Just a warning: this chapter tends to get a little triggery. If you have an aversion to kidnap or someone being held hostage please skip to the very end of this chapter. Thanks!
Nat was happy to leave the plane when they got off at Germany, needing to catch the connecting flight to get to Russia, and judging by the leveled glares she was receiving from the stewardesses they weren't too sorry to see her go, either. They had a good two five layover between flights, and Loki offered to buy her a drink in the meanwhile. Her head still a little fuzzy from the vodka before the flight she declined the drink but was all for going to get something to eat, anything to soak up the liquor before it actually made her sick. It hadn't happened before, but she wasn't looking to make this the first time. They managed to find a Starbucks, and though Nat had insisted on buying her own breakfast Loki had slid his card over to the barista despite her complaints, a smooth smirk on his lips.
"Well if I can't buy you a drink at least allow me to act the gentleman in some other way," he teased. "It's the least I could do."
She rolled her eyes. Right, as though there was any use acting the gentleman after they'd fucked on a plane. She could definitely see the correlation between the two, and his smirk widened as though he was thinking the same. Brat.
"And speaking of that, since we've got a decently long enough layover. Want to get a quick room for the day?" He asked after she'd sat down, smiling indulgently. "I can show you just what sort of gentleman I can be rather than a quickly at a thousand miles in the air."
She felt her cheeks heat up a little as she stared down at the breakfast sandwich in her hands. It was tempting. Very tempting. She wouldn't mind spending a few more hours getting to know him before they would go their separate ways in Russia, and besides she had no idea if they would even be sitting next to one another on this next flight. She didn't want to give him up, not that soon after getting him, so to speak. But at the same time she didn't know him. Not really. Certainly she knew his job, she knew his constant fight with his adoptive family, and knew he was damn good in the bedroom, but more than that?
"I'm not so sure that's a good idea," she said as she looked up at him. "It's not that I don't want to-."
"No, no I understand," he smiled, and there was no judgement in his face when she looked back up at hi, nothing but admiration, as though he was proud of her for sticking to her guns and not being pressured to do something she didn't want to. Well that was a plus, and she felt regret bubbling deep in the pit of her gut when she thought about not seeing him again.
"Maybe when we get back to New York we can go out sometime?" She offered with an easy smile. "If you give me your number I can get a hold of you when I get back to town, and we can go get coffee or dinner or something."
"Sure, that sounds great," he said, the same charismatic smile stretching his cheeks, but she was certain for half a second she could see something else. Something far more feral. She swatted the thought aside, though. They'd fucked in an airplane bathroom and she was worried that he looked at her in a sexual manner? Ridiculous, she was. Really ridiculous. They exchanged numbers and kept talking for a little while longer before Natasha excused herself to make a couple calls, disappearing into the women's bathroom with her things. Not that she didn't trust Loki, she told herself. Assured herself. Because to distrust him would be stupid, but to trust him wholly, entirely just because they'd had a physical connection? That would be far more idiotic, and she wasn't going to take any more risks like that.
The airport was furiously busy and she pushed through the crowds as best she could, pardoning herself in the little German she'd picked up as she tried to make her way to the restrooms, small carry-on in tow, phone in hand as she dialed Steve's number without having to look. He'd be asleep by now, she told herself as she looked at the time differences between countries, but he picked up either way.
"Nat," he sounded relieved. "How're you doing? Are you in Russia already?"
"No," she chuckled. "No I'm in Germany. I've got a five or so hour layover then I get on another plane to Russia. So it's gonna be awhile."
"Oh, okay," he said, barely stifling a yawn that made Natasha smile. She could practically see his ruffled up blond hair, the bleary light in his half-opened blue eyes as he looked over at her. They might have split up due to differences that were too great to overcome in a romantic relationship, but she'd always care for him, and that he was willing to take the call when it was so late there meant he felt the same, and that was enough to make her heart heavy with gratefulness.
"How was the flight?" He asked as she pushed closer to the bathroom, passing just behind a pillar to take a breather. She wasn't expecting a hand to grab out at her mouth and cover it, wasn't expecting to be pressed against a hard body, muffling shouts until a heavy pressure pushed into the soft spot at the back of her skull and she felt her world pitch forward around her, the phone falling from her hands, Steve's voice shouting out for her before everything went black.
She woke up to an aching head and bright, white teeth grinning broadly down at her. 'My, what big teeth you have,' she couldn't help but think as she tried to rub her eyes, finding her hands were bound above her head.
"You really should've taken my offer," Loki's voice came, soft, muffled as though Nat's ears were filled with cotton.
That snapped her back, her eyes going wide as she stared up at Loki, watching as he sat back on the bed beside her, her limbs useless and tied up tighter than she could get out of. She tried to shout but found her mouth filled with something that restricted her words, drying out her mouth and wringing her free of words.
