In Vino Veritas
Chapter 19: In Vino Veritas
Natasha slammed the door shut behind her. “Okay, spill.”
Stella didn’t even get the chance to change into her casual clothes when Natasha pulled her in. Natasha went to her mini-fridge to get them drinks. Stella stood by the window, contemplating if this was the right thing to do. If talking to Natasha was the right thing to do. Her body glowed blue and her metal armor disappeared into her subspace, leaving her with the white suit.
Natasha passed a can of beer to her. Stella accepted it. “So?” Natasha smiled as she popped open her beer.
Stella looked down at the can of beer in her hands. This is a bad idea. She knew Natasha was so against Loki working with them and now Stella’s about to talk to her about her feelings for him. She frowned, already regretting the idea.
Natasha was halfway through her drink, waiting for Stella to speak.
“I’m sorry. This must be a bad idea.”
This must be about Loki, Natasha thought. “Why?” She asked. “Did you see someone tonight?”
Stella looked down at her outfit, then to Natasha, with a look on her face as if saying ‘I look like I just came back from a fight, are you sure about that?’
“Oh yeah. That doesn’t look like a dinner outfit. What was I thinking?” Natasha then slapped her forehead. “So you didn’t see anyone tonight?” Stella shook her head. She opened her drink and took a sip.
“Maybe we should go out together one night. Or maybe tonight.” Natasha continued as she moved to sit on the couch. “Let’s go out there and find you someone,” she suggested.
Stella turned to face the redhead. “I don’t want anyone else.”
Natasha tilted her head to the side, her lips pursed in an excited smirk. “So, it’s someone familiar to you?”
Stella didn’t have any plans to sit. She shifted on her feet, her finger circling the rim of the can. “I’ve been having these mixed emotions lately.” Her eyes wandered and finally fixed on the windows of the skyscraper next to the tower. “I thought it was just -” she paused, organizing her thoughts. “I thought it was just for a moment and then it would disappear. But it didn’t.” She took a sip. Natasha was already on her second can. “I never thought I would be this conflicted over someone again.”
Natasha was now having doubts about who it might be. “What are these emotions you say?”
Stella ambled to the couch and sat at the other end. “I never thought about it properly.”
“Sounds like love.” Natasha teased.
“I don’t think so.”
“Why not?”
“Maybe it’s just infatuation.” Stella brought a folded leg up on the couch. “I thought time and distance would make it disappear but it seems that it made the heart grow fonder, I guess.”
Natasha propped her elbow on the backrest of the couch and placed a hand at the back of her neck. “Who is this?” She narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. “Is this someone you know?” Stella nodded slowly, already picking up Natasha’s suspicion. “Is this Jericho?”
“Oh no. Nope. Never.” Stella scrunched her face in disgust. “Oh, god. This must be a bad idea,” she muttered.
“Can I ask something?” Stella nodded. “Is this Loki?”
Stella’s throat constricted, it almost made her spit beer on Nat’s floor. Natasha was brimming with excitement when she noticed Stella’s face turn beet red. “How in the world…?” She whispered and looked at her, bug-eyed. “What?”
“Well, I could be wrong but I see the way you look at him.” Natasha peeked through her lashes.
Stella blinked, an incredulous look on her face. “Have you been ‘Black Widowing’ on us?”
“I have been ‘Black Widowing’ on everyone, it’s my job. Besides, you rarely leave this tower. Except if it’s someone I don’t know, someone left in Greece?”
“I didn’t leave anyone in Greece.” She slumped on the couch and dropped her arms on her stomach. She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.
“This is interesting. I knew something was going on with you or him or between the two of you since you two walked in this tower together.”
Stella’s mind went into overdrive. “I’m sorry. This is ridiculous.” She moved to leave the couch.
Natasha raised her free hand and locked it across Stella’s body. “You’re not going anywhere, girl. You have to finish what you started.”
Stella groaned, regretting knocking on Natasha’s door. “This is a mistake.”
“No, it’s not,” the red-head assured her. Stella raised an eyebrow. “It’s interesting, really.”
