What Happens in Vegas...
Demonic laughter echoed through the spotless, well-lit hall with endless doors. A panting soul tried running in the direction of the voice- or at least they thought they were running in that direction. The corridors were a maze- all of them looked alike, whether one turned right or left. Curses were coming off that tired soul when just around the corner it bumped into a familiar face.
"Peter!" Loki exclaimed, glad to see him.
"Loki!" Peter's eyes widened as he turned around the corner to see if there was someone with him and immediately lost the horror to take shape of disappointment.
"Oh God-" the boy nearly sobbed while his hands rested on his knees.
"Where could she possibly be?" Loki was still thinking on his feet.
Another echo of that familiar demonic laughter came. "Gulu Gulu-" the words followed by an outburst of giggles reverberated from the direction both Loki and Peter did not explore yet. Sharing a knowing look with each other, they cautiously moved in that direction.
"Hana dul set! (1,2,3!)" the voice came, but a bit muffled.
Peter turned to Loki. "She could be in one of the rooms."
"Niga neomu joha ( I like you so much,)
ottoke ottoke~ ( what do I do, what do I do)
niga neomu yeppeo ( I find you so pretty)
ottoke ottoke~ ( what do I do, what do I do)
narang manna bollae ( Would you go out with me? /We should go out (date))
eotteohke saenggakhae? ( What do you think about that?)
janmal malgo malhae ( Don’t say anything silly, just tell me)
jeohdago jeohdago~" ( that you like me, you like me.)
Both Loki and Peter were confused; that is till an outburst of oh's and ah's and literal screams came from one of the rooms, making both of them dash in the direction for the mentally stronger one to try and break the door.
But lo! Neither of them was mentally stronger! So both of them ended up practically blasting the door away to let themselves fall inside the room.
There was a bit of struggle to get up but once they were in position their nervous system had a little difficulty taking the scene in.
Peter's eyes were wide while his face was red. There was more of a surprise on his face while Loki had 'horror' written in capital letters over his pale features.
"No," the spiderling gasped.
.
"Rock-Paper-Scissors!" you shouted.
For the third time, Peter lost with his scissors to your rock, flailing himself onto the fluffed up hotel bed while you jumped with the excitement of victory.
Loki- who was looking outside the french glass at the famous waterwork- turned back with a sour expression for both of you before looking at Sam. "Why are they even here?"
"Tony lost it when Y/N mentioned she's never seen Vegas," Sam acknowledged before popping caramel popped kernels in his mouth. "Peter is here to keep an eye on her."
"And who's going to keep an eye on him?"
Sam shrugged, offering Loki some of his caramel popcorn, "I don't know. Karen, probably."
"I won't be surprised if Clint flies in from somewhere any moment," Loki whispered to himself while looking at you.
"So," Sam directed his attention towards you and Peter, "what are you two gonna do while we work?"
You got up from the bed, struggling to find support in this sea of fluffiness. "You almost sound resentful."
"I do. I gotta protect some foreign millennial babies while you two are drinking and throwing away your daddy's hard-earned money at all the casinos this place has."
Loki did not even turn. "Stark owns half the casinos."
Silence
"I'll be joining you lovely babies once my bodyguard shift is over," Sam ended the conversation.
.
The hotel blinged from top to bottom. Familiar famous faces roamed the grounds in the outfits they were paid to flaunt for the social media and paparazzi. But almost everyone knew why exactly they were here.
All eyes were checking out the God who was already killing people with his tuxedo look. That long silky hair of his was neatly tied in a bun at the back with one bunch carefully twisted by the side to add a little oomph to the look. Leaning against the bar, unaware- or pretending to be- of the gaping eyes, mouths and tongues that clearly could not get enough of him from the distance, he was busy playing PUBg on his phone; or rather passing them time till their actual assignment.
"So, you are telling me, all of these Hollywood names are here to get their pictures clicked with the K-pop band?" The liquor did not go down Sam's throat smoothly.
Peter nodded, sipping his juice while taking his phone out. "Karen and I designed an algorithm for the security team here by picking up the geotagging locations and last forty-eight hours flight plans along with search history to narrow down who exactly here could go out of their way to meet the boys."
Sam listened. "Why forty-eight hours?"
"Because Jessi posted a picture on Instagram with a status saying 'can't wait to meet my favs in two days in this freaky city! Sticky tongue wink emoji'. And the geotagging picked up the hotel."
"...who's-"
"Jessi? Aw, she's the queen! She is awesome! She is also a singer, rapper, songwriter. She was born in New Yo-hoooooo!!!"
