"I'm just saying, you guys would love a Renaissance fair," Tony teased as he began pouring drinks for his three out of town guests. Who would have thought that Thor and Loki would return with mommy? Tony noticed that Loki was awfully quiet. But that may have been because Tony had seated his guests near the craters in the floor where the green rage monster threw around the six-foot-two god like a ragdoll…
"I am afraid we are unfamiliar with such a fair," Frigga politely said with a smile. She shifted on the couch, close to Loki who seemed to be nodding off.
"I bet you'd like it," Tony promised. He left the bar and presented Frigga with a drink. "You want one?" he offered to Loki.
The trickster paused, wondering if a drink would liven him up. Right now, he felt like collapsing. He cursed his weak Midgardian form as he nodded his head.
Clint stood close to the bay window, arms folded across his chest as he eyed Thor. "Did you forget something here?"
"No. Not at all," Thor began, although, he did have a certain someone who he was quite curious to find… "We are here for Loki's sake," he stated, more to himself.
"You're not gonna ask us to keep him, right?" Clint frowned.
Frigga began to laugh. "He is here to make peace with you."
Clint snorted with laughter.
"'Peace?'" Tony handed Loki a glass of brandy and the trickster took a small sip. "Sure, why not?" Tony held out his own glass, hoping for Loki to clink glasses with him.
Loki snatched Tony's glass away and finished the drink in one swig, letting the liquid burn his throat. The taste was far from pleasant, but the burn managed to wake up Loki's Midgardian brain. He then downed the second glass all while Tony watched with a sideways smirk.
"Isn't that nice?" Frigga grinned. "This shouldn't be too hard, right Loki?" she asked as if she was dealing with small children.
Tony shrugged before sauntering towards the bar again. "It's not like he's gonna be making nice with the other guys. Right, Barton? You've got a bone to pick, don't you?" he prodded, hoping for some action. Tony lived for fun and games and Clint hadn't gotten to have a round with the god of mischief yet.
"I promised Nat first swing," Clint promised.
"Even better!" Tony jovially slapped his hand atop the granite counter.
Loki's body tensed at the mentioning of the assassin's name. The first thing to come to mind was his dream and her vivid red curls, complemented by the sunset. He swore he heard a quiet chuckle from Frigga and he whipped his head to the side to find her smiling at him.
Thor wasn't as amused as his fellow Avengers when it came to beating up Loki. His brother had been through enough in such a short amount of time. Like Frigga, Thor wanted him to be happy. His mother had told him how Loki felt like he had no place, that he was unhappy… To know that his brother was suffering hurt more than anything. Loki deserved happiness. "Please… go easy on him." That was all Thor could say.
Loki rolled his eyes at Thor. As if the Black Widow was going to show him mercy!
"Loki, what have you done to anger these people? They're lovely," Frigga noted.
"Care to tell, Agent Barton?" Loki droned, outstretching his palm to gesture towards the archer.
Clint shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans as he acknowledged Frigga. "He had me under mind control."
"Oh," the goddess breathed.
"Kinda hard to forgive a guy who made me kill people I work with…"
Loki heard a faint gasp from his mother and his heart sank into his chest. He couldn't bear to look at her and see the heartache in her eyes.
Clint felt a weight grip his chest and he noticed that Loki had a look of anguish on his face. So the guy was sorry, was he? Clint was willing to test just how sorry Loki was… with a challenge of his own… "Tell you what…" Clint scratched the back of his head as he eyed Loki. "If Natasha forgives you, then so will I."
Loki chuckled and flashed the archer a lopsided grin. "That is a fair offer," he agreed.
"I think Romanoff's gonna be the big challenge," Tony guessed. "I mean, Cap might give you some hell, but Romanoff can hold a grudge."
"He's speaking from experience," Clint snorted.
"Come on! Everyone loves me! Especially Romanoff."
"You're gonna need to add another floor to this tower for your growing ego," Natasha remarked as she stepped into the room. She glanced from Tony, straight to Loki, ignoring Frigga and Thor altogether.
"Speak of the devil," Clint joked.
Loki's smirk never once left his lips as he eyed the angry assassin from across the room. He smiled wider and noticed her brows knit together as she tossed her purse aside. She stormed towards the couch and Loki casually rose, hands clasped behind his back. "Did you come all this way just to see me, Agent Romanoff?" He brushed past Frigga and sauntered towards the spy until they both stopped, the two now standing toe-to-toe. If looks could kill, then he would be a dead man. The agent had it in for him-he could practically feel her hateful aura ebbing off onto him.
