Beauty and the Beast with a twist AU: Maria works for an organization that specializes in hunting monsters of all sorta, be they human or otherwise. Her newest target is a man who killed his family after discovering that magic had been used to repress his true nature. The man's skin is ice cold, with red eyes and blue skin. He is caught hiding in an abandoned mansion but has killed every agent trying to get to him so far because of how powerful he is. Run with it.
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REVERSE THEM - LOKI IS THE SHIELD AGENT, MARIA IS THE VILLAIN
Maria was born in America but moved to South Africa. she got into some gangs down there early on and Madripoor happened. it twisted her into a facsimile of humanity and now she makes a living killing for whoever can pay her price
-sighs at ran-
Maria shrugged at the bloody woman underneath her feet. The half a million was sitting comfortably in her backpack and she snapped a picture with her phone and sent it to her contact with the message, target down.
The blood reminded her of Madripoor- the ignition to her career. It framed her, she mused, into the freelance assassin she was today. It paid the bills well enough, and this last job had bought her a first class ticket to New York City. The woman boarded the flight with two suitcases, all her possessions stuffed into them.
When she got off the plane, Maria looked at her phone and frowned. Her next target was a member of the Shield organization she had heard of so much. Maria had requested a cool mill for this job. The file she had been supplied with was of a tall black haired man, lean in body and as tough as nails if the report was correct. His current address was in a nicer neighborhood in the middle of the city and Maria made her way to the location of her next kill.
A blond wig covered her brown curls and the white clothing she wore helped her blend in with the summer crowd. It didn't take long for her to be at the door of his apartment, and took even less time for her to disarm the alarm and enter the Shield agent's home. She scoffed as she took off the wig and changed into her normal clothes, shedding the false persona like a snake ridding itself of old skin.
"Oh Loki.. some security you have here, honey." Maria laughed at herself, strapping on some gloves and walking through the empty home. She had about an hour before the agent returned and she wanted to be ready- choosing to locate the preferred hiding place until he arrived.
An hour passed by and the woman was hiding in the bedroom, standing by the closed door as she heard the front door open. She heard the tell-tell click of a gun cocked and cursed silently. The alarm- he must have noticed. It didn't matter, she would kill him anyway and berate herself later.
The taller man searched his house with his gun ready to fire, and he stepped into the bedroom. Maria had the perfect chance to bring her gun down on his head, and came up behind him when he twisted and caught her arm in mid swing.
"Ms. Hill- I wish I could say it's a pleasure to meet you." He crooned, and if Maria wasn't so angry, she would have went weak at the knees.
"Oh no, the pleasure's all mine." She sneered, breaking free and flipping backwards, landing on her feet four steps away with the gun still in her hand. The two circled each other in the large room, both aiming to kill yet neither pulling the trigger.
"You don't have to do this, you know. You're talented- even made a name for yourself. Use those skills, Maria, for the right reasons."
"I'm sorry, what were you saying? Give up the one thing I've been doing my entire life? Like hell- you'd soon rather put me in a cell before you try to fix me."
The two guns were still in their hands, both pointed at the other. All Maria had to do was shoot and the job was over, so why wasn't she firing?
"I don't have to try and fix you, there's nothing wrong. Don't you want a job where you get thanked?"
"I do get thanked in the form of cash. It buys me food and shelter."
"You need stability, I can give it to you. Let me help you Maria."
Maria cocked her head at the man- stability. She'd never given that word much though. The more important question was why hadn't he shot her?
"I'm a wanted criminal. An assassin for hire- and here you are chatting me up about stability. What do you expect me to do?"
"I expect you to listen. Why haven't you fired yet? It's because you like the idea. There are others I work with that have ran the same path you are on now. We can help you. Give you a home."
Home. The word rang in her ears. She had never had one really. "You're worth a cool mill, Loki. Why should I give that up? Why would I want to help people when they've done nothing but hurt me? When I am so much better than them?"
He laughed, "One million? You could have easily gotten three, Maria. You aren't giving anything up, you're gaining so much more. People are not bad as a whole, you just haven't met the right ones. I want to help you Maria, help you reach your full potential. Let me."
Maria had nothing to say. "Put your gun down." She would berate herself later after shooting him. These thoughts would kill her if she stayed on them long.
"Alright- but only because I know you're thinking about it. You crave stability Maria, you need it. You long for a time where you no longer have to call the shots, to have to do everything. I can help you, you will be thanked, Ms. Hill. You will be given a home. I ask you Maria, can you live this life you have now forever?"
Maria stared, her face and body frozen. This man was offering her what her subconscious had been screaming for her whole life. She glanced down at her gun and watched it fall with a clatter upon the tile floor.
"No.. I can't." She answered, staying him in the eyes.
Loki stepped forward, kicking her gun near his across the room. "That's a good girl. I can see it now Ms. Hill. Our partnership is going to be beautiful."