The complete transformation of Peter's fangirl-excitement to near-whistling in appreciation of the figures walking towards the two of them made Sam turn around in his bar seat to witness what exactly broke the little spider's thought stream.
This was the first time Loki looked up from the screen.
There you walked towards your team in a body-hugging purple dress that complimented all your curves, the neck dipping down just enough to let the imagination play and the back left bare to tease the Vegas heat. The modest slit gave a peek at your freshly waxed legs shining under the bar lights.
"Aha, so you do know how to use a moisturizer on your legs," Loki chuckled as you came to stand beside Peter, who was still admiring your look.
You poked Loki in his stomach. "Oi! My legs are fine at home. Vegas got dry heat."
"Woman! I was playing tic tac toe on your legs last week!"
Sam and Peter's eyes turned to judge Loki.
"If only Javier was here," Peter whispered before taking out his phone and texting Scott. "I hope he recorded that though."
You turned to look at Peter in confusion. "Record what? We were in my room then."
A half stuck whine came out of his lungs as his texting speed increased four times.
"Anyways-" Sam interrupted with his eyes still judging the two of you- "the boys are here. Let's go, Loki. You two stay as far away from the chaos as you can, okay?"
Loki chuckled, locking his phone and putting it in his blazer. "What chaos could a puny little boy band ensu-"
.
Loki panted behind the emergency exit, his bun a complete sweaty mess, his eyes having seen another wormhole, his heartbeat audible to every ounce of his existence, his arms barely able to contain the shivers. “Oh Norns,” he wheezed, on the edge of crying, “what...in the name...of Hel was that???”
He could still hear the shrieks and growls, the limbs outstretched to involuntarily reach for the one thing they were eyeing. He could still see those hungry eyes clouded by one single emotion. He could still picture those teeth baring at him; all four thousand three hundred seventy-two sets.
"This was supposed to be an easy mission," he panted before growling Sam's name.
"Loki!" the comms crackled. "where....crowd......unhinged.....not.....safe..... eighteenth floor.....do it again!"
"A-again??" Confusion was the first wave. "AGAIN?!?!?!!"
"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR BLOODY MIND?!!!"
There was no answer on the comms. Just static. Kicking the door while not using his full power, he growled all of his anger out through kicks and punches in the air. Taking one deep breath, he perfected his bun.
Looking at the door, the fear in his eyes got denser by the second before a green and golden wave turned those smaragdines to a pair of deep forest brown. The precious bun was replaced by short blond hair dyed in the colours of a soft rainbow and the tux changed to a baggy white shirt with black skinny jeans. The long pale fingers were replaced by equally pale ones but with a softer tone, black nail paint and multiple rings.
Going for the door, he stopped midway. "Right. accessories," Loki whispered to himself before summoning dangling earrings, grey lenses over those beautiful brown irises and soft brown square shades resting perfectly over that little nose.
Taking in one loooong breath, the God cracked his neck and opened the door.
The silent crowd- or as Loki has been addressing them, monsters- were looking everywhere for any one of the seven people they were here for.
He did not want to, but he knew he had to.
Clearing his throat at decibels that were enough to turn all eyes to him, he quickly turned towards the stairs to the spa.
And just like that, a roar of fangirls and fanboys rushed in his direction like a wave ready to swallow anything in its path.
The next fifteen minutes went in distracting them to anywhere except the eighteenth floor. And it worked. Half of them were misled to the spa, the other half was driven into the casino where every third person was dressed as their favourite k-celebrity and if anyone who thought themselves too smart were sent off to the private lounge to seek a treasure they would never find.
.
The elevator to the eighteenth floor dinged, opening its doors to an exhausted Loki barely managing to stand on his long, thin anime legs, who was finally breathing with the thought that it was over.
That was until he saw those darn puppy eyes almost on the verge of crying.
Peter didn’t even have to say anything. Loki already knew. How couldn’t he?
He dropped his head, letting a flick or two of his hair fall from his bun. “She’s lost?” He exhaled the question more like a statement.
“I swear she was right there-“
“How many drinks did she have?”
“…not many.”
“…”
“Just three-“
“That’s not mu-“
“-bottles of Aperol,” Peter added quietly.
Loki felt the air leave his lungs.
“But she did add crushed ice and lots of…sprite.”
Loki could feel his soul roll its eyes at the audacity of your tastebuds to always go for more than you could handle.
And so the search for finding you began, ending in Loki and Peter crashing through one of the hotel room doors.
.
“Oh! You guys are here!!!”
Loki had forgotten how to breathe. Peter was finding it hard to say anything after the gasping ‘no’ that left his body.
