Notes: I LOVE JACK ATLAS: aww. Thanks(:
Guest: I do what I can, haha. And yes, Thanos just makes everything difficult.
I'm sorry that this chapter took way too long to get up.
"You don't want to hurt me, but see how deep the bullet lies."
The trickster moved slowly, his boots making not a sound, as though he weren't actually touching the floor. Sometime during the night – or perhaps, in the wee hours of the morning – he had finally shed his heavier armor for the more comfortable undershirt – a tan colored tunic accented with threading of a deep forest green and glittering gold (the latter could only be seen when the light appropriately hit it) around the edges that hung somewhat loosely off of his torso, unlaced about the neck to reveal his pale collar bone. His hair, though normally cleanly smoothed back and away from his face, lay in a bit of a mess, curling more than usual as it delicately framed his cheekbones and neck. Artistically brushed beneath his eyes were two light purple streaks, an outstanding symbol of his lack of sleep, serving to make his green eyes almost fluorescent.
His eyes trailed to the nearest opening in the wall, looking at the dark clouds that still drifted along the early morning sky, the deep orange rays from the oncoming sunrise just barely hinting at the skyline. He progressed forward, arms dangling limply at his side, his posture slightly less erect than the expected norm for the regal ex-prince of Asgard, and he was momentarily glad that nobody was around to catch a glimpse of the seemingly deteriorating being. His eyes darted around the room for a moment, catching a small clock on a nearby end table, bright red light illuminating the darkened room eerily, displaying a six, a three and a two. This, of course, made no difference to Loki, and he paid little attention to it as he moved forward.
Pressing his hand flat against the glass, he pushed the door open noiselessly, stepping out on to the balcony. The wind outside was very chilly, though it did not insight a shiver from the god of mischief. Instead, his skin prickled blue, a reaction that Loki fought hard to repress at the instant it happened, wrapping his arms about his waist. Drawing his lips in to a thin line, the god moved forward, towards the edge of the tower's balcony. He frowned a bit, peering over the edge. He reached his hands out for a moment, considering placing them against the railing, but retracted them instantly against the glistening dew that covered the metal. Bringing his hand slowly up to his neck, he ran his fingers over the welts that had formed with a shaking sigh; closing his eyes a bit against the silence that surrounded him, save for the few birds chirping as background noise.
Hearing footsteps from behind him, Loki immediately righted himself, his hands once more at his sides, his face falling flat with an apathetic distaste. Turning on his heel, he curled his brow at the man who stood behind him, catching the wide blue eyes of the man out of time. His lips parted in to somewhat of a grin, though it didn't meet his eyes by a mile. "Captain," he greeted coolly, his voice still somewhat hoarse.
"Why are you still here?" he deadpanned. The distaste billowed off of his tongue, and he didn't even try to stop it. Sure, he'd been there when they'd decided not to call Fury. He couldn't say he entirely disagreed with that. He didn't trust the SHIELD director as far as the Hulk could throw him. But, he had figured that after Loki's little hissy fit last night that he'd for sure be going back to Asgard. After all, the last thing they needed was a brooding brat on their hands.
Loki couldn't help the eye roll that answered that question. Lifting his chin a bit, he wrapped his arms behind his back, clutching one wrist with the opposite hand as his emerald eyes narrowed down the bridge of his nose. "Not even a good morning? And here, I'd thought you were the couth one." He feigned disappointment, his bottom lip protruding just slightly in a pout.
"I'm not in the mood for your games, Loki."
"Nor I for yours, Captain." The name slid through his teeth with distaste, the corner of his lip twitching slightly – the only emotion the god allowed to play on his face.
The trickster's thin lips twisted in to a fairly emotionless smirk, aside from the slight gleam that accented his eyes just briefly, scanning the jaw of Steve Rogers as it flexed – a clear sign of his irritation, no doubt amplified by the early morning. This was almost too easy, poor fellow.
"I merely…persuaded your colleagues." This time his lips parted in smile, revealing his pearly white teeth, seemingly too many for his mouth. Technically, that is exactly what he'd done. What he had most definitely not done was twist the situation to his advantage. He had most certainly not implied that Thanos had plans to invade Midgard, instead of admitting he was actually after him. But it was too delicious an opportunity to fill in the overwhelmingly foggy details for the blond that stood before him.
"You did…WHAT?!" It was clear that this stuck a nerve with the Captain. As it should've, he supposed, given prior events involving Loki and the Captain's beloved Avengers.
Glancing down momentarily, Loki once more found the other's face, watching him through his dark lashes. His lips barely part, emitting a low sort of chuckle, allowing it to roll from his throat like sinister velvet as the star-spangled man lunged against the noise.
