I Dream Of Loki
Chapter 4: A New Relationship
"This is where she was last seen." A map pops up on the screen of South East Asia. It zooms in on an area of Thailand. "On her last transmission nothing seemed wrong. In fact she stated she'd get in contact again within a few days…" Maria's voice drones on. I glance at Tasha. She's drumming a finger against her leg impatiently. She's ready to get on the ground. I on the other hand am not. I know Bobbi, Agent Morse, pretty well and she's done this before. At times if she deems it necessary, she'll abruptly cut off contact. This has to be the fifth time. Yet each time SHIELD takes it seriously. I have no clue why. Anyway I haven't been following much of what Maria's been saying. I can't stop thinking about Loki, especially the way he watched me while at dinner. "Clint!"
"Huh?"
"I'm sorry, am I boring you?"
"Of course not."
"Don't lie to me."
"Okay, maybe just a bit." Maria sighs in exasperation. "Look Bobbi has done this before. What makes you so worried about her this time?"
"She was investigating HYDRA."
"I thought after the Winter Soldier incident-"
"They weren't defeated, not completely. You two already know there were factions spread over the world."
"But with no clear leader they haven't been much of a problem."
"Until Bobbi was able to give us more info on Baron Von Strucker, the man who your oil guy was helping."
"Have you told Steve?" Natasha asks. "He'll want to know."
"Once we have solid evidence. Right now it's whispered words and grainy photos. We couldn't even connect him to Hicks, there was no paper trail so all we have to go on is what the man says. I have the Director breathing down my neck to dig deeper…it's very frustrating."
"Tell me about it," Bobbi Morse says walking in. She plops down in a free chair next to me.
"Told you," I ruffle her hair.
"Thank God Bobbi! This'll get Fury off my ass for a while. What the hell happened?"
"It's a long story that I'd rather only tell once so can we make this my debriefing?"
"Of course."
"Wait." I stand up and grab my jacket. "I wanna go to bed so…"
"You're awful Clint."
"Tasha will tell me later right?" She gives a nod as she pulls out a nail file then begins filing her nails.
"He's probably anxious to get back to his date." Thank you Natasha. Bobbi and Maria give me the 'Do share' look.
"I wasn't on a date." A glare from my favorite red head and I'm backtracking. "So I was, big deal. It's my business."
"Not if we have to do a background check like the last one you dated." Being in a relationship was hard enough as a SHIELD agent but then I have to factor in two of my closest friends, one who happens to be my ex. In fact the running joke among the other agents was Bobbi being my wife, we were engaged, and Tasha being my work wife. Very funny I know. Anyway trying to date became too dangerous for any future girlfriends so I'd pretty much given up. Until Loki.
"Clint must've been hit hard by Cupid, he's not even listening to us anymore."
"What?"
"See?" Bobbi and Maria laugh.
"Whatever, I'll see you three later."
"We'll find out who she is Clint! We always do!" Bobbi calls after me. It's rare that you hear about two people who were going to get married decide not to yet still remain friends. Somehow that happened with the two of us. She thinks it's because we were better off friends than lovers. I give her the middle finger then run off before she can get out of her seat.
Its early morning when I make it back to the mansion. "Jarvis where is everyone except Natasha. I already know where she is."
"Mr. Stark is at a charity event with Ms. Potts. Mr. Rogers and Mr. Wilson went out to a bar I believe. Mr. Banner is sleeping. Mr. Odinson is also sleeping and Mr. Odinson is waiting in your room."
"Wait, you just said Thor is sleeping so how can he be in my room?"
"He's not sir." I stop in my tracks to tug my hair in annoyance.
"Jarvis I don't understand."
"The other Mr. Odinson sir, his brother." Oh. "I referred to him by Thor's last name as means to confuse you by Mr. Stark's orders." I seriously need to plan something for Tony.
"So he was here when Tony was?"
"Mr. Stark went to your room, searching for you earlier. I gathered that Mr. Laufeyson's appearance surprised him."
"Does Thor know?"
"No sir."
"Okay…thanks Jarvis."
"You're welcome sir." I'm practically running up the stairs and down the hall to my room. When I get there he's sitting in my only chair reading with his glasses resting on top of his head.
"Loki how did you know I was going to be here?"
"I didn't," He answers while turning a page. For a moment I'm not sure what to do. Was the conversation at the restaurant a dream? Sure as hell feels like it. "What happened with your mission?"
"Turned out I wasn't needed after all." His eyes go from the book to me.
"Are you implying something?"
"No. What the hell would I be implying?" He doesn't seem to believe me which I don't understand since I'm not lying. I really wasn't trying to imply anything.
"Come here,"
"Look Loki I'm tired and just want to lay down."
"It will only take a moment." A little nervous, a walk to the chair. He stands and takes my face in his hands, his eyes searching mine. As much as I want to tell him he's freaking me out, I keep my mouth shut. Instead I brush a strand of hair out of his face. God he's sexy. "I want you to understand something. If we do this, I will not share you with anyone else."
"And here I thought you just wanted me for sex," I answer with a bit of sarcasm.
"Oh I do little bird." Did Jarvis turn the heat up to actually on the sun levels or is it just Loki's voice making me feel like this? "You've never been with a male before have you?"
"No."
"Well then I'll have to make sure it's memorable but not tonight." He moves back to the chair while holding my wrist then tugs. He's a lot stronger than he appears because I fall quite easily onto his lap.
"Loki…"
"Shhh, I'm reading." Sure enough he's grabbed his book from the arm of the chair. I sit there uncomfortably for a few minutes before finally deciding to rest my head against him. In turn he begins tracing the pattern of my scars, on my back. How he even remembers their shape, I have no idea. I begin to wonder if this is what Loki needed, affection and love from another. Will I be able to give it to him? I don't have the best track record with relationships. And even if I am able to, will it be enough to keep him out of a cell in Asgard?
I wake only hours later to find myself tucked into bed. Still feeling sleepy, I shower and dress then grab an apple from the kitchen.
"Jarvis if anyone asks, tell them I'll be back in a bit."
"Yes sir." I have to run upstairs again to get my hoodie from Sam's room then I'm out the door. St. Benedict's is closer to the mansion than my apartment so it doesn't take long to get there. When I do, I take a seat in the back of the class. This time the Yankees kid has on a Jeter jersey.
"Awesome shirt," He says, gesturing to my Captain America Tee.
"Yours is better." He's got on a purple Hawkeye shirt underneath the jersey. Loki ignores me the entire period and when class is over I take pictures with a few students and sign an autograph or two.
"Maybe I should let you teach this class." He's leaning against his desk at the front.
"You're jealous?"
"Hardly." I walk over to him and take his glasses off. They take away from his eyes which are studying me intently now.
"You could've woke me before you left."
"I couldn't have."
"Why? I would've gone back to sleep and then you wouldn't have had to worry about me disturbing your class."
"You sleep like an-" He stops abruptly and runs his fingers through my hair.
"Like a what? I've heard like a puppy. Barney said I move and make noises."
"Not a puppy. You didn't move nor talk this time. You slept like an angel. That's why I didn't wake you." Well there's one for the books. I never would've thought he'd say that. On impulse I kiss him. He stiffens against me. Thinking I crossed a line too soon, I start to pull away but then his arm wraps around my waist to keep me in place. He buries his face in the crook of my neck.
"I have students arriving soon. If I started kissing you little bird, I wouldn't stop."
"We'll have to test that out sometime."
"That we will." I can feel his smile against my skin then he's letting go. Loki takes his glasses from me and places a kiss on my palm before going behind his desk. "Go Clint before my students arrive."
"Why? I actually like this class." I walk to the window. Is that…? No way…but then I squint my eyes which I don't need to do. Outside on a bench are Tony and Thor in 'disguise'. They're wearing sunglasses, baseball caps and each holding up a newspaper. I could see Tony doing something stupid like this but Thor? Suddenly Loki's arms are around my waist again and he's nipping on my ear.
"Go see what Stark and my brother are doing besides looking like complete idiots. I'll see you tonight."
"Promise?"
"Promise." Loki places a kiss on my neck, he's gentle as if he's afraid he'll hurt me. So it's surprising when he bites down suddenly.
"LOKI! Shit!" I instantly touch the spot where he's bitten.
"I didn't break the skin," He laughs. The sound of students coming down the hall causes me to hop onto the windowsill. I'm out of there just as a group of boys enter the room.
"Evan was right! THAT was Hawkeye!" I should add 'Surprising college kids is what I do best' on my resume. I'm still rubbing my neck when I make it over to Fred and Shaggy. You guess which is which. There's even a beautiful Great Dane puppy lying at their feet. I plop down in between them.
"Are we on a stakeout? Where's the mystery machine?"
"I don't understand. What is this mystery machine you speak of?" Thor asks.
"We were trying to follow you incognito," Tony answers. I roll my eyes.
"You stick out like a sour thumb. Why do you think all the kids keep staring? I'm pretty sure that one is telling the security guy about you."
"Thor I told you to blend in."
"I am!" He pulls the baseball cap down further like that helps.