And you? You were standing in the middle of the room with the karaoke mic in one hand and the other entwined in the pale fingers of a complete, beautiful, Asian stranger.
"Nuguseyo?" (Who is this? )
Another beautiful young guy asked in a melting voice with eyes so wide and filled with innocence, that one would want to dive headfirst in those forest brown irises but not at the cost of this precious one's purity.
"Uli chingueyo." ( My friends)
"Aaah!" All seven of those angel-like men cheered in unison.
"Oh! Ani! Ani!" (Oh! No! No! )
Silence.
"Uli gajog-ieyo!" (It's my family! )
Cheers of admiration went around the room for your Korean speaking skills while Peter stood there confused. And all Loki could see was those stranger's fingers still wrapped around yours.
"Hi! Y/N's family!" The one with the brightest eyes waved at the duo still standing by the door with the cutest accent.
"His English really is cute," Peter whispered to himself, waving back at that loaf of cuteness.
The one holding your hand smirked at the comment. Loki narrowed his eyes at him, wondering if this one had superhearing.
"You have had too much to drink," Loki announced, taking a few steps towards you to take the mic from your hand and hand it to the nearest guy standing next to him before taking your hand, "you're going back to your room."
You squeaked. Loki stopped. He turned to find you still locked with that man by the hand.
Peter was the only person in the room who had the presence of mind to take his phone out and take a picture of this scene that seemed straight out of a renaissance painting; with the colour purple being prevented to be mixed with the black and white of either side- sleeves rolled up with veins popping and all of that sweet anguish a third person could feel from that distance.
"Is-" Peter breathed in quite reluctantly while looking at the priceless picture on his phone, his whisper not reaching anyone else in the room- "is this what you call a bias wrecker?"
"More like a ship wrecker," Sam whispered with a brow up and smirk wide on his lips at the scene unfolding in front of him.
Peter almost nodded his head in realisation before turning to look at Sam in numb surprise.
"What. You and Scott are not the only ones walking around the house with a ship, 'right?"
"I would suggest, rather nicely, you let go of her hand, boy," Loki command in his kindest voice.
The 'boy' in question simply smirked at the God, not moving an inch. "I'm not letting a stranger take her out of my sight till I am sure she is safe."
"Boy?" you blurted in intoxicated confusion as you looked at the 'boy' with some well-harvested muscles and a wide chest that was giving you pillow fantasies. "He thicc," you whispered at Loki, before beginning to slowly lean towards that chest. You were about to hit that soft pure cotton shirt before Loki pulled you away from those pillow dreams by your arm. You whined.
Loki was laughing with all those perfect teeth of his.
"And you think I am letting her stay in a room full of seven strangers?"
"Beautiful strangers," Peter whispered in the back, clearly still starstruck. He almost lost all the air in his lungs when the cute handsome one from the group offered him some sprite from his friend's hand.
"Well, she has been clearly feeling safe in our company for the last hour."
"With three bottles of that orange firewater in her system, she will even feel safe with the Queen of Hel."
"That's his sister, shhh," you pretended to whisper in those studded ears but Loki was quick to pull you back again. But this time he made sure to take a step forward to twirl you once and wrap you in his arms.
You could feel him keeping your back close to his chest. The cold of his body seeping off your heat felt good and you let your back rest on his chest, suddenly feeling your spinny eyes wake up to a realisation. "Dayum, you thick too," whispering with urgency and the poke of your finger in his chest.
"Y/N," the leader of this stunning pack addressed you softly, making you automatically go 'hm?' in his direction with the milky way in your eyes.
"This-" he looked at Loki from head to toe with a judgmental gaze before coming back to you with soft eyes- "I ajusineun neol delyeogagil wonhae." ( This old man wants to take you with him)
You blinked with the most innocent look in your eyes before looking at Loki, turning back to face your new friend and smiling a wide smile.
"Ah! gwaenchanh-a! Geuneun jaju boyeo juji anh-ado naleul manh-i geogjeong handa. Geuneun wiheomhaljido moleujiman tteogbokk-icheoleom budeuleobgo maewo.” (Ah! DOn't worry. He worries about me a lot even if he doesn't show it often. He might seem dangerous but he is soft and spicy like ttoekboki. )
Those beautiful and concerned brown eyes looked at you for a moment, rubbing his thumb on the back of your hand for one elongated moment. The twist of his jaw was visible even when he tried his best to hide it behind the smoulder and that pout of his lips.
Loki stood still, observing this little- but serious- charade between the two of you.