Loki's laughter was cut short as his shoulders slammed against the pavement below, causing him to grunt a bit against Steve Rogers' brute force. He parted his lips once more, though Steve was unsure of whether or not he was simply bearing his teeth, or smiling, which, quite frankly, creeped him out. He tightened his grip on the god's shoulders, pulling up slightly to slam them once more in to the concrete. "What did you do to them?" he asked through clenched teeth.
Instead of a reply, Loki brought his knees to his chest, the flat of his boots finding leverage against the others, and he pushed his legs forward with as much force as he could, flinging the patriotic pain in the ass away from him almost effortlessly. He gingerly pulled himself in to a standing position, watching as the Avenger before him caught his breath momentarily. Loki smirked. "You read too much in to things, dear Captain."
Once more the agitated super soldier lunged at him, only to have his arm caught by a startlingly cold grip. Loki sneered, following the Captain's trail of vision to the deep cobalt colored fingers that were wrapped tightly against his sun tanned skin. Loki squeezed harder, watching as the man squirmed at the impending frostbite. As he squeezed his arm, he pressed his weight against him, taking the Captain down to his knees. Though he'd initially riled the man, he'd –quite literally – quickly grown tired of his antics. They could go at this for hours and the Captain would accomplish nothing. He wasn't much fun to provoke, admittedly, even in his early morning stupor. "There is a war coming, Captain Rogers," he said lazily, finally releasing the others arm.
Steve recoiled, pulling his burning arm close to his body as he clenched his teeth. He furrowed his brows against the pain, looking up to the pale god before him. "War?" he questioned, disbelief washing over his tone.
Loki sighed. "Is there an echo?" He once more wrapped his arms around his back, setting his jaw lightly. "Yes, Rogers, a war."
"Wh…what? Why…wh-"
"Use your words, Rogers. I know you are capable."
"What do you mean a war?" he questioned after a moment, his voice still low with disbelief.
"Exactly what it sounds like, Captain. A war; a state of armed conflict between different nations or different groups within a nation. In this particular case, worlds – personified through the leader of the Chitauri."
The noble Captain America shook his head. "No…we…Tony…eradicated the problem." He could remember. The missile. Tony had flown it through the portal created by the tesseract – he'd almost died to send that missile to the Chitauri. He was almost certain that there was enough power behind it to have wiped out the Chitarian army on the other side.
Loki, however, let out an airy laugh. "Eradicated? No. Quite the opposite indeed. Angered, is more like it. Angered their…master."He swallowed hard at the thought, the ghosts of those thick, pallid fingers winding their way against his throat.
Liar. King of Lies. God of Lies, Steve recalled. He shook his head. "No. You're lying."
Loki snarled. "What need do I have to lie to you? I am merely here to promote your cause – the well being of this realm. I know more of Tha—" he cut the name short, lest he garner unwanted attention, his throat once more constricting. "I know more of their master than you could fathom, Rogers, and I could prove a worthy ally."
"Why would you help us?" Steve asked after a brief moment. "The last time you were here you tried to enslave us. Why should I believe you've turned a new leaf?"
"Because I have learned my lesson!" he spat at the man crouched before him – nearly kneeling, he added subconsciously, deriving, albeit it terribly small, amusement in that moment. "Because I know what this being is capable of! I have seen it with my own eyes, and even in my darkest moment; at my lowest point; in all the anger and hate I might yield; in the innermost recesses of what shriveled up heart I may have left – I wish this fate on no one!" He drew in a sharp breath, just watching the pseudo-Aryan man before him for a moment, collecting his thoughts as his slipped once more behind his mask. His now dulled green eyes lingered for just a moment longer before his hastily turned his body, heading back in to the confines of the tower.
Steve just watched him for a moment, eyes still wide in surprise at his outburst; still wide against that burning feeling that nipped painfully at his arm. He rubbed against the wound absentmindedly, steadying himself in to a standing position.
With a sigh, Loki eased in to the couch. He swung on leg up on to the cushions, stretching it out before him, the other foot still resting on the floor, his leg bent at the knee as he sank in to the corner of the piece of furniture. There was a moment of silence, greeted by a light purr, causing Loki to look around momentarily off put, brow barely furrowed as he met the bright green eyes of a small cat. He smirked at it, welcoming it as it found its way on to the couch, curling against his chest. He leaned his head back, bringing one hand up to gently lay across his eyes, closing them as he found himself comfortable.
He wasn't sure how long he'd been asleep when he was violently jerked awake, a harsh clap of thunder shaking the sturdy building to its foundation, cat's claws sinking in to his thigh. He drew in a sharp breath, heart beating rapidly as static tension rose in the air, causing the hair along the back of his neck to stand alert. There was another crack of thunder, and then a blinding bolt of lightning, causing Loki to squint his eyes a bit, raising his hand just barely in front of his eyes. There was a harsh thud, and the lightning cleared to reveal Thor in the indention on the floor. "BROTHER!" he called furiously, grip tight against Mjolnir as he shouted, moving quickly towards the couch.