"I'm sticking with you unless anyone wants to talk." Olivia said.

"What reminded you?" Loki asked. Olivia waved a few toothpicks in his face, each with a different type of cheese stuck on each end.

"What's this about cheese?" Wanda asked, approaching them with a napkin of shrimp.

-"Spanish Panic (V-Day Special 2020)"

***

~Asgard, Hundreds of years prior (physically look about 18-19 y/o)~

Early one morning, Olivia slowly started to awaken. She saw the beams of sunlight stream through her window and make contact with her face. Groaning, she turned to face the other direction and attempted to fall back to sleep. She was semi successful... for about three minutes. She heard a familiar whoosh noise next to her bed. Attempting to hide a smile, she pretended to ignore it.

"Are you awake yet?" She heard Loki ask.

"No." She replied, hiding a snicker. Olivia thought she was in the clear; she heard no noise after that. She started to wiggle further under her blankets in another attempt to go back to sleep.

She felt thin hands slide underneath her. Before she could react, she was yanked out of her bed, Loki holding her in a bridal carry. She squealed, wrapping her arms around the back of Loki's neck and holding on for dear life. He laughed at her before Olivia started laughing with him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Good morning." Loki said teasingly. Olivia rolled her eyes with a smile.

"You should know better than to try and interrupt my sleep." She said.

"We both know you were already awake. Besides, it's an important day."

"What's so special about it that I have to be forcefully removed from my bed so early in the morning?" Olivia asked with a yawn.

"It's Thor's birthday. And it's a little past noon." Loki replied. Olivia yawned again and buried her face in the crook of Loki's neck.

"Wake me up when it's your birthday. Thor's birthdays are always so loud and long. Yours are nice and quiet and simple and..." She trailed off, yawning once more.

"Father's ever insistent that we be there. Lords and Ladies from all around are going to be attending. Dancing, fancy dressing, and a banquet." Loki said.

"So, the standard 'Thor's Birthday Protocol?'" Olivia asked.

"Yep. The servants are going to be spending all day preparing. Mother will be sending some of her handmaidens to get you prepared. Washed, dressed, your hair done, among other small things."

"I was hoping we could do some magic practice today. I've almost got the shapeshifting down."

"At least we'll get cake." Loki said, finally putting Olivia down.

"Fair point." She said, stretching.

There was a faint knock at the door.

"Speaking of which, that would be them. I'll see you in a few hours." Loki said, placing a chaste kiss on Olivia's forehead before going back over to the door. He opened it and two girls were standing there holding various supplies in their arms. The girls curtsied as Loki left, before they went inside Olivia's room.

"My lady, Queen Frigga sent us to prepare you for the celebration tonight." One of the two girls said.

"So I've heard. What are your names?" Olivia asked.

"Well, my name is Jhiqui." The first girl said.

"And I am Nygis." The second girl said.

"Well, hello. Anyways, where do we begin?" Olivia said.

"I will draw you a bath so your hair can be washed. Then your hair will be styled and we'll get you into your dress." Jhiqui said, gesturing Olivia to her bathroom. The water started to run and Olivia simply watched it for a few minutes. At the last second, she snapped her fingers and summoned bubbles in the tub (basically magical bubble bath).

Jhiqui used several products in Olivia's hair once she got in the tub, each one more odorous than the last. Though there was one particular soap smelled like cherries, one of Olivia's favorite scents. The different smells eventually started to give Olivia a small headache, but she didn't mind all that much.

She was however asking if it was all completely necessary. She never got this done up for Loki's birthday, and they were the ones actually in love. Thor was like a brother to her. Then she remembered the favoritism in their weird family. She'd learned to just go with it.

Once Olivia dried off about an hour later, she was sat in front of a vanity and had her hair pulled into a specific style. Her hair wasn't particularly long, maybe just down to her shoulders. She probably could have used illusions to extend her hair, but Jhiqui made it work, adding little flowers into it:

Olivia typically turned her nose up at most makeup, but upon Jhiqui's insistence, she used only a small amount. Her face was fine clean, she thought, but as it was a special occasion...

