As soon as he walked through the door of his townhome, Loki was greeted by a beaming Eros.
“Hello, darling!” Eros stood on his toes and grabbed Loki’s tie to pull him down the rest of the way, to kiss him hard on the mouth. “That’s from Hypnos,” he whispered before releasing the tie.
“Ah. How thoughtful. Hypnos was here?” Loki began to shrug off his coat.
“Yes, he was. Let me get that for you!” Eros took Loki’s coat off the rest of the way and hung it on the rack. Eros smiled beautifully and batted his lashes. “So, I was thinking-”
Loki cut him off. “We’re going to the ball.”
Eros slumped. “Damn...”
“You didn’t really think that would work did you?”
“No. But I foolishly had hope.” Eros said, “Don’t you remember what happened the last time we went to one of Death’s soirees?”
Loki only smiled down at him. Eros exclaimed, “We were almost sent to Tartarus!”
Loki headed up the stairs, and Eros followed him saying, “This has Greek tragedy written all over it! Our tragic flaw is attending parties. It’s a death trap.”
Loki turned into their room. “You know what I love about you?”
Eros stopped in the door frame. “My keen foresight? That, if listened to, will keep us safe from danger tonight?”
“No. Not that. You don’t have foresight. You have social anxiety.”
Eros said under his breath, “And now I know how Cassandra of Troy felt...”
“See. That. That’s what I love about you.” Loki sat down on the trunk at the end of the bed and began to take off his dragonhide boots. “You’re secretly funny. I don’t think most people know you’re funny... Or, maybe they don’t get your sense of humor.”
Eros sighed.
“Do you remember what you said to me that night before the Collectors Gala?” Loki asked, “When I was too afraid to go?”
Eros squinted, trying to remember. “No, what did I say?”
“You said- And I remember this like it was yesterday. It was so poetic. You said Yes, we have to go."
“Wow. Did I say that? Deeply moving. Fine. How was Victor?” Eros started to head to the new closet Loki magickally installed next to his own.
“I was really there for Josanna today.” Loki stood from the trunk and stepped into his own closet.
“And how is she?” Eros’s closet was sharp and grey, and had many drawers and shelves. The lights illuminated upon his entrance.
Loki’s closet was dark and cramped and filled with clothes he hadn’t worn in centuries. He pulled the chain overhead and the incandescent light clicked and clinked on. “Victor is confusing her abilities with madness. Or, covering them up with madness.”
Eros picked out an outfit and hung it on the mirror to examine it. “If he were covering up her madness, then why would he have you psychoanalyze her? Or, whatever it is he thinks you’re doing?”
“My theory? To keep everything on the up and up.” Loki took off one pair of slacks, then put on a different pair of slacks. “Or, to find out what she really knows without having to be the one to do it. If he, or his family, did it then she might not tell the truth. She is present enough to know when to lie...”
“Possible,” Eros called, satisfied with his tie selection.
Loki took off one shirt and put on another. “Or, if she does recall something incriminating against him, he can claim madness and have an unbiased third party to back him up.”
“Or, all of the above. Except you are not an unbiased third party, are you?” Eros blinked and was now dressed in his new outfit. He examined it in the mirror.
“He doesn’t know that...” Loki grabbed three different red ties and threw them over his shoulder. “And I think I am handling all of the incoming evidence fairly without bias. I’m only looking where the facts are pointing.”
There was an uncomfortable silence coming from Eros’s closet.
Loki waited for a second longer, then ripped a random jacket off the hanger and stormed back into the bedroom. “You think I’m biased? The evidence-”
Eros ambled from his closet, completely dressed in his Yuletide best. “Your evidence is nothing but conjecture right now, Loki, and one can easily see you have a particular interest in this girl.”
“Why would I want to prove Victor did this to her? And that Alec is telling the truth? That would be a conflict of interest. I detest Alec. How would I stand to benefit?”
“I don’t know. But what I do know is your fondness of this girl hinders your ability to be unbiased.” Eros picked a red tie from Loki’s shoulder and reached up to begin tying it around his neck.
“But, I like Victor,” Loki offered.
Eros pressed his lips together. “Do you?”
“Of course I do.”
“You use him, Loki. A means to an end. Right now, he is useful only because he allows you to explore Josanna’s head. Maybe you would stand to benefit from him being out of your way?”
“Preposterous.”
“Also,” Eros flattened Loki’s tie, “...He’s Baldr.”
Loki snarled down at the youthful god, “What do you mean he’s Baldr? He’s not Baldr!”
“He’s too perfect. You can’t stand that sort of thing. You’re looking for mistletoe... a weakness.”
Loki made an over-exaggerated confused face. “Too perfect? Then how are we dating?”
Eros smiled. “Because I’m a mess, and you like it. And I thought we were getting married?”
Loki grimaced.
“What was all that about yesterday?” Eros sat on the edge of the bed.
Loki cleared his throat. “Thanatos said we might as well get it over with, and he offered to pay for it as an apology.”
Eros stood. “That’s it. I’m not going to his stupid ball!” He strode from the room.
Loki called, “You’re going!”
