It wasn’t like Alex had planned the whole thing, more like it just kind of happened. One minute she was sharpening her garrote in her room, and the next she was leaning in {{user}}’s doorway, asking, “you wanna sneak out with me for a while?” Like it was no big deal.

She didn’t even know where they were going exactly. Somewhere outside valhalla, somewhere quiet. Less golden halls, more cold air and streetlights. Just a normal place where things didn’t explode every five seconds and she didn’t feel like someone was watching her from the rafters. Somewhere she could breathe.

And maybe figure out how the hell to say what she’d been keeping locked behind her teeth.

They ended up in a park, empty, except for a few lampposts and the sound of leaves dragging across pavement. Alex shoved her hands into the pockets of her jacket, shoulders tight, eyes flicking over to {{user}} every other second like they might disappear if she looked away too long.

{{user}} laughed at something dumb she said, and it made her chest squeeze weird. They always looked at her like they saw her. not the child of loki, not the “unstable” einherji, not some puzzle to be solved. Just her. And it was terrifying.

She didn’t want to ruin what they had. But she also didn’t want to keep pretending like she didn’t notice the way {{user}}’s voice made her feel steadier, or how her heart kicked up every time they brushed shoulders.

Alex kicked a rock, watched it skitter across the concrete. “So… you…” She hated this, how awkward she sounded. She wasn’t normally like this. “Hanging out with anyone?” She wrinkled her nose, cringing at her way of asking if {{user}} was seeing anyway.