Alessa took a moment to blink as she scrolled through her tumblr. Maybe something else would be more interesting, she decided with a yawn. She'd already looked over her dash and checked out a few new pages. Opening a new tab, she continued the eternal search for entertainment.

Hm. Avengers fan art. She clicked into Deviant Art. Ever since her friends had dragged her out to see The Avengers about a year or so back, Alessa had been hooked.

She'd watched all the MCU movies at least once or twice, but she wasn't afraid to admit that she'd stayed up watching Thor a few times a month since she'd discovered it, trying to get more insight into Loki. Between it and Avengers, Alessa felt she was getting closer to understanding him.

Forget the romance with Jane Foster, the real story in Thor was about Loki. Love stories were a dime a dozen, but a story about brothers, magic, and thousand year grudges? As her friend Tanya would put it, "yes please, cut me off a slice of that!"

After another 15 minutes or so of time wasting, Alessa decided it was probably nearing the time she should begin on homework. College wasn't for the weak of heart, after all.

But the mere thought of that calculus homework…

Maybe another 10 minutes wouldn't hurt, she decided wryly.

Within a few minutes she'd found a link to "Great Avengers Wallpapers!" for phones. They were fun, but for some reason she couldn't get the image for the "Loki Trapped" wallpaper to load. It was supposedly one of those with the character pressed up against up against the glass as if they were trapped and trying to escape. They were pretty popular, and Alessa thought they were worth a good laugh.

Now if only the darn thing would load.

Alessa glanced at the clock in the corner of the screen. It was nearly ten o'clock.

With a sigh, she decided to go ahead and download it. Maybe then she could at least view it. Of course, her friends would all tease her mercilessly if they saw it. They were all convinced that just because they were hopelessly in love with Tom Hiddleston that she had to be too. There was a difference between appreciating an interesting character and crushing on a good looking actor. They were just unaware of it.

Running a hand through her hair, she clicked download. Once she was sure it was actually loading, she plugged it in to charge. With a sigh, she moved to her desk and opened her textbook.

That "wallpaper" had better not be a virus, she thought bitterly, beginning the chapter.

She woke to a horrid buzzing noise. It felt like someone had weaponized sound and was trying to commit homicide with it.

...Had she upset anyone recently?

For some reason the idea made her think of Iron Man. Why would it-? Wait. Of course. Weaponized sound, Obadiah, Stark. Iron Man 1. Ah, sweet Marvel…

The sound was still going.

Alessa eventually became aware that she wasn't murdered, but her alarm was going off. Maybe they should weaponise it though. That thing was awful.

Groaning, she stumbled out from under her covers and over to her alarm clock. She'd placed it across the room so it'd be harder to hit 'snooze' before she realized that she really did have to go to class. It wasn't as effective as she'd hoped, but it was approximately 29% more successful overall than bedside alarm clock placement.

And she was already measuring percentages. That probably meant she was awake.

Slapping the clock off, Alessa massaged her forehead before reaching for her phone. Checking for any new messages or emails was always her first task of the morning. Hm. Nothing. But, (ah ha!) the evil-virus-monster-that-still-might-be-a-wallpaper had finished downloading.

She procrastinated for a while, going through her morning routine and starting breakfast before letting curiosity overtake her paranoia. No time like the present, she decided, if it's going to destroy my phone, it's not like trying the wallpaper will activate the virus, right?

Sometimes Alessa really wished she knew more about technology.

In 'Settings' she selected the new wallpaper. Now for the big reveal! she thought, pouring a glass of orange juice.

Going to her homescreen, she was disappointed to see that Loki wasn't pressed up against the glass trying to escape, but sitting a bit further in the distance against a white wall, staring blankly across the room. It was well rendered, and she'd give it that.

"At least it's not a virus," she muttered, annoyed at the false advertising. Alessa took a long swig of her juice, and she thought she saw something move out the corner of her eye. She really needed to get more sleep.

Glancing around the tabletop, she finally focused on her phone.

Loki was looking up at her now, head tilted. Hadn't he been…?

"Well this is unexpected." he said mildly.

Alessa briefly considered screaming, but she really didn't have the energy for that. It was too early for this.

"You could say that again," she replied, taking another sip of her orange juice.

Was she still asleep and dreaming, or just hallucinating from exhaustion? Either way, the Marvel geek in her kept her from worrying too much. Fandom related dreams were always fun - even gifts to be treasured; every true fan knew that. Shouldn't that go for fandom related hallucinations too?

The (dream? Hallucinatory?) Loki studied her for a moment before rolling his eyes. "I presume you're a Midgardian, and only recently awake, by the looks of it."

"What a clever, clever little man in the box," she monotoned.

Loki raised an eyebrow. "What a dull-witted little mortal gaping at a box." he replied, voice light.

Alessa smirked at him, internally laughing at the fact that she was talking to her phone. "Your words have no power," she told him, "You just summed up my entire existence, and I love Insta far too much to be offended."

He allowed for a small frown, puzzling over her 'small-minded foolishness' no doubt before simply shaking his head. "You won't do at all," he told her.

"I'd love to hear it, but I have more important things to do." she told him apologetically, "Like make toast." and with that she turned off her phone.

She went to pop a slice of bread in the toaster when she was suddenly hit by a wave of exhaustion. Why had she stayed up so late again?

Loki was in her phone. Was she really so anxious about malware that she'd dreamed up that?

This was going to be a fun day. She could tell already.

AN: Welcome to the story! Thanks for taking time to read my silly little story. This is my first time posting a fic, so feedback is welcome and appreciated!