Who I Was
Chapter 7
Ava had just toweled off and changed clothes when Bruce told her that Loki wanted her. She smiled, she was glad that he was starting to talk again. Making a right in the hallway she walked into the kitchen. She gathered some apple slices and a mug of hot chocolate before disappearing back down the hallway. Ava wasn't prepared for the sight that met her eyes when she went into Loki's room. He was curled on his side, looking sickly again, and had a haunted expression that made her feel uneasy.
"Loki?"
Ava placed the tray she was carrying down on the nightstand next to him. She crouched down in front of him so she was eye level. Loki had un-spilt tears in his eyes as he starred out into nothing. Over the last weeks Loki slowly started to open up to her. She didn't claim to understand why, though she thought maybe it had something to do with her showing him kindness before and immediately after she learned who he was. She didn't want him to feel alone, or uncared for. Ava let out a sigh and brought her hand to his cheek.
"Hey, you alright in there," she asked softly.
Loki closed his eyes and the tears that threatened to spill fell. He shook his head and tried to ball himself up again. Ava sighed and kicked off her shoes. She slipped under the covers as he just stared at her. She held out her arms and Loki slowly uncurled himself to latch onto her. He didn't realize just how badly his body was shaking until he felt her arms encircle his body. He felt the tears coming again as he tried to hold them back, but when Ava's hand moved from his back to the nape of his neck, the familiar sentiment made him break down. Ava wasn't shy when it came to giving affection, she cuddled him closer. When his sobs died down again, he whispered about the letter.
"Bruce said something about it, didn't he?"
Loki only nodded his head, and Ava started to play with his hair. "We were only just able to translate it a few days ago. Someone had to hold the damn thing the entire time, the runes disappeared every time it was put down, and Jarvis couldn't even see what was on the parchment." Ava paused in her speech. "Thor loves you very much and he would never abandon you, at least not for very long and not without reason. If any reason at all was a good one," Ava let out a disgusted huff. "Letters…why do people always choose to leave letters? I'm so sick of letters. Why can't people just say what needs to be said? That's how I found out that I wasn't an only child." Ava took her hand from Loki's back and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Shield thought it would be for the best for Tony to believe that Mom had perished in the car accident that killed our father. Only no one knew that Mom was pregnant with me until Shield took her to one of their facilities."
Every time Ava mentioned Shield she became more and more angry.
"They gave her a new identity – I always knew there was something missing in our lives though, I never thought it would be a brother. Immediately after New York, mom had a massive heart attack. That's when Shield decided to come into my life. They brought me file upon file of mom's life with dad, and I had a brother, a brilliant sibling that I'd never even met. They did the same with Tony – and we both received apology letters from mom explaining everything. Needless to say, Tony and I aren't Shield's biggest fans at the moment. The only agents we let anywhere near us are Natasha, Clint, and Coulson."
Ava could hear Loki's sharp intake of breath. "He lives?" was the question that was whispered.
Ava smiled, "He does." She felt Loki burry his head with a whispered good.
Ava and Loki both flinched when they heard another voice.
"Was the history lesson necessary? Those were things that…it was in the past, I don't' like delving into the past."
"Well, if you hadn't been lurking, you wouldn't have heard any of it."
"Not the point! It's my story too."
Ava pulled an extra pillow off the bed and threw it at Tony. "Oh, shut up. You're just bitching for the sake of bitching now! That's the point!"
Tony caught the pillow and threw it back at her. "Whatever." He muttered as he walked out of the room.
"Almost twenty years older than me and he acts like the baby!"
Ava sighed and threw her head back against the headboard – hard.
"So, yeh, that's why letters suck."
Loki started to chuckle a bit at that, then went strangely silent, "Do you think that you could read it to me, or whatever translation you have of it? My memories are far from strait since before I left here in chains."
"Hell, I haven't read it. I don't even know where it is. I think Bruce is the only one to have read it, he translated it."
"Ah." Was all Loki said.
"Doesn't mean we can't try for it, but, it's better to do that tomorrow. You're supposed to be on your feet at some point then. If you're not too unsteady we could snoop around Bruce's stuff."
"Ehh…I really don't want him angry at me."
"Nonsense, it'll be fine. Just get rested up, you have a big day tomorrow."
Ava stayed there with him for a long while, so long in fact that she'd fallen asleep with him. Tony walked by a bit later and caught the sight of them. He smiled fondly and snapped a picture of the two of them. It was sweet and he wondered how often the two of them did this. His smile then changed to something more wicked as he tucked his phone away.
While Loki and Ava slept, the holds on information were loosening ever so much to Loki. That night he dreamt of blue eyes and thunder clouds.
Author notes:
Ah, my sweets, I have not forgotten you… my body just doesn't want to keep itself healthy. It's very sad. I hope this chapter answers some of the question that have been out there about Tony and Ava's relationship.
