Chapter Text
"But you have to go, if not for me then for your children. When someone as wealthy as Thor Odinson moves to the neighborhood, it's only right to welcome them."
"To get a husband for one of our children, yes?"
"Exactly! I knew you would see reason."
"I'm not going."
"Don't torture me with those words, my dear. I might wind up sick with stress if you do."
Ah, the sweet sound of your parents arguing at dinner. Again. You shared a look with your sister, Jane, and sighed into your glass.
A supposedly wealthy man by the name of Thor Odinson had recently purchased and moved into an estate called Midgard. Your mother, a pushy and overly dramatic woman, was convinced he could be her future son-in-law. She wanted your father, a sarcastic and sometimes brusque man, to visit and welcome Thor, not because it was polite, no, but because Thor would become acquainted with your family and, therefore, the first step to marrying one of the Bennet children would be complete.
In your mother's eyes, at least.
"How long do you think it'll go on tonight?" Wanda asked.
"Just as long as any other night," Jane sighed.
Jane was the oldest of the five of you. Smart and kind, she was one of the world's leading astrophysicists, and you, closest to her out of all your siblings, couldn't be more proud.
You were a year younger than her. You were kind and direct, taking no bullshit and instead delivering a well-placed verbal blow when needed. Your way with words lead you to publish a collection of short stories.
Wanda was the middle child, with two siblings before and two after her. She tended to be more on the quiet side, observing what was going on before interacting. She read quite a bit, and was halfway through writing her own novel.
"Well, I'm excited to see Thor," Sharon said. "I hope he's as good-looking as everyone says he is, or I'll be very disappointed."
Cat nodded in agreement.
Sharon was the youngest, Cat (short for Catherine) right before her. Both were obsessed with gawking over attractive people and the idea of falling in love. When one of those poor souls went out with Sharon, she always came home complaining about the date. Cat, though she was older, followed Sharon's example.
"Of course you would," you muttered.
Neither Sharon nor Cat heard you, but Jane did, and she shot you a look. You shot her one right back, taking full notice of the hint of a smile on her face. She rolled her eyes playfully.
"I will not visit this Odinson," your dad said. "If only because we've already received an invitation to a party he's hosting."
All of you looked at him, stunned for a moment. Your mother was first to break the silence, excitedly going on about how wonderful this was, and how she knew her husband would come through. Sharon and Cat soon joined her.
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It seemed as though everyone in the neighborhood had been invited. Now that you thought about it, that was probably the case. Regardless, this guy sure knew how to throw a party.
Your family broke apart as soon as you entered. Sharon and Cat followed your mother, who had gone off hoping to find your host. Wanda and your father had gone to look around and greet those you knew. You and Jane were left alone to do your own thing.
Or you would've, had Jane not tapped your arm and subtly gestured to a handsome blonde man only a few feet away.
"Is that him?" You asked.
"I think so," she replied.
"If only Mom had noticed he was right there before going off."
"Thank God she didn't, or she would never leave his side until she was escorted out."
You cringed at the thought. Jane laughed.
Glancing back over at Thor, you realized he was looking at you. Or rather, at Jane. You quickly glanced at her to see if she'd noticed, and she had.
"He's looking at you," you whispered.
"I can see that," she whispered back. Her eyes widened briefly. "He's coming this way."
"Oh God."
Before she could respond, Thor was already in front of you. You introduced yourselves, and conversation flowed freely. You found yourself relaxed in his presence; he was easy to talk to, energetic yet not overbearingly so, and he seemed genuinely interested in whatever topic came up.
He seemed particularly interested, you noticed, in Jane. And once you noticed that, you noticed she was particularly interested in Thor. You realized you were about to become a third wheel, and searched for an opportunity to back out of the conversation.
A flash of red in your peripheral caught your attention, and you glanced over. Nat caught your eye and waved to you. You excused yourself to go talk to her.
Natasha was your best friend and neighbor. You didn't get to see her often, as her job as a private investigator took her seemingly everywhere, but you kept in touch through the magic of technology.
"I didn't know you were in town," you said.
"Just got back this morning," she replied. "I had an invite to this party from the newest resident. I'm guessing that's him with Jane?"
You nodded. "Yep. He seems nice. Particularly to Jane."
