Welcome back avid readers!
A large and warm thankyou to my new beta Nithya.
"Mother, why can't I go outside?"
He turns from his seat at the window and sees her smile, but his age is too young to notice how her eyes soften in slight sadness.
"The heat causes you great ailment my child. When you are older, you will be able to train in the summer."
Loki finds his young eyes turning once more to gaze upon Asgard staring at the warriors spread across grounds. Even through the window he can feel the stifling heat of Asgard's sun. It causes him great discomfort, and oft he is confined to his room, plagued with a strange sickness that he has seen no other Asgardian experience.
"Is it because I'm weak?" He asks with such innocence that Frigga immediately moves to sit before him at the window.
"Dear one, you must never speak of yourself as such." She says placing her soft hand onto his face, her thumb brushes his cheek affectionately.
"But I'm not like the other children." Loki says plainly. He tilts his head momentarily and Frigga can see her son's eyes frown with thought. "Why am I different?" he asks.
Once more Loki sees her smile.
"You are not different, Loki." She says as she catches her son's small hands in her own.
"But I am." Loki insists as he lets his gaze flit down. "The other children say I am."
His glistening eyes, filled with raw belief, meet hers, "So it must be true..."
Frigga places a comforting hand on her son's shoulder. Always he has been sensitive to the words spoken around him. For long she managed to protect him from them, but as he grew, so did his ability to comprehend the words spoken about him. It was unfair, to impose such preconceived ideas about her son, and even as the Queen, she could not shape that which was already warped.
If they could only see how gentle he was, how willingly he could open his heart to love with fierce loyalty.
"If I told you your brother was actually a Bilgensipe, would you believe me?"
Loki lifts his gaze in curiosity, his lips perking faintly in amusement at the thought.
"No."
"And why is that?
"Because it's not true." Loki says plainly.
"Indeed. Just because words are spoken, does not mean they are true. Truth lives in the nature of things, within each moment and in our actions." She says gently as her hands fold around his warmly.
"You are Loki, my son, and that….that is the truth I see."
Frigga watches as Loki's face changes, and once more she places her hand on his cheek. It is a gesture she shares with her son and oft can she feel the slight pressure against her palm as he leans in softly.
"And you're my mother." Loki says with slight delight as it returns to him. "Forever."
"Nothing lasts forever, Loki." She tells him gently, "But I'm with you my son, and I'll be with you, even if you can't see me."
She sees Loki's face turn in thought.
"What do you mean if I can't see you? I can always see you." Loki mutters, confused by her words.
Frigga inclines her head and leans back carefully, ruffling his hair. He is too young, she thinks, to understand it.
She watches as her son's eyes brighten, as though his mood has suddenly changed. Her son giggles softly as he tries to cover his face, but she can see the smile build upon his delicate features. Frigga hums and her hands release his as she moves to tickle him. She catches the front of his tunic and quickly brings him upon her lap.
Her son squirms within her arms, laughing more prominently now as he tries to break free from her playful torment.
Her grasp on Loki fails as he darts beneath her hands.
Loki has always been quick, and Frigga smirks, knowing it is an ability he will perfect with ease. A talent that not one warrior will be able to overshadow. She stands slowly and waits for the tangles in her dress to unfold as Loki scurries away in amusement. The thoughts that plagued his mind not a few moments before suddenly vanished. Frigga smiles as she moves to catch her son.
She will not be able to.
She knows this.
But it is all she can do to distract his growing heart from the differences between himself and the Aesir.
If for only this afternoon.
Natasha stirs slowly to the sound of crackling wood. She drifts momentarily as her thoughts return to her. Even though she has slept in the dirt, somehow, she feels warm and comfortable. She inhales and can smell fragrances that make her stomach growl in hunger. Frowning Natasha detects weight upon her and moves her hands upwards. It feels almost like a blanket, soft and thin, yet underneath she has kept all of her body warmth.
Opening her eyes she gazes at the emerald and black cloth and immediately recognizes it as Loki's long coat. It is then that she notices something soft beneath her head. Pushing herself up onto her elbows she looks down, seeing a clump of what appears to be long grass neatly bound to form a cushion.
Natasha lets her gaze wander to the fire before her.
Something is cooking atop the firewood and she frowns further. The morning is still dark, but the emergence of light blue and pink hues begins to emerge above the tree line.
"Good morrow." Loki says quietly.
Natasha sits up quickly as her mind races. She remembers sitting beside the fire, keeping alert at her surroundings. She remembers Loki returning with frozen firewood and quietly sitting opposite her.
Her muddled thoughts quickly fall back into place.
Natasha chastises herself harshly. She cannot believe she fell asleep, leaving herself vulnerable. Her features frown further as she pushes Loki's coat off her quickly, ignoring the chill of the morning air settling upon her. Pursing her lips she wonders with curiosity at the thought of the god placing the thing upon her.
