It's the Loki/Fem!Tony fic I promised! Same general rules from my other two fics, primarily from ATP. I suggest you go read that before anything. In summary, Natasha Stark is the female Tony Stark. No one knows the Iron Man's true identity, not even the Avengers. Only Pepper, Rhodey, Fury and Coulson know of it.
"I blame you." Iron Man sighed as she looked up at the rubble and debris that sat above her and company. The communication in her HUD were down and the few things that were actually functioning included her arc reactor and the vital signs her HUD showed. Otherwise the suit was useless. She sat herself on the ground, her arms leaned on her knees as she assessed the rest of her environment. They seemed to be under the rubble of an otherwise demolished building. Her gaze fell upon her company as he responded.
Natasha Stark had never expected to be in such a situation.
"Had you not attacked me, this could have been prevented." Loki muttered as he continued to glare at the metal armor. Loki sat on the ground aswell. His own armor had been sprinkled with dust and dirt to a point. There was a small cut on the top right of his forehead. "I've been released by Odin under the regulations that my magic be removed and that Thor be watching over my actions. I wasn't doing anything wrong." He sneered, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Okay, yeah. I admit, that bit is my fault. Point Break failed to mention any of that and," she paused, turning back to him. "knowing you, you've hidden a bit of you magic for safe keeping." Loki paused, smirking at the hero's correct assumption. "Indeed, however I save it for healing purposes." Another pause, it was silent in the rubbled cave aside from the occasional movement of Iron Man or himself. "I suppose your team should be coming soon enough to the rescue." It was casual conversation, that much she could tell. "How long have we been in this rat hole?" She questioned aloud.
"I suppose 3 hours. But I can't be sure. It hasn't been the center of my focus." She replied dryly. The two remained silent momentarily, letting it dawn on both of them the severity of the situation. "How does one such as yourself become allies with Fury and his fife?" Natasha turned abruptly, unsure if he had asked the question. "It's mere curiosity. I've researched into your tiny Midgardian ways. You have close ties to a mortal of great intelligence and you have great power at your disposal. Why not lead your own army?"
"Because as egotistical as I may be, I'm not power crazy. I knew people like that. They were some of the worst people…" Her sentence faded as she realized who she was referencing. The first she was referencing was Obadiah. Had he been a stranger bent on controlling the company, she wouldn't have taken the attack as personally as she had. But the idea that her makeshift father designated a hit on her just to obtain a company meant a whole different story entirely. It meant that growing up, she really had no one behind her.
Loki paused, giving thought into the response she gave.
"Being a defender takes a lot, I must say. A lack of self-preservation, if you would. That and or not a lot to risk. It's rather fascinating." Loki pressed his lips firmly together, waiting for a response eagerly. He could hear the Iron Man sigh audibly from within the suit. "Before I-… myself and Miss Stark were recruited as consultants for the Avengers, they regarded us as selfish, volatile and that we didn't play well with others." Natasha pasued momentarily observing the slight pain in her shoulder. She passed it off. Loki noticed it though as she continued. "I don't really blame them. I tend to be reckless, if this situation wasn't enough to convince you . Hell, I offered you a drink the first time I met you during the invasion. If that isn't reckless I'm not really sure what is."
Loki frowned, having to backtrack to the Chitauri invasion. "You're mistaken. It was Natasha Stark that confronted me at the tower. She descended from a stairway, offering the drink…" Loki observed the suit for a response, noting that Iron Man was constantly fidgeting with her shoulder. She remained silent, fully regretting the slip up she had. "You don't use magic here but the technology is something to wonder about. At least the technology at your disposal is." She raised an eyebrow from beneath the helmet. He was trying to make small talk. "Would you like to know a little about it?"
Natasha shifted, moving to her knees as Loki scooted over to her side. Not too far and not too close. Natasha felt a sharp pain through her arm so she opted to write in the dirt with her left hand. "Thor likes to tell stories about Jane." She paused, taking in Loki's expression. It was unreadable at that moment. "He told us how he explained to her the way the realms worked. The astronomy of our world is probably different, right?" Loki stared at her as if trying ot see through her helmet into her eyes. Even in the dimly lit cave, she could see how green his eyes were. The light from his newly acquired scepter (that was only powered by magic) and her arc reactor created the only two lights in the area. "Right." He replied in almost a whisper as she began to draw out the night sky as best as she could.
