thirteen - "i don't even know what love is anymore."

The dress was gorgeous. Mira couldn't stop admiring it, even when Cora came into the room to help her (Mira noticed the redhead had been smiling to herself). It was made of soft purple velvet-like material that hugged her body.

"Your magic is so amazing," said Mira. "Honestly your power is better than my mutation. I mean, can you imagine the pranks I'd pull on Strange?" She laughed hard at the thought. Cora smiled. Mira seemed happy.

"Alright here's another sleeve," Cora said, directing Mira's arm. Mira looked in the mirror and gasped more. "Do you like it?" Mira nodded vigorously.

"Of. Course!" she almost yelled. Cora laughed.

The dress was even better looking than it had been on the table. It was low cut, half-backless, and had two cutouts on her sides. There were long sleeves, and the skirt reached the floor. Mira hoped she wouldn't trip over it.

"You won't trip over it, ma'am," the Lady said, almost reading her thoughts. "It's not that tight on the bottom." She pointed at the hem. Mira twirled around a couple times to gaze at the dress.

"I love it! Like so much! You have literal magic," Mira said, laughing after the last line. Cora blushed.

"You're very welcome. I just thought it might be nice for a nicer event."

"You thought correctly," smiled the Asian.

"Alright let me touch up your hair and makeup," Cora said. She looked at Mira's face in concentration and proceeded to wave her hand.

Mira felt her face tingle, as usual, and she turned back to the mirror. She now had glowing lipstick (it sort of reminded her of the holographic makeup the young people used), full winged eyeliner, and her hair was pulled up in a high ponytail. Loki's necklace hung around her neck - the pendant had turned to a dark purple to match the dress. The outfit was very elegant, but also showed a more sassy side.

"Beautiful work as always, Cora," Mira commented. Cora smiled again.

"Thank you." She waved her hands one more time, and black high heels appeared on Mira's feet. "Well it is time to go to the party. Are you ready?" Mira took a deep breath.

"Yep. I sure love going to alien parties. They're pretty weird."

A few hallways later, Mira sauntered (more like "tried not to fall") into the VIP Room. Heads turned in awe, and the chatter of the room stopped for a minute. Her whip sparked a bit in the silence.

"Go back to your uh stuff." Mira waved her hands and the room went back to noise.

"Miss Goddess!" the Grandmaster jumped up. Mira jolted but then smiled.

"Hey Grandmaster," she said warily. "Nice party." The man had his signature grin and golden robes.

"Why thank you!" he gushed. "Get some drinks, go talk to some of my subjects, and have some fun! Woohoo!" He walked off in a celebratory mood.

"I will never get used to that man," Loki said, coming up behind her. She turned and smirked. He smiled back at her. "Would you like to walk with me?"

"Sure, Laufeyass," she responded. He groaned. The pair started to stroll around the room. Mira noticed Cora slipped to the back wall. "So...how was your morning with Cora? She mentioned it."

"Horrible," he replied curtly. Mira rolled her eyes.

"Will you just be positive for at least a couple minutes?"

"Fine." He cleared his throat. "It was...splendid."

"There we go." She patted his back, and he grimaced.

"Well, this party is...uh..."

"A usual Sakaarian-alien-neon-lights-drinks-and-stuff party," she finished. He laughed a bit and grabbed two drinks from a nearby Lady. He handed her one and held his out. Mira clinked her glass against his.

"To Sakaar," Loki said. She grinned.

"To Sakaar." The two took big gulps from their drinks. Loki got their empty glasses and put them aside.

"Well," he said, looking around.

There were elite Sakaarians sitting and standing around the room - some were even dancing. Mira cringed at their alien dance moves. The Grandmaster was DJ-ing across the room on his colourful table, while his top guard, Topaz, watched from the side. Ladies walked around with trays of drinks and food. There were other guards lining the walls. Mira remembered the first time she landed in Sakaar. The thought made her smile.

