FE 2024 Prompt Table 2 Fill #29 - Garage

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Eva Stark was a rising star in the culinary world. Ever since she could remember, she had a passion for cooking that started with her helping her mother with dinner. She entered culinary school after she graduated high school, and worked hard to become a 4-star chef at a top restaurant. She succeeded in everything she wanted to accomplish in the culinary, never forgetting her roots of her small town as she did so.

 

Tony Stark, her father, was her town's top and number one mechanic. He could fix anything and everything that had an engine, whether it was cars or tractors. If her mother had given her a love of cooking, then her father had instilled in her the love she had for tinkering with machines. Her love of tinkering had proved to be beneficial in her cooking in ways she'd never guessed as the tinkering had helped her hone both precision and attention to the little details, just like her father.

 

Pepper Potts, her mother, was one of the most loved teachers in town at their local elementary school. She always encouraged Eva's love of learning new things and exploring her world, whether it was through her cooking or helping her father take apart old appliances with her father.  Another trait Eva had gotten from her mother was her love of helping other people, something that Eva had worked into her cooking on days she volunteered in programs that fed the less fortunate.

 

Finally, Eva's older brother, Ethan, was a talented artist who had moved away from their town to New York to pursue his dreams in the arts. Even with him living hundreds of miles from them, they all remained close to one another and they supported each other in their individual endeavors.

 

One day when Eva was in the middle of prepping everything for dinner service that evening when she got a call from her father. Her Dad was in a bit of a bind, and needed her help for what some might consider to be an unusual project. It seemed the town's only milk truck had broken down on the outskirts of town. The milk truck was a very important part of town as it was used to deliver fresh milk to the town's families on an almost daily basis.

 

"Of course, I can help, Daddy. Just give me a day or so to get back to town and we'll have the milk truck fixed in no time!" 

 

With the end of that phone call, Eva packed up her tools and headed back to her hometown as quickly as she could arrange it. She dropped off her things at her parents house, then went to find her father. It didn't take long to find him since everyone in town knew about the milk truck and was able to tell her the location. When she arrived at the spot, she found her father in the middle of a group of farmers she'd known most of her life, all gathered around the milk truck. The farmers were all smiles when they saw her as they were all eager to get the truck back to delivering.

 

After hugging her father, Eva said, "Well, first things first and I think that's we need to get the milk truck towed back into town. But that's only if you don't want to start hauling all your tools out here to Farmer Stokes's field?"

 

"All the same to you, Tony, Miss Stark, I'd prefer that you didn't, since I plan on letting my cows in this field today," Farmer Kurt L. Stokes piped up.

 

"Okay, towing it to my garage it is then!" Tony said.

 

 

***

It took about an hour to get the tow truck out to the farm, get the milk truck hooked up, and then towed back to Tony's shop. Once the milk truck was in the shop, father and daughter got to work to see what had caused the milk truck to break down.

 

While they worked, they talked, laughed, and caught up with what was happening in their every day lives as it'd been awhile since Eva had come home. After they'd been working a few hours, Eva suggested they take a break, and she got out the thermos of milk one of the farmers had given her while they'd waited on the tow truck.

 

"So, Daddy," Eva began, taking a sip of milk before continuing, "You know how you and Mom have had the suspicion that I am seeing someone. And you know how I've uh been denying it?"

 

Tony nodded, "Yes, I know and know." He sipped his own milk and took a bite of one of his daughter's homemade chocolate chip cookies she'd brought with her, "So are you? Seeing someone that is?"

 

Eva nodded, and took a deep breath before she said, "Yeah... yeah I am seeing someone, and we're actually coming up on the six month mark soon."

 

He gave a whistle, "Wow! Six months already, huh?"

 

"Yeah."

 

"So, is it okay for me to ask who he is?"

 

She nodded, "Yeah, yeah it's okay. It's... Loki Laufeyson." As she talked she watched her Dad closely to see his reaction.

 

Tony's eyes widened, even as he nearly choked on his milk. After a coughing fit, and wiping away his tears from it, her asked, "Loki Laufeyson... as in the other chef you were bickering with every two seconds on that cooking competition you did?"

 

"Yes, he's the one," she confirmed, smiling sheepishly.