"Anyway I was only dropping him off. I promised Rhodey lunch if I pissed off this hotshot MI6 guy who was at the charity event last night."
"Scale of one to ten, how bad?" I ask him. Thor laughs and shakes his head, probably already knowing the answer.
"Twenty," Tony coughs into his hand. "Would you look at the time? Remember family game night!" He says as he gets up. Thor and I both groan. He started forcing us to these game nights when Sam joined. Steve loves it and I suspect Tasha does too as much as she denies it. We watch as he walks to the street and Happy pulls up. When he's gone, I lean forward, resting my elbows on my legs. Thor folds the newspaper and reaches a hand down to pet the dog.
"Where'd you get him?"
"I mentioned we should have a team pet. Tony went out and bought him."
"What's his name?"
"We have yet to decide though I am partial to Zeus."
"You would be."
"Let us walk Clint." Soon we're off campus with the dog leading the way. Thor is acting as if something's bothering him but I don't want to push him to talk. However when we reach a park and he still hasn't said a word I open my mouth.
"What is it Thor?"
"Tony told me of your dreams." The snitch but then again I never specifically said he couldn't tell Thor. "Why didn't you come to me?"
"I don't know. I intended to but then I saw Loki that night in a bar."
"Yes he told me of that too." He pauses as we wait for the dog to stop sniffing a tree. "I love my brother and I never spoke of him because it hurt to do so. After he did what he did on Asgard, he disappeared. I thought him dead. We all did." We've come to a small pond now. I pick up a rock and skip it across the water. "I am happy he's doing well on Midgard yet at the same time it still hurts to find out he's been here, in the same city no less, and has yet to say a word to me. Has he even mentioned me?"
"He's asked about you a couple times but won't go further than that."
"He wanted Odin's approval so much that he….I will let him tell you. I am also happy that perhaps he's found someone to confide in. Before, though I thought us close, he would still keep to himself at times. I worried for him. Though he had us, our mother always thought what he was missing was love. Not the love of me, his brother or our parents. I mean the love I've found In Jane. That's what Mother thought he needed. You have been around him, what do you think?"
"Yeah, I guess. I mean he does but I don't know if I'm the one to do that Thor. I just...we're only…"
"Worry not Clint. I am not saying you should push yourself into anything. If you aren't the one who's meant for my brother than I can only hope he finds that person one day. To be honest, he has never been in a relationship with a mortal. He always felt it beneath him. The fact that he is trying with you tells me something." Thor picks up a rock to skip across the water. Except when he does, it sinks. He frowns and tries again. Still sinks.
"Like this. Watch how I do it." He studies me then tries once more. It skips, not like mine but it's enough.
"You will take care of my brother?" Thor asks quietly as we watch a duck land on the water.
"I'll do my best."
"Thank you Clint." He hasn't given up on Loki yet isn't trying to force a relationship between them. I give him a pat on the back. We've been watching the ducks for several minutes when he finally says,
"Clint?"
"Hmmm?"
"We passed a Starbucks. I wish to get a latte."
Family game night was interesting to say the least. We agreed on Monopoly which turned out to be a bad idea because Bruce is insanely good at it. Hell, I assumed Tony was going to win. We had all put in fifty bucks each so the winner would get a nice prize. After he won Bruce decided he wanted to treat us all to pizza. We had that and watched an old black and white movie, House on Haunted Hill. Sam is such a chicken. Even though you can tell everything's fake, he's still watching with his hands over his eyes. The dog, which we named Scooby, has started whining and acting like he's going to piss on Steve.
"Hey Clint it's your turn to take him out."
"No it's not."
"You agreed earlier. Now take him out before he pees on the carpet." I glare at Tony who's laughing.
"Yes Dad."
"What was that?"
"Nothing," I answer quickly which this time causes Sam to join in on the laughter. Grumbling the whole time, I take Scooby outside. I'm playing a puzzle game on my phone when Tony walks out talking on his. He puts a hand over the speaker.
"Check out this club with me."
"Why?"
"I'm thinking about buying it so I want to see how it operates."
"Do I have to?"
"Yes. Cap said you do."
"Fine. Give me a minute." After taking Scooby inside, it's off to Tony's potential club. The entire ride over he's on the phone with the manager wanting to know everything about the place. I never go to clubs so why I'm going with Tony I have no idea. I get a text from Loki five minutes into the ride.
Where are you? – Loki
Going to a club with Tony – Clint
Which one? – Loki
"Hey what's the name of the place we're going to?"
"It's called 'Red'," Happy answers from the driver's seat.
"Seriously?"