"Might as well have fun since we're stuck here," she sighed. He nodded and glanced down at her wrist, where her whips glowed. Mira rolled her eyes and grabbed his arm. She dragged him towards a nearby machine that resembled something from Las Vegas. "C'mon Laufeyson, don't be a dick."

~

"Mira, maybe we should head back now. We've been here long enough," said Loki.

It had been about an hour or so into the party, and Mira had just been pulling Loki around the room. They had had some small conversations with guests, had shared dance moves with the Grandmaster (Mira mostly), and had drank a lot of drinks.

"No!" she whined. "I'm fine!" She got off the chair and almost fell down. "Jesus, what was in those drinks?!" She looked at him. "You're an ass."

"Yes, you have mentioned that repeatedly," Loki said, helping her up. "Grandmaster, we will be taking out leave now. Good party." He waved slightly.

"Oh...ok!" the other man said. "Come see the competitions tomorrow!" He went back to his alien music.

"Yep!" answered Loki. He half-pulled Mira away from the party while she blew air kisses to a group of Sakaarians.

"Sir, what are you doing?!" Cora whispered as they walked down the hallway. Mira had started mumbling something to Dr. Strange about her child catching on fire by accident.

"She's tired, so I'm taking her back," Loki said. Cora looked at him and sighed.

"Alright. Don't do anything to her. If you hurt her..."

"I won't!" he said defensively.

"Fine." The Lady looked worriedly at Mira. "I have some Lady duties for the party, so I will meet you two later." She hurried off. Loki nodded and continued to walk with Mira. She had taken out the ponytail in her hair and was basically falling into his arms. Loki wondered if he maybe shouldn't have given her those drinks.

"Come on, Mira," he said as they finally approached their room. "We're back."

"Thank...GOD!" she exclaimed, running to the bed. Her dress was flowy enough for her to jump onto it. "That party was boring. I'm glad it's over." He knew she really didn't mean that.

"Mhm," Loki said with a small smile. He poured two more drinks and then sat down next to her. She rubbed her forehead and took one of the cups. She gulped it down.

"For a mother, you seem to love drinks," he pointed out. She punched his arm. "Ouch."

"Welllll let me tell you something, mister god of mischief!" Mira almost shouted. "I can hold my alcohol! Or whatever that was." She looked at the empty glass and shrugged.

"Uh huh," Loki raised an eyebrow.

"Are you tryna get me drunk, Laufeyass?" she said suspiciously. He shook his head. "You just want me to get drunk so that you can get my whip and leave me here on this damn planet and capture you sister or whatever. Trying to be the good guy, huh? It's hard isn't it?"

"Very," said Loki. She laughed. Mira laid down, putting her head on a pillow that was slightly elevated. "How come you drank so much tonight?" She sighed.

"I...I don't know," she said, her words running into each other. "I guess talking to you about David really brought up a lot of stuff that I pushed down. And my brain told me that the party could help push those things down again. My brain is stupid as-as hell."

"I agree," he said. She rolled her eyes. Loki matched her position on the bed, and she turned, leaning on her elbow.

"You're a terrible person," she said. He nodded.

"I get that a lot also." Mira laughed. She paused and then burst into tears. Loki panicked and frantically wondered what he should do. He decided to put his arms around her - it seemed natural."I'm a horrible excuse for a mother, aren't I?"

"Uh n-no?"

"Oh god, I am," Mira cried. "A-and I always choose the wrong guys! I really though David would be different 'cause he was n-nice and-and all...but I guess not." More tears fell. "He was just the same. Dammit, Mira! You should've seen the signs!" She paused. "There were none!" she sobbed. "There were no signs! He was amazing! I ruined it all, didn't I? I was a terrible wife and mother and-and..."

"Mira, calm down," Loki said, rubbing her back. He didn't want to take away her whip while she was in a crying fit - it seemed too cruel. His liar instinct yelled at him, but he tried to ignore it.

"N-no it's true! I-I don't even know what love is anymore!" she said, slowly curling up into a ball. Her words hit Loki like a splash of freezing water. Seeing her cry was very unsettling. "It isn't real! It's all bullshit and fake and-and made up by Hallmark card people to make more money!" She cried harder.