“I know he’s not the one you’re expecting to hear from me.”
“Actually, from the way you started, I even thought it’s Jericho, given that you two know each other way back.”
Stella dropped her head, eyeing the drink on her hand. “It couldn’t be Jericho.” It brought her way back to when they were younger. They grew up thinking that everyone in Athena’s court was brothers and sisters, and that’s how they treated each other. But they knew that they were born of different mothers, and have different immortal fathers. Jericho was of Hermes, Stella was of Zeus.
When Stella’s mother passed away, she was left alone in the US. For two years she was living with different families, foster families. She was with 8 families in the US. She had no one, and the only trusted people she can talk to, although online, were the Castles.
Jericho, and his mom, Tanya Castle, were her second family ever since she was 5 when Athena started to teach her and Jericho together. Stella and Jericho became best friends, and so did Tanya and Helena. But with the nature of Helena Lords’ career where they have to move from one country to another, Jericho and Stella would see each other twice or thrice a year.
When Tanya heard Helena Lords passed away, she asked Athena if she could adopt Stella. Athena agreed but it took them two years to have Stella back to them in Greece. Athena came to pick her up, disguised as her distant aunt, and finally brought her home to the Castles.
Jericho and Stella knew each other inside and out. Jericho became a big brother figure for Stella since he was two years older than her. Stella left the Castles when she was appointed as the guardian and she became a detective. Jericho held her close to him as they cried into each other’s arms. Little did they know it was the last time they saw each other as allies.
Stella never had any romantic interest in Jericho, even though she would catch herself admiring his glowing tan skin, his mischievous amber eyes, and his perfectly carved body apart from his skills and personality. She had always seen him as her big brother. She never knew how he felt for her. She didn’t want to find it out.
“Jericho was my brother in arms and he became an enemy when I found out that he’s working with Ares,” Stella told her. Natasha nodded, opening a new can of beer. Stella managed to finish her first can.
“So it can be Loki.” Stella studied Natasha. It seems that her guards were not up. But then again, this was the Black Widow. “Don’t worry about it, Stell.” Natasha reached out to her to place a reassuring hand on her knee. “Whatever you tell me, I’ll listen. Your secret’s safe with me.”
“This won’t leak to SHIELD?”
Natasha laughed. “Nope. Never. Trust me on this.” She raised her drink.
Stella slumped on the couch. “I hate to admit that it’s him.” Natasha smiled. “I know that he was your immortal mortal enemy, and I know he’s the god of mischief.” She was still smiling. “This is a huge mistake.” Stella pushed herself off the couch.
Natasha stood up to make her sit back again. “Oh, come on Stella. Relax. Unconventional, yeah sure. But we all know how he can be charming. Remember when he bypassed the security to sleep with that woman from Stark Industries?”
Stella blushed. “Oh, don’t remind me of my reaction to that event.”
Natasha dropped on the couch. “Yeah, he was an enemy.” She started after a moment. “I was afraid of him when they said he turned Clint. I was afraid to come face to face with him. Because what if it was me who he turned? I could hurt everyone, I could kill everyone. Then that fear turned to anger. That’s why I couldn’t believe it when he came back and Fury and Tony were okay with him working with us.” Natasha sipped before continuing. “I kept on trying to find answers to my questions that night.”
“It must be difficult for you to understand everything. Me showing up out of nowhere, Loki working on this case -”
“I didn’t have any problems with you showing up. I’m actually thankful, after discovering that I could trust you.” Stella chuckled, remembering how Natasha tried to grill her in the elevator. “It just took time to understand why Loki.”
“Did you find your peace?”
Natasha opened another drink. “Somewhat.”
Stella’s heart dropped. It really was a mistake coming here, she thought.
“But I don’t want to talk about what I think about him. Let’s talk about how you feel about him.” Natasha pushed.
Stella blinked, confused. “How can I tell you how I feel about him when you don’t trust him?”