Quickly setting her gaze to Loki, Natasha watches him intently. Loki kneels some distance away from the fire, his hands clasped before him, resting on his knees almost lost in thought. She stares him down, noticing the slightly trepidation of his features.
Natasha blinks.
He is completely blue, save for his piercing red eyes.
Loki swallows, eyes flittering away from her gaze.
"My presence…" He raised his hands only slightly to her to prove his point. "…Well, I no longer have use for my coat, and you were shivering rather violently." Loki's lips rise with subtle amusement. "I almost thought you were dancing in your slumber."
Natasha nods carefully and returns his coat in silence. Loki stares at it for a moment, an emotion crossing his features before he reaches out to take it. As it passes between them his fingers slightly graze upon hers and immediately she draws back her hand in pain. She cradles it to her chest, noticing how red her skin has become, as though she has submerged the skin in snow for hours.
Loki pulls his hand back as sharply as she had and clasps his hands before him as though he were trying to lock his touch away from himself.
"Don't worry about it." She murmurs moving her hand closer to the fire to warm her blood.
After a few moments of silence Loki quickly moves to the fire and reaches near the flames and for the briefest of seconds, Natasha almost tells him to stop, thinking how much fire would cause him pain. He takes hold of the end of a large piece of branch and holds it out to her. It is then that she sees what the source of the smell was.
He cooked¸ she thinks strangely before another thought hits her.
He hunted, while she slept.
"What are you doing?" Natasha asks straightforwardly and Loki stops. His brow lowers ever so slightly.
"You are mortal and have a weaker constitution than I." He says plainly. "If it is your wish to reach this Doomstadt by today I believe proper sustenance is in order."
"I'm used to missing meals." Natasha says. "Most missions require me to do so."
Loki continues to hold his offering out to her.
"One must never forgo daily nutrition Agent Romanoff." He says almost pushing it into her hands and returns his gaze to the fire with much difficulty.
"It is the most essential thing you learn first in Asgard."
"How to cook?" Natasha replies with sarcasm.
"How to survive." Loki replies almost instantaneously and the atmosphere turns silent. Natasha briefly wonders at what Loki means by those words.
Natasha looks at the animal that smolders in her grasp. Looking up again she watches as Loki sets to skin another animal. She sits there, mesmerized at how quick his handiwork is with a knife. His incisions are precise and he is quick to remove all that is unnecessary from the animal. Natasha sits in silence as he twirls the knife around absentmindedly as he begins the next task. He inserts the blade at each of the animal's joints and down the spine. With lightning fast movements he hooks his fingers underneath the skin and pulls and almost effortlessly the animal is prepared. Tossing the fur away he impales the creature and sets it atop the flame.
All the while they remain silent, save for the crackling of the wood.
"You've done that many times before." Natasha remarks quietly as she pulls some meat off and reluctantly eats a few morsels.
"Aye. Midgard's creatures are different, but on Asgard we have something similar like this…" He gestures to the animal.
"Rabbit." She supplies.
"Rabbit." Loki repeats to himself slowly. Natasha tilts her head only just, hearing how he speaks, as though he has learnt something new, something wondrous but with a saddened gaze. Loki straightens where he sits with a fondness in his eyes.
"I used to hunt with Thor many a time in our youth; it was as you mortals say a pastime?" He looks to her with hesitation and Natasha nods. Loki lowers his head and as quickly as his small smile came it vanishes beneath a saddened memory.
"Those times became less and less as we grew. Duty overcame leisure and Thor had his responsibility to the Allfather and his friends. "
Something in his eyes dull.
"The expeditions were often bothersome and wrought with danger." Loki huffs a small laugh at the memories
"More times than not we came back filthy…"
Natasha almost has to lean in to hear the next words as he mutters them in a quiet hush.
"But I enjoyed my time with my brother."
Silence once more fills the wilderness as Natasha finishes her meal. Though she does not dare to admit it and fuel the ego of the god before her, it revives her strength and alertness to her surroundings.
As the sun begins to rise they set off once more on foot, and leave the confines of the thick forest they had spent the night in. The landscape changes within a few miles, from the thick forest to clear expanses of tall grass. It is high into the day that Natasha spots the first sign of civilization from afar. It is a small farm, but an occupied one at that as small plumes of smoke rising from the inhabitant's chimney. Natasha turns, about to tell Loki that they will veer around the property to avoid seeing eyes until she stops and looks at the god.
Even though he is blue, she can clearly see the beads of sweat sticking to his face. She notices how he slightly hunches over in an attempt to block his face from the heat of the sun. What concerns her most is how quick his breaths are.
It is a far cry from his Asgardian form.
"We should stop."
Loki shakes his head.
"No." He says out of breath, almost forcefully so. "We will continue."