 

Tony whistled again then said, "Wow, honey, never in a million years would I seen that one coming since you two really seemed to... not like each other. Or was all that animosity between you two a part of it too since you were doing a so-called reality cooking competition?" He made air quotation marks when he said the word air, "I made I've heard how sometimes they ask competitors to put on acts with each other to make these shows more interesting since people love juicy drama."

 

"Well in our case what you saw was not an act put on for benefit of the show. I mean if you want to confirm it, just ask Darcy, and she'll tell you that neither Loki or I even liked each other before we went on Commander Chef!"

 

"No love lost then, huh?"

 

"No, there wasn't. We literally could not stand each other!" Eva said, rolling her eyes as she recalled her past interactions with Loki.

 

"So what changed between you two?" Tony asked.

 

Eva took a moment to gather her thoughts, thinking on where exactly the unexpected turn in her relationship with Loki, and had transformed it from hostile rivalry to something that was definitely friendship and perhaps love? Finally she sighed, and said, "It's kind of a long story, Dad, but I'll do my best to sum up. It turned out that after the show had ended, we both went back to our respective restaurants, and we continued on with our careers. But somehow, over the next month, we kept bumping into each other at the most unexpected places."

 

"Such as?" Tony inquired.

 

"Well for one, like the restaurant that prepares and serves quality, nutritional food to the poor and the homeless. I like to volunteer there whenever I can, and one day I went in for a shift, and found Loki of all people already in the kitchen.!"

 

Tony arched an eyebrow.

 

"I'm serious, Daddy! Loki was there, chopping up rainbow carrots!"

 

As she continued to recount the transformation in her relationship with Loki, Tony listened attentively, his curiosity piqued by the unexpected turn of events. When Eva had finished, he leaned back against his workbench, and thought about everything she had told him.

 

"I'll say it again, wow. That really is quite the plot twist," Tony remarked with a chuckle, "Who would have thought that behind all that bickering you two were doing was hiding the spark of romance?"

 

Eva grinned, relief washing over her at her father's positive reaction, and she nodded, "Yeah, it's crazy how these things work out sometimes. I mean we went from not liking each other at all to collaborating with each other in the kitchen, and well, outside of it too."

 

Her father gave a pensive nod, "I suppose maybe it could be the magic of good food? I mean I've never tasted his food but I have yours, and believe me, it has the ability to bring people together in more ways than just one."

 

Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching the garage. Eva looked to the door to see who it was, and she found Loki standing there with a sheepish smile on his face

 

"Hello, I hope that I'm not interrupting something important," Loki said, his gaze going back and forth between them.

 

Eva shook her head, and she  gestured for him to come closer, "Not at all. Dad, as I'm sure you know, is Loki Laufeyson."

 

With a warm smile, Tony extended his hand in greeting, "It's nice to meet you, Loki. Eva's told me a lot about you."

 

Loki shook Tony's hand with a polite smile, "Likewise, Mr. Stark. I hope Eva hasn't been causing too much trouble."

 

Tony looked at his daughter, and laughed, "Oh you have no idea."

 

"Well, we've got about another hour or so left of work to do to hopefully get the truck up and going," Eva said, wiping grease from her hands onto a rag.

 

"Do you need any help?" Loki asked.

 

"Do you know about about engines?" she countered.

 

"Touche. No, sorry, I do not. I'm a man who takes his automobile to the shop whenever something might be wrong."

 

Loki looked around the garage, his eyes lit up in interest, "Well, there must be something I can do to be of help. Perhaps, I can fetch tools for you or hold something in place for you?"

 

Eva gave him an appreciative smile at his offer, "Actually, that would be great. Dad, could you pass me the wrench?"

 

"Sure thing, sweetheart," Tony said as he handed her the requested tool.

 

Loki eagerly jumped into helping them, fetching and handing tools over, and kept parts steady as Eva and Tony worked on getting the milk truck repaired. Despite his lack of mechanical expertise, Loki's willingness to help them and learn impressed them both.

 

While the worked, Eva stole glances of Loki. There was something endearing about the way he threw himself into whatever task they needed him to do, the way he rolled up his sleeves and the way his brow furrowed when he was concentrating that made her heart flutter.

 

Eventually their hard word paid off as the milk truck's engine turned over and roared to life, causing the three of them to cheer.