Nygis returned with a large green gown brought up from the seamstress, Brina:

"How am I supposed to dance in that?" Olivia asked.

"Brina has your measurements. The hem comes just an inch off the floor, so there's no tripping hazard." Nygis assured.

"Okay, if you're sure."

The gown was carefully slipped over Olivia's head so as to not mess up her hair. Jhiqui readjusted it as it inevitably fell a little out of place, replacing the small flowers.

"It's a little heavy." Olivia commented.

"It looks amazing, my lady." Jhiqui said.

"Well, thank you. How much longer until the celebration starts?"

"About an hour, my lady. The guests will be arriving shortly, however. The Queen asked us to tell you she wishes for you and Prince Loki to be there to greet them as well. In about 20 minutes from now, you need to be in the ballroom." Nygis said.

Olivia supressed the urge to roll her eyes. Could she not have a moment of solitude before basically being forced to stay up all night? She sighed.

"Thank you both so much. If the need ever presents itself, I will ask for you specifically." She said, giving them a small nod.

"Thank you, my lady." They said in unison before leaving. Olivia stood alone in her room, plopping down at her desk and fidgeting with a quill pen. Maybe it won't be as bad as she was making it out to be. It might be fun.

Standing up, she left her quarters and headed for the ballroom.

***

A few servants bustled left and right, various items in their hands, be it tablecloths, wine glasses, or vases with flowers inside. The sun starting to set told Olivia how much time had passed.

"Brina's outdone herself this time." She heard a voice say behind her. Olivia smiled as she fell into Loki's embrace.

"You don't look so bad yourself." She said. He was in his formalwear, the pale gold and green complementing her gown perfectly (obvi Thor 1).

"The guests will be arriving soon. Shall we?" Loki asked, offering her his arm. Olivia smiled and looped her arm around his.

"If we must." She replied.

***

~Several Hours Later~

"Are you tired yet?" Loki asked. Olivia was a little wobbly every now and again during the dances, though most everyone around them took no notice.

"A little." Olivia said. She heard the musicians start to play a familiar tune with the string instruments. She smiled, glad they decided to include it. "We take a break after this one."

"'Rains of Castamere?'" Loki asked, smirking. Olivia pulled him onto the floor where all the lords and ladies were dancing.

"Of course." She replied. There was a dance they both knew by heart for the song, and they had spent long hours learning it. It involved a lot of spinning, to put it simply. Even as they spun and waltzed, Olivia recited the often neglected words to the song and hummed along with it.

And who are you, the proud Lord said, that I must bow so low? Only a cat of a different coat, that's all the truth I know...

(Media Song, no dance visual, unfortunately. Imagine it yourselves.)

By the time the song was over, Olivia was aware that a lot of people were looking at them. The lords and ladies had made a circle around them about halfway through. The dance was complicated, and Olivia couldn't help but blush a bit at the attention. There were a few sparse claps as she and Loki did a quick bow before slinking back into the crowd.

"I'll bet you twenty gold pieces that Odin is thinking about how dare we upstage Thor on his big day." Olivia whispered as she and Loki retreated to a corner. Loki gave a light chuckle in response.

"When Thor learns to waltz without two left feet, then we'll talk about upstaging." He replied. "I can't remember the last time Thor was swift, delicate, or smooth at anything."

"No amount of practice could remedy that."

"Maybe he opts not to try as hard because he would rather get drunk with his friends."

"That happens anyway after a while. He finds Brunhilde's Ale, it gets passed around, and the next thing we know everyone is sloshed off their asses." Olivia said, sighing. The exact same thing had happened the previous year, and it led to several of the guests to run around like children and lose all sense of decency. Odin of course did nothing to stop it as he wasn't exactly sober either. Loki and Olivia had retreated to the library before they could witness anything after knickers flew.

"Maybe Odin will be a little stricter this year after last year's disaster." Loki suggested.

"Let's hope."

***

As soon as Loki and Olivia noticed Thor returning to the ballroom with two kegs from the winery and a booming laugh of excitement, they knew it was all over. They both rolled their eyes as Thor started passing goblets of the amber liquid around.

