I can't believe I managed to crank out another chapter, whoo. This one went a totally different direction than I had intended, but I'm kind of glad it did. You get some action and bloody Loki. Yeeeah.

Disclaimer: Only the OC, the rest is Marvel's.


The sound of a distinct roar tore her into consciousness and she was on her feet so fast she almost tipped over. She was still in Loki's room, neck dull and sore from falling asleep on the couch. Sometime into the third movie, she must have fallen asleep and left Loki to himself. The God was nowhere in the room, and a curse screamed in her brain as she rocketed for the door.

She kicked over the table as she went, and snatched the machete she had taped to its underside. It had been a struggle to stash it without Loki noticing, but she had managed. Another roar rang though the tower, coming from below her. Her cell phone went off at exactly the same moment, and she fumbled it from her pocket. It was a simple text from Natasha:

Ground floor. Now.

Oh my God, Banner, she thought, bypassing the elevator, choosing to take the stairs instead. Wynn ran down at a full sprint, making it only half-way down each staircase before jumping to the next platform. Only the sound of clanging metal and her own ragged breathing filled the silent corridor.

She tried steeling herself for what she'd face once she arrived on the ground floor. She threw open the door, and a surprised grunt came from the other side. There was Loki, looking just as disgruntled as herself, but much worse physically. Her eyes quickly scanned his body, and he – well, he looked like shit.

A huge gash had opened on his temple, and the blood gushed down so quickly it looked like a river on his face. A large blood stain bloomed near his ribs, marring the simple green shirt he had on. The laces at the collar had been ripped out, as if he had been snatched at near the throat. A huge bruise bloomed along his collarbone, and Wynn knew that was no small feat – something with a ton of strength must have hit him. Something a lot like the Hulk.

"What the hell happened to you?" she yelled, then, "Where's Banner?"

He opened his mouth, but then shut it again, and a blank look overcame his features. He took one step towards her, paused, and then became a blur of movement. Wynn didn't have time to wonder what was happening as Loki slammed her against the wall, so hard she saw a bright white spot at the corner of her vision.

Her fingers immediately tried to grip the hilt of her machete, but she found it wasn't even in her hand anymore. Loki's other hand had a vice-like grip on her wrist, causing her fingers to open and therefore, release. The weapon lay somewhere near her feet, abandoned.

So she did the next best thing – she snaked her free arm in-between their bodies and snatched him by the white column of his throat, preparing to crush his windpipe. Suddenly they were a flurry of hands, with her trying to choke him out and Loki simultaneously warding off her grip and pressing her to the wall.

And then, he disappeared – just like that, a small glimmer in his eyes, and he was gone. But she could still feel his throat beneath her hands, and the pressure of his fist pushing into her chest. Wynn's throat dried as she realized that her hands, too, had disappeared and the sensation of not being there made her nauseous. She was fully in her body, but she could not see her body.

Her knees buckled just as the corner of the hallway exploded into plaster and rubble. Two things were apparent as her senses narrowed – the Hulk storming down the hallway, the tops of his shoulders scraping the ceiling, grunting in anger for something to smash but not seeing them at all. And then there was Loki's breath, chilling in her ear as his weight pressed into her, one hand still firmly on her wrist and the other pressed awkwardly against her breast bones.

The Hulk brushed by them, and she spied the tranquilizer sticking from his back. He was slowing down, huge calves wobbling, but he managed to make it to the opposite side of the hallway and turn, heading in the general direction of Stark's lab. Just as time had slowed, it warped back into normality and she shoved Loki, hard.

His presence stumbled back, and flickered into visibility. Wynn braced her hands on her now-apparent knees, and breathed heavily.

"Next time," she wheezed, "Please just tell me if you're going to make us invisible."

She looked up to see Loki lilting to the side, one hand clutched to his head. But his eyes were narrowed in her direction, obviously annoyed. She wondered how he managed to look so threatening and pissed off even when he was about to pass out.

Her phone rang shrilly from her pocket, and she pressed it to her ear.

"Banner has a tranquilizer in him. We'll get him back to his room. Go find Loki and assess the damage," Natasha said, passing any formalities.

"Found him," Wynn said, glancing at the god. "What happened down there?"

"Details later," her voice said impatiently, and then the dial tone sounded; Wynn glared at the cellphone and shoved it back in her pocket with a huff. Bye to you, too.

"Come on, let's get you cleaned up. They tranquilized him, so there's not much I can do." Wynn bent to pick up her machete, and held out one hand to him. He stared at it like it was a dirty Kleenex, and Wynn rolled her eyes.

"Oh, please."

"I'm quite capable of assisting myself," Loki said, and brushed past her, back into the stair corridor. Wynn turned and followed him with a sigh, thinking that the day was going just fabulously. She stared at his back as they moved slowly up the stairs. His right knee kept locking up, so he paused frequently to bend it out.

