've made it quite difficult for me to control my temper - I do not need this right now." Charlie apparently made him so agitated that he seemed caught between standing and sitting, instead he settled for pacing.

"Show her." Thelia spoke up calmly, and she noticed David had been absent for some time, he was probably outside smoking or texting. Charlie was starting to become a little worried, maybe it wasn't a good idea to leave these two alone.

"Show me what?"

Loki sighed, thinking this may be the only way to convince Charlotte to join him in Asgard, he was running out of time, if Heimdall somehow managed to get through to Thor his plans would all be for nothing.

"Go on, you showed it to me yesterday with no problem."

"Yes, it also helped that you practically withheld nourishment until I did." Loki glared at the slightly taller of the two. He would never again play 'Cards Against Humanity', boredom or no boredom, it was a definite waste of valuable time. Time he didn't exactly have at the moment.

Charlie was exiting 'Worried Mill' and heading into 'Panic City' full throttle, just what the hell did they do yesterday?

I wish I'd gotten the chance to ask...no thanks to our shifts starting early.

"Show. Me. What."

Loki abruptly stopped pacing and faced Charlie. She was evidently his 'perfect match' as mortals comically put it, but is she really ready to understand what his true form would imply?

He closed his eyes and tried to relax, he'd been far too anxious lately. He could feel his skin start to change in texture, and hearing Charlie gasp almost made him laugh as his glamour faded. She watched in awe as his skin turned a shade of Cerulean, intertwining with elaborate spirals of unknown symbols scattered across his arms and face. Threadlike mist seemed to materialize with every breath he took.

And last, his crimson eyes, luminous under the faint decor shell lights that lined the walls, peered at her, almost sheepishly.

"Well, Char -" his eyes widened a bit when he realized he was talking to thin air. "Where is she? Did she leave?"

Thelia glanced down at her friend behind the counter, cocking her head to the side and thinking if this would be funny enough for Snapchat.

"She'll have one monster of a headache, but on the bright side, she didn't run or scream. Right?"

Thelia snuck a glance at him hesitantly. Loki frowned and tried his very best, the best he ever had to, not to change them both into house cats and be done with this entire mess.

Well, he thought as he helped Thelia settle Charlie into the car, he could officially kiss his days as king goodbye.

°°°°°

A/N: Yep. I'm trying something new. Changing the plot a bit, diving in headfirst. And there will probably less author notes in the future as the story progresses and I run out of things to put here. :p

I also kinda wish we could've seen Loki's Jotunn form a bit more in Thor...who knows.

Thanks for voting and/or commenting! It's a great motivator.