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              It was late and most everyone was asleep. You, however, were not amongst those in the blissful state. On this night, as with many other nights, your scorned lover insomnia has crawled into your bed and made herself comfortable. Annoyed with the prospect of another sleepless night you pull a sweatshirt over your head and quietly walk to the kitchen.
              In the kitchen you make yourself some hot coco and while waiting for the milk to heat up you pull open the freezer and take out a bag of ready-made chocolate chip cookies. Your milk is done and you pour your coco into a mug. Hugging your cold bag of goodies to your chest you wrap your other hand around you mug and take your midnight snack to the main lounge. Once in the lounge you grab some rum from behind the bar and add a little kick to your coco.

              Snuggling deep into the couch you take a sip of your coco and tear open the bag of cookies. Popping one ball of frozen dough in your mouth you take notice that someone has joined you in the lounge.

              “It’s rude to sneak up on someone you know,” you say aloud, “especially if that someone is an assassin and it’s late.”

              A chuckle comes from behind you and you don’t need to look to see that it is Loki.

              “I thought Stark said you weren’t allowed to eat those,” he says pointing to the bag of cookie dough in your lap.

              You stick out your tongue before popping another ball in your mouth. Swallowing you take a sip of your coco and look at Loki,

              “Tony also told me to stop using rum when I make hot chocolate.”

              Picking up the bottle of rum sitting next to your mug you wave it at the god now in front of you and stick your tongue out again.

              “Do you ever listen to anything Stark says?” Loki asks.

              “Do you?”

              Taking out another ball of dough you hold it out to Loki, he looks at you and raises an eyebrow but takes it,

              “I honestly don’t know what the appeal of these things are.”

              Taking a bite of the tiny ball of dough Loki looks back at you and you giggle.

              “They’re a great form of therapy.”

              “Therapy?” Loki sticks the rest of the ball in his mouth.

              “You see I often find myself unable to sleep-“

              “I am well aware,” Loki interrupts.

              You stick your tongue out but continue, “Anyway there are few things that can aid in making one tired better than balls of raw cookie dough and some hot chocolate with a bite.”

              “Won’t you get in trouble?” Loki asks.

              “What is Tony going to do? Try to put another lock on the freezer?”

              “He could put a lock on your door.”

              You laugh, “Yes because that worked out so well last time.”

              Loki sits next to you and grabs your mug, “I hope you don’t mind.”

              You roll your eyes as he takes sip, then he coughs which makes you laugh,

              “Can’t handle a little rum Loki?”

              Loki glares at you and puts your mug down, “That is more than a little.”

              Chuckling you take a sip as Loki reaches into the bag and pulls out some dough. You watch him silently as he eats the frozen cookies and can’t help but smile. Shifting slightly you lean back against the arm of the couch and your mug still in your hands,

              “So what has you up this late?”

              “Something’s been bothering me lately…” Loki pauses to take another ball of dough from the bag, “I’ve been lying awake for hours.”

              For a while you and Loki sit there quietly. Ball after ball of dough disappear from the bag in your lap and soon your mug is empty and you’re drinking rum straight from the bottle. Loki looks at the bottle while it’s still in your hand and chokes on the dough in his mouth.

              “What?” you ask.

              “That isn’t Tony’s rum,” Loki chokes.

              He pounds his fist against his chest in attempts to dislodge the dough in his throat, you offer him the bottle. Loki takes a swig and shows you the label on the bottle after he swallows, your face goes white.

              “Shit, Nat is going to kill me,” you growl.

              There is still half the bottle left so you stuff the cork back in it and put it back behind the bar. When you sit back on the couch the bag of cookie dough is empty. Looking over at Loki the god is stuffing the last ball of dough in his mouth.

              “Really Loki? You do realize that now we’ll both get in trouble right?” you ask.

              Loki swallows, his eyes widen, realizing you’re right, “Shit.”

              You take the empty bag and your mug and go back to the kitchen, Loki jumps up and follows you. In the kitchen you bury the bag deep in the trash can and wash your mug and put it away.

              “What are we going to do?” Loki asks.

              Loki is genuinely scared right now and you can’t blame him, when Natasha finds out you drank half her bottle of rum… you’d be hiding in various places all over the Tower for at least a week.

              “Well Tony and Nat expect this shit from me,” you say, “I have no clue what is going to happen to you.”