Shit.
Her eyes widened as Loki's words finally sank in. What the hell was he playing at? She felt herself begin to shiver as he pulled away from her, her gaze following him, the whole while doing her best to at least keep her wits about her. Tied to the bed was definitely nothing she was necessarily new to, but in this sort of situation? Where she was in anything but a safe, sane, or consensual situation? She tried to wriggle out of the bindings above her, the cotton chafing at her wrists. No good. They were solid and well done, and Loki gave a quiet sigh as he watched her struggle.
"I'm not going to hurt you," he assured her, though she very much doubted it, the roll of her eyes saying just as much to him. He gave a small smile and ran his hand over her cheek, his touch gentle, and though she pulled away with a glare she couldn't deny that her cheeks flushed a little at his touch. It was nothing more than a reaction based on the memories of what had happened last time, she told herself. That was it. Besides, she couldn't help but note how his breath caught in his throat the more it looked as if she was giving in, so perhaps the longer she played that up the safer she would be. She tamped down on her fear as best she could, pushing it deep, deep down as she had done decades ago growing up with Ivan as her father. She could do this. She had to do this. The stakes were high, the reward worth it, and the risk? She couldn't think of that, not then.
"I just need to hold you until my boss gets here. He just wants to talk with you," Loki insisted, his voice soft and as unthreatening as he could make it. She snapped her head to attention once more. "So it doesn't have to be like htis, Natasha. I don't want it to be. But I need you to promise me that you won't try and leave." He paused. "Can you?"
She gave him a look, doing her best to remind him that the gag in her mouth made responding more than a little difficult. His responding laugh was quiet, almost apologetic, as he made to remove her gag. She groaned, stretching her jaw and wondering just how long she'd had that in her mouth if she was so sore.
"What do you want with me?" She asked, voice hoarse, cracking slightly to her embarrassment. Not that he seemed to notice.
"Just to talk about what your adoptive father left you is all," he promised. "But I can't tell you more than that."
"So why are you waiting till now? Shouldn't I have seen you before?" She demanded, trying to loosen her body so that there wasn't as much tension in her wrists bindings as he moved to undo them, allowing her to sit up and rub the sore skin where she'd been held. She tried not to think of how many times he'd done that, how practiced he had to have been to be that good at it to have been able to hold her so easily. It only made her heart race and her adrenaline spike her blood.
"I'm very good at what I do," he assured her with a soft voice that set goosebumps spiking up her back and would've made her heart catch in her throat if she wasn't expecting it and managed to hide it.
'Play it cool.'
"So that's how you knew so much about my major, about business. That's what this is about, isn't it?" Natasha asked quietly. "Ivan left his business to me, or to Alexei or Vanko, and you want it. Or your employer does." She guessed. His surprised face told her all too easily that she'd guessed it all, and he gave a quiet laugh, almost appreciative.
"You're smart. Much smarter than your adoptive father ever gave you credit for."
"No kidding," she said as she felt her legs being released, and pulled them up to her waist, looking quickly around the room. It was dark save the light from the corner lamp, which just barely illuminated all the corners of the room. The door leading out was open, and another hid itself in the furthest corner of her room, leading into another darkened one that she could only assume was the bathroom. She filed it away quickly, taking in the darkened landscape just outside one of the tall windows, so tall she would have to find something to stand on if she wanted to try and escape through there.
"Don't," Loki said quietly. Well, it would seem she wasn't the only mind reader in the area. She didn't respond, and shied away from him when he reached out to take her shoulder.
"I'm really not here to hurt you, I promise." Loki said, and he sounded honest, but wasn't the devil supposed to play all the best tunes? She kept that in mind as she looked over at him and searched his eyes.
"You were just supposed to track me down and get me to stay here before I went to my father's funeral, to stop me from claiming my inheritance because your boss wants it for himself. Wants whatever little my son of a bitch father thought to leave me." She swallowed hard, willing herself to cry. The quicker she broke the quicker he'd trust her. "God, was any of what you said to me on the airplane even true? About your half brother and your aspirations, or was it all a line to get me to trust you?"
"It was true," he insisted, scooting a little closer to her. She pulled in on herself, hiding her head in her knees as she sobbed and her whole body shook. While Loki busied himself in trying to console her, trying to explain to her however he'd gotten caught up in whatever it was his boss wanted him to do, she let her mind wander. She didn't dare stay longer than a day in this house, and she supposed a night would be enough time to gain his trust enough for her to give him the slip, as well as for her to get the quick layout of the house. It didn't seem modern, so she was willing to bet some of the door locks were simple enough that she could pick them, or at the very least break them down, suddenly grateful for Steve's self-training lessons. They might not have worked when she was in the airport but she didn't intend on getting taken unaware like that ever again.
Her mind went back to the can of mace in her bedside table in her flat. Useless.