"She's not at the tower." Bruce said solemnly as he returned to the rest of the team. Steve frowned at the news as he did a headcount. Everyone was there except for Iron Man. "Miss Stark, come in, do you read me?" Steve said firmly into his com, only getting static in response. He sighed heavily. "Great. So we lost communication with Stark and Iron Man. Where does she usually keep watch from?" He asked the general group. Agent Romanoff replied. "She usually sits in the tower or the helicarrier, from what I'm told…" Steve frowned his signature grimace. He didn't like what was happening at all. "Let's back track for a second. When was the last time we saw Iron Man?" Clint Barton jumped into the conversation.
"He noticed the presence of my brother and must have presumed mischief was afoot." Thor explained, his gaze going over all of their expressions. "And then…" Steve paused, replaying what had happened. His eyes widened as he thought back. "Damn. The building collapsed and they're under the rubble. It's the only thing that makes sense." He started to glance around, looking for the area he last saw them. His eyes fell on what he presumed was the correct pile or rubble and concrete. "That building." He pointed over to his far left. "We need to get under that rubble. Loki and Iron Man are probably underneath. We don't know what condition they'll be in but we should have SHIELD medics on standby."
"Your arm is injured." Not a question. A statement. Over the course of two hours, she had covered astronomy and parts of history with Loki. She had even described a few pieces of written work, such as The Importance of Being Earnest and a few Shakespeare works. He was a quick learner and didn't need detailed explanations. "Good job Reindeer Games. You figured it out." Loki smirked, curiosity pulsing through him as he wanted to know more about the Iron Man. A mortal willing to challenge a god at wits made him all the more curious.
He began to slowly approach the suit, the cave in allowing for just enough room for him to stand and move. Natasha held a cautious gaze on him; prepared to fight if he pulled anything. Sitting next to her, he raised his hands onto the lower part of her armor, a low glow emitting from them. She felt a tingly sensation briefly before the gauntlet fell, leaving her hand and lower arm exposed. "Your shoulder or your upper arm?" He questioned, not explaining what he was doing. Natasha sat still, speculating every possible theory. "Shoulder…" She said softly. Loki repeated the process, the upper arm armor falling as easily as the gauntlet had. Loki had been looking over her arm when he first noticed.
"…Your arm is rather feminine. No offense, of course, it's just-"
"No, it's all right." Natasha, at that point, really just wanted a drink. A drink and to go to bed. "I understand, of course. To gain acceptance, you fight as a man. Acceptance isn't something easily obtained." His tone was dark as he placed his long fingers on her shoulder. "It's not something I have period." Her statement was blunt as Loki was a bit taken back by comment. "This may hurt somewhat…" Loki said softly, looking up at the mask. "Might I suggest taking off the helmet? Your drowsy responses are becoming more evident and frankly you'd receive more oxygen if you took it off." Natasha blinked, taking in his suggest and realizing he was correct. She was having a bit of trouble breathing. She was stuck in a cave with the god of mischief having a somewhat casual conversation.
She sighed before lifting her other hand to manually take off the HUD. A few minor clicks and the helmet loosened around her head, allowing her to slide it off. She took a deep breath as soon as he face interacted with the oxygen rushing to her. She set her gaze on Loki, his green eyes meeting her brown eyes for the first time in a long while. "You truly are a fascinating subject, Natasha Stark." Her face held a stern look, it didn't falter even in the presence of a god. "I still don't trust you." The adamant statement made him grin widely, his magic was coursing through her unnoticed as they continued the conversation. "But you have to hope I won't mention a word about this to you friends, no?" She swallowed hard, turning away and focusing on looking at the wall ahead of her. "I thought you didn't have magic."
His grin remained plastered on his face. "I have my ways of hiding it."
