A/N: A prompt fill for the lovely icallhimnina!
"We were separated, sir," Clint breathes into his earpiece. "Split up in an avalanche, she'll be fine. We both saw it coming, anyways…"
"Romanoff's never one to worry about," Fury reassures his agent. "The snow's her element," he adds.
Clint nods as he adjusts his goggles. "We agreed to wait at the base of the mountain if anything happened. Hopefully, her signal will be back online soon."
"Keep me updated," Fury states before ending the conversation.
Clint can see his breath as he exhales and stares up the vast mountain. His partner's still up there, without a doubt. And she's probably found the target's base, too.
Natasha feels ice burning her cheeks. Her eyes open to darkness and a heavy weight squeezing her torso. The last thing she recalls is the mountainside giving way right when she and Barton almost reached their target. For every gain, there's a loss… Her arms find the strength to shovel past mounds of the compacted snow engulfing her. Natasha's upper half soon emerges, but as her legs kick past the snow beneath her, a stinging pain shoots up her right leg. It's probably a sprain, but with today's luck, it could be worse. Natasha bites down on her lip and uses her arm strength to pull her up. The added weight of her backpack isn't helping, but she rolls away from the crater she's made and rips off her goggles before tossing them aside. Her gloved fingers then get to work on unclasping her right boot. Then, carefully, she slides the boot off and rolls up her pant leg. It's her ankle, swollen and purple. She'll be fine- she's survived under much worse conditions.
The first thing she does is click a button on the communicator clipped to her ear, but she finds that her signal is offline. No surprise there. She gingerly slides her boot back on before managing to stand up. Her phone's GPS is also out, so she's on her own for now. She limps towards the edge of the cliff and peers down the one-hundred foot drop of pure white below her. Barton could be all the way down there. Or maybe he's nearby. She can't spot him, though, and she definitely heard him shouting when the snow and rocks came crashing down on them. "Barton?" Her voice echoes as she calls out his name. "Barton!" she yells.
Nothing. Go figure.
Natasha knows that standing around won't do her any good. She decides to continue venturing across lopsided banks of snow. Last she checked her GPS, she noticed that the target was near. No more uphill climbing, just aimless wandering until she reaches this secret base. Natasha snorts at the idea of a secret lair. Someone's been watching too many spy movies… Apparently, their target has their hands on a lethal power source. According to S.H.I.E.L.D. satellites, the nature of the source is unknown, but the readings are near Tesseract level.
"Tasha!"
She whips her head around at the sound of her partner's voice coming from further away. Natasha drags her injured foot through the snow as she follows Clint's voice towards a ledge. He's at least forty feet below and looks unharmed. "Barton!" she shouts. "I've got this!"
"Is your signal up?"
"No, but I think I'm close. Just stay put!" Natasha isn't giving him a choice. She turns around and continues to wander across the side of the mountain.
"Agent?" a woman's voice whispers.
The sound is hushed, but Natasha picks it up, even with light gusts of wind howling. She pivots on her left foot and spots a woman with long, jet black hair that makes her stand out from all the white. Natasha studies the woman's pale face and strong cheekbones. She's never seen this woman, but she feels like she has…
The stranger steps closer and lets her fur coat fall off her shoulders.
It's below zero, and here's a woman wearing nothing but a long dark green halter dress. "Do you not like the cold, Natasha?" she asks with a growing smirk.
Natasha narrows her eyes as that grin brings back flashbacks of the one and only god of mischief. She didn't know he had a sister…
"Why that look?" she questions. The woman draws closer, unaffected by the subzero weather, and reaches out to stroke Natasha's cheek.
Her icy fingers feel numb against her skin.
"Do you not recognise me?" the raven-haired woman sadly asks. "Perhaps not in this form…"
Natasha takes a step back, but accidentally adds extra weight on her injured foot. "Shit!" she hisses as she loses her balance.
The woman swiftly slips an arm around Natasha's waist right as she begins to fall backwards.
"Don't touch me!" Natasha elbows the woman in the stomach while reaching for her gun with her free hand.
The woman clicks her tongue and summons Natasha's gun into her own hand like a magnet. "This won't be necessary." She shoves Natasha back and laughs as the tiny assassin tumbles into a patch of snow.
"I don't need it to fight you," the Black Widow threatens through gritted teeth.
"Oh," the woman breathes, "but you do…" She kneels before Natasha and a green mist encircles her body.
The fog thickens and the woman's girlish laugh takes on a deeper chuckle. "Loki?" Natasha crawls backwards as the haze spreads out, revealing the trickster's crouched form. "Should've known," she mutters. "Where's the weapon?"
"'Weapon?'" he innocently asks.
"S.H.I.E.L.D.'s spotted high energy readings," Natasha lectures as she shakily stands. "I'm not here to make snow angels."
"I have no idea as to what you are referring to, Agent," he purrs.
Natasha clenches her jaw and stomps through the snowy ground as she approaches the god. "You have something. I'm here to take it back, and I might as well take you in while I'm at it. Aren't you supposed to be in prison?"