"Of course I did, Loki." His name slid off her tongue with a bitterness that perfectly complemented the man. Natasha gave him her signature icy glare as her left hand curled into a fist. "Last guy to call me a cunt had more than just his nose broken." Loki's tongue peeked out from behind his teeth as his smirk widened. Natasha scowled and wasted no time in giving him a much needed blow right below the chin.
Loki knew she was going to punch him. He had it coming. But as his vision went fuzzy from the loss of air, Loki remembered that he wasn't a god anymore. He was just as vulnerable as she was. Through half-lidded eyes, he saw Natasha display a confident grin before she became a blur, followed by complete darkness.
"Loki!" Frigga jumped up just in time to catch her son as he stumbled back. Thor was the next to react, running towards his fallen brother.
Natasha watched, thinking that Loki was overreacting. She was positive that he was. It wasn't until she saw blood dribble out from the corners of his lips that she noticed something was off. Tony and Clint seemed to notice, as well. The two men stood frozen in place, wondering what the hell just happened.
Frigga began instructing Thor to hold Loki's head so she could stop the bleeding. There was an awkward silence between the three Avengers, which was soon ended by Tony. "I didn't realize you packed more of a punch than the Hulk, Romanoff," he quipped as he pointed towards a crater in the floor created during Loki's recent encounter with the beast. "Should we be concerned?"
"He has been made mortal," Thor's voice answered. "The All-Father's punishment…"
So he was completely vulnerable, then. Natasha flexed her fingers and eyed Loki's unconscious form. "He still deserved it," she muttered, watching the woman with long, blonde hair as she placed her hands on Loki's cheeks. Natasha assumed that she was Thor's mother. The matching golden hair and the bright blue eyes were a dead giveaway. What struck Natasha most was watching as a faint golden light emanated from the goddess' palms. She found herself inching closer, eager for a closer look. Tony had the same idea as she, but Thor shot him a glare when the curious scientist got too close and began breathing down Thor's neck with his liquor-breath.
"He's not gonna die, is he?" Tony whispered.
Clint grabbed Tony's arm and began dragging him away. "Let's leave 'em alone… Nat?" he asked his partner.
Natasha was keeping her distance from the mother and her sons. "Go," she answered the archer. Given that she did kill Loki, then she wanted to be there the moment he stopped breathing. After what he did to Clint and to the city, he deserved death.
"We'll be right outside," Clint nodded, forcing Tony to leave with him.
"If he dies, I'm not liable!" Tony remarked on the way out.
"Loki?" Frigga gently asked. The golden-haired goddess put her healing magic to good use as her hands pressed against her son's cheeks. He began to cough, sputtering up blood that he had swallowed. Having seen the punch, Frigga assumed he had bit his tongue. Luckily, Loki had his mother to fix his slight injury. Did she even dare ask what he had done to the red-head? His breathing began to even and Frigga knew that Loki would be alright. He looked completely innocent and child-like with his closed eyes. How Frigga longed for the days when she would tuck the tiny god into bed and kiss him goodnight…
"Mother?" Thor blinked. His large hands helped to support Loki's neck as Frigga finished casting her spell.
"He will be fine," she promised, a hand lightly patting Loki's cheek. "Exhausted, I presume," she noted. "His body is weak in this form."
"I didn't know," Natasha interrupted. Not that she cared.
Frigga's royal blue eyes rested on the spy's face. "Are you Lady Romanoff?"
The assassin casually folded her arms across her chest. "Did Loki tell you all about me?" she laughed.
Frigga shook her head as she abandoned Loki's side. "Your friends were just talking about you. They said you were a challenge," she added with a smile.
Natasha knew that Stark was to blame for that, given that he would be the one to say it. "Just Natasha," she corrected.
"Loki can be quite a handful," Frigga continued. "Although, I am sure that you are quite familiar by now."
Natasha mentally rolled her eyes at the comment. Loki definitely hadn't taken etiquette lessons from mommy, that was for sure! "You said he's mortal?" she prodded, changing the subject.
"Yes," Frigga nodded, turning her head over to Thor who had lain Loki's resting body on the couch. "Loki wishes to make amends with all of you. My husband Odin declared that Thor and I were to accompany him here on Midgard to ensure that he causes no trouble. He was also made mortal for good measure."
"What happens after he makes his amends?" Natasha asked, her voice hollow. "You give him back his magic so he can have a round two in the city?"
