A/N: Hello I'm back again. Sorry for the wait - I've been frightfully busy. Thank you all for following, reviewing etc! I appreciate it very much. Guess what (what?) I NEED READING GLASSES. My eyes don't focus properly so, glasses for me. Also I was asked what on Midgard was I talking about in the previous chapter, what with the talk of paddocks and fences- apologies. I was using farmer lingo. Anyways back to this chapter, I'm hoping to make it longer than the last. I also regrettably inform you that I will not be able to write again until I'm back at school because I'm going ringing for a month with my friend Kate. What's "ringing", you ask? Well basically I go and help out on a larger farm and get payed. I awfully excited, whilst some may disagree with me that the prospects of fencing and mustering aren't at all enjoyable, I completely disagree and hold no regret in regard to animatedly jumping about and annoying my family. Again, I apologise for the inconvenience and lack of writing.

Enjoy

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Audrey slumped against the white tiled kitchen floor in defeat. She'd tried talking to Loki again, nothing personal, just casual conversation, and he'd almost immediately stalked away with his trade mark glare. He'd been like that for the past few days, either staring at something intensely in thought or glaring at her as soon as she came within three feet of his person.

Audrey sighed and rubbed her face with her hands with annoyed motions. How was she meant to complete this assignment if she didn't even know how to talk to him without having her head chewed off?

She knew he had personal issues he wasn't dealing with, lapsing into a mad aggressive trance when fighting someone being a large indication of that, but she would have been exceedingly naïve if she were to think he would pour his heart and soul out to her. At this stage of their very, very, partial relationship the most likely meaningful thing Loki would do for her is stab her.

Ugh. They both needed to get out of the apartment, she thought to herself as she glared angrily around the white cell. So far they hadn't gotten any new furniture to rid them of the maddening shade, nor had they purchased Loki new clothes. However, Audrey had rationalised that she'd be better off online shopping, she'd prefer not to feel the wrath of the god as he was badgered by retail staff to try various 'this' or 'that' on.

After an hour of purchasing random items of clothing from the most overpriced and overrated websites she could find- she was slightly curious as to whether or not Fury would yell at her- Audrey had found herself bored again.

"Loki?" She called and waited a few moments for his angry reply.

"What is it now, mortal?" She didn't even need to see him to know he had an eyebrow raised in annoyance.

"What do you do for fun?"

There was a prolonged silence and she feared he simply disregarded her and her incessantly annoying human-ish persona. But Loki always seemed to manage to startle her in one way or another, though she doubted he deliberately endeavoured to do so.

"What do you mean?" She was slightly surprised before the full meaning of what he had asked dawned on her. Oh that was sad, she thought. He didn't understand fun.

"I mean what did you do to chill when you aren't doing god stuff or whatever?"

This time the pause was longer. Much longer. She began to give up on the meagre progress before he answered again. She began to really believe that she would soon suffer whiplash from his unpredictable ways.

"I read" Nerd.

"Can you read English?"

"Of course I can," He snapped, "I was tutored in many languages of the nine realms, your common Midgardian tongue being one of those"

"Oh. Okay." Truthfully, she hadn't meant to insult him. Though she never really did, he was just so eager to jump at any means of a verbal confrontation.

"Why do you ask?" He queried slowly another few moments after she spoke, the bite in his voice less evident.

"Would you like to go to a book store?"

After much persuasion, glares, and muttered threats Audrey had convinced Loki to "Don his Midgardian rags" as he had put it, and follow her to a book store not too far from the apartment. His behaviour towards the humans had not swayed and he still dodged and weaved through them. She'd had to subtly use her ability to keep Loki walking after one particularly busy looking man had bumped into Loki and not given him so much as a grunted apology. This earned her a third dark glare for the day, though this one possessed much more… Loki angst.

Audrey let out a deep, relieved sigh as the book store came into sight and she dragged him faster towards it before he could have another physical encounter with a busy business man. She got a fourth glare and he forcefully shrugged out of her grip. The bell rang as she opened the door and she frowned at the almost haphazard setting she found before them.

The fundamentally tidy exterior of the store heavily contrasted the literature warzone before them. As much book shelves as possible were crammed into the room, books literally spilling out onto the floor whilst others were stacked in piles reaching the roof. What appeared to be the cash register was covered with books, and behind it was a small, pasty mouse of a man seated on a pile of more books. His head was buried in a rather large and tattered novel, only sparing them a quick glance and returning his focus to his reading.

Whilst she wasn't obsessed with reading she still made time to open a good novel occasionally, and from what the book store displayed she would fail to find a piece of poor literature. Audrey dawdled over to a section that read 'Culinary', Loki silently trailing behind and taking in the tightly packed store. She smiled as he tried to hide his obvious curiosity and slight excitement.

Considering that the apartment was full of various oddly shaped fruits vegetables that's she couldn't even pronounce, Audrey thought it best to select a few random recipe books.

After heaving few exotic and basic books from the dusty shelf and sneezing, she slowly traipsed around the disorganised chaos, after firstly cursing her sensitive nose, of course. She couldn't help become confused with the engorged masses of literature, some titles being enough to cause her brain to throb in ambiguity. She had no doubt that Loki was in his element and grasping the foreign Midgardian concepts with ease, though she could tell that he was full to the brim with questions as his eyes darted quickly through pages. The ever growing stack of books held in his arms was an evident indication that he was immensely enjoying himself. Not to mention the very, very, slight ghost of a smile on Loki's perfect, soft lips… Ugh. She was doing it again. This 'physical attraction' disease was growing and making her weaker with each glance sent in his direction.

Audrey mentally berated herself and forced herself onwards. After squeezing through the small gap at the end of the shelf, she began to aimlessly pluck a few dusty novels off various shelves and add them to pile in her arms. And then she saw it. At the moment they were in the 'Lifestyle' section, and amongst the break up self-help and travel books, a small, brilliantly blue paperback blatantly stared her down. Audrey threw a quick glance over her shoulder to ensure that Loki wasn't paying attention to her- he was still frowning at "Sex and the City" novel- and dared to peel it slowly from the dusty structure.

The title "Men are emotionally unaware dicks, this is how you deal with them" was enough to win her over and she quickly hid it between a Charles Dickens novel. She knew that she would need it.

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Here it is! Hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to favourite, follow, review, etc. Whatever tickles your fancy. Before I forget. Best wishes for the festive season, a merry Christmas, and a happy New Year!

Sincerely, AngelaArseButt xx