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As soon as she boarded her flight to Japan, Loki turned off her phone, and buried it at the bottom of her bag.
Normally a teacher’s salary would put you in steerage, but since Loki lived otherwise frugally she splurged on luxury in travel— the idea of 16 hours in a metal tube was still uncomfortable for one who used to teleport— and managed a business class seat. Wide, better reclining, and a footrest. Best way to go.
It was fortunate that Allspeak was not dependent on her seiðr, because that meant Loki could then easily navigate her way to the train she had booked, and finally to her destination in Japan’s smallest prefecture, Kagawa.
The further she got from foreign tourists, the easier it was to relax. Not because she couldn’t understand the people around her; of course she could. No, it was that they assumed she couldn’t understand them and generally left her alone.
She looked forward to a week of hot springs, hiking, and the amazing sweets made from the local ‘wasanbon’ sugar. Really, it’s what drove her to this unlikely spot for her trip. Lost on trains, in mountains, by the Seto inland sea: Loki was grateful for the chance to be completely unreachable for once.
Maybe then she could make up her mind whether she actually wanted to be reached by certain people again.
It was a good thing MJ didn’t actually have any plans for spring break, because she was pretty sure she didn’t want to show her face anywhere right now.
Of course she had been right— students thinking they were being surreptitious with their phones, recording her talking to Steve Rogers like he was an old friend; or at least, he was talking to her that way.
Nothing like a good, old-fashioned rumour mill, hmm? The last few days before break she’d been bombarded with questions about how she was such good friends with Captain America, anyway. Try as she might, there was no avoiding the less subtle social media posts from people she barely or didn’t even know— she really shouldn't be surprised at how quickly gossip about superheroes made its way around the internet these days with how prominent the Avengers were.
And well, Captain Rogers definitely had his share of rabid fangirls, which made her a target of sorts. Not that they had any idea what they were discussing…
If only they knew. That man only has eyes for a much older woman.
Still, it wasn’t exactly nice being a source of rumours, no matter how untrue they may be. She couldn’t exactly defend herself without revealing more than she wanted to, so hopefully it would die down before break ended, and school wouldn’t turn into a personal hell.
As much as she told herself to avoid it all, the urge to doomscroll was strong.
Mystery girl spotted with Captain America at high school in Queens! What is her connection with the first Avenger?
lol check it out, this weirdo chick at my school knows cap somehow
>wait, is that jones? no way she knows him, she must be trying to get his autograph or smth
Is that Captain America? Guys he is at Midtown RIGHT NOW omg he was talking to the principal?? What is happening?
i got a video of it, can’t hear what theyre talking about tho
>wtf where is she taking him?
>Am I imagining it or did he come up to her? duuude
>no WAY that nerd is on a first name basis with an avenger
GUYS. GUESS WHO IS STANDING OUTSIDE MY SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHER’S DOORWAY RIGHT NOW.
>pic?
>[photo.jpg]
>holy shit no way!
>why is he there??
>wait bruh didn’t she have thor there before too?
>do you think Ms. O knows the Avengers?
>>lol how that lady is a hermit
>HE JUST WENT INSIDE. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.
>guys someone saw him outside the office too. what is going on at our school?
>>in the video they posted he’s talking to ms. o’s fav student from my mythology class
>>>same one thor visited, and he called her Michelle too
>>no way is that a coincidence guys. something’s fishy.
Oh god. It was one thing being called “mystery girl” or “nerd,” but the fact that some rumour mill account already had a huge post meant that the ones from her classmates would blow up too, and her full name was on there. Who could she talk to? If she admitted knowing them, it was going to mean a lot more explaining than she was ready for. On the other hand, if she didn’t— these speculations might keep going, at least until someone else comes along with a new rumour.
Maybe it was time to call Ned, put his computer skills to the test. Could he delete some of these?
The phone rang a few times, before Ned picked it up breathlessly. “MJ? What’s happening? Are you looking for Peter?”
She scoffed before answering. “I would have called him if I were. I need to talk to you.”
“Oh.” Ned sounded a bit cheerier. “What can I help you with?”
“Can you get the pictures off the internet?”
“Pictures? Of what?”
“Ned.” MJ’s tone became serious. “Don’t pretend you don’t know.”
He sighed. “Yeah, it’s just, even if I can mess up the ones there, they’ll still have copies on their phones and stuff, and just post again. You’d need better tech skills than I have. You know how much it pains me to admit that.”
She hummed in affirmation. “Well crap. I think I might be in trouble.”
“Sorry.” Ned managed.
“Cap, you seen this?” Tony held out his phone, open to a social media app. Steve looked at the photo and caption, furrowing his brow. Gossip rags were hardly anything new when it came to exposing the lifestyles of the rich and famous, but from how it had been explained to him, The Tatler could only dream of the circulation these posts might have. He knew there were plenty of rumours about himself out there, which he was happy to ignore. This was different. “Mind telling me what you were doing at Pete’s school?”
Steve sighed. He couldn’t blame the kid giving him the idea, he was the adult here. And he clearly made a mistake talking to Michelle; the idea that everyone, teenagers included, had a high-quality camera on them at all times was still hard for him to wrap his head around. “Their principal is Jim Morita’s grandson.”
“One of your old war buddies?” Steve nodded. “Bzzzt. Wrong answer.”
“Damn it, Tony—”
“Save it, Spangles. Just because you’re sweet on Thor’s baby sister doesn’t mean you should be bothering her at work.” Tony eyed him knowingly. “We don’t want to blow anyone’s cover, do we?”
Steve shook his head, knowing he had been wrong, but couldn’t help feeling that it might be worth it in the end.
“We’ll have to figure out how to clean this up. I’ll get Pepper on keeping MJ out of any more dirt, but you might want to apprise your favourite deity of the situation. I get the feeling she looks at her phone about as often as you do.
“I’ll… Let her know.”
Spring break always seemed to end too fast. Loki had a chance to relax, but after touching down at JFK, she reluctantly turned her phone back on to find a deluge of unread messages. Frowning in consternation, she decided to start with the messages from Captain Rogers, as they made up the plurality.
Loki— I’m sorry if I’ve caused you trouble by visiting your workplace
I wanted you to hear from me first, so I hope you weren’t caught unaware by the commotion. So far none of these social media posts have mentioned you, but I worry about the damage I may have done to Michelle.
Hi Loki, just wanted to let you know that Stark’s AI was able to remove the posts about Michelle, but Peter has told me that your involvement has been speculated among students. That has not spread to the media at large, as far as we can tell.
Not sure if you are getting my messages or not, but the Avengers PR team was able to spin the story simply by mentioning my connection to Mr. Morita as explanation for my presence, and we have set a date for me to speak at a school assembly to solidify the story.
Loki, I hope I have not offended you. I really do want to at least be your friend, even if you are not open to my courting you. I don’t want you to feel pressured in any way, but I am worried about you. Perhaps it would be easier to meet in person? Stark says you are always welcome here.
I am so sorry. I did not realize how persistent these rumours and messages could be. It seems someone has managed to connect Thor’s visit to your class to my own, and drag your name into this. I understand completely if you wish to be left alone. Please do not place any blame on Peter or Michelle for their part in this.
Well, that was ominous. She opened the message from Stark next, hoping for a little clarity.
If you need a new job, you’re always welcome here.
Should she be worried about returning on Monday? What exactly had happened while she was away?
She was already dreading opening her work emails.
Well, she should at least ease the poor Captain’s conscience.
Steven— I was out of the country for spring break and did not have my phone turned on. Please forgive my silence. I will contact you again when I have caught up with what I have missed in my absence.