"Natasha…" Bruce gestures to the redhead after Tony just failed to lift Thor's hammer for the fifth time.
Natasha now feels everyone's eyes on her. They're eagerly waiting for her to fail at wielding Mjolnir. "Oh, no, no." She doesn't want in on this testosterone-fueled competition. "That's not a question I need answered," she replies, casually arching a brow and taking a sip of beer. The room falls silent for a second. Natasha knows they're all feeling sorry for her. Clint's even giving her puppy dog eyes. If only they knew, she muses to herself…
"So this is the infamous library I've heard so much about…" Natasha slips out of her leather jacket and tosses it onto a satin armrest. "I imagined it to be darker," she teases as she strides towards a wall of oak shelves lined with enough books to make Barnes and Noble jealous.
"You must be thinking of my private collection," Loki quips with a light chuckle. "Rest assured, darling, I will show you that much later," he promises, approaching her to rest a hand on her shoulder.
Natasha traces a finger along a row of textured spines before she grabs a book with cover bound in leather. "Have you read all of these?"
"No," Loki admits. He wraps a finger around a loose curl. "My mother has."
She lifts her head back to take in the twenty-foot high shelving. "Wow," is all she can say.
"It is simply amazing what one can accomplish when they lack your 'Twittering' and books of faces…" He smirks as he lowers his head to kiss her neck.
"'Facebook,'" Natasha corrects. "And I'm not as addicted as some people."
"Says she who subjected me to twelve minutes of cat videos."
Natasha's hand reaches to cup his cheek. "You enjoyed it."
"I enjoyed what came after," he purrs. "You are an incredible woman, my Natalia."
She carefully wedges the book back into its spot. "I wouldn't say that…"
"Nonsense." His fingers start to run along her hips. "You are simply perfect."
Natasha forces a chuckle as she presses her back to his chest. "You're only saying that so you can get sex."
"No." Loki stops to step out in front of her. "That isn't it at all." The backs of his fingers caress her soft cheek. Her eyes are giving him a hard stare, but he knows it's all for show. "Why do you insist on belittling yourself?" She lowers her eyes and the weakness shows.
"Show me your room," she mumbles, eyes fixed on the carpeted floor.
"Natasha…" He gently lifts her chin with a slender finger. Now she's giving him a glare, but he knows it's only because he's digging past the surface. And she hates that. "You have no right to look upon your actions with shame. The past is past. Look at who you are now." She turns her head, but Loki moves to meet her stare. "You are perfect."
Natasha strays from Loki's reach. "I'd rather go home now…" she uneasily tells him.
He hates seeing her like this, and the fact that he's at fault for ruining the mood only makes him feel worse. "Very well," he agrees with a heavy sigh. But what if he could prove her wrong? "Can I show you one last thing?" he asks. "We will only take a minute. And I even promise to keep quiet."
"Fine," Natasha replies, not bothering to even look at him.
A grin spreads across the god's lips. "Follow me."
Natasha agrees to let him lead the way. He shows her down a hall of stone columns with spaces wide enough for Natasha to take in the view of the palace courtyard, lush bushes, and towers of gold. They're soon at a heavy wooden door which Loki opens and disappears behind. "Don't you guys open doors for a lady?" she bitterly remarks as she allows herself in.
Loki ignores her comment as he claps once to bring light into the room. "Ah! Here we are!"
Natasha observes her new surroundings and she's particularly taken by a set of armor fixed to the wall, centered between dark brown animal pelts. She approaches the familiar silver armor adorned with chest plates that allow for her to see her own reflection. "Are these Thor's?"
"It certainly isn't my bedroom."
Natasha sees him motioning towards her in the armor's reflection. She hurries to his side and wonders if the four-poster bed is what he wants to show her… Natasha stops once she's at his side and eyes the trunk at the foot of the bed. But it's not the trunk that's most likely holding Thor's Pop-Tart stash that Loki wishes to show her. It's what's on top of it. The hammer. "Yeah, I've seen it." She folds her arms across her chest and frowns.
Loki grabs Mjolnir's handle and begins to pull until his knuckles turn white.
Natasha furrows her brows as Loki pulls back his lips to display his bared teeth. His weight's shifting back now and his cheeks are beginning to flush.
He looks to Natasha out of the corner of his eye and lets his body relax. "Has Thor not told you?" he wonders with a lopsided grin. "It is quite heavy."
"I thought you were a god." Natasha rolls her eyes and swats his hand away so she can have a go. He isn't lying when he says it's heavy, so she adds her free hand to help. Natasha starts to feel it lift and she hears a gasp, followed by Loki's breathy chuckle. She stares at the weighted end of the hammer and sees that she's got it hovering a good two inches. Funny, she's arching backwards, but gravity isn't sending her toppling onto her ass. Natasha presses her boot against the trunk to help with her balance, but Loki places a hand over hers to force her to stop.
"This is Thor's hammer for a reason," Loki begins to explain.
Natasha straightens herself and brushes a lock of hair from her eyes.
"The All-Father bequeathed this to Thor stating that only those who are worthy shall wield this hammer." His smile widens as Natasha looks from him to the hammer.
"It's just heavy…"
"No," Loki vows. "Magic. Ask the strongest man to even so much as make Mjolnir budge as you have just done. It is impossible, Natasha, unless you are truly worthy."
Her fingers begin to toy with the handle's leather strap. "So no one else can lift this except Thor?"
"That is correct." Loki nods and takes her hand in his.
"But you knew I could do it?" Her doubtful eyes search his for an explanation.
"Well," Loki chuckles, "to be quite honest, I wasn't completely certain. I was acting on a whim." He tucks a piece of her hair behind her ear. "But you have proved me right, you remarkable woman." His eyes are alight with pride for his most treasured beloved.
Natasha rubs her lips together and grins. "And what if I couldn't lift it?"
Loki draws his face closer to hers. "Then I would have to lock you away until you see your true worth," he quips. "Because you are worthy to me, my Natalia."
"And that's all that matters?" She winks and stands up on her tiptoes to give him a long kiss.