"Mira, I need you to think straight," said Loki. "You're not a bad person."

"I am..."

"No, no you're not." He took a breath. "I...I had a good mother."

"Really?" Mira looked up, tears still in her eyes. Loki nodded.

"Yes. She's gone."

"Oh." Pause. "I'm sorry."

"She taught me a lot of things. Like my magic and how to have a somewhat conscious. A-and that's why you're not a bad person."

"What?" Mira said, confused. He gave a small smile.

"You remind me of her," he said softly, thinking about Frigga and her kind, wise smile. "You are powerful, yet you care. It's something I have never understood."

"T-thanks," stuttered Mira.

"You're welcome," Loki replied. He pulled his hands away, and they lapsed back into a silence.

"You know," she said with a few sniffs, "you can be nice sometimes. It kinda freaks me out." He laughed.

"I am the god of mischief. I can be charming if I want." Mira scoffed.

"I said nice, not charming."

"I don't see the difference."

"Because your head in is in you ass-"

"And she's back," Loki interrupted. Mira laughed and leaned back again. Loki moved nearer to her, and she didn't shy away.

There was a silence, and Mira put her head on his shoulder. Loki couldn't tell if it was because of the alcohol.

"You have a comfy shoulder, Laufeyson," she mumbled. It made him smile. There was another pause, and she looked up at him.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing," she said and took her head off, laying down fully. He sighed as her whip sparked.

"Mira?" he said. She looked up.

"I was about to sleep. Is this urgent?" she said. He rolled his eyes.

"Maybe." He leaned over and kissed her. She recoiled in shock. "Sorry...that was wrong-" She interrupted him with another kiss.

"You are very predictable, Loki Laufeyson."

"I can't tell if that's a compliment or not."

~

It was the middle of the night when Mira finally went to sleep. Loki pulled the blanket up to her, and she mumbled a sleepy "thanks." He glanced down at her wrist, where the golden whips pulsed. He took a deep breath and a knife appeared in his hand magically. It was semi-dark in the room. Hopefully Cora wouldn't walk in suddenly.

Loki gently trapped her arm, raised the knife, but then heard a voice.

"Kal...stop playing with Tony's action figure...it's lame-o," Mira said, asleep. Loki stopped. She smiled in her sleep, probably thinking about her son. He sighed and pulled his hand away.

Not now.

~

Loki woke up to see Mira lying next to him. He smiled to himself and gently shook her.

"Mira, it's morning," he said softly. She grumbled and sleepily turned over.

"Leave me alone...I like my sleep..." she said blearily.

"You mortals," Loki sighed.

"What do you need?" Mira asked, looking up at him while half-asleep. They were both in

"Do...do you remember what happened last night?" he asked tentatively. Mira rubbed her eyes. They were both in pajamas rather than their dressy garments - Loki guessed Cora must have come in during the middle of the night.

"Sorta," mumbled Mira. She yawned. "I remember drinks. A hella lot of drinks. Why did we drink so much?"

"Anything else?" Loki continued. He could feel his heart pounding, which was a strange feeling.

"Not really. Those drinks knocked my brain out." She closed her eyes in concentration but then shrugged. She looked up at him. "Why? Did we do stupid stuff?" The raven-haired god hesitated for a second, then shook his head.

"No," he said smoothly. "Not at all."

A/N

AHHHH THE ANGST

AND THE SHIP

MWAHAHAHHAHAH

also i'm very proud of that crackship gif and that edit above does anyone else like them ehehehe

OK BUT HOW GORGEOUS DOES JAMIE CHUNG LOOK IN THIS DRESS OMGGGG

HOPE YOU LIKED THIS CHAPTER (it lasted longer than expected oops also sorry cora wasn't in it much ahh)

anywayssss since it's my spring break, i hope to update twice this week but we'll see about that lol

bye!!!

PS: WTF WP DELETD THE TAGS ON THIS BOOK??