Alana Banks has gone missing.
Natasha paused, her cup of coffee lifted halfway to her lips as this message was relayed to her from a very angry Fury who looked down at all the Avengers shifting restlessly in their seats.
Alana Banks had been the daughter of a running senate who upon finding his daughter's absence alerted the entire media and his demands for the perpetrator.
"This isn't exactly a walk in the park Nick" Tony retorted pouring himself another mug of black coffee "Half the school's population is female, we don't really know who is going to be abducted next"
"Tony's right" Steve chimed standing up, not that it had much affect "We have no leads except that they all attend Marstenson Private School"
"Then perhaps it's something in the school" Clint forwarded eyes narrowed "Maybe they're all still in the school, in the basement or something. Feel that? I'm getting goosebumps"
"You need to stop watching B grade horror films Hawk" Tony said shaking his head with a small smile "Next thing you know there'll be a man with a hook for a hand wandering the hallways. Though, it could make school more interesting…"
Natasha bit her bottom lip as Fury stood stock still watching the exchanges
"Is this a joke to you?" he demanded suddenly
All the Avengers at the table stopped talking abruptly as their focus went back onto the Director of Shield who was glaring down at them all.
"This is the 5th girl in five months who has gone missing. Do me a favour? Grow up, do your job and make sure it doesn't happen again. I didn't send you to that school so you could play footsie underneath the lab tables, and make goo-goo eyes at the cheerleaders and bad boys"
Natasha tried not to choke on her coffee and came out with a couple of small coughs making Clint pet her back lightly as Fury continued. "I know you aren't in your elements, but I still expect you to do your job and look out for the wellbeing of civilians, are we clear?"
There was a mumbling of consent among them
"I said are we clear?"
"Yes sir" they all murmured in union before moving away from him and returning to the common room of the manor
"Jeez" Tony cried flopping to the lounge ungracefully "Crack a whip why doesnt't he? It's not exactly like we aren't trying"
"Fury's right though" Natasha reprimanded, pacing in front of the floor to ceiling windows as the rest of them fit themselves on the sofa, except for Thor who stood arms crossed next to the widescreen set.
"She-Fury" Tony muttered darkly earning a glare from her
"I say we pair off" she continued eyes still narrowed "Investigate the scenes, maybe there's something the police missed, Clint?"
She looked to Clint who nodded slowly, papers rifling in his hands as he looked through them
"Sounds about right" he said carefully pulling out a sheet "All of the girls were last seen in different parts of the school grounds. The last one, Alana Banks, was previously seen in the girls locker rooms of the inside pool."
Natasha nodded as the information sunk in, mulling over the data carefully.
"Tony and Bruce can check out the scenes of the first girl, Clint can check out the second, Thor and Steve can look after disappearances three and four, I'll check out the last one" Natasha said quickly listing them off as they each nodded in understanding of their roles
"What of my brother?" Thor asked now "Surely he can play part in this?"
Natasha looked at the others who all grimaced slightly
"Well Thor" Steve started slowly "Loki's never been one to play well with others. I honestly don't think he's interested in helping out his enemies"
The young thunder god frowned, his furrow crinkling slightly
"My brother may be a lot of things, but he will not back down on his word to help when he has promised it for sanctuary" he turned to Natasha whose eyes widened slightly like a dear caught in the head lights "Perhaps he may assist you Lady Natasha. He seems to not mind you as much as the others."
Why would you consider that a compliment? Natasha growled at her heart whose pulse seemed to quicken at the words.
"I don't know Thor" she answered softly trying to maintain her calm façade as a blush surely crept up her cheeks. The blonde haired god's expression fell into disappointment, and she sighed loudly "Alright, fine, I'll work with him."
Thor smiled moving forward to clap a hand on her shoulder "I shall inform him straight away" he announced striding out of the common room with a small skip in his step"
An awkward silence hung in the air after he left the room.
Tony started to clap slowly as Natasha closed her eyes, suffocating the groan that wished to escape her mouth.
"What exactly are you hoping to find?" Loki asked, his voice echoing against the tiled walls as he and Natasha searched the girls swimming locker rooms.
"Anything" she sighed back looking underneath all the benches as she did so. Loki had disappeared into the shower cubicles supposedly looking for anything that might help assist them. "A pen, an eraser, a hand, preferably with a girl attached…"
Silence followed this, which she was thankful for. It was hard enough trying to concentrate when he kept drifting in and out of her senses.
"I think I knew this girl" Loki suddenly stated making her jump at the sudden noise "She sat beside me in Biology studies"
"Oh?" Natasha inquired innocently.
Of course she knew. As soon as she saw the girls picture in the documents she had realised it was the same girl who tried to hit on Loki the previous day.
Alana Banks, the girl who used childish means to get what she wanted.
And now someone else has got what they wanted, Natasha mused, peering through the grates that lined the walls. There was no sign of a disturbance anywhere.
"She was frustratingly annoying" Loki called back "But also extremely forgettable, like most mortals"
Natasha frowned at this but did not answer, instead leaving the statement hanging in the air like a bad smell.
"Have you found anything?" Loki asked now, his voice getting louder as he left the stalls and moved towards her
"No" she answered lifting herself from the floor and looking around trying to find any other place that something may be hidden "Nothing"
Loki watched her warily for a few moments, a slight change from his usual mocking self
"What?"