Plan in mind, she resurfaced to look at Loki with bleary eyes. "I want to call my friend."
His face blanked. "No. I can't let you."
"Loki-he's going to worry, and I'm not about to let him have a heart attack because your boss decided he got greedy. Give me five minutes. You can sit right there with me. I just want to make sure he's okay." She insisted, her eyes solid as she allowed him to reach out to her hand and take one of them in his. If it made him feel better, made him feel as though she was giving in, then she'd let it go, even as she felt her skin crawl from his touch, both clawing to get closer and to scratch his eyes out for seeing her naked, for defiling her body and her mind. For playing her like he had.
Later. She would get revenge for it later. He gave a grudging sigh as he pulled out his cell phone and handed it over. She frowned, opening her mouth to ask where her own had gone before remembering he'd thrown it to the ground when he'd taken her.
"You owe me a new one," she gave a quiet growl, her eyes narrowed, as she dialed Steve's number, grateful that she had it memorized. She wondered if she should try-she could. If she failed it would set her back severely.
She swallowed hard as the phone dialed, feeling her throat closing in nerves as the four walls around her seemed to close in-.
"Hello?" Steve's voice was thick with concern despite how quickly the word came out. "Natasha?"
"Hey, Steve," She had to clear her throat hard to keep herself from losing it. Control. She needed control. She forced herself to breathe deep.
"Nat-good God, what happened? Are you okay?" He asked, his voice pushing the words together until they were nearly unrecognizable.
She found herself nodding. "Yeah, I'm good. Steve, I'm fine. Just had a complication with the plane. I'm gonna be gone a little longer than I meant to be." She looked over to Loki, hoping he would deny it. The dip of his head was enough to make her heart thud harder.
"What was wrong with the plane? Why couldn't they just get you on another one?" Steve asked. He'd always been so damn good at reading her when she was in the middle of trouble, and even better at getting her out. Perhaps she could tell him-.
No. She didn't have the strength just then to pull it off. She needed to be clever about it. Crafty. Loki would be suspecting something. "I dunno, Steve," she said, voice softening as it so often did when she wanted him to listen carefully to what she was saying. Wisely he didn't say another thing. "But hey, I'll be okay. I'm in Germany-."
The phone was taken from her hand and clicked off.
"He's fine." Loki said, and his voice was very near empty. So he hadn't missed the emotion that had gone into what she was telling Steve. She wasn't sure yet if it was a good or a bad thing. "Is that enough to satisfy you?"
"Can I get a shower? And some new clothes?" She asked, tipping her chin up to try and face off against him, visibly shaking now. He seemed to keep himself from reaching out to her, as though on instinct, before nodding and pointing his head towards the bathroom.
"Sure. I'll be just outside, then we'll get something to eat. I'm sure you're hungry."
Yes, she was, and it would be easier to maneuver her way around the city with a full stomach rather than being distracted by hunger. She muttered a quick thanks and crawled off of the bed. He offered her clothing she recognized from her own suitcase, though it was nowhere to be found, before moving to stand outside the bathroom door.
It was windowless, so there went her plans to try and escape that way. She struggled to keep from hyperventilating as she gripped the porcelain of the tub, drawing hot water until she managed to figure out how to work the showerhead. Only once the water started to drip on her bare skin did she let herself go, the sobs escaping with ease as she trembled and held on with white knuckles to the wall to keep herself from falling to her knees. How the hell had she gotten here?
She emerged an hour or so later, skin red and rubbed near raw in her attempt to get him off of her skin, the deep purple v-neck covering up her arms but showing off far more cleavage than she felt comfortable with, while at least the jeans felt comfortable and familiar, still. His expression softened slightly as he took her in.
"Still hungry?" He asked, voice quiet.
"Yes, please," she said, though she didn't meet his eyes as he led her to the kitchen, taking in the small layout of the house. The living room door would be her best bet for an escape, and though what was on the other side of it was a mystery it was at least close enough that she should be able to get there in a few strides from the bedroom. She didn't see another one, and it made sense why he was staying so close. He wasn't about to let her out of his sight for a moment, knowing all too well that she might get the idea that she could run in her head. She tried to think if he'd have any weapons around the house, her eyes sticking to the small knife block as he led her into the kitchen and sat her down, offering to make sandwiches. She didn't eat much, though thanked him for the turkey sandwich in her hands, Loki devouring his own without much thought. She simply pushed it to the side of the paper plate he'd gotten for her, her face listless she was sure.
"What's going to happen to me after I give your boss what he wants?" She asked. Why bother with any other scenario? If they were so determined to get her like this she would have to give them what they wanted. If she stayed, that was.
"You'll be free to go back to your home, to do whatever you wish, continue on with your Doctorate degree if you wish. Life will return to normal," he said, sitting back in his seat, her eyes meeting his. "And I'll be checking up on you every so often to make sure that you don't tell anyone what happened. You won't do that, will you Natasha?"