"You don't look well." She says plainly, knowing anything else would be considered an insult to his intelligence.
"Spare me." He spits.
Natasha shrugs, dropping the subject.
Together they veer around the farm successfully and continue onwards. It is not until when the sun begins its descent that the farms grow more abundant and the tell tale signs of an oncoming village can be seen. Dirt roads evolve into paved paths and beneath the twilight sky, Natasha relaxes her feet on the smooth surface, embracing the comfort of a level ground. She turns, a routine she has found herself picking up to ensure the god had not keeled over. As always he is silent and narrows his eyes at her curious glance.
As the darkness begins to creep around them Loki picks up his pace and settles himself beside her as they walk.
"You seem spritely. " She murmurs blandly as the chill of the night begins to dampen her movements. It is as though their roles have reversed by the single change of day.
Loki huffs.
"If I had to endure another one of your 'glances' I swore to myself I would rip your eyes out." He says darkly as they reached the topmost part of an incline.
Natasha would have let herself be goaded into an argument if not for what caught her attention. She hushed him immediately and lowered her head.
"Doomstadt." She mutters.
Loki follows her gaze and frowns.
It rises from the crowded village below, a seemingly vertical steep mountainous form of stone that cascades into the sky. There are neither street lights nor anything that resembles external lighting of any kind. It is as though the village of Doomstadt was frozen in time and remained that way, save for the lanterns of light adorning the doors of every house.
Natasha scrutinizes the castle intently. The steep rock on which the castle rests shows no sign of easy access save for the single bridge the stretches beyond a void of a few hundred meters to more solid stone below. Natasha curses herself that her equipment had not been saved back in Hungary.
"Impressive." Loki remarks as he looks onto the challenge, his eyes sparking with the desire to solve the puzzle before them.
"Your plan, Agent Romanoff?" Loki asks lightly as he turns to her and places his hands behind him, patiently.
Bastard.
"Shut up." She hisses as her mind scrambles at how to attack the obstacle before them. She gazes at the castle before her with longing. She knows, knows, Clint is in there, as well as Steve.
No wonder there has been no sign of them. She thinks to herself, no one can get in… or out.
She hears Loki trying to talk, and she turns to him in annoyance.
"What?" she says impatiently.
"I was merely suggesting an ulterior course of action, one that may allow us access without hesitation." He says harmlessly.
"You think you can just enter the castle, just like that. "
"Most likely." He replies.
"Oh really? How so?" Natasha folds her arms waiting for his response.
Loki shrugs of the Widow's sarcasm as if it is the simplest of ideas in the nine.
"We can knock."
Pepper waited patiently for her security clearance to pass. Stepping into Tony's lab she sighed as she walked over to where he sat hunched over his many computers.
"Tony?" She tried to ask over the blaring music.
Tony sat staring at his screens, eyes darting between each monitor every few seconds, a deep frown etched into his features. Pepper could see his hands held together, his chin resting on his thumbs as his fingers tapped his lips in obvious thought. As she walked over she tapped the music off, but Tony did not even move.
"How is everything going?" She asked as she made it behind him, her hand resting onto his shoulder in support.
Tony hummed as he leaned back into his chair.
"Look." Tony says seriously as he nods his head to one monitor.
Pepper moves her eyes towards the screen and watches the silent news channel. Though on mute, understanding of the story being covered is immediate. She watches the chaos on the monitor for a moment before squeezing Tony's shoulder.
"The entire stockpile from Stark Industries in that surrounding area has been recalled. I've checked the reports myself, everything's accounted for."
"While I'm glad my previous exploits haven't come back to bite me in the ass, that's not what I mean Pep." Tony says with a sliver of relief in his voice. "I managed to get that line to Bruce…"
"And?" Pepper says anxiously.
"We didn't exactly get a result, "Tony leans forward to his main screen with concentration as he mumbles, "Whatever it is that Loki can do, it cannot be pinpointed."
"But it can be extrapolated. "
Tony leans forward and begins to type something slowly into his monitor. Pepper watched as another news feed filtered onto the screen. She watched silently as a shaky cam video is played on repeat. It it difficult to watch, and it appears the person who had recorded the scene was in motion.
But Pepper could see it clearly.
An entire floor of a building exploding into emerald light. It shines through the darkness of the night as bystanders run for cover. Even though the headlines are in another language Pepper clearly understands what Tony is trying to convey.
"Where was this taken?" She asks.
Tony huffs.
"Hungary." Tony says dryly. "That's definitely him Pep, but look who else we have."
Tony pauses the shaky cam video and with a few keystrokes he zooms onto another point on the monitor.
"Jarvis clean it up will ya."
-Yes, sir –
The pixels dissipate and Pepper frowns. On the screen is the clear figure of Natasha Romanoff, captured in the brief moment the building explodes. Both Tony and Pepper can see her in combat gear and clearly set on leