It should have been perfect, all the days leading up to it were great, Christmas Eve was great, and yet, what happened Christmas morning practically ruined everything. It started out fine, making tea and having breakfast with Loki, not so subtly pointing out that "Santa" must have made a mistake, considering for some reason there were presents for the God of Mischief under your tree. "And look Loki, there's even a stocking here with your name on it, what?" you say happy, dramatic, and a bit sarcastic, as you handed the God of Mischief his stocking, watching him with bated breath, waiting for him to go through the damn thing already, incredibly nervous about the whole thing. You struggled for a long time on what to get him and you were definitely still worried if he'd like them or not, even more concerned with the few gifts you made for him. But at least the price wasn't really something you had to worry about, as your mother would always give you extra money for Christmas so you could get yourself what you wanted. She actually gave you money every month for groceries, hygiene products and the like, as she was normally too busy to buy that stuff for you but you rarely, if ever spent the entire amount so evidently, you had a lot saved up.
Loki first pulled out some lotion, it was peppermint scented, some lip balm and fancy face wash next, and then custom shampoo & conditioner, the bottles even had his name on them and smelled like mango. Loki thought that was it but soon noticed two more boxes, one a bit bigger than the other but both relatively small, but of course, they had to be in order to fit in the stocking. The first box had chocolate in it, but not just any kind, you told Loki it was homemade, you knew he wasn't a big fan of super sweet things so you made dark chocolate and you hoped he liked it. Loki tried one and told you it was delicious, but even the God of Mischief was surprised by how much he liked them, he probably could have eaten the entire box right then and there. Loki then pulled out the smaller box and when he opened it, he was a little confused so you explained, "it's an enamel pin set, they're kind of like the other pins I've made except these are fancier, I guess... they're made of metal, not resin or plastic". You went on, telling Loki you've seen enamel pin sets for the other Avengers but not him, and he deserved one, he was an amazing superhero, so you made him a very special, one-of-a-kind, limited edition Loki, God of Mischief Pins Set. Loki had a smile peeking out from one side of his mouth, trying to hide his joy from how sweet he thought they were, they were adorable, you described them as "Chibi" style. There were several of them, all super cute; there were a couple of him in different costumes and poses, one with him and Thor, his sceptre, a snake version of him with his gold helmet, one with his name and another with his name in Asgardian Runes, admitting that you got Thor's help to confirm the translation for you.
Loki thanked you for the presents but you quickly interrupted, "we're not done yet!" you shouted excitedly, before apologizing for cutting him off while handing him one of several presents. He unwrapped and opened the box to find several bottles of wine, good quality by the looks of it too, but the first thing out of Loki's mouth was, "how did you get alcohol Gracie?" and you admitted that Ms.Seki might have helped you out, more specifically her husband as he was kind of a wine expert. Loki wanted to give you his gift next so you could open something but before he could say anything you handed him another box, practically ordering him to open it as you seemed equally excited and nervous, and you definitely were. Loki let out a breathy laugh as he opened the box, it was a set of fancy wine glasses, they were gothic in design, a style he liked very much. The glasses were Bordeaux-shaped, the base and handle were dark grey in the grooves of the design, with the outer layer shining like silver. The base itself was on the wider side, the metal twisting like ribbon, or was tentacles a better word to describe the way it curled around the bottom of the glass. The handle was a little different from the base, climbing and wrapping around the glass like vines, with blood-red Swarovski crystals dripping from perilous thorns, with the tips of the vines turning into little dragons, wrapping around the outside of the cup.
You were about to hand Loki the last box but hesitated, grabbing out something you were hiding in the closet instead, you would have wrapped them but you didn't have any bags or boxes big enough. You order two Squishmallow plushes, one of Loki and one of you, they were kind of big, about 3 feet tall, perhaps a bit childish, but when you found a company that would make custom ones, you just had to get them. Loki's plushy had him in his classic attire, sceptre and helmet included, along with a super adorable grumpy face, while yours had you in white skates, a sparkly green figure skating dress with a big smile and space buns. You lit up a little while going on about how cute you thought they were, admitting to Loki that you knew they were a little childish but you couldn't help it, handing him the one of you as you gave Plush Loki a tight hug, whispering "so soft", under your breath before giggling.
It actually took you a few minutes to calm down, you were too excited and happy about the Squishmallow plushes, but eventually, after more than a few deep breaths you handed Loki his final present. Your hands were almost shaking as you gave him the box, "please fit, please fit, oh god please fit" echoed repeatedly in your mind, you internally freaking out about it, as it took you a while to make this gift. "Are you alright?" Loki asked, sensing your anxious energy behind your plastered smile, and at first, you tried to play it off as nothing but you eventually confessed that this final gift was one you made, it was something he could wear but you were worried it wouldn't fit. You measured everything multiple times before cutting, doing the math several times, even secretly getting measurements from Thor, who got them from Vision as he could easily calculate his size just by looking at him. Even after all that you were still paranoid that somehow, it wouldn't fit, but more than that, you were terrified he'd hate it. You came up with the pattern by yourself, spending a long time designing it, you had more than a dozen pages with multiple sketches, but you weren't a professional designer or anything. You worried that despite taking your time to make sure every piece of the garment was perfect, Loki being a God and a prince you were worried it wouldn't be good enough for him. Sure you bought a sweater from the museum and he wore it around casually, but to you, this was different, and no matter how hard you tried you couldn't get rid of these negative feelings.
"How the fuck is she this cute?" Loki asked himself, your nervous expression was adorable, the almost scared and anxious pout on your face was nearly too much for the God of Mischief. It made him nervous, he would obviously love anything you got or made for him but if it didn't fit, it would no doubt break your heart a little, and he didn't want to see that happen. Luckily neither of you had to worry about it as the garment you made fit him perfectly, a little roomie but the style wasn't supposed to be skin-tight. Loki stared down at the jacket in disbelief, it was definitely not what he expected, thinking perhaps you made him something similar to your style, something happy and bubbly, something with bright colours, but oh boy was he wrong.
It was a black leather jacket that hit a few inches below his hips, with dark green leather accents, strap detailing on the shoulders, cuffs, lapel, and all along on the top and bottom of the back. It also had lace-up sections along both the forearms and upper arms, along with the sides and center back of the jacket with gold eyelets, buckles, buttons, studs and zipper, tying the whole thing together. The colour scheme was very much Loki, but the style was a little more punkish than he was used to, the jacket was definitely saying, "I hunt vampires for a living" but he truly loved it and couldn't wait to wear it out. It wasn't something Loki would pick out for himself, but it was certainly "him" and something he'd wear all the time, smugly showing it off to everyone, but mostly his brother, proving that his mortal was the best.
"Gracie!" you suddenly heard the front door open with someone calling out to you in a sing-song voice, "oh fuck", you whisper, recognizing who it was, your mother. "Why the hell is she here?" you thought before whisper-yelling at Loki to take all his presents and his stocking upstairs, as your mom could not find him here, telling him you would explain everything later. Loki did as you asked, teleporting any trace of his presence upstairs to your floor, but considering he had never met your mother before he came back downstairs, remaining invisible so he wouldn't get caught.
Your mother was tall and slender, well-manicured, she clearly had some work done but not a lot and wasn't physically unattractive, to numerous people she would probably be considered quite beautiful, even with the heavy make-up she was always wearing. "Surprise, Merry Christmas, my sweet, special little flower", your mother spoke sweetly, sickly so, with Loki hardly liking her tone, more so how her very presence changed your demeanour. "Hello mother, merry Christmas... why are you here, I um... thought you were busy with work," you say, but your mother didn't hear you, more so she wasn't paying attention to what you said, much more concerned with her bags. "Gracie, baby, would you run these upstairs for mommy, I'm so tired from coming all this way just to see you," your mother asks giving you what was supposed to be puppy eyes and a pout, but to Loki, it came across like she was a spoiled, whiney baby.
You did as she asked, quickly running her suitcases upstairs, and as you passed Loki, unaware that he was there, he could see how lifeless and almost depressed you looked, the light that normally sparkled in your eyes was gone. The God of Mischief found himself absolutely loathing your mother on site, he hadn't even officially met her and only seen her for a few minutes but he already wanted her dead. The second you were out of earshot your mother pulled out her phone to make a call, "yes, I just arrived... yes, we're still on for lunch... don't worry I'm sure your son will just adore my Gracie, she's sweet and very pretty... and she's athletic, very flexible and in excellent shape... yes, of course... yes, see you soon... kisses". Loki could see the look of disgust on your mother's face as she hung up the phone, clearly hating whoever was on the other end, but he didn't care about that, this woman spoke of you like she was trying to sell you to whoever this person's son was. Loki watched as your mother pulled out a mirror to check her reflection, fixing her make-up for a moment before walking into the living room, out of sight from him where the God of Mischief soon heard her yell your name, clearly upset about something and you came running to see what you did wrong now.
You walk in past Loki again, who followed you in the living room to see what all the fuss was about, only to see your mother holding up the plush version of him with a look of anger and disgust. "What is this?" your mother gravelled out, "it's um... a Loki plush, he's an Avenger now mom, he's super cool," you say, nervously, knowing how she felt about super-powered people, you quickly followed up your own statement. "It was a gift mother, I can't just get rid of it" you hesitantly say, knowing your mother would want it thrown out, but reputation was pretty much everything to her, so you knew it would work for the moment, using the same line in the past. Your mother took a deep breath, tossing the plush at you while asking you the rule about garbage gifts, and you respond with "make sure they see it at least twice before getting rid of it". "Good girl, now put that somewhere I don't have to see it" your mother spoke coldly with you simply nodding your head, "yes mother" taking your sweet Loki plush upstairs to your room. But before you leave, your mother hands you a bag, telling you she bought you something while on her trip, and to come back down with your hair and make-up done as she was taking you to lunch, that fancy restaurant, the one with the nice view of Central Park. "Is this why you asked for my measurements two days ago?" you ask but your mother "sweetly" brushes you off, insisting you go get ready or they would be late. You walk out of the room over to the stairs, hearing your mother say, "freaks, the lot of them, why the government hasn't locked them all away is beyond me". Loki is taken aback by her comment but you don't seem to bat an eye, hearing things like that and so much worse before, and without saying anything else you head upstairs to get ready.
You hug your Loki plush close for a moment before setting it down on the bed, taking out all the make-up your mother got for you, pulling your hair back before painting your face. Loki walked in as you were finishing up, and you ask him for help with the zipper, looking and acting like a completely different person, of course, he helped you, but at the same time, he was completely pissed off about everything. The fact that you wouldn't fight back and put up with her behaviour, you would go along with anything she said, seemingly afraid of her when you, yourself were more powerful than she could ever dream. "I know..." you whisper, understanding the look on Loki's face, you then continue "we've fought about this stuff before and she's threatened to have Lily taken away... and she could because I'm pretty sure it's against the law to have a snake her size in New York, I want to fight back and stand up for myself but... I can't find the words... I... I have them in here *you point to your head* but anytime I try to talk things out with her, she doesn't listen, she just rolls her eyes and doesn't take me seriously and I get overwhelmed and upset" you admit while trying not to cry. "The second I graduate and find a job, I'm out of here," you tell Loki, giving him a smile before saying you were okay, "other kids have it a lot worse than just an unsupportive parent". You then apologized to Loki, saying you'd have to cut their hang-out short today, but he waved it off, simply pulling you for a hug, saying he understood before escorting you over to the stairs as you waved goodbye. Loki decided at that moment that you would be living with him, he would take you far away from your mother, and now all that was left was arranging everything, which would take some time. The God of Mischief watched as you left with that creature, the one he briefly reconsidered killing, but in the end decided against it, for now, simply placing your Christmas present at the end of your bed and leaving back to the Avengers Tower to start his planning.
You arrived at the restaurant, a little surprised it was open on Christmas day but then you remembered the owners were Jewish, at least that's what your mom told you and you never questioned it. You stared out the window, over at the park below, thinking about the first time you met Loki, the walks you went on together, all the time you spent by his side, getting to know him. When suddenly you're pulled back to reality by your mother telling you their table was ready, quickly hurrying you over to a table where a woman in her early 40s and a man possibly in his mid to late 20s were waiting for the two of you. "That's Adrien Cross, age 27, heir to the Cross fortune, he's worth millions, soon to be billions once he inherits his Grandfather's money, his family invests quite a lot into our research," your mother leaned over to whisper to you as she led you over to the table to sit down with him and his mother. Adrien certainly looked nice, he was well-dressed, with a striking resemblance to the male lead from that show Bridgerton, Regé-Jean Page but with Corbin Bleu's hair from high school musical. He introduced himself politely enough, showing off his deep posh accent and his gleaming smile, although, in your opinion, it was nothing compared to Loki's, but Mr.Cross seemed charming nonetheless. Well, at least at first, giving you what sounded like a genuine compliment and commenting on several seemingly interesting topics but the second he opened his mouth to speak to the staff you were so done.
He was spoiled and snobbish, speaking to the staff abrasively, making you rather nervous, you didn't like his tone, nor the way he snapped his fingers to get their attention. Adrien didn't really ask about you and your interests, his own mother was more interested, asking you questions about school, your hobbies, and other things, with you eventually bringing up that you had a snake, that her name was Lily and she was the sweetest creature in the universe. "Do you have any pets, Ms.Cross?" you asked, liking her much more than her son, and she informed you that she had a cat, an Ashera breed, majestic and so well-behaved, showing you a picture on her phone. The cat was large and pretty, but oddly enough the first thought that popped into your head was how Lily would probably try to eat her on-site, as when you took your snakey baby outside on one of the warmest days over the summer, she found a dead cat and ate it. Lily asked for a cat to eat several times since then as she liked the taste, believing they were cute and yummy, which was perfect, apparently.
You let out an awkward little laugh, "very cute..." you began before excusing yourself, so you could go "powder your nose" and whatnot, quickly getting up from the table heading to the restrooms. You walked slowly away, lost in thought about what you were going to do about this whole situation, unaware that someone else got up and that you were being followed. You exited the dining room and walked down the hall into the ladies' powder room, you didn't understand why there was a small sitting area before the stalls and sinks but you didn't really think about it too much as you were distracted. You sat down on the fancy love seat, taking in a deep breath, feeling very melancholy about how things turned out, you wanted to be back at home with Lily and with your bestie, trying to think of a way you could get out of this. You could fake being sick, but you weren't sure if that would work, as unless you were showing clear signs of something or bleeding you doubted she'd believe it, telling you to suck it up. You then thought about it some more, blood came back to your mind, you could fake a period, you had before to get out of going to the beach with your mother and her friends. You walked over to a sink, took deep breaths while "getting into character", washing your hands before leaving with a plan in mind, but unfortunately, someone else had other ideas.
Adrien was suddenly there, blocking your way and you just stood there for a few moments, unsure of what to do as you were confused about why he was here, as the Men's restroom was closer to the beginning of the hallway. "Um... hi Mr.Cross... do you... need something?" you ask still a little confused, he was looking at you weirdly again, and you soon took a step back, requesting that he step aside as you weren't feeling well and were going to inform your mother that you were leaving now. "No, sweetie, not yet, I came over here to talk to you in private, without our mothers interfering," Adrien said, giving you a smile but you still felt off about it, repeating to him that you wanted to leave as you really weren't feeling well. Adrien still wasn't moving so you tried to go around him, big mistake, as he quickly forced you against the wall, "don't play hard to get babe, I just want to get to know you better". You freeze up, you didn't want to but it's not as if you could control how you reacted in this situation, you stared blankly out into the void as Adrien came closer, very much liking the blue bodycon dress you were wearing, as it showed off all of your lovely curves.
"I've decided that I like you, so play your cards right and I might just make you mine", Adrien smirked, bending down a bit to meet you at eye level, while looking at you with an intense gaze. It didn't have its intended effects as you processed what he just said, your first thought being, "what?" as you were really confused but before too long you started to crack up laughing, you don't know why you did, you were definitely a little scared but you couldn't stop. "Oh my god, what?" you giggled, "I don't like you, not like that anyway, we just met", you continued speaking, calming down for a moment before laughing again, not believing what was happening right now. You realized you were in trouble the second you remade eye contact, Adrien was pissed, absolutely furious, and you were scared he was going to do something and you stopped laughing. He just stared at you, inching ever so slightly closer and eventually you turned away, telling him, well more so stuttering out that you were leaving now and if he didn't back off you'd let out a scream.
Adrien looked at you a little confused as he slowly backed away, and you were still a little on edge, not that anyone could blame you for it, of course, considering what just happened. Unbeknownst to you, Adrien was testing you, to see if you were just another gold-digging slut, but no one had ever reacted the way you did, wanting nothing to do with him and it caught him off-guard. It looked like he was about to say something and he was but before he could the whole building shook, shortly followed by loud noises, things that sounded like explosions, screams, and roars could soon be heard. You ended up falling back against the wall and Adrien fell over too, but before he could get up or speak or whatever, you got up and bolted, wanting to get as far away from him as possible.
"I'm serious girl, he just pinned me up against the wall, it was awful," you said to MJ as you needed to talk to somebody after getting home, knowing she would be more understanding about the situation than others. You stared at the screen on your laptop, while curled up with Lily on the couch, waiting for her response as you were on a video call with the fiery redhead, "what a creep" MJ said coming back over to sit on her bed to talk to you. "Do you think I should tell Loki?" you asked, certain that your bestie would want to know but it was weird and you were worried about how he would react. "Not unless you want the guy dead", MJ laughed, knowing full well the Asgardian would most likely hunt this guy down for daring to lay a hand on you, as it was obvious to her how Loki felt about you. "Oh come on, Loki wouldn't kill him... you really think he would?" you faltered, worried that what she said was true, I mean even after becoming an Avenger he probably killed a few people and or monsters and the like to protect civilians.
"Yeah, probably, considering how much the guy cares for you, speaking of which, are you guys gonna, you know... like get together at some point, or what?" MJ stated bluntly and you blushed, turning away, informing her for like the 100th time that you were just friends. "Oh come on Gracie, you clearly have feelings for the guy..." MJ started but you cut her off, telling her to stop, before getting really down on yourself and she asked you what was up. "I do MJ... I love Loki, not just as a friend... I'm in love with him and I don't know what to do... it would never work out... I've thought about it so much, but he's literally a God and a prince and I'm..." you were about to say that you were a clumsy, awkward, autistic peasant, but MJ cut you off. "Stop that Gracie! You're super pretty, sweet and fun, you're so smart and humble about it... and don't even try to lie, I know you have an A in like every class... you're amazing girl, truly, and "God" or not anybody would be lucky to have you," MJ angrily insisted. She went on to tell you that she understood, you didn't want to lose him as a friend if things didn't work out, but also she told you that you might regret not saying anything down the road, he cared about you and you cared about him, even if you weren't "meant to be" it would work itself out eventually, as you seemed to have a really strong connection, one that wouldn't be easily broken.
You thought about what MJ said but before you could respond you could hear her mom yelling at her about something and she told you she had to go, saying they'd talk soon. You close your laptop and set it aside, getting up to head with Lily back to what was pretty much her room now to set up her Christmas present as you didn't get time to do it earlier. You bought her one of those tent bed things, it looked like a little house with a thick cushion, it had tons of room as it was a full-xL but also plenty of shade so she could cuddle up in there by herself or with you and sleep. You also got her a giant teddy bear, like literally, the panda bear plush was bigger than an actual panda as the one you bought was just over 6ft tall. You had to get her a new one as her old teddy was too small for her now, and considering you would be spending less time at home in the coming months you knew it would help with her separation anxiety. Lily loved her Christmas gifts, cuddling up with her new teddy in her new bed the second it was all set up and with the special holiday meal she had yesterday, being reindeer, your sweet snakey baby was really happy.
You gave your sweet baby one more hug and kiss before going back to your bedroom, finally taking off the dress you were wearing, washing away all of the make-up with your mascara soon staining your face, but you took care of it, scrubbing a little harder than you probably should have, not that you cared. You then slipped into your closet to put on your pyjamas, feeling mentally exhausted after the day you had but luckily, your mother didn't say anything bad about you wanting to go home early as there was a literal battle happening outside. You sat down on your bed, well more so, threw yourself onto your bed, letting out a groan into your pillow before turning over onto your side, feeling like sad garbage. But as you moved and adjusted to get into a comfortable position your feet brushed up against something and you sat up to investigate, surprised by what you found.
It was a somewhat large flat box, hidden under the throw blanket you had at the end of your bed, and you quickly grabbed it, first reading the card that came with. The note read: "Merry Christmas Mortal, Love your "Bestie", Loki," and you couldn't help but smile at the sweet little hand-written note, his handwriting was so pretty, and you quickly and neatly put the card away in the top drawer of your side table so you could pull it out anytime to look at it again. The box itself was lovely too, it had a flower pattern, and a pale gold silk ribbon tied around it, with part of you not wanting to open it as you didn't want to ruin the bow. You first took a picture of the box, but more so of the beautiful ribbon just in case you couldn't tie it back up properly, although you were usually good with bows and the like. You then took a deep breath, slowly drawing the bow loose and removing the lid to find something you didn't expect, as you carefully pulled it out, you thought it was the most beautiful thing you had ever seen.