It took another hour for the team to reach them. By that time, Natasha had placed her helmet back on and had taken to falling asleep to pass the time. Loki had found himself falling asleep as well.
Natasha sat tiredly in her chair, waiting for Steve Rogers to finishing debriefing. "And Miss Stark, what happened to communication? We lost both you and Iron Man for hours." He glared at her from across the table. Natasha wasn't in the mood. "My communication with all of you is through Iron Man. If he goes down, I go down." She rolled her eyes as she really wanted to leave the area. Steve glared at the evident disrespect in her tone. "On another note…" Thor spoke up, standing from his seat. "It's been known, of course, but Loki will be staying here under my supervision, by the All-Father's order. I hope this won't inconvenience anyone…" Thor always had this sympathetic thing about him. Like you couldn't help but say yes to him. "I'm a bit shaky about it… but if it'll help him reform, I think it'll be okay. Stark, I'm putting you under strict orders though to stay away from him." He glanced quickly back at her, noting the raised brow she was giving him. She got up quickly, making way towards the door.
"Excuse me? I think I'm perfectly capable handling Loki. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be in my lab handling all the weapons you guys use." She paused before turning around once more. "And on another note, I don't take orders from you, Captain." She sneered before stepping out finally. Steve sighed, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "I'm never going do anything right by her, am I?" He rubbed the back of his neck Bruce fiddled with his glasses. "She's been on her own. Having new people in a place where she used to be alone is still a bit new for her. She'll come around." He reassured the worried soldier. "I have an inquiry, friends. Pepper Potts said there was to be a gathering of sorts tonight?" He questioned; unsure of his information.
"It's a Halloween party. Sort of a press thing to show she's still the young socialite bachelorette she was before Iron Man and the Avengers became a thing." Natasha Romanoff replied with a stiff face. Neither Natasha nor Stark actually wanted to be at the party but Stark had to be and Romanoff felt bad that she would be off on her alone. "Out of curiosity, what is she going as?" Bruce grinned in amusement. If he knew his friend well enough, she'd be something outrageous. Romanoff returned the amused smile along with a small chuckle.
"A Playboy Bunny."
Pepper Potts stood to the side of the room along with Natasha Stark as the room began to fill with people of all sorts. Pepper was dressed as the ever lovely Marilyn Monroe, white dress with a blonde wig and all. Natasha stood next to her in a stark red Playboy Bunny outfit. The only alteration made was the top part was made to be a halter-esque look in order to cover her arc reactor. "How do I look?" Natasha asked with a smirk. Pepper turned slightly, looking at her up and down before returning a small grin. "Like the old you."
"Perfect." She smiled bitterly at her response. Pepper gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder before whispering. "The three people coming are a few investors that I want you to meet. Be charming." She nudged her side as Natasha rolled her eyes. "Because I'm everything but charming." She firmly stared at the group of three approaching her as she plastered one of her press worthy smiles. "Miss Stark, allow me to introduce you." Pepper stated with her professional tone. The first gestured towards a blonde young woman dressed as Red Riding Hood. "This is Marie Sedly. She works with the environmental unit of Harmon & Co." The second was a man with a pale complexion and mocha colored hair. He looked to be dressed like an MIB agent. "Martin Lawrence of the Public Service Division." The last introduction landed on another man who had a six foot tall figure and ginger hair. He wore a simple tux and a somewhat green bow-tie for what Natasha presumed was a James Bond costume. Natasha's eyes narrowed as she took in the figure.
"This is Algernon Fairfax. He's one of the younger CEOs running around here." Pepper Potts smiled as Natasha shook the hands of each of them. Before she could feign any interest, Martin and Marie began talking to Pepper about any future agreements they might share with one another. "Nice to see you're feeling better. Crimson really does suit you." He smiled as his fingers twirled a piece of her long hair. She looked up slightly to notice his bow tie was slightly crooked. She began to fix it.
"Viridian never looked better on anyone but you, Loki."
This was really difficult to write. I hope you guys like it, I'm really iffy about it. Asdfghjkl. I have a plot idea, but your suggestions are welcome!