Natasha smiled and moved to fully face Stella. “Okay, here’s the thing, Stell. You can trust me on this. We have talked about this and I have seen with my own eyes where 2012 Loki ended.” Stella still looked like she was having apprehensions. “And I believe he’s not anymore the Loki we first knew. I mean, he wouldn’t save you several times if he was evil incarnate. Thor even trusted him so much. That tells me something after seeing him toss his brother around 3 years ago.” Stella just looked at her. “Trust me on this.” Stella then looked lost. “Okay, for starters, I’ve noticed that he acts differently around you. Like, he always kept an eye on you, not in a predatory way but it seems like he wants to keep you safe. Second, he looks comfortable around you. When you’re not around, he looks like the usual Loki - serious, bossy, snarky. Then it changes when you’re there. It’s still there but it seems that he’s mellowing it down.” Natasha explained.
Stella pondered on Natasha’s observation. She wanted to tell Natasha everything she felt about Loki but the veil that Natasha has on is different. What if she’ll think I might turn against them?
“You know, you have to tell me something. I’m not a mind reader.” Natasha joked.
“Are you thinking that I might turn against all of you?” Stella quietly asked.
“Hey,” Natasha muttered softly as she moved closer to her. She gently stroked her folded knee with her right hand. “You’re not that kind of person, Stell. I can see that.”
“Good to know,” Stella smirked and she replied with a smile.
“So, what do you want to happen? Don’t tell me you want to find Ares.” Natasha playfully glared when she said the last sentence. Stella snapped her mouth shut because that was what she wanted to say.
“What do I want to happen?” Stella repeated the question. She wanted to be friends with him. She wanted to caress her fingers on his cheek, run them through his hair. She wanted to be more than a friend. She wanted to have what they momentarily had back in Athens. “I want to sort myself out.”
Natasha narrowed her eyes. “You mean sort your feelings out?”
“Yeah. I guess so,” she said in defeat. She felt her emotions flowing from her like molasses. She closed her eyes as the pterodactyls within her unleashed hell.
“This will be a long night for us.” Natasha playfully slapped her shoulder as she stood up to pick up her phone. “Pizza and chicken wings for dinner or just pizza?”
“I don’t care.”
“Pizza, chicken wings, and beer it is.” Natasha dialed for the delivery.
Stella stood from the couch. “Hey, I’m just gonna wash up and change. I want to shed off this suit now.”
“I thought you can make that disappear?”
“I kinda want this dry cleaned like a normal person,” she replied over her shoulder.
Natasha laughed. “Just make sure to come back after or else I’ll drag you out!”
After Stella took a bath and changed into her grey sweatpants and white shirt, the women were now sitting on the black faux fur carpet in the middle of Nat’s room, the box of pizza and chicken wings laid out on top of the coffee table in front of them.
“Going back, you said you wanted to sort yourself out?” Natasha picked up a slice of pizza and started eating.
“I’m not sure if I like him, or I just miss him when he was supposedly dead,” Stella said as she chewed pensively on her chicken wing.
Natasha giggled. “Sounds like you like him.”
Stella shrugged. “I couldn’t stop thinking about him, remembering what we have done together. I even started thinking we could be friends if I didn’t kill him.”
“You can definitely do that now.” Natasha picked up a napkin. “By the way, did you guys know each other before this happened?”
“We were recollecting when we first met,” Stella told Nat as the latter nibbled her pizza. “We both couldn’t remember anything but he was sure at some point, we were introduced to each other.”
“Ask Thor?” Nat suggested.
“I’m not ready to talk to Thor about this.”
“You’re just gonna ask him if you were introduced to them.”
Stella ate her slice pensively. “Okay, sure. I’ll ask him.”
Natasha took a sip of her beer. “So, what have you observed from Loki that made you feel that way?”
Stella took a table napkin and placed it under her half-eaten slice. “Natasha, I don’t want to be weird but, first of all, I want you to know that I trust you.”
Nat raised her beer. “Your secret’s safe with me.”
Stella brought two fingers up. “Second, I don’t do this.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m not the kind of person who talks about their feelings with others. But this time, I felt the need to talk to someone.”
