A Parent
Story summary/first chapter/warnings: click here
Chapter Summary: Loki tries to get Regan to understand that she's not alone anymore.
Character(s): Loki & Regan
Follow Regan here!
Read the Step God series here!
Loki spent the morning in the house by himself. Lisa had gone out with some of her friends, and Regan had to be at work from 8 AM to 8 PM. The god's mind wandered as he picked up around the house – trying to get familiar with his new surroundings. The house was small – the front door opening up to a medium-sized living room and a small kitchen to the right. To the left of the living room, there was Regan's bedroom and one of the two bathrooms. Across the hall, there was the master bedroom that had an attached bathroom. It wasn't too cramped, but it wasn't a palace that Loki had grown up in.
The neighborhood was in the middle of Harlem, and it wasn't the safest place to be – especially at night. A sense of worry filled Loki as he thought about how Regan walked to and from the bookstore where she worked. Sure, she had a taser, but a taser won't stop a bullet, and her small frame might not be able to overcome a would-be kidnapper. Sitting on the couch, pondering as he browsed the internet, the God of Mischief an idea. He would make it his job to walk his step-daughter to and from her work – seeing to it that she made it and returned home safe and sound.
Loki felt bad for Regan. The few, short interactions that he had seen with her and Lisa have been anything but healthy. He couldn't understand why Lisa loved to abuse the eighteen-year-old so much. To Loki, Regan hadn't done anything to warrant any such behavior. In fact, the teenager had only spoken two or three words since he and Lisa arrived home.
Regan needed a positive role model in her life – Loki saw that immediately. While wandering around the house, he noticed that there was no evidence of a man ever living there. This led him to believe that Regan's father wasn't in her life at all. The conclusion broke his heart.
Regan was sweet, quiet, and reserved, but Loki could see the trauma hidden behind her eyes. He didn't believe that there was a chance of getting her to open up so easily around him, but he decided to do whatever was needed to win his step-daughter's trust.
Regan needed a parent, and if Loki had to be that parent, then he would.
Once lunch time came around, Lisa still wasn't home, and Loki was worrying about Regan. Was she hungry? Did she take something to eat? Would she like to have a warm meal? Loki was already worrying about the teenager more than either of her biological parents ever have. He looked around the kitchen, and he noticed recipes for iced coffee in the cabinets. Loki smiled – realizing what he was going to take her to drink, and when he saw the box of Ramen Noodles, he decided to take her a hot meal as well. To be on the safe side, since iced coffee and Ramen didn't sound too appetizing, Loki concealed a cold root beer that he pulled out of the fridge just in case Regan preferred a soda with her meal. Before heading out, the god looked up directions to the bookstore, Paige's & Marc's, and memorized the route to take.
Regan was always happy at work. She loved working at the small bookstore, and she could talk to the customers for hours on end about all types of books. Knowing that she needed to save her meals for times of desperation, Regan tended to let herself go without eating. Once her lunch break came around, Regan intended on spending the hour in the back of the store with a book open in her lap. Just as she was going to lock the register and disappear for a while, the bell above the door rang, and she turned her attention to the front of the store.
It was Loki. He was walking towards her with a warm smile on his lips, but he stopped when he saw Regan instinctively backing up.
"Uh...," Regan softly began – gulping as she tried to get rid of her nervousness. "Um, what're you...d-doing here?"
Loki smiled at her – the sound of her voice was like a siren's song to him. "I thought you might be hungry," he told her – conjuring the hot noodles, iced coffee, and root beer into his hands. "This was what I found in the h-,"
"Why?!" Regan unexpectedly yelled. "What the hell is your problem?! I work so damn hard for my food! Why did you think it was okay to just...use it and decide when I can have it?!"
Loki concealed the treats, and he watched as Regan tried to regain her composure. "I'm...I'm sorry, Loki," she apologized weakly. "I'm ju -,"
"You don't ever need to apologize to me, okay?" Loki said softly – walking towards Regan once more. This time, she didn't move away. "You're my step-daughter," he reminded her – conjuring the items once more. "You don't ever need to worry about not being able to eat, alright?"
Regan sniffed and placed her hair behind her ear.
"Right," she nodded – watching as Loki set the food and drinks on the counter.
Loki couldn't tear his eyes away from her as her eyes – so filled with fear and pain looked at the lunch. "Would you...would you mind if I sat and ate lunch with you?"
Regan crossed her arms and shrugged.
"S-Sure, I guess," she agreed. "Um, I usually sit in the back of the shop and read."
Loki smiled widely.
"I absolutely love to read," Loki said happily. "Why don't we eat and read, yeah?"
The step father and daughter enjoyed the quietness of the bookstore – reading the same book as Regan ate her lunch. For the first time in her life, she felt happiness, but she couldn't put a finger on why she was feeling it. What was Loki doing? Was he using some sort of spell? How is it that he can make her laugh when no one has ever done so? Before Loki left Regan to finish her shift, the God of Mischief told her that he'd be there to walk her home when she got off, and for some reason, Regan's heart fluttered at the notion.