"Should we leave before this place turns into a brothel again?" Loki asked.

"Let me find something to eat first, I haven't had anything since... Well, actually I don't think I've had anything today. I'll just grab something quickly and then we can sneak away." Olivia said, squeezing his hand and heading for the long table with small appetizers.

"Do you want me to go with you?" Loki asked her.

"I'll be fine, it'll be maybe two minutes." Olivia smiled before turning away. That smile faltered as she weaved through more and more guests that were teetering the edge between tipsy and full on drunk. The smell of alcohol was getting thicker, wafting around the room in an invisible cloud. A few people bumped into her or elbowed her side, but Olivia didn't pay much mind. It didn't hurt that much and the people didn't know any better.

She got to the table to find most everything had been picked through. Olivia pursed her lips before spotting a mostly untouched tray of small cheese cubes with small wood sticks poked into them. Shrugging her shoulders, she magicked a piece of cloth out of thin air and started piling the cubes onto it for easy transportation, popping a few into her mouth as she did so to slightly sedate her hunger.

"That was very impressive, my lady." A foreign man said to her, approaching her casually with a goblet in his hand.

"What was?" She asked, sticking another cheese cube into her mouth.

"The pulley-magickey-cloth thing." He said slightly slurred, making the same pulling motion Olivia had just done. She pursed her lips, realizing he was drunk like the other people in the ballroom.

"Well, thank you." She replied simply before wrapping the cloth around her food. She wanted to escape the conversation as painlessly as possible.

"What's a pretty lady such as yourself doing at this party all alone?" The man asked, stepping in front of her to block her path.

"I'm not here alone, and you're blocking my way. If you'll excuse me." She said curtly.

"Well, clearly whoever your partner is, they aren't here to accompany you right now. What a display of devotion."

"You don't know who I am, do you?"

"I'm fairly certain I would remember a lovely face such as yours, my lady." The man paused to down the rest of the alcohol in his goblet. Olivia set her jaw and stared at this man, clearly more drunk than his straight speech patterns let on. All of Asgard and beyond knew who she was, the war orphan certainly destined to wed Prince Loki in the future. And if not, then they certainly knew of the goddess who appeared in their dreams as a winged spirit to watch over them.

Clearly this man was too deep in his cups to remember that. She tried to sidestep him, but he just mirrored her movement to keep blocking her way.

"You're blocking my way." She repeated. "If you'll excuse me, I must return to-"

"Your devoted partner?"

"Yes, now-"

"My lady, I'm right here. Your most humble and obedient servant, someone who will surely provide only the best for you. Will you honor me with your courtship?"

"How do you know I don't already have the best?"

"For you are alone, kjære."

"How do you know I don't prefer a woman's touch?"

The man suddenly grabbed her wrist and pulled Olivia closer so she could more clearly smell his breath that reeked of alcohol. She tried to wiggle free, but the man had an iron grip on her wrist.

"Perhaps my kjære needs the experience of a man's love to settle her opinion." The man husked. He started leaning in to presumably attempt to kiss her, and Olivia tried her hardest to pull backwards.

There was a smacking sound, clear as day. The next thing Olivia knew, the man was on the floor, hand clutching his nose. The ballroom was all but silent as Loki approached Olivia, examining her nervously.

"Are you alright? Are you hurt?" He asked.

"I'm fine. But how did-" Olivia asked.

"You were gone for too long, so I came to see what the issue was." Loki replied, gently holding onto Olivia's shoulders. She shivered under his touch and everyone's gaze.

"I... I don't really want to be here anymore." She said. "But Odin-"

"Nevermind what my father would think. We're leaving." Loki said, gently taking her hand and leading her out of the ballroom. They heard the party resume behind them in the nearly quiet hallways, a few servants passing by with their various tasks to do.

They turned a few corners until they found their beloved library. It was empty except for them, but the torches were forever lit.

Olivia sat down on the couch in front of the fireplace Loki had ignited with a spark of magic. She curled close to the corner of the couch, watching the flames dance in front of her. Loki sat down next to her and pulled her in close so her head rested on his chest as he wrapped an arm around her. They sat in silence for a little while.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Loki asked. Olivia could only nod, wiping away a few stray tears with her hand.