Loki clicks his tongue. "Some chains are just not fit to hold me."
"Show me what you're hiding, Loki." Natasha's glare hardens.
"Very well, then," he agrees. She won't be getting far, anyways. Her physical strength pales in comparison to his. Loki guides her towards a nearby face of the mountain. He outstretches his hand and mutters an enchantment that forces heaps of snow to fall right off of the mountain's rocky face. A steel door is revealed, and Loki casts another spell to unlock it. "To be perfectly fair, this silly hiding place is not my own," he swears as he steps aside to let Natasha through the doorway.
"Oh yeah?" The interior is lit by candles fixed to the rocks as a set of stairs spiral down.
"I would have chosen another realm entirely," Loki muses.
Natasha allows herself inside the hideout and makes it down two steps before she stops. Carved into the rocks beneath the first candle is the familiar Hydra skull. "Who sent you?" She turns to find Loki eying her with an amused look.
"You believe me?"
"Unless Hydra agents have flocked to Asgard..." She taps on the enemy's logo. "This isn't your work. Who sent you?" she repeats.
"He is of another realm," Loki states. He eyes the skull and tentacles etched into the wall with a genuinely curious stare.
Natasha carefully observes him and knows that he has no clue what Hydra is. "And did he mention Hydra?"
Loki shakes his head and returns his focus to Natasha. "He ordered me to collect a piece of his treasure. I was sentenced here and a vision told me where to look… And now here we are." He clasps his hands behind his back.
"So someone's holding something over your head. What?" she prods. Loki remains silent. "Does this hold any relation to the Tesseract?" He nods. "And you really have no clue what's down here?"
"I understand that it is a great source of power," Loki gravely states. "Much like the Tesseract…" His voice trails off as he glances past Natasha.
Natasha turns away to focus on descending the cramped and dimly lit stair case. "So what happens to you when I take this power source back home with me?"
Loki huffs indignantly. "When I return it to Thanos, my debt will be lessened." He notices Natasha using the wall for support as she warily takes each step.
"A debt, huh?" she mutters. "What happened?"
"That is none of your concern."
"Your stunt in New York caused billions of dollars worth of damage," she retorts. "You're indebted to the city. My city."
Loki observes that her right heel fails to touch the ground as she walks. The left foot seems fine, but the right… He gives her injured ankle a light kick with the toe of his boot.
She sharply inhales and outstretches both arms against the stone walls to keep her from falling forward.
"How inconvenient." Loki slips an arm around her middle and pulls her against his chest. "Mortals are so fragile."
"Don't touch me!" Natasha venomously hisses.
"You are in my way," he informs her with a sideways smirk. Loki nudges her aside and takes the lead. Before Natasha can continue her pathetic mewling, he presents his back to her and drops to one knee. "Hop on my back," he orders.
"So I can wring your neck?" she snorts.
He begins to chuckle. "I suggest you do as I say if you would like to see this object you seek."
"Why so willing to help?" Natasha hops on and grabs the leather coat covering his broad shoulders. If he tries anything funny, she has her widow bites to give Loki a nice shock. She's the one in control. Not him. Loki just might have to learn that the hard way.
"You ask too many questions." He straightens, keeping Natasha supported as he does so. For such a tiny thing, she's heavier than he thought. The bag she carries must be hiding more of her toys. He isn't afraid, though. He can handle a mortal woman.
"I need to make sure you won't steal this power for yourself." She twirls a lock of his hair around her finger and gives it a light tug.
Loki is quiet as he reflects on the New York incident. He never expected for things to go as far as they did. The Chitauri were sworn to obey him, yet they wreaked terror on their own accord. Their allegiance was pledged to Thanos, not him. "If you steal the prize for yourself, then I intend to return to Asgard and ask to be placed in a cell. One that will restrict my powers and hopefully keep Thanos at bay."
"So this guy's gonna be my problem? Coward," she mutters.
"I prefer to think of it as trickery," he chuckles.
"Does Thor know you escaped?"
"The guards will discover my absence any moment now… However, I did not escape," he divulges.
"You're a slave to this Thanos guy, then?" she assumes.
Loki feels her body begin to slip, so he tries to help by reaching for her rear and nudging her up. He then feels Natasha's fingers constrict his windpipe, so his hand is forced to leave.
"Nice try," her husky voice whispers into his ear.
Loki smirks and mentally notes that he'll try to get her to slip again soon enough.
"Mind telling me why you appeared as a woman?"
"A disguise," he says, "I believe you are quite familiar with the concept."
"You need a disguise for the middle of nowhere?" She raises a brow as she places her hands on his shoulders.
"One can never be too careful," he taunts. "I was caught after all," Loki adds. "By a certain redheaded traveler in 'the middle of nowhere.'"
"You dropped the disguise. Big no no," Natasha lectures.
"I did not wish to keep you in the dark."
Natasha rolls her eyes. "The smirk gave it away. It made me think 'Lady Loki' was your sister."
"Is my grin that recognisable?"
"It's a Loki trademark." Natasha can only see the back of his head, but she knows he's bursting with pride. "Why a woman, though? Why not tall, blond, and handsome?"