"You know, this'd go a lot faster if you just let me help," Wynn complained, and Loki stopped.

"I'm loathe to ask you for any assistance," he said, hand gripping harder on the railing.

"Well, you didn't ask, I'm insisting. We'll agree to that."

She jogged up the few stairs to his side and took him by the forearm, gently, as if dealing with a creature that might bite. She slid his arm over her shoulders and he locked his jaw; she heard something in his shoulder creak with the motion.

"It looks like you got into a fight with a wrecking ball," Wynn said tightly as she bared his weight. He leaned into her heavily and they started moving up the stairs again, but at a better pace than before.

"I seem to make a habit of being in the wrong place at the wrong time," Loki admitted, voice strained.

"Were you wandering around?" Wynn asked, not really caring that he had left. Either way, she had been asleep, and wouldn't have known the difference.

"That room grows tiresome," he grumbled, which she took to mean "yes".

"I understand. So what happened?"

He stumbled then, and she said, "You know what, never mind. Tell me later."

He nodded, and she noticed that his skin was a pasty white, and slicked with a thin sheen of sweat. Wynn hadn't noticed that he'd lost so much blood, but the head wound coupled with whatever other gash on his torso was draining him quickly. She tried to get him to move faster, but the pace had to stay sluggish.

When she pulled him forward, his jaw flexed with pain. She felt a touch of admiration for his self-control, and then guilt flooded in. She shouldn't try to rush him if it was painful.

It seemed like hours had passed when they finally arrived to their floor, and Wynn got him to the bathroom as quickly as she could. Loki sank down on the edge of the bathtub, and Wynn prayed he didn't fall in – the thing was huge. She searched through the many drawers of the sink cabinet, looking for a wash rag. When she found one, she doused it in cold water, hoping that it would clot the blood.

She turned back around to find Loki struggling with his shirt; one side of it was off, but the other was stuck on his arm. Something in his shoulder was definitely misplaced, seeing as how he couldn't raise his arm. Wynn pulled the shirt over his head and down his arm so he wouldn't have to try and force his bum arm in the air.

She quickly evaluated the damage, and was relieved to see that no bones were broken. Only what looked like a laceration on his ribs. A few bits of glass glimmered at the edge of the wound, and she winced.

"Here, press this to your head. I need to find tweezers."

She handed him the dripping washcloth and he did so, face carefully neutral. Back to the drawers – the tweezers were much easier to find, thankfully, and she found a First Aid kit along with them. Wynn snapped the tweezers a few times, and Loki seemed a bit worried at that, so Wynn smiled. As if that would make him feel better.

"Trust me," she muttered, kneeling in front of him. Wynn gently starting pulling out glass, attempting to keep her mind blank so that she could focus.

Don't stare at his abs, don't stare at his abs, she chanted to herself. His skin was chilly, and smooth as a plane of marble. Even disguised, he couldn't completely mask that he was of Jotunn descent, and Wynn wondered if that bothered him. She didn't ask, though. Safe territory.

"So what did happen?" she asked, if not just to distract him.

He hummed for a moment, gathering his thoughts, and said, "I'm not aware of what occurred before I arrived, but there was more than a bit of yelling. A lover's spat between the doctor and Tony Stark, I believe." Wynn snorted at that, and Loki gave a small, wry smile.

"So you showed up, and…?"

"As I said, wrong time and wrong place. The beast sought to attack me first."

"What did he do? Smash you into the floor again?"

Loki glared down at her, and Wynn shrugged. "Sorry, Stark told me that story the first time I met him."

"He's despicable. I was caught off-guard."

"Anyway…" Wynn prompted, and Loki stared at the ceiling. He absently wiped a bit of blood from his face, and said,

"He threw me into one of Stark's vehicles. Quite hard, I might add. My only satisfaction comes from knowing my person destroyed it beyond repair."

Wynn stopped tweezing and gaped up at him.

"You totaled Stark's car? With your body?"

Loki gave her a wary look, and suddenly Wynn was laughing so hard she thought she might choke. She accidently bumped her forehead against his knee, and somehow that was funny too. Loki shifted away from her, apparently offended at her amusement.

"Sorry," she gasped. "Sorry, sorry. It's just, that's pretty badass. It's a compliment, really. You're tough as nails, dude." She stared at him pointedly and tried to control her grin, but it wouldn't wipe off.

Loki searched her face, looking for any trace of mockery, but found none. When he realized that she was not laughing at him but at the situation, he raised a brow. Wynn saw the smallest ghost of a smile on his lips, and if that wasn't something, she didn't know what was.

"Let me bandage this," she told him, and opened the First Aid kit to find a large bandage. As she unwrapped it, he prodded at the gash gently.

