A few hours later, Loki stared with seething eyes out into the blackness of space, commandeering the top floor of the lounge. He was beyond irritated that they were heading to Jotunheim, despite his protests not to, and he just wanted to be left alone. It was better that way. He needed to collect his thoughts and take some much needed steps in cooling down before their arrival, and there was no way that was going to happen with the others pestering him. He hadn't been letting anyone come near him. He about sent that poor Spencer girl scurrying away when she mentioned dinner was done; after that it seemed everyone else took the memo to leave him alone.

    Or at least he thought everyone did.

    He was jolted from his thoughts when he felt something heavy and fluffy fall onto his shoulders. Loki shot an irritated look up to his right just in time to see Anja sitting down next to him, and the look faded slightly. It faded even more once he realized she had draped a large gray crocheted blanket around him.

    "It is unwise to be in my company right now," he hissed, looking back out the window and trying to maintain his irritation.

    "Who ever said I was wise?" Anja replied as she gave him a sympathetic look. "You looked upset, and when I'm upset or stressed, I like to cover up in my favorite blanket and forget the rest of the world for a bit." She paused to pull the edge of the blanket around him a bit more, almost tucking him in. "It seems you've started to forget the world, but you were missing a blanket so I corrected that. My mother made me this blanket many years ago; it's helped me through some rough times."

    Loki blinked a few times, confused by this Midgardian's behavior. For some reason, she went out of her way to attempt to comfort him, whereas everyone else wisely kept their distance. Loki wasn't sure how he should react to this. He was so used to handling life and his emotions on his own, especially now that his mother was gone. Loki was convinced that nearly everyone on this ship disliked him- even if it wasn't exactly true- and yet this Anja seemed to treat him like a friend. He took a deep breath before turning slightly to face the girl.

    Loki couldn't resist a jibe in an attempt to cover up his emotions. "You've been a ball of nerves since we've met; I was under the impression it was your natural state."

    Anja gently pushed his arm. "No, it's not. It just... seems to be as of recent."

    "Well, there are ways to eliminate stress, Miss Anja," Loki replied, smirking at the girl sitting next to him. "Perhaps you should employ one of them. I do believe Layla bought you something to take care of that, yes?"

    He watched as her face turned a bright shade of pink, before she laughed nervously. "I'm fine, Loki. Or at least I will be. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You were worrying me because you weren't giving everyone sass."

    She was concerned about him? Well, that was new. "I'll be fine," he muttered. "But thanks, I guess."

    "No problem, Lo," Anja assured with a small smile. "Look... I don't know why you don't want to go to this Jotunheim place, but we're going to get through it. I promise." She paused for a minute, nervously fiddling with one of her rings, likely one Stark had gotten her through the years. "I don't expect you to tell me about what happened that would make you so apprehensive about it- now or ever, but whatever it is... it's going to be okay."

    There it was again. That weird kindness. It was almost like this girl had no clue who she was talking to, even though Loki was there when Stark confirmed he was the one sort of behind the New York invasion. She knew he was terrible, so why was she being so nice? And she had pretty much been this way the entire time Loki knew her- even despite her own stress, which was even more strange. He could feel the stress and anxiety radiating off of her. Yet here she was, trying to talk him out of this brooding state. No one- not even Thor- had ever asked him about why he disliked Jotunheim so much. Sure, Thor knew of Loki's true parentage now, but he certainly didn't know how Loki came to piece it all together. It was a long, convoluted lie that no one should have to live, and yet he did because of Odin's selfish ways. His brother had come a long way in terms of recognizing Loki's pain, but there was still a long way to go before Thor truly understood it.

    "Perhaps one day I will feel comfortable enough to tell you," he stated more calmly than he felt. "But I appreciate the sentiment."

    Anja barely nodded. "Like I said, we never have to talk about it if you don't want to. That's more than fine. I just wanted you to know that we're going to go to this place together and everything is going to work out somehow." She paused. "Although admittedly I have no idea what this Jotunheim place is like so I guess I could be entirely wrong."

    Loki resisted a smile and shook his head. "I don't foresee us dying there, if that's what you're worried about. Although... I sincerely hope you packed winter attire."