 

"Yes, we did it!" Eva exclaimed, throwing her arms around Loki in a happy hug.

 

Loki grinned, hugging her back, "Teamwork makes dream work."

 

Tony put his hands on both of their shoulders, eyes shining with pride, "We couldn't have finished this as fast without your help, Loki. Thank you!"

 

He nodded, "It was my pleasure, Mr. Stark."

 

With the milk truck now running smoothly, they stepped back to admire their handiwork. And as Eva looked at Loki, grease smeared across his cheek and a triumphant smile on his face, she couldn't shake the feeling that their partnership extended far beyond just fixing a truck. Perhaps, she thought, it was the beginning of something more.

FE 2024 Prompt Table 2 Fill #30 - Tree House

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FE 2024 Prompt Table 2 Fill #31 - Midnight

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Loki tried not to pace the hallway outside of his daughter's chambers, but in the end, he was unable to stop himself as his mind returned to the day years past when she was born. The day of her birth had been both a tragedy and a triumph as he'd gained his little snowflake but had lost his beloved Eva in the process. Still not all expectant mothers have had a curse placed upon them by a dying, revengeful witch, as Sigyn had not, and he knew she would come through this just fine.

Still each and every time he heard his daughter cry out or one of the midwife's apprentices made an appearance to fetch something for her, it was all he could do not to burst into the chamber with Sigyn, and shove Valir, his son-in-law, aside.

"Fear not, my Lord," one of the apprentices reassured him when she emerged from the chamber, "Lady Sigyn is tended by one of Asgard's most skilled midwives. All will be well."

Loki gave her a withering look before he resumed his pacing of the hallway. Of course he knew Sigyn was in very capable hands, yet his heart still thundered in his chest with every groan and whimper that reached his ears from within.

Midnight was marked by the bell tolling its solemn sound, which marked the arrival of another day. Loki paused, hoping that with the next time the bell rang out, his daughter's child would have made their way into the world at last. 

Then as if the child heard his heart's desire, a small cry that grew most lusty with each second came from behind the chamber's door — a newborn's cry. Loki's breath caught in his throat.

A few moments later the door of the chamber opened inward, and the chief midwife came out, a wide smile gracing her face, "The babe has arrived at last, my Lord. A fair, healthy maid-child has graced the halls of Lord Valir this night at the stroke of midnight."

Relief washed over Loki at the midwife's words, and then a tidal wave of joy enveloped him. 

"Lady Sigyn is asking for you, my Lord," the midwife said.

Loki nodded, and brushed past her into the chamber.

Sigyn laid in the bed, propped up against many pillows cradling a tiny bundle close to her chest. She looked up at him when he stopped at the foot of the bed, her eyes shining with happiness. She was clearly exhausted but Loki's not sure he's ever seen his daughter look so radiant as she does now.

"Hello there, Grandfather," she murmured as Loki comes to bend over the bed.

As Loki drank in the sight of his daughter and first grandchild, the trickster found that he had no clever quips, no mocking barbs to smother the love swelling one hundred fold in his chest. Instead, Loki simply drops a tender kiss to each one of their foreheads, allowing his tears of joy to say everything that needed to be said.

"Would you like to hold her, Father?" Sigyn asked.

Loki's eyes went to the other side of the bed where his son-in-law was seated, quietly observing them. As much as he wanted to hold his granddaughter, he was not about to rob Valir the honor of being the first to hold his new child.

Valir smiled as if he knew what Loki was thinking, and he nodded, "Go on, the midwife placed her in my arms mere seconds after she was born."

Loki nodded his thanks back to Valir before returning his attention fully to Sigyn and the precious bundle in his arms. With infinite gentleness, he extended both his arms, and carefully took the swaddled baby, bringing her to his chest to cradle her.

As the tiny face came into view, Loki could not help but be stunned by how utterly perfect she seemed to be. There were wisps of soft, downy hair that graced her head, of which Loki did not doubt came from both his beloved Eva and his daughter. And when she slowly opened her eyes, she looked up at her grandfather with unfocused by bright eyes, Loki's breath caught in his throat. For there in her gaze was the striking emerald green hue that so unique to his side of her family line.