"It's stupid. I shouldn't have gotten so scared. I shouldn't be crying." She said.

"Hey, listen to me. It's not your fault. That man won't bother you anymore or I'll have his head." Loki said, stroking her face with his fingers. Olivia sighed and continued to stare at the fire. "What did he do?"

"He was drunk. He didn't recognize me and assumed I was away from an undevoted partner. That was apparently all he needed to try to woo me." She explained. Olivia wiped her eyes furiously to hide her tears. Loki pulled her hand away from her face and wiped her leaking tears himself with his thumb.

"Cry if you need to. It's perfectly healthy. I'll always be here for you, you know that." He said. Olivia nodded, cracking a thin smile. In that moment, she had never felt safer.

"He didn't even consider the idea that I might have prefered a woman. Said I needed a man's love to finalize my opinion." She laughed a little. Loki smiled warmly before allowing a green shimmer to envelop him. Loki re-emerged in his female form, now in a loose, pale green dress. She pulled Olivia close to her so her head rested on Loki's chest. She stroked Olivia's hair tenderly with a warm smile as she softly sang a lullaby.

"Let the wind blow kindly in the sails of your dreams. And let the moon light your journey and bring you back to me..."

Loki heard Olivia's breathing even out, indicating she had fallen asleep. She smiled lightly down at Olivia, pulling her closer. Pulling a cushion over, Loki rested her head on it as she slowly dozed off as well.

***

The sound of the library doors bursting open startled Loki (now back to his male form) and Olivia awake as the sunlight gently streamed in through the library windows.

"What is it?" Olivia asked groggily.

"Do you realize what you have done?" Odin's angered voice asked the sleepy pair as he stepped in front of them.

"I'm... Sorry?" Loki asked.

"You struck a Vanir dignitary in the face at the celebration last night, then rushed away." Odin snapped.

"Because he was harassing Olivia." Loki protested.

"Their trust in us is wavering if my own son would resort to violence so quickly against one of their own. There's whispers of their delegation splitting off."

"Well, maybe if you hadn't condoned Thor's alcohol that got this man drunk-"

"Thor gets to spend his celebration however he so chooses."

"By getting everyone drunk off their asses so the ballroom turns into a brothel?"

"Thor did nothing of the sort."

"Maybe Thor didn't, but a ballroom shouldn't have smallclothes scattered around with the remnants of everyone's decency. You know what, I'm glad you don't make a big deal out of my birthday. Less of a chance someone will turn it into a joke."

"We spend months preparing for this day-"

"Well, clearly not as you allow things like this to happen. I'm not apologizing for defending the woman I love from drunken idiots who try to kiss her without her consent."

"Your actions will lose us their delegation!"

"Odin, how can you be so heartless?" Frigga's appalled voice asked from the library door as she marched in. "Loki had every right to do what he did, and you're chastizing him because of politics?"

"It's an important delegation to have the support of and Loki striking one of their members-" Odin protested.

"Was warranted. If someone had tried to kiss me, I'm certain you would have done the same thing. Loki is right, we should have kept a better eye on the ale being passed around. Tell the delegation that no ill will was intended, but we hope to move past this." Frigga said cooly. Odin stood up straight and sighed.

"Very well." He replied, swiftly leaving the room. Frigga shook her head.

"Your father sometimes..." She turned to Olivia, who had stayed silent during Odin and Loki's quarrel. "Are you alright? I'm so sorry that this happened."

Olivia nodded. "I'm fine, I just need to lie down for a while."

"Of course. Let me know if you need anything." Frigga replied with a warm smile. She exited the library to leave Loki and Olivia alone.

"Shall I escort you to your room?" Loki asked her. Olivia smiled.

"I'd like that. I just need to rest for a while, possibly take a bath." She said as Loki took her hand to lead her down the hall and to the first flight of stairs.

"I understand. I'll leave you to your privacy, but if you need something, don't hesitate to call for me." Loki told her.

"I won't." Olivia replied.

***

A/N

Today's moral is: No means fuckin NO.