"I know. I told Mr. Stark the first thing he should change is the name."
It's called Red – Clint
"Here we are." Happy stops outside of a medium sized building. There doesn't seem to be many people here. He opens the door for Tony who's still on the phone.
"Have some fun buddy," Tony slips a few bills to Happy. "But be back in two hours."
"Yes sir!"
"Ahhh Tony Stark!" An older man wearing a horrible suit walks out to greet us. "I'm Jon. We were talking on the phone."
"I figured. This is my friend, Clint Barton," Tony says as they shake hands. "Is this place always so quiet?"
"Not on the weekends. Friday to Sunday is when Red makes the most money."
"We'll have to work on that." The two fall into a conversation about the place as we go inside. I'm already bored and manage to sneak off to the bar.
"You're cute," A dark haired woman sits next to me. "I'm Melissa sweetheart."
"Clint. Listen not to be rude but I'm not interested."
"Really?" She sounds genuinely shocked. Great. One of those types who is used to getting anyone they want. I scan the room for Tony but he's nowhere to be seen. "Come on, what is there not to like?"
"You're pretty and all so I'm sure you can find someone else."
"But I want you," She gives a little pout as she leans forward. I hear the bartender chuckle. "What can I do to change your mind?"
"Nothing," Comes Loki's harsh reply. I didn't even hear him approach.
"Mind your business," Melissa practically hisses at him.
"He IS my business." Just want I need. I hop off my seat, leave money for my beer and grab Loki's arm.
"Oh you two are together?"
"Yes," he snaps.
"Well you could've said that," She says winking at me.
"I highly doubt it would've mattered." If looks could freeze hell, the one Loki is giving this woman would do it. She smiles at him.
"True." I'm dragging him away before he snaps. I don't stop until we're outside and even then he's still pissed. He takes off down the street. I walk with him but he doesn't say anything. In fact he doesn't acknowledge my presence until I stop to tie my shoes.
"Little bird, look at me." I glance up to see him crouched in front of me. He kisses me before I can ask what's bothering him. Its quick leaving no time for me to kiss back, then he's up and walking again.
"Loki what's going on? Are you really that pissed off from that woman?" I ask him once I've caught up. Once again I receive no answer. What the hell is his problem? Is he afraid I would've gone with her? I give up trying to guess the more we walk and in fact I've taken to thinking about a good prank to pull on Sam without him knowing it's me when Loki stops. He turns to me, takes the hand that he placed a spell on and traces the lines on my palm.
"This is quite new to me," He whispers. "I've never been in a relationship like this with a mortal. So these feelings I'm having are new also." That sounds understandable. "You will have patience with me?"
"Of course but I've never been with someone who gets jealous easily," I smile.
"I wasn't jealous," He frowns.
"Then what was it."
"Not jealousy."
"Has anyone ever told you, you can be quite immature?" Loki laughs softly and places kisses over my palm.
"It's late. I should get you home." It's gotten windy out and when I shiver, he takes his scarf off to wrap around my neck. On the cab ride back to the mansion, he explains the various spells he could've used on Melissa. By the time we reach the house, I'm sure the cabbie thinks he should call the police. I have to pay a nice tip for him to keep his mouth shut. Loki thinks the whole thing funny. He's still laughing when we walk through the gate but clams up once the door comes into view.
"Is Thor here?"
"Probably." He still doesn't want to see his brother. I decided against going through the front not simply for that reason but also because it's late and if I go in and everyone is still downstairs I'll face a million questions since I'm coming in without Tony. Instead I go around to the back of the mansion where my room is. I left the window open.
"What are you doing Clint?"
"Getting to my room without the notice of my nosy teammates. Give me a boost." With Loki's boost, I easily scale the wall and make it to my window. Once inside I look down at my boyfriend. God I just called him my boyfriend but I guess that's what he is. "Are you coming up?"
"Classes to teach."
"Your scarf."
"Keep it." We stare at each other for a few minutes. His gaze is intense, almost predatory. In this moment, I know if I ask him again to come to my room he will. The moment is broken by my door opening without warning. I relax when I see it's Scooby. When I look back down for Loki, he's gone.
"Nice timing Scooby," I mumble rubbing his head. He whines as if to say 'Sorry'. In order to get thoughts of Loki out of my head, I gather all the items I'll need for my prank on Sam. If trying to not think of my new boyfriend is going to cause me to do this then Sam is in for a rough time.
Once again the reference to Natasha as the work wife and Bobbi as the wife came from the Hawkeye comic. I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far. Each chapter keeps coming out longer than I expected. Thanks for the reviews, alerts, favorites, etc. I appreciate them.