While continuing to study her face, Loki inquired, "Have you decided upon a name for this little snowdrop?" 

"Snowdrop? Sigyn said with a smile, recognizing it as her father's endearment he had always called her.

Her father nodded, "Yes, it seems fitting."

Sigyn smiled at her father, "Indeed it is, I love it. And to answer your question, Father, we have decided to name her Freya, in honor of—"

"Your grandmother," Loki finished with a smile.

Oh Frigga would be thrilled and honored, and he hoped, would smile when she heard the name of her newest great-granddaughter. With Odin once more fallen into the Odinsleep, it seemed like the Queen smiled so little these days.

"A fitting choice — for both her great-grandmother and for her, as he beauty will be great."

The newborn yawned, and closed her eyes again, sighing off to sleep in the safety of her loving grandfather's arms. As he looked at her, Loki knew his life's purpose had never more apparent to him — he would be fierce in his love of her and he would help to guide her in his life in any way that he could.

Tonight has truly been the most special of nights, and Loki had never been more thankful for what he had been given.

Part Two

FE 2024 Prompt Table 2 Fill #32 - Yesterday

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Tony was sitting at the table, sipping his morning coffee as he watched his son and Ethan and daughter Eva wander into the kitchen as their still sleepy eyes adjusted to the morning light.

Ethan gave a big yawn, before he plopped down in a chair, "'Morning, Dad."

"'Morning, champ," Tony replied with a smile, "Did you have lots of fun yesterday, sport?"

Suddenly Ethan was fully away as his face lit up with an excited grin, "Yeah, Dad! Mommy took us to the zoo, and we saw lions, and tigers-"

"And bears, oh my!" Tony finished for him, chuckling at his enthusiasm, "Sounds like you had quite the adventure with Mommy. And what about my little princess? Eva, did you enjoy the zoo too?"

Eva's the younger of the two as she's 3.5 years younger than her brother. She nodded as enthusiastically as her brother, her curls bouncing with every bob of her head, "It was the best! I really loved the monkeys, Daddy! They were so silly and funny!"

Tony ran a hand over his daughter's wild bed head, "I'm glad you both had fun yesterday. Some needed to while Daddy was stuck in old, boring meetings all day long!"

Pepper chose that moment to enter the kitchen, and she rolled her eyes at her husband's statement, "Oh please! You were in a room full of scientists and engineers all day yesterday! You were having as much fun as the kids if not more!" She gave him a kiss and went to pour herself a cup of coffee.

"'Morning, Mommy!" Ethan and Eva shouted in unison.

Pepper returned and sat down by Tony, "So did they tell you about our trip to the zoo yesterday?"

He nodded, smiling, "Yeah they did. Sound like you guys had more fun that a barrel of monkeys!"

Pepper chuckled, nodding. "We did have fun but I think Eva's favorite part of the day was when we had ice cream after we left the zoo,"

Eva grinned, "Yeah, yeah! Daddy, I had Hunka-Hulka Burnin' Fudge!"

Tony rolled his eyes, and acted like he was going to get up, "Just for that, little girl, I think you need to be Tickle Monstered!"

Eva shrieked and hunkered down in her chair, "No, Daddy! Don't!"

"Okay, I'll have mercy this time but I'd better not hear again that you love Uncle Bruce's ice cream flavor more than you do Daddy's!"

"Okay, Daddy!"

"Speaking of Bruce, how was he when you saw him yesterday, Tony?" Pepper asked.

They finished breakfast, and started to decide what they wanted to do together as a family.

"Hey, Dad?" Ethan said.

"Yeah, Ethan?"

"Could we go to the park today? I really want to fly my new kite!" the little boy said.

"New kite?"

"Yeah I got a new kite at the zoo yesterday! I has sloths on it!"

Tony shared a glance with Pepper then said, "Cool! Yeah I think we can fit the park in for today, champ."

"Say, why don't we have a picnic at the park? Make it a whole day family affair?" Pepper suggested.

"That sounds like a great idea. I'll go get the kiddos ready and-"

"I'll get our food ready!"

"Come on, kids, let's go get ready to go to the park!"

"Yay!" Ethan and Eva exclaimed, running down the hallway to get ready for more family fun and memories.

FE 2024 Team Fill #15 - Dew Part Deux

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