              “What?!”

              You point your finger at the god, “You ate almost the entire damn bag Loki. Plus you drank the rest of my coco which left me no choice but to drink half of Natasha’s rum.”

              You shiver slightly at what your fellow assassin would do to you when she found out that you drank her liquor. It wasn’t just the fact that you drank it, Nat was fine as long as you took a little bit, but the half the bottle? Yeah… you were scared.

              “What plan of action do you suggest?” Loki asks.

              Leaning against the kitchen counter you tilt your head to one side, “well… I’m just gonna go to bed and prepare to spend the next week hiding from Natasha…”

              Loki takes a step closer to you, “That’s your plan?”

              You nod, “Yup.”

              Patting Loki’s shoulder you give him a peck on the cheek, “Good luck Loki, see you in the morning.”

~~~~~ The Next Morning: In the Kitchen ~~~~~

              Despite the urge to hide as soon as you woke up, you got dressed and dragged yourself into the kitchen. As soon as you walked in you see Steve, Bruce, Clint, Pepper, Tony and Natasha standing arounf the kitchen island. And in the middle of the island… Natasha’s half bottle of rum and the empty bag of cookie dough. Even though you knew you were in trouble you couldn’t help but say the first thought that came to your mind,

              “You dug the bag out of the bottom of the trash can?”

              Tony looks at you and you immediately freeze and laugh nervously. You are too afraid to look at Natasha, she might try to shoot you.

              “(Name),” Tony says, “This is the third time this week.”

              You stay where you are, “I know,” you mumble, “I just can’t sleep.”

              “Did my rum help?” Natasha asks coldly.

              You squeak and duck behind the wall, “please don’t shoot me.”

              Natasha sighs, “I won’t shoot you.”

              Peaking around the wall Natasha is standing away from the island with her hands raised, they’re empty, “I promise.”

              Feeling relieved you rush forward and hug her without thinking, “Thank you Nat! I promise I will give you five bottles of rum from my stash.”

              Natasha raises and eyebrow and looks down at you, “Throw it two bottles of your wine and you got a deal.”

              Cringing at the thought of parting with even a drop of the wine your family sent you from Italy but then you think, I’d rather lose two bottle of wine then my skin. You sigh,

              “Fine.”

              “And you have to buy more cookies,” Pepper says, “I was going to have you help me make them for tonight.”

              You pull away from Nat and grin at Pepper sheepishly, “Sorry Pepper.”

              Tony folds his arms over his chest and glares at you, “And do you have anything to say to me?”

              You raise an eyebrow, “Why? I didn’t drink your rum and I didn’t eat the cookie dough you were going to make.”

              “I told you not to do either of those things in the first place,” Tony grunts.

              “And I told you I would stop if you figured out what is causing my insomnia.”

              Tony is just about to say something when a booming voice fills the room, “(NAME)!”

              You think, oh shit.

              Thor stomps in the kitchen and stops when he sees you. Pointing a finger at you, you yelp and hide behind Natasha,

              “Don’t let the scary man eat me!”

              Thor doesn’t hear what you say, “My brother has been vomiting in my bathroom all morning because of you!”

              Everyone in the room looks at you, then you realize,

              “Oh yeah, Loki was with me last night.”

              “He was?” Tony asks.

              You reach over to Tony and smack his shoulder, “Of course, do you honestly think I would eat that much cookie dough if I was trying to fall asleep?”

              “So Loki at most of the dough?” Pepper asks.

              You nod and step out from behind Natasha again, “Yeah he ate almost half the bag.”

              “Why didn’t you stop him?!” Thor shouts.

              You wince but don’t move, “I wasn’t worried about him, I was trying to fall asleep.”

              Thor groans as Pepper walks over and hands him a cup of coffee. Finding some courage you approach Thor and pat his shoulder,

              “Sorry Thor.”

              He shakes his head and put a hand on top of your head, “I put my brother back in his room, you are taking care of him the rest of the day until he is better.”

              You pout, “Why?”

              Thor removes his hand from your head and pokes a finger in your face, “Because I said so.”

              Mumbling something under your breath you grab two cups of coffee from the counter and get ready to go to Loki’s room but pause at the entryway to the kitchen and look back at Thor,

              “It’s not my fault your brother cannot handle his cookie dough!”

              You head off to Loki’s room as the kitchen erupts with laughter.