Magnus's POV

My feet were embedded to the slimy floor as I struggled to open my eyelids in an unknown, dark room. Looming in front of me stood a man with his devilish smile that I knew all too well.

"How has the afterlife been, Magnus?" Loki said through gritted teeth. "Your so-called friends may depend on you to heal them, but are you sure they actually call you a friend?" "Your own mother died protecting you, why couldn't you have protected her? Oh wait, you couldn't because you were busy running away and leaving her to die." I could feel tears start to well in my eyes, but I absolutely refused to let them fall in front of Loki. Never in a million years.

"Alex will never love you, Alex will always hate you, Alex will always think of you as the tiny, pathetic weakling you really are. Not even Jack thinks you can fight!" Even though I kind of already knew I sucked at fighting, I kept telling myself it wasn't true in order to stay sane. Loki snapped his fingers and Alex hovered forward, clearly not in control of his own body.

He had a look of pure terror on his face and I soon realized why when Loki snapped his head towards a helpless Alex and he toppled on the floor. My emotions screamed at me to help him, but I knew that I couldn't because Loki was keeping me basically paralyzed. Alex strained to move his head to look at me when I saw his unmoving lungs and his eyes slowly rolling back into his head. "ALEX! NO! FIGHT HIM!" I somehow managed to scream despite Loki's control and shot up in my bed, sweating profusely.

As soon as I looked down on my shaking hands and fluffy, yellow pjs, I realized that it was just a dream, but that won't stop me from at least checking on Alex. I make my slow, zombie-like walk to my door too awake to go back to sleep when a petite, fatal ball of green hair bursts into my room, scanning for something. Alex's expression softened for a moment but quickly changes to his usual, mischievous smirk.

Thank goodness I can tell his genders for some reason because I can clearly see that Alex is a he right now. "Um...hi? Do you need anything Al?" He placed his tiny hands on his hips before saying, "No, but you do. Were you having nightmares again, Maggie?" Usually, I wouldn't have allowed that, but secretly I liked when he calls me Maggie.

"I-uhm. No?" Curse my idiotness.

""You're lying, I'll make you some tea while you find a movie," he said as he darted to the kitchen. "No, Alex. I'm fine. Besides, you need your sleep and you still have..." Oh no keep it together, keep it together, nope can't do it, tomato mode incoming. I quickly looked away, trying to hide my blush. I can actually feel his stare penetrating me. "Uh..j-just a.....lil chocolate..." I mumble.

His eyes widened, but he didn't make an effort to wipe it off either. He just sort of looked at me, stared actually, straight at me a smirk forming on his lips. "You don't say?" Alex slinked forwards completely abandoning the tea, a mischievous glint in his beautiful chocolate and amber eyes. I must've looked pretty hypnotized too, because judging by the vibes we were both giving off, my sexuality is about to be severely questioned. He reeled my hips closer to his, and our lips collided in a different—more sincere way.

Click

I shoot my head towards the noise, and sure enough, all of floor nineteen was crowded in my doorway with Mallory snapping pictures every second or so. Click click click. My hands drop from Alex's fluffy, green hair and look at the floor, trying to mask the blush spreading throughout my face.

All I could manage was, "I, uhm..." "Go away, perverts! Remember that lindworms are tomorrow!" Alex called. The group quickly scurried away, giggling as they fled. "Are we still watching that moving, Al?" I now timidly ask. "Of course, Maggie. Let me go finish making your tea first though."

*TIME SKIP*

I awoke to the sound of gentle...purring? Well that's a first. I rub my sleep deprived eyes before looking down and seeing a ball of green fluff. My heart starts to race as I remembered what happened last night. Alex and I had fallen asleep on the couch late last night after watching a horror movie. I decided I had to get up and lazily aroused from the couch to go change out of my yellow onesie and into my green Valhalla shirt and blue jeans.

After I changed, I got to work on making two coffees before Alex and I head over the cafe to meet up with our group. "BOO!" I jumped, quickly realizing that I dropped one of the coffees on the ground, shattering the ceramic. By now, Alex was rolling on the floor laughing with me just staring at her in disappointment.

I couldn't help but get lost in that laugh. It's the sound that I strive to cause. The sound that I so desperately need to hear. I couldn't help but stare at the two eyes that more often than not were the reason I got killed on the battlefield. One of them was the color of a rich, yet unattainable chocolate brown while the other was the color of a dewy sunrise to create the most beautiful, unique set of eyes that I would charge into an army of fire giants for.

I wasn't aware my mouth was hanging slightly open until Alex stopped laughing and pinned me to the ground, swiftly taking advantage of my extremely ticklish sides. "Alex, Alex stop! Get off me, moss ball!" I say between giggles. "Neva, falafel man!"

Eventually we got up and got ready for the day before meeting our friends for breakfast in the cafe. Once we arrived, Mallory was already splashing her iced coffee on Halfborn while TJ quietly enjoyed a cream cheese bagel. "Morning, guys. Since when are you guys awake this early?"

They all stopped to look at Alex and I. Finally Halfborn mutters, "We wanted to see which room Alex came out of." I couldn't help but blush, so I gestured to Alex and scuttled off towards the food. Because it was so funny, I didn't even mind the fact that I would be brutally murdered on the battlefield today.

Today, I felt like I wanted a vanilla yogurt, a small serving of scrambled eggs, and a nice, cold glass of orange juice. Before picking up my breakfast, I combed my fingers through my hair because I just realized that I forgot to brush it during Alex and I's shenanigans this morning.

"Can't get away that easily, Maggie," I heard someone say behind me. Knowing I had only seconds to escape, my idiot self dodged to the side only to run straight into Alex. "S-sorry, Alex." "No problem, Mags. Don't forget about the lindworms though." Sighing, excepting the fact that the battlefield would be extra brutal today, I walk back to our favorite table.

It's amazing how my life went from "Oh no, I don't have enough money for falafel!" to "Shoot. Dying will be extra painful today." "So Magnus, any plans for today? There's an old Norse class we could go to together." "Uhm, I'm not sure, T.J. Is it to the death?" I ask him. "Always."

Halfborn looked like he was trying to tell me something, but no words were coming out of his mouth. "You good, Halfborn?" Finally it appeared he remembered but Mallory cut him off. "Oh, there's a mandatory assembly early tomorrow morning. I'm pretty sure it's about that contest Hunding recommended to Helgi and Odin himself." "Hey! I was going to tell him!" Halfborn whined. "Well you didn't say anything you big idiot." I just continue eating my eggs while Halfborn and Mallory fight. "Kids these days..." T.J. mutters.

❤️❤️