She hated the way her body reacted to how he said her name, hated that she could remember how he'd moaned it as he sheathed himself in her on the plane. Was that how it was done? They got under your skin, got you at your most vulnerable, and somehow she could never get him out again?
No. That wasn't okay. Even as her body betrayed her she looked away.
"No, I won't." She murmured.
"You don't have to be afraid of me," Loki said, the silence that had stood between the two of them having gotten to be too strong for him to stand.
She tried not to snort. Right. He'd taken her hostage, was telling her that she had to will over whatever small thing it was that Ivan had bothered to give to her, hell she'd woken up tied to a bed, and he was telling her that she didn't have to be afraid of him?
He sighed and dropped his head into his hand, letting out that soft, apologetic laugh again. It might've been cute if she hadn't wanted to punch him for it.
"Okay. We got off to a rough start-."
"No, the start was fine. The middle is what gets me," Natasha snapped. "You were a perfectly fine gentleman and now you're some crazy psychopath!"
"I'm doing my job."
"And I was trying to fly to get to my father's funeral."
"He's hardly your father," he said with a scoff.
"How do you know all of this? Stop it!" She said, finally pushing herself back from the table and getting to her feet, in enough of a rush that her chair clattered to the ground. Her sudden reaction caused him to go very still, his eyes pinpointing on her as his shoulders straightened and his hand clenched his right side. Gun, she was guessing. Or a knife. Whatever the weapon was she didn't really want to find out through him having to use it, and so allowed herself to burst into tears again and sink to the ground, the kitchen small enough that she only had to scoot backwards a few inches before her back hit the cupboard.
"Just please s-stop," she begged through her fingers, her hands covering her face as she kept the crying up. She'd gotten good at perfecting it for professors, never had she thought that she'd need it in a situation like this. She heard the chair scrape against the linoleum floor as he moved closer to her and picked her up, surprisingly strong for his slight frame, to bring her back to the bedroom. He laid her down there, and she felt him lay beside her, obviously having no concept of personal space. It wasn't surprising, she supposed as she thought about it and let herself tremble in his arms, feeling how he favored his left side, keeping his right within range at all time. She was right to think weapon, and if he wasn't removing it she could only guess it was slim enough to not cause a problem when not on his feet. Knife was her safest bet, she thought, and after a few minutes, she allowed herself to curl into him, turning herself around to bury her head in his chest, slowing her breathing to pantomime sleep, her whole entire body relaxing as he wrapped his arms around her.
She hadn't expected to feel the exhaustion hit her like a truck, barreling into her so hard she wasn't sure how to breathe at first, shuddering once more before she eventually got control over herself. All the while he soothed her as best he seemed to know how, rubbing her back and breathing her in as he planted his nose to the top of her head. She could feel him smile against her.
"It's going to be alright, Natasha. I'm going to take care of you."
Obsessive didn't seem to start to fit the bill.
It took some time before he eventually fell asleep, and Natasha was just lucky enough to have escaped it herself, sliding out of his embrace as slowly as she could, barely managing to put a pillow in her place and pausing every few seconds to make sure that his breathing remained normal. Even. That he still slept.
His phone would be in his pocket, Loki not having removed anything since they'd been lying there, along with his wallet and the knife. She could pick up a few of those on her way out, could pickpocket what money she had to, but it was the phone she really wanted.
Or her passport, or the rest of her damn belongings wherever they might've been. She hadn't seen them when she'd gotten time to look around the room, though they had to be there somewhere if she'd been dressed in her own clothing.
Oh well, she didn't have time to think it over. She needed to get somewhere safe. She padding out on the cold ground towards the door, grateful for the creepy silence of his floorboards. She supposed it was good for a killer, or kidnapper, or whatever the hell Loki was. As planned, she snagged a knife from the block in the kitchen, grateful that he seemed to have spent a decent amount of money on them, and at the same time a little weirded out that he had Martha Stewart brand knives. Whatever.
There were boots at the door, men's boots and far too big for her feet, but she laced them up and tied them tight all the same, barely trusting to breathe. Almost there. Almost there. Her fingers trembled as she undid the lock, and for half a second she was terrified the noise would wake him, keeping her ears keen on his even breathing, trying to use it to calm herself down. As long as that continued, then she would be fine.
The alarms blared as soon as she opened the door, but she didn't have time to think or do anything else except sprint, tripping over her own feet as she raced down the stairs and jumped down the last few, landing on her hands and her knees, before scrambling back up to her feet and running out the door. Just before she got out she could hear Loki shouting her name, her would-be captor hot on her heels, but the commotion woke the other neighbors and she could hear their doors opening too before the door behind her swung shut and she was out-out!-into the night.
A/N: Thanks so much for reading! I appreciate it :D