Nat raised the chicken wing that she picked up. “I’m honored.”
“Okay.” Stella took a moment before proceeding. “I guess it started when we were in Athens.” Natasha had this knowing look on her face. Stella brushed it off and continued. “The way he took care of me was different,” Stella remembered how his skin felt on hers, how his warmth soothed her inside, how he held her firmly, but tenderly. “He’s so protective, though I don’t need protection from anyone, I can handle myself. But he was there, protecting me as much as he could, even if it meant he would take the attack.” Stella smiled sadly. “I wouldn’t even do that for Jericho.”
“Maybe you would if he wasn’t working for Ares?”
Stella shook her head. “Never willingly took a bullet or an attack for Jericho, except for those times when I badly needed to, or he was acting stupid.”
Natasha understood what she meant. As a trained assassin, most of the time you were there with and for yourself, even when working in twos, you should always mind yourself first. If your partner gets caught, you have to leave them behind. But her philosophy changed when she joined the Avengers - no one should be left behind, and she would take a bullet for these idiots she’s with.
“And there’s more,” Stella said after finishing her second beer. “When I was attacked by the twins, he told them that he will make them pay for what they did to me. When we were in Athens, he was worried sick. He even looked like he’s the one who got hurt.”
"He was indeed worried sick when he brought you in after you visited Athens. Bruce noticed it too.” Natasha added.
"He was even utterly disappointed when I was drinking alcohol while on meds. Thor mentioned it to me and he said he wasn't like that ever since." Stella opened another beer. “Would you do that for your teammates? Say -” she jutted her chin - “Tony, Steve, and the others?”
“I’d be worried if they get injured but I get over it right away ‘cause I know they’ll be alright after. If the doctors tell me that they’ll be going to be okay after a while, I won’t worry. As for what he told the twins, I’m not a drama queen to say that.”
Stella laughed. “So, Loki is a drama queen?”
“If only you knew how Tony found out that Loki was going to use this tower as a beacon for the portal, you’d get it.”
“It takes one drama queen to know another drama queen?”
Natasha laughed. “Yeah, you could say that.”
Stella sighed over her smile before saying her next question. "This sounds dramatic but, if you ever get injured, does your comrade hold you tenderly in their arms as you struggle your way out of your delirium?"
“No. I slammed Clint’s head and that’s how he snapped out of the mind control. I tied him up when he was unconscious.” Stella blinked. “He did that?" Natasha asked as her smile widened. Stella downed her third beer before affirming. “Wow. I think he's into you."
Stella could feel her cheeks heating up, not sure if it was because of the alcohol or Natasha's statement. “That I’m not sure. But you don’t kiss someone’s forehead out of the blue if you don’t have feelings for them, right?”
Natasha grabbed Stella’s arm in surprise. “He did that too? Oh my god.” She giggled while Stella was giving her a weird look. “I fervently believe he’s into you. You don’t just kiss someone on the forehead without any reason.”
“I still want to know what happened to him. I could see a hint of hurt in his eyes whenever 2012 or that incident was discussed or opened up.” Stella mumbled.
Natasha noticed their beer was dwindling. She stood up and walked to her small fridge. “We still don’t know what happened with Loki, not even Thor. Thor said Loki isn’t telling them anything. But I’m not saying you have to elicit information from him. No.” She came back bringing chilled wine and two wine glasses. “As much as I want information, I don’t want to use you for it. You two have feelings for each other. I don’t want to exploit that.”
Stella looked at Nat. “You’re not against me having feelings for him?”
Nat chuckled. “I can’t stop anyone from having feelings for someone. And you almost killed yourself to worry when you -” she wiggled her fingers in the air - “killed him.” She opened the wine and poured some into her glass. “I just want you to be careful.” Natasha poured Stella a glass of wine when she noticed she already finished her beer.
"I know this sounds weird because you had a bad experience with him but I think he's not as evil as everyone thinks he is." Stella’s back hit the couch. "He's conflicted. He doesn't know how to become great like his brother or father so he ended up doing the things that he did. I think he's on his way to his redemption. He seized control of his destiny when his mother died."
"I didn't know his mother died," Natasha said quietly.
Stella nodded. "They were close. I knew because I have talked to Frigga several times before when I was in Asgard's war room. She cherished her boys." She said sadly. "I think his mother was the only one who made his heart whole."
Natasha frowned. "Please don't tell me you're in it to fix him."
Stella sipped her wine and wiped her lips. "Hell no," she strongly replied. "I'm not doing that. If he's broken right now, I'll be there while he patches himself up. But I won't fix him up myself." She stared blankly at the bare wall of Natasha’s room. Though she was not seeing bare at all, she was seeing Loki in her mind. The way she catches his glances. The way his eyes smile even when he didn’t intend to make them. She missed everything about him when he was away.
“Did you say you were talking to his mother before?” Stella nodded a reply. “I really think you guys have met before. It would be impossible for Frigga not to introduce you to her sons, also given that you’re a woman and she has two sons.” Stella looked at Natasha. “I mean, you know how royal families work.” She raised her palm.
“I’m a mortal.”
“Daughter of Zeus.” Natasha raised her glass. “I bet they would consider.” Natasha watched as the curly-haired woman next to her was looking at the wall dreamily. She smirked, knowing that Stella was thinking of Loki, who was just in the other room."You should talk," she suggested.
Stella chuckled. “I don’t think I’m ready.” She looked up as apprehensions filled her mind. “What if he was just playing? Or leading me on? Or using me for his gains?”
A corner of Natasha’s lip went up. “Professional advice? This is the time you take note of micro-expressions. You’re a detective, I know you know that.” She refilled her glass. “Personal advice? Floor it. Pedal to the metal. Tell him what you feel. You’ll feel lighter regardless of what he says after.”
“I’ll try to do that tomorrow.”
Natasha checked the time. “You mean later?”
Stella glanced at the digital clock sitting on Nat’s bedside table. “Oh. Yeah. Later. Maybe.”
“Another thing, what did you see in Loki?” The redhead inquired. Stella picked up another chicken wing and bit on it as she thought. “If you like the person, it wouldn’t take time for you to reply.”
“I’m sorting my thoughts out.”
“You wouldn’t sort your thoughts out if you like someone.”
“Have you liked someone?” Stella leaned in her direction.
Natasha smirked. “Coaches don’t play, darling.”
Stella finished her chicken wing. “Athena trusts him.”
“Despite what Athena tells you.”
“He’s...he’s balanced.” Stella looked at her. “He’s equal parts chaos and control. He’s brash but he can be gentle.” A smile starts to rise on her face. “And I love his snarky replies, reminds me of Jericho.”
Natasha’s eyes flicked to her. “Didn’t you say Jericho is the son of Hermes?”
“Yes, and?”
Natasha explained. “Hermes is the Greek equivalent of Loki. You and Jericho were childhood friends, basically grew up together. Isn’t the reason why you like Loki is because he is like Jericho?” Stella sipped her wine. “Just a random thought.”
“Jericho is brash and gentle. Both chaos and control. He would protect and fight for me. Loki did the same and told me that, too.” Stella scrunched her face. “No. That can’t be it. Jericho is an idiot for working with Ares. They’re different individuals.”
“But they’re both thriving on mischief.”
Stella extended her hand that was holding her wine glass to Natasha and the latter refilled her glass. “Jericho has ceased to become my brother since he joined Ares,” Stella repeated, a hint of regret in her voice. “Loki is older than Jericho. Way older than us, actually.” She drank before continuing. “Do you know that certain pull you feel to a certain individual? That kind of pull that makes you think that you want to be closer with this person?”
Natasha nodded. “Yes, go on.”
“It’s like...it’s like it came out of nowhere. You see this person and then, boom! You just want to hold them in your arms, wake up next to them, discover their inner desires and their fears. You don’t know them yet but you’re willing to.” Natasha smiled as she saw passion burning in Stella’s eyes. Stella slumped on the couch and took another sip. Her eyes gazed at the blank wall, smiling slowly. “That’s how I feel about Loki.” Stella sighed dreamily. “Like, I want to be right beside him when the sun sets and rises.”
“That sounds lovely but are you sure you can keep up with him? He’s a prince.” Natasha hugged her knee. “I don’t want to kill your vibe but, are you ready for that?”
Stella frowned. “I thought about that. What if he’s like Zeus? What if…” She shifted on the floor. “What if I get pregnant and he’ll leave me like what Zeus did to my mother?” She babbled.
Natasha almost choked on her wine. “Okay, you’re really serious about this.”
Stella folded her knees to her chest. “Am I getting ahead of myself?” She asked in a small voice.
Natasha giggled. “No, but that thought was amusing. Demigod problems are on the next level.” She sipped her wine. Stella extended her empty wine glass and she refilled it. “You really see him in your future, huh?”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“Then it’s safe to say that you’re in love with him.”
Stella’s eyes opened wide. “In love? Right away? Couldn’t it be just infatuation?”
“Don’t deny yourself of love, Lords. Let yourself feel it once in a while.”
Several hours later, they managed to finish another 6-pack of beer and 2 more bottles of wine. The alcohol was already running through their veins, they were already laughing out loud, playing card games. After the last round, Stella yawned. She could barely hold her eyelids open.
Natasha laughed. “You’re drunk, Lords.”
Stella raised a finger. “Nope!”
“We finished everything.” Stella laughed and almost stumbled on the floor. “Yeah, you’re drunk.” Natasha wobbled as she stood up, pulling Stella but she crashed on the couch.
Stella laughed at Nat and stood up herself. “Come on, Nat!” She pulled her arm.
“Where are we going?” Nat stood up.
Stella giggled and released Nat’s hand. “Nowhere.”
“You’re crazy. Get some sleep, will ya!” Stella opened the door and stumbled into the corridor, giving out a high-pitched shriek. "C'mon Lords! You're feet away from your door!" Stella just laughed at her.
What they didn’t know, Loki was still awake, reading a book in the common area. He dropped the book when he heard Stella’s shriek. He immediately got up to check and he saw Stella sitting on the floor, laughing with Natasha, who was leaning on the wall.
"Are you two drunk?" Loki asked them as he approached.
"Oh hey Lokiiii," Natasha crooned. "We had a few drinks, that's all." She stood up and pulled Stella. "Stella come onnnn."
"The floor is comfyyyyyyy." She slurred.
“No, the floor is lava.” Natasha tugged her arm again.
Loki sighed and picked up the giggling Stella from the floor. "I've got her," he told Natasha.
"You sure?" He nodded at her. "Alright. I'll see you later."
“Nat! Don’t leave me!” Stella reached out to her.
Natasha approached Stella one last time and cupped her face with her hands. “You’re with your prince charming now.” Loki raised his brows. “You’re safe, baby girl.” She let go of her and entered her room.
“Prince charming?” Stella looked up. “Oh, Lokeeee!!!” She hugged him.
Drunk Stella was adorable, Loki couldn’t get annoyed with it. He giggled as he looked at Stella, who was trying to open her eyes the whole time she was in his arms. He carried her bridal style. "Have you been drinking a lot?" He asked as he walked to her door.
"No shit, Sherlock," she muttered as her head hit his chest. "You smell so good." She nuzzled on his white shirt. On the other hand, she smelled heavily of red wine and some lager. She lifted her hand and started playing with his hair, which made him chuckle.
He opened her bedroom door with his magic and pushed it close with his foot. Stella continued playing with his hair and humming an upbeat song. Loki didn't know what song it was but it made him light inside.
"I can't believe you have been drinking one too many glasses of wine lately." He told her as he placed her in the bed.
She resisted. “No. I need to wash my face and brush my teeth.” She got off the bed and stumbled. Loki caught her just before she came down crashing on the floor.
“Are you sure you can do that? You can barely stand.”