"Neoneun neoga gwaenchanh-eulgeolago hwagsinhae?" Your beautiful friend finally asked you, with the seriousness of a thousand suns burning in his eyes. (Are you sure you will be okay? )
"Yagsog." You brought your locked hand forward, raising your pinkie. (Promise.)
Loki furrowed his brows at the two of you only to turn towards Peter. "What. What's going on?"
Mr Leader was already raising his pinkie as well, raising Loki's concern a bit more. And to make the matters worse, both you and him locked your pinkies together before bringing your thumbs to touch each others'.
"Wh-" the God was flustered by now, turning to the best and only k-pop translator he knew- "what is going ON?!"
Peter was almost at the edge of tears, barely holding them at the rim. "I can't believe I'm betraying my ship like that but they look so beautiful," he sniffed a big sniff, getting consoling pats from Sam.
Everyone- even Sam- was smiling- and no one was telling the God anything.
"What did you do?" he ultimately turned to Mr Leader. "Did you two make a deal? Or some sort of pact? You do realise it's all null and void because she is hammered right now. She-she h-her mind has blasted off into space and will only return when she either gets a twelve-hour sleep or forces out her innards."
Loki only stopped the blabbering once the man in front of him broke into a soft laugh.
Those stunning forest eyes raised your hand in theirs and landed those soft cherry-kissed lips on your skin to give a farewell gift.
"Momjosimhaseyo," he almost pleaded softly, "god mannayo." ( Take care of yourself. We'll surely meet in the near future.)
The rest of the six babies hooted soft hoots of "Awwww Hyung!" and "Deabak!" ( Hyung= Older brother. Deabak=amazing!)
Their leader told them to say farewell to you and thank Sam for his hard work of protecting the group tonight.
Loki mocked a laugh. "Yes yes! Take the praise, Sam. Since you were the one busy morphing yourself into each one of them tonight."
And just he mentioned that part, tonight's gory events flashed before his eyes, making him visibly shudder throughout his body.
"Oh! No, sir," Mr Leader interrupted those dark thoughts, "we have a special gift for you."
.
You hummed a familiar beat while Loki magically switched your purple dress to your grey PJs with cute little animals on them. He made you stand in front of the bathroom mirror to carefully take your makeup and your lenses off, made sure you brushed your teeth while turning down the temperature a bit, sprayed your face with essence, toner and all that was required in the seven-step Korean skincare routine. And finally, he gave you one tall glass of water to gulp down before telling you to go to bed.
Following his every word, you flopped down on the fluffy mattress and let out a satisfying groan of hitting the cold pillow and sheets.
Five minutes later, your loud snoring reverberated through the hotel room while the drool from your mouth dripped down to your pillow.
Loki too flopped down on the sofa next to the bed, undoing his tie and unbuttoning his dinner jacket. The God's hair was a mess and his shoulders seem to finally relax after a long night's work, letting his head fall back and inhaling one long breath.
"What kind of favour could seven boys possibly do for a God?"
Your snores suddenly stopped for you to choke on your own spit and cough.
Loki raised his head and looked at you going back to sleep with not a single shift in your limbs. Resting his head in his knuckles, he did not realise when a slight smile seemed to spread over his lips.
"By the Norns, you are such a mess," he sighed in his tired voice.
Your own snores seemed to wake you up from your sleep.
Getting up from the sofa, he slid his hand under your head to tilt it to the other side for better, soundless sleep.
He had already taken his hand away but for some reason, he stopped right there, as if putting in the effort to memorise this moment, memorise those lines on your cheeks and that little mole on your face. His long fingers gently removed those few strands of hair teasing your nose while he leaned in closer to you to whisper.
"Neoneun naega yeojeonhi salgo issneun iyuya, baboya. naega sal-aissgi jeonkkaji, amudo neoleul dachige hal saeng-gag-eul haji anh-eul geoya.” (You are the reason I'm still alive some days, you fool. Until I'm alive, no one is going to think about hurting you. )
The strands were carefully tucked behind your ear. "And this is the only time I have talked to anyone with so much respect apart from my mother," he added, again with a whisper, tucking you in the duvet.
He stood up and turned to walk out of the room only to stop short.
"Why are you standing there like a ghost? Are you trying to haunt someone?"
Peter stood at the end of the room in the dark with a glass of milk in his hand. His expression was blank, no hair on that white skin telling what exactly this spiderling was thinking.
A good few seconds passed before the boy parted his lips.
"Me? Haunting someone? No," he replied with null emotions. "But the fact that I do not know enough Korean to figure out what you just said to her is-" he took a lungful- "definitely going to haunt me for the rest of my life."
And with that, he walked away to the other room taking baby cusses under his breath.