"No," Frigga sharply replied. "I understand that he has acted out, Natasha, but he is finding his way." She saw the red-head open her mouth to reply, but Frigga wouldn't let her. Frigga was sure that this woman knew absolutely nothing of Loki's suffering. "Loki was misled," she quickly said in defense. "I know that his actions are absolutely no excuse for what he did-and I am very disappointed in him, but I know that Loki speaks true when he says that he will right his wrongs."
A typical mother, Natasha thought to herself. Unfortunately for Frigga, the Black Widow wasn't so easily swayed by sentiment. "If you're so sure that he's changed, then why come all this way with him?"
"One can never be too careful with Loki," Thor interjected.
Frigga shook her head. "That isn't the case at all. He told me of a dream he had." She paused. "I am a firm believer in prophecies and I am to help act as Loki's guide. Along with Thor, and all of your friends."
"Maybe that's exactly what he wants you to think," Natasha crossly remarked. The trickster was just as manipulative as she was! He was bound to have some kind of ulterior motive in coming all the way to New York. Her first guess was to finish off the Avengers.
"He had lost hope." Frigga looked Natasha straight in the eyes, as if staring into her soul. "There is nothing more painful than hearing your son say that he wishes to die… This is not one of Loki's games. Believe what you like, but I have complete faith in him."
Natasha averted her gaze to the floor. So Loki got low-she had been there before! Lost, helpless… It hurt, but she forced herself to pull it together. If she was gonna die, then she wanted to do it with a clean slate. It was a 'matter-of-pride' code that she wanted to live out.
"I am not here to force you to forgive my son," Frigga continued, rubbing her hands together. "Just know that he speaks the truth when he asks for redemption." Redemption. Frigga noticed Natasha's eyes brighten at the word. A pair of emerald eyes met with hers. "There is good in him. There always has been…"
'Can you wipe out that much red?' All that talk of having red on her ledger had left a permanent scar. Loki had gotten under Natasha's skin without her having realized it. He knew everything-the lives she had taken, the crimes committed… He knew it all, and he tried to hold it against her. But Natasha didn't let his petty threats affect her back when they were alone with a glass wall separating them. She had redeemed herself, and she knew Loki knew that. Why else would he try dragging her back down into her own self pity?
They were two of a kind, weren't they? Natasha watched Loki's unconscious form. Did that mean she had to give him a chance? Clint sure as hell did it for her, so did Nick… That didn't mean she had to pay it forward, though. Unless Loki really wanted her forgiveness. That was going to take a lot more than a few apologies and a box of chocolate, and it wasn't going to come easy. "I understand," Natasha agreed. "If he earns my respect, I just might forgive him." Frigga looked at her as though she had just spared Loki from death. "I'll come back tomorrow. I have other plans," she announced before turning on her heel.
Natasha wasn't going to forgive Loki just because his mother played the pity card. She didn't feel bad for the guy, not in the least.
Natasha wasn't doing this for his sake. She was doing it for her own.
The spy left the room and found Clint and Tony standing idly at the end of the hall. "Contact Fury and let him know what we're dealing with," she informed the two.
Tony straightened at the urgency in her voice. "You didn't kill him, did you?"
Natasha rolled her eyes. "Not yet." She brushed past him, but Tony wasn't ready to let her go just yet.
"You're gonna leave them here with me?!"
"The woman isn't a threat. Contact Fury," she repeated. "Loki's as weak as you two are, but we shouldn't take any chances."
"Harsh, Nat," Clint breathed.
"He's unconscious," Natasha added. "Either bring him to S.H.I.E.L.D. or keep him locked up in here."
"And what if he is dangerous?" Clint asked.
"You needn't worry," Thor interrupted. "Mjolnir will subdue him," he explained, gripping the hammer that hung at his side. "And our mother is here to calm him. She has a strong bond with Loki. He will listen to her," he gently finished.
"Who'd have thought the guy was a momma's boy?" Tony snickered. "We're dealing with an overgrown baby. I think we're fine."
"So what now?" Natasha wondered. "Are you gonna become Loki's best friend?" she snidely remarked.
Tony sauntered away from the trio, ready for another drink at the bar. "The guy's mission is accomplished if he plays nicely with all of us," he shrugged, swirling around the leftover ice in his glass. "Something tells me you're not up for that, Romanoff, he commented, spinning around on his heel as Natasha laughed in agreement with his statement. "For the record, let this show that Tony Stark can play well with others."
"And the blood may wash away
But the scars will never fade
At least I know somehow I made a mark"
Mark the Graves ~Linkin Park