She lightly patted Loki’s chest. “I can handle this, don’t worry about me.” She walked to the bathroom, but with Loki who was helping her walk steadily. He opened the door for her and let her in. She left the door open and Loki closed it. He waited outside the door, ready to check on her if he ever hears her fall again because it looks like she was not blessed with Dionysus’ alcohol tolerance.
After how many minutes, the bathroom door opened. Loki studied her and she was walking with her eyes closed. He held her hand and she opened her eyes. “Lokeeee…” She smiled.
“Why are you walking with your eyes closed? You might fall,” he gently told her as he guided her out of the bathroom. Instead of following him to the bed, Stella pulled him to the small pantry of her room. “Where are you going?” He let go of her then followed her. She opened her small fridge and stared at it. “What are you looking for?”
“Water.” Loki checked her fridge and the other possible place but there wasn’t. He conjured a bottle of water for her instead. “Why are you here?” She asked after drinking.
Loki placed a hand on her waist. “You fell on the floor when you got out of Agent Romanoff’s room. I can’t let you crawl your way here.” Stella started moving. “Come on now, you need to rest.”
Stella moved around, her eyes closed, and she was muttering something. Loki tried to decipher what she was saying. “And when I touch you...I feel happy inside...It’s such a feeling…” She held his hand and started swinging, watching him through her droopy lids. “I can’t hide...I can’t hide...I can’t hide…” She started dancing in the middle of her room when the song reached its crescendo. Loki realized it was the same song she was humming earlier. “Dance with me, Loki.” She twirled herself, still holding Loki’s hand.
Loki chuckled and held onto her sides and she continued singing. “JARVIS, play I Wanna Hold Your Hand,” she said and the song filled the room. Loki knew how to dance but the dance Stella was doing was something he’s not accustomed to. Stella was only holding one of his hands and her other hand was moving as her hips swayed. Her steps were wild but it had a certain pattern. She laughed as she sang along. “C’mon, dear! Dance with me!” Loki was just holding on to her as he made one, two steps to the side, one, two steps to the other. Stella noticed he wasn’t dancing. “This is swing. I danced this with my mom before, and this is our favorite song to dance to.”
Loki didn’t know what swing was, but now he could feel his heart being squeezed when Stella shared an intimate detail of her past. He raised his hand, twirled her, then wrapped his arms around her, her back against his chest. “You’ve got that something...I think you’ll understand…” Loki started singing. “When I feel that something...I want to hold your hand…”
Stella giggled. “I want to hold your hand…” And he did. And he did not let go even when the song ended. They were still swaying to the music she was humming. She closed her eyes and let her head fall back to Loki’s chest.
Loki gazed at her. He slowly released her from his arms and helped her on the bed. When they reached the bed, he placed a hand on her back and helped her remove her shoes. He wanted to do it with his magic but she insisted on not using it. He knelt on the bed as he assisted her until her head hit the pillows.
The dizziness rushed through her head, making her jolt upright and hit her head on Loki’s. "Ow. I'm sorry."
Loki noticed the creases on her face. “How are you feeling? Are you in pain?”
She opened her eyes, though still droopy. “I’m dizzy.”
He massaged her forehead with his thumb. “Is it because of the hit?”
“No. Alcohol.”
Loki made her lie back down and lightly tapped a finger on her forehead for a healing spell, something to alleviate nausea she was experiencing. Stella was running her fingers absent-mindedly on his shirt-covered chest. He caught one of her hands and brought it up to his lips. "You need to sleep, my dear."
"Okay." She softly said and buried herself under the blankets he pulled over her. He moved to kiss her forehead and he was about to let go of her hand when she pulled him. "Loki…please stay," she whispered.
“Are you sure?” He whispered back.
“Yes. Please.”
He looked at her. Despite having all the alcohol in her system, she looked peaceful. He also knew how the alcohol can affect her mortal body and he thought she might want to wake up to someone holding her while she has a raging hangover. He moved Stella a little to the side and climbed next to her.
The drunk Stella wrapped her arm across his body and nuzzled her way to his side. Loki lifted his arms, waiting for her next move. When she settled, he slowly wrapped his arms around her.
"Thanks, Loki." He heard her whisper.