"I like to think that I make a beautiful woman," Loki huffs.
Natasha quietly laughs. "You like cross-dressing in your spare time?"
"Consider it a hobby," he jests.
"Once your time in prison's done, you should play a nice prank on Stark. I'd love to see the look on his face when an attractive woman suddenly changes into you."
Loki chuckles. "Do you find me attractive in my female form?"
She shrugs. "You're not bad looking."
He hums in reply as he reaches the final step.
"Put me down," she breathes.
"Can you walk?"
"I'll manage." Natasha slides off his back and touches the ground with her left foot.
"A tough one you are. Allow me to help…" Loki kneels before her and places a hand over her injured ankle.
Natasha was aware of his magical abilities, but she didn't think he knew healing magic. A flurry of green light wraps around her ankle and through her boot, she can feel the swelling go down and her muscles relax.
Loki finishes his spell and glances up at the redhead. "Better?"
"You could've done this earlier." Loki stands and Natasha brushes past him as she scans her surroundings. As she ventures down a hall, the candlelight begins to fade, but she finds a light switch fixed to the wall. She flips a switch and an overhead lamp flickers to life. There was more light provided by the candles, but this will make do for now. Her eyes easily spy the coveted item, a rectangular case housing an eerie red glow. She'll be damned if that's not the thing she's looking for. "Just like the Tesseract," she mutters as she approaches the case.
"Natasha!" Loki hurries to her and grabs hold of her arm. "I wouldn't touch that," he cautions. "This energy is overwhelming… Touching it may even bring harm to myself."
Natasha's eyes are mesmerized by the ruby red glow. "Don't worry." She shrugs off her backpack and bends down to zip it open. "Stark prepared me for this." She pulls out a metal canister larger than her head. "Think you can hold it long enough to get it in this?"
Loki nods as he watches her punch in a code to remove the chamber's lid. "What would you do if I suddenly take off with this and flee?"
"To Asgardian prison?" she smirks. "Wouldn't someone take it away from you?"
"I had plans to frame Odin," he corrects. "Rather than return to Thanos with his treasure, I would place it in the All Father's room." His grin widens as he imagines an angry Thanos threatening war against Odin."
"But this Thanos guy knows you're here for this."
"I can always claim that Odin reached it right before I could even get near it." Loki walks alongside Natasha as they draw closer to the energy source.
"Or you let me take it and let this Thanos guy can come to us." Natasha readies the large canister.
Loki wishes to laugh at the assassin's proclamation, but she fails to comprehend just how powerful Thanos is. The 'Avengers' would be useless up against him. Even the All Father would struggle. "Yes." His voice drifts as he grabs the case housing the coveted item. He hardly feels affected-the current casing seems to be subduing the true power. "Hold still." Loki unlocks the bottom of the case and a red gemstone clatters to the bottom of Natasha's canister.
She quickly clamps the steel lid back on and locks it. "That wasn't so bad."
"So long as you keep that closed and tucked away, then yes," the god answers.
"Working with you wasn't so bad, either," she admits with a small smirk. "Having a healer's pretty convenient."
Loki turns his nose up at her. "I am far more useful than a meager healer!"
Natasha carefully places the container into her bag and slings it over her shoulder. Before leaving for good, her eyes scan a wooden desk, then a set of steel drawers. Curious, Natasha pulls one open and is greeted with stale dust and cobwebs. She reaches for a manila folder at the very top and finds an aged photo of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s founders. Stark's dad and Peggy Carter are the most familiar faces, but what is this doing in a Hydra lair? Natasha drops her bag and continues sifting through the mess of papers. Near the bottom of the pile is a folder stamped with Russian characters. Natasha snatches up the folder and opens it to find a hauntingly familiar face. She searches for more pictures until she spots one of a sleek metal arm, and that's when she's certain it's really him.
"Natasha?"
Her body is still, but Loki's voice snaps her from her daze. Something tells her that she'll be back here again. "Time to go…"
Her eyes look as if she's seen a ghost, but Loki doesn't say a word. "Yes," he nods, "time for us to go our separate ways." He takes her hand in his and gives it a quick peck. "Until our paths cross again…"
She rolls her eyes, but manages smirk. "Try keeping out of trouble."
"Likewise," he agrees. "And Natasha," he adds in a serious tone. "Take care of that," he says as he eyes her bag. "Who knows when someone will come to snatch it away…"
"I'm on it," she vows.
"Good." He smiles at her as green smoke encircles his body.
He's gone in an instant, leaving Natasha on her own. She quickly runs up the steps and out into the fresh mountain air.
"Tasha?" Clint is just climbing up from over a ledge.
"I told you to wait." She heads over to help her partner up.
"You were taking too long," he pants.
"I was tied up…" She glances behind her towards the Hydra base's entrance. "Wait till you see what I've found…"
Natasha doesn't bother to mention Loki. Why bother, anyways? He didn't try hurting her. If anything, he had her back. Barton wouldn't even believe her if she told him the truth. The short-lived team up of the Black Widow and Loki will be one of her many secrets…