Dearest Readers,
Cutting to the chase- reviewers:
Alley Arlington - Again, your review gave me a huge smile :) thank you so much for the continued support!
ecrooked24 - Thank you so much for the critiques- keep em coming! I tried to vary word choice, but let me know what you think.
Sorry this update is a little later than I would have liked, but I didn't like the previous version I wrote and basically re-did it all tonight.
Hope you like!
Anna POV
I am awakened by the bright glare of sunrise streaming across my face. I slowly sit up, craning my neck to gauge my whereabouts. I give a small smile as I realize that I am back in my own room with my own bed where no nurses can walk in as they please. I sink back into the warm pile of blankets covering, but I stiffen as I realize who my pillow is.
Loki.
I am practically on top of Loki.
Damn.
I sit back up in an instant. The memories of last night come rushing back, starting with that dream. It was horribly vivid and I shudder once again as a few of the images flit through my mind. But when I woke… that was kind of a blur. I remember how Loki, just by being there, had chased some of the fear away, but that was it. Apparently, we snuggled. Hmph.
I'm not exactly sure how I feel about this yet. This turn of events basically goes against what I have practiced for my entire life. Never be reliant on anyone. Hold back feelings of attachment as much as possible, because in my line of work, people die, leave, and just go missing every day. Most of all, never fall in love.
Was that really a rule I had for myself? Or am I just making this up now as an excuse to run away from my feelings?
Last night felt natural. I was terrified after the nightmare- I could feel the chains surrounding my body and taste the hot blood in my mouth. But when Loki held me, it wasn't awkward or strange. He was helping me fight the bad memories, and there was no place in the world I would rather be. His comfort meant a lot. But then again, this could just be me overreacting. He's just a guy looking out for his fellow teammate; I should just leave it at that, this way I don't get hurt.
My train of thought is broken as I shift to look at him. The sunlight is flowing over his face, highlighting his graceful cheekbones and dark lashes. His long hair is soft and his lips—
Crap.
I can't help the blush from creeping over my cheeks. I guess Loki is attractive… I just thought I would have noticed before. I slowly edge out of bed, careful not to disturb him and tiptoe to the bathroom to brush my hair and teeth. By the time I come back out, he is already awake and standing by the doorway.
"Breakfast?" he asks.
"Yeah, sure," I reply nonchalantly, and he leads the way to the kitchen.
The entire team (save Thor, who has already left on one of his frequent visits to Jane) is already in the kitchen before we arrive, chatting quietly over cups of steaming hot coffee and tea. Most everyone except Tony, who is in his pajamas still, and Pepper, who is wearing a demure business suit, is wearing workout clothes and looking relatively alert for this time in the day.
"Mornin' lovebirds," the billionaire smirks, as he sits down bleary-eyed at the kitchen table with a bowl of cereal.
I freeze as Tony slyly brings up the topic I least want to publicize right now. I stutter (as calmly as possible), "W- what are you talking about?"
Way to play it cool. I'm a government agent, shouldn't I be able to pull this off?
"I may have just woken up, but don't think I haven't watched Jarvis's security tapes, Lil' Red. I saw you two cuddling," Tony reports with a smug look. Nat and Clint both share an amused look, while Steve blushes furiously. Poor guy isn't acclimated to the mysteries of 21st century male/female interaction quite yet.
Pepper beats me in giving Tony a firm slap to the arm.
"Didn't we talk about invading people's privacy?" she scolds.
"Yes, ma'am," he says cheekily.
Pepper lets out an exasperated sigh and stands, coffee cup in hand.
"Well, I would love to stay and chat, but I'm off to work. Tony, please try not to blow anything up today. Jarvis nearly had to call the fire department twice this week alone."
"Wouldn't dream of it," he yells, just as the elevator door glides to a close.
I am eager to change the topic of conversation far away from last night's events. "So, what has everyone got planned for today?" I interject.
Steve, Clint, and Natasha simultaneously reply, "Training."
Bruce and Tony stick to routine as well, both saying, "Lab work."
"Well, glad to know everyone has begun to pursue new interests since I've been gone," I mutter, taking a sip of tea.
"Why purse new interest," Tony muses sarcastically, as he stands from his half-empty bowl. "When one's current passion holds so many undiscovered wonders?"
A few people at the table find his comment worthy of a sardonic clap. "Very poetic, Tony," I compliment.
"Why, thank you. Ready to go big guy?" he asks the other scientist, who also appears to be finished.
"Yep," Bruce responds, and the two proceed to head down to the labs followed by Steve, Clint and Nat who are heading to the nearby gym. Suddenly, Loki and I are left alone. Again.
Loki speaks up for the first time this morning. "I have to leave as well, Fury has me scheduled to lead one of those wretched training courses down at the base."
I share in his grimace. Fury occasionally makes one of us run a training course for some of the new SHIELD recruits. They were awful- the classes and the students alike. We all agreed that it was Nick's way of exercising power over us, and I guess it was, in a depressing kind of way.
"Well, good luck. Kick some newbie ass," I cheer.
He gives a characteristic smirk as he teleports away. What I would give to be a fly on the wall of that class… an ex-global terrorist has a pretty high intimidation factor with the agents-in-training.
I sigh, looking around at the now empty room. If I had it my way, I would be sparring in the gym right now. Unfortunately, I am not allowed to train whatsoever for the next week. Even then, anything other than target practice is prohibited. Damn injuries.
The rest of my day is spent wandering around the tower, occasionally stopping by the training rooms and lab to see everyone. Those visits generally make me feel like an even bigger invalid, due to the fact that as they develop advanced technology and practice precision knife-throwing, I am essentially learning how to walk right again. I try to ignore the increasing ache in my limbs, but seems like it has been years since I've moved this much. Eventually the day winds down, and by the time I collapse in bed I am completely exhausted.
At this point my body is beat. Unfortunately, my mind is not. After several minutes of tossing around and trying to find a comfortable position, I give up. I stand and envelop myself up in the crisp white sheets before leaving the room.
I decide to go out to the balcony overlooking the still-crowded New York streets. As I quietly slide open the glass door, a sudden movement startles me.
I regain my composure before asking, "Couldn't sleep either?"
"Rarely can," Loki says with a wry smile, the city lights illuminating his pale face as he looks over the buzzing traffic.
I close the door behind me and lean on the balcony edge next to him. He is dressed in a plain white shirt, with dark pants. Even though we live just a few doors down from each other, it seems strange to see him in anything other than his Asguardian style getup. The frigid night breeze ruffles his hair before he turns to look at me.
"Are you feeling okay?" he questions.
"Yeah, sure… yeah," I say unconvincingly. Seriously, government agent? Time to rethink career choices…
Another few minutes of silence pass as we gaze down at the twinkling streets.
"Tell me the whole story," he requests softly.
YAY! Something is actually going to happen in the next chapter! :)
Please review! Comments, suggestions, unrelated rants- I love them all!