    Anja smiled genuinely, and it was hard for him not to smile back. "Tony told us to pack for every possible outcome, so of course I packed some winter gear; plus it was cold in New York when we left," she explained, but then her smile faltered a bit. "I take it that Jotunheim must be pretty cold then? Not that I'm worried about it being cold, of course. The cold doesn't bother me that much."

    Loki nodded, but a frown reappeared on his face. "It's mostly a frozen, desolate wasteland that is home to monstrous giants. Not a place any civilized person would want to venture to."

    Anja frowned. "It can't be that bad, Lo, and if it is, we'll get through it together. I know you aren't exactly on good terms with Tony or whatever, and I can't exactly speak for everyone else, but... I think you and I have bonded through sass the past few days, and that makes us friends. And friends don't let friends freak out on ice planets alone."

    There she went trying to be supportive again. Surely she wouldn't think that once she learned he was one of those monsters he spoke of. That would change how Anja viewed him, he was more than certain. It always changed people's minds. But instead of saying that, Loki merely answered, "I certainly hope so."

    Anja smiled back at him. "Cheer up, buttercup. I know it's hard, but you're not in this alone. You've stuck by me the past few days when I've been freaked out. I plan on doing the same for you, mister."

    Loki snickered, deflecting his emotions per usual. "Are you going to be able to sleep alone during your first night in space? Or are you going to need a cuddling partner?"

    The girl's face went red again, and she playfully slapped his arm. Loki barely felt it underneath the blanket, not that she hit him that hard to begin with. "I don't need someone to sleep with me, Loki," she muttered quietly.

    Loki smirked. "History shows differently, Miss Anja. I haven't seen you sleep alone the entire time we've known each other. In fact... most of the time you fall asleep near me. I hardly think that's a coincidence." He watched in amusement as Anja's face continued to redden. Loki knew he was getting under her skin and flustering her, and he intended to keep at it. When Anja didn't respond to that comment, he leaned over just enough so that his mouth was close enough to her ear that she could feel him breathing, and he added in a whisper, "My room is next door if you get too lonely, Anja."

    He heard her make a sharp inhale as she seemingly shivered. Loki was intrigued; if his voice alone had this effect on her, he wondered what physical contact would do to her, even beyond the little chin touch he had done before Christmas. He made a mental note for later, as she slowly stood, and patted him on the shoulder.

    "You can keep that blanket for now; please be kind to it," she said, trying her hardest to hide what Loki was fairly certain was arousal. "I'm uh... going to get some rest. Long day ahead of us and all..."

    Loki smirked. "Sweet dreams, Anja."

    The girl barely nodded. "Good night, Loki."

    Loki watched Anja turn on her heel and quickly walk away from him, making her way back downstairs and towards her room. His smirk turned more into a smile, and he shook his head. He hated to admit it, even to himself, but he did feel better about this little venture to Jotunheim.

    Was that just because Anja thought of him as a friend, or possibly even more?

    Maybe, he decided as he drew the blanket around him tighter and averted his gaze back out the window. He got comfortable once again, and realized in the process that the plush blanket around his shoulders had to be Anja's favorite; all he could smell was what he assumed was her perfume. Loki smiled more for a moment, but then remembered he wanted to avoid talking to people, so he put back on his unhappy facade.

    No one else needed to know Anja accomplished her goal of making him forget the rest of the world, even if just for a moment.

*****

Hello again! Nothing new to really report here. This may or may not be the last chapter I post before the holidays. I'm not 100% sure what the plans are yet. It's the baby's first Christmas, and everyone wants to be involved so our already chaotic holiday season is only going to get more so. On top of that, I'm supposed to be cooking Christmas dinner so that should be an adventure. It will be my first (usually one of our mothers cooks it but due to how everything is this year, it seems that duty has fallen to me) so I am a bit nervous about that. I'm excited to celebrate our baby's first Christmas, but I will be most happy when the holidays are all over and the stress of forced social interactions is gone. I'm a bit of an introvert in person, and dealing with large family gatherings is just not my thing.

The good news is at least I think I have solved the baby's sleep regression problem, so I have been getting more sleep!

How are all of you? Any exciting plans for the holidays? :)

Special shout out to Always_Hufflepuff . She wanted more Loki, and little did she know I already had this chapter written. Believe me, love. There is plenty more of him (and the rest of the characters for that matter) to come!

Thanks again, as always, for reading!

~arty_writes