A slow grin spread across her face. "What about her?"
"Jane seems to reciprocate."
The two of you went over to the little bar and got yourselves something to drink, then tried to find somewhere to sit. "I did some research before coming here."
You raised an eyebrow. "Spill the tea, then, but don't let my mother hear you."
Nat groaned quietly. "She's here?"
"We're all here."
"Sharon and Cat too?"
You nodded. Nat patted your arm in solidarity. You gestured for her to continue.
"Our host didn't come alone," she said. "His brother, Loki, came with him, and their friend, Minerva."
As if on cue, the crowd silenced. You and Nat looked for the source, and saw a handsome dark-haired man and a gorgeous dark-haired woman. You thought Thor was attractive, but this newcomer...damn.
Whispers immediately slid through the crowd, and soon those whispers grew in volume until it was almost like there had never been a pause.
You turned back to Nat. "I'm assuming that's them."
She nodded, then caught you subtly looking at Loki. "Jane is stuck on Thor. You stuck on Loki?"
You raised your eyebrows at her. "No, I'm not. I don't get "stuck", as you put it, that quickly."
"Fair enough." She nudged you. "Jane's calling you."
You followed her gaze. Your sister was, indeed, waving you over. She and Thor were still where you left them, only they had been joined by Loki and Minerva.
"Oh God," you muttered under your breath.
You made your way over to them, thinking about how much you hated interacting with strangers in this high society world you lived in. Sometimes you wished you didn't.
You plastered a pleasant smile on your face, if only for Jane's sake, as Thor introduced his brother and their friend to you, and you to them.
You disliked Minerva instantly. Her polite smile was obviously not genuine, and it was clear she had a distaste for you. Loki, you weren't so sure about. Though he was polite enough, he didn't seem to want to be there. You didn't blame him for that.
The conversation was cut short by Thor exclaiming (after Loki whispered something in his ear) that he would be a poor host to the rest of his guests if he didn't greet them.
"But," he added, "I shall be back shortly."
You suspected that part was meant for Jane.
The two of you went over to Nat, who proceeded to dig every morsel of information she could out of you. After a while, you noticed Loki and Thor standing together nearby. Curious, you tuned into their conversation, just to see if it was interesting.
"Did you have to throw a party as soon as we arrived?" Loki asked.
"It was Minerva's idea, actually," Thor replied. "And it was not a bad one."
"No, for you I suppose it wasn't."
"Come now, brother, this isn't the worst event we've attended. There was that one with the beer barrels."
"If only anyone knew what possessed Fandral to attempt to climb them."
"I don't think he knows himself."
You were about to quit listening when Thor mentioned Jane.
"She's quite beautiful, isn't she? The most beautiful creature I've ever seen."
"The Bennet girl?"
"Yes."
"I suppose she is, yes. Her connections in society are wanting, however."
"Her connections mean nothing to me. What do you think of her sibling, Y/N?"
"Y/N leaves much to be desired in terms of manners and looks. I could think of at least three other people more desirable than Y/N Bennet."
"Easy, brother. There's no need to be so harsh."
"You asked my opinion, I'm simply giving it."
You tuned out after that. Loki's remarks didn't bother you. You didn't need nor want his approval or compliments. If this was the treatment you could expect, you were immensely glad that you had the sense not to immediately become "stuck on" Loki.
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"Well, that was rude," Jane said.
You were sitting together in her room. The party had ended an hour ago, and everyone was cleaning themselves up and going to bed.
"I don't think I've heard someone talk shit about me that fast since high school," you agreed. "Now enough about Loki, he's an asshole. Let's talk about Thor, or, more specifically, you and Thor."
She tried to hide her smile, but you caught it. "You can't tell me you don't like him, Jane."
"He is sweet," she conceded. "And charming."
"And hot," you added.
She laughed, but agreed. "Minerva invited me to visit some time."
Your jaw dropped. "You're kidding."
"Dead serious."
"I'll be damned," you breathed. "You could take that time to get to know Thor more."
"Now you sound like Natasha."
"Hey, she's taught me quite a few things. Sounding like her isn't a bad thing."
"Next you'll be telling me to do a background check."
"I have a feeling Nat's doing that for you."