"Nothing" he replied, taking a hand and dragging it through his dark hair "Just a thought"
"Want a penny?"
"What?"
"Nothing" she snapped shaking her head as he continued to gaze at her
"Why did you ask for my help?" he asked suddenly, eyes round and curious making her feel like a slightly interesting specimen.
"Well I" she stammered, blinking far too many times as she continued "Just taking advantage of the situation, another pair of eyes to see the unseen that kind of thing"
"Uhuh" Loki murmured grazing his knuckles over his lips as he pondered her explanation "Thor make puppy dog eyes at you?"
Natasha grimaced but nodded honestly "Limp tail and all"
"Sounds like Thor. Always getting his way"
"Only because we're afraid he'll bring a lightning strike down on us all" she said lightly, trying to make a joke.
He gave her a small serene smile which made her heart flicker.
Natasha looked away from his brilliant green eyes, kicking herself mentally as her pulse continued its erratic rhythm. She could feel him slithering up her skin even though he stood a fair distance away from her, as though the air was affected by him just being there. She spied herself in one of the panel mirrors behind him and frowned as she caught something.
"What's that?" she asked making the Trickster God spin around to see where her gaze was settled
"What's what?" he inquired obliviously as he spun around again to face her, Natasha spinning around with him as she looked up to the high windows behind her.
She could just spy a corner of cloth lying just out of reach and hanging slightly off the edge of the window sill. She pointed it out to him and he frowned.
"You think it's something of use?" Loki asked sceptical to which Natasha shrugged
"It's at least something, do you think you can reach it?" she asked him as he moved forward arm outstretched to try and grab at it, he scrabbled at the tiles but it still remained a good head away from his fingers.
She frowned as he stepped back looking around for something to stand on, but the bin and benches were fixed to the ground. Natasha sighed loudly looking longingly up at the peace of cloth, just out of her reach.
"Here" Loki said crouching down and interlacing his fingers. "I'll give you a boost"
Natasha jumped startled at his position and took a precautionary step back "What?"
"A boost" he repeated impatiently raising an eyebrow "You do wish to get the cloth yes?"
"Well, yes but…"
"Well? Come on" he snapped obviously uncomfortable at his position, and looked pointedly at her and back to his hands
"I, ahh okay" she stammered moving forward slowly and placing one of her school shoes in his hands and stepping in carefully as he pushed up.
She was not ready for the sudden movement and found herself clasping the back of his dark head, a grunt emitting from him as his face was pushed into her skirt. She blushed furiously at their position and tried to steady herself, Loki holding on so she wouldn't fall.
His hair was so soft intertwined in her slender fingers, dark locks splaying through the crevices.
No, not the time to think about that, Natasha thought frustrated as they continued to shift into a more comfortable position but found it futile.
They stood still for an awkward moment, trying to figure out what to do next.
"I thought you were meant to be agile" Loki commented, muffled in her tartan skirt where his voice vibrated on her thighs making her flush red.
"Shut it" she said through clenched teeth as she loosened her grip on his hair.
"Can you reach it?" he murmured against her. She looked up and reached out a hand to try and grab at the fabric just managing to clasp onto the end and pull.
"It's stuck" she huffed taking her other hand from his head and trying to reach for it, pulling determinedly "Almost there"
He did not answer as she continued to struggle, his face trying to move away from his skirt to see her progress, she felt his movements, and a tingling sensation down in the depths of her stomach filled her as he did so. She refused to pay heed to it and continued tugging at the fabric.
"Got it!" She yelled pulling it quickly, the movement however made her body quickly lean back making Loki lose his grip on her as they both fell with the friction.
A whoosh of air passed by her ear as she waited for the impact of the tile which never came.
She realised she had shut her eyes and now opened them, startled by the fact that she was immobile in mid-air.
Natasha gasped unable to move her body in anyway as it hung in the air, mid fall.
She heard a huff of displeasure behind her as Loki walked into her frame of view taking her bodily and placing her feet back on the ground.
He stepped backwards murmuring something and waving a hand in the air which allowed Natasha to gain access and control back to her movements and stumble forward ungracefully.
"Thank you" she said with a sigh, glad that she was without injury and glad that his magic had been of some help. Natasha still had the fabric clenched in her fist which she opened as Loki moved forwards to see what she had procured.
"It's Alana's bow" she stated instantly realising the familiar fabric and shape. The same bow Alana was wearing in her portfolio picture, and the one she wore both times Natasha had seen her.
Specks of brown splattered across the right side of it.
"Blood" Loki voiced her thoughts to which she nodded
"Looks like" Natasha frowned looking back up at the window sill "Why was it up there?"
"Maybe she was taken out the window" he replied in some amusement before smiling widely, an expression often made by his older self when he was pleased with the way things had turned out "Can't say this day hasn't been enlightening, and thoroughly eventful"
Natasha nodded with a small smile before narrowing her eyes suddenly and fixing him with a glare
"If you can use magic, why didn't you just use it to get the bow down in the first place?"
Loki looked at her eyes sparkling green and giving her another cheeky smile before spinning around to leave and calling over his shoulder "That wouldn't have been nearly as much fun!"
A/N: Ahh Loki you little shit!
This chapter is basically for plot progression. I needed it, the story needed it, we all needed it.