"Not necessary," he said. "It will heal before long."

Wynn stared at the angry wound, and raised her brows in doubt. "Well…if you're sure. But the cut on your head, though, that will definitely need something."

Loki waved his hand, as if brushing away her words.

"A surface wound."

"But you lost a lot of blood."

He touched the cut, and looked frustrated. "If I had access to my magic, I would be able to take care of this now. Healing requires much more than smoke and mirrors."

"And making yourself invisible isn't smoke and mirrors?" she asked, and he looked as though he may say something, but nothing came out. Wynn stood and brushed non-existent dust from her pants.

Clearing her throat awkwardly, she said, "I never did thank you for helping me out. Even if it was a bit unconventional, it sure as hell worked. So, thanks."

"No more than a trick. I would not have had your blood on my hands so that I may be blamed," he dismissed, but there was no malice in his words. If anything, it sounded like he was making a casual excuse.

"I know," Wynn said anyway, swallowing his justification. "Anyway, the cuts will heal, if you say so. What about your shoulder? I think you screwed it up pretty badly."

"It may be a tad bit dislocated," he said, and attempted to rotate the joint. When it didn't budge, he winced.

"Or a lot. Here, let me…"

She reached for his arm and took a hold of his bicep. She felt the muscle tighten under her touch, either in discomfort at her touch or preparation for what she was about to do.

Since she figured a countdown would be pointless, she rotated the arm harshly, and felt a small pop somewhere in his bones. The tendons in his neck jutted from the pain, but his lips remained locked.

"That's it," she assured him, and he lifted the arm experimentally. When it didn't protest, he put it back to his side and stood. There was no weakness in his legs, so she assumed he was healing.

"Feel better?" she asked, handing him his ragged shirt. "Um, you might need to change your clothes."

"I gathered that," he replied dryly. "And you as well."

Wynn looked down and saw that her shirt was stained from his blood, probably from the trip upstairs.

"Huh," she said.

There was a beat of silence when her phone beeped, and she rolled her eyes, knowing who it would be. But, surprise, it wasn't Natasha, but rather Stark.

Stop making out with Loki and meet us upstairs. Jane just got here and she has some freaky shit to show us.

Wynn felt her cheeks go red, and she shoved the phone back into her pocket indignantly.

"Come upstairs whenever," she told Loki, heading for the door. It was tough looking at him now after reading Stark's message.


When she arrived to the top floor, Stark was pouring shots all around. She noticed that he filled a haggard Banner's to the very brim. Thor was the first to spot her, and he raised one massive arm in greeting. Now that Jane was here, the guy seemed happier than ever.

"My friend!" he called. "Come, sit and have a drink with us!"

"We're celebrating. No one got killed. Alcohol is required," Stark said as she wandered over. He handed her a shot, which she snatched from his hand. Under his breath, he whispered, "Did you like my text?"

"It was a riot," she hissed back, and Stark allowed himself a smug smile.

"Well, everyone, I'd like to, uh…apologize," Banner said, lifting his shot weakly.

Thor thrust his in the air and bellowed, "To apologies!"

Everyone threw back their drinks, save for Wynn because she detested whiskey, and someone (she assumed it was Jane) coughed lightly. Thor shook his head and made a face before turning to her.

"Lady Wynn, where is Loki? I gather that he'll want a drink."

"Banner turned him into oatmeal. Also totaled one of my cars," Stark explained to the room, more bitter than necessary.

Darcy laughed, eyes wide, and crowed, "That's awesome."

"I would hardly call it "awesome"," a very familiar voice spoke behind Wynn, and she jumped. There was Loki, in a fresh shirt, looking none too amused at being the topic of conversation. He had teleported in right behind her, and Wynn held a hand to her chest to try and still her heart.

"Warnings are essential, remember?" she told him, but he only snorted. Instead, he opted to reach for the shot in her hand and lifted it away with slender fingers. He threw it back, face blank, and handed the empty glass back to her.

"Hardcore," Wynn said sarcastically, and he flashed a bit of teeth at her.

"Excuse me, hi, super-villain and friend, over here," Stark said loudly, and Wynn turned back around to face the crowd of people that were gawking at the pair. When she narrowed her eyes, everyone looked away as if they hadn't been staring.

"I've got some things you all might want to see. I wanted to show it to you before Fury arrived," Jane said, lifting her backpack onto the table. Ten points to the girl for causing a distraction. All of them simultaneously leaned as she threw out a manila folder. Before she opened it, she looked up, lips pulled in a harsh line.

"Just to warn you, it doesn't really bring about optimistic thoughts."

When does anything in this tower? Wynn thought, and her eyes flickered over to Loki, whose face said pretty much the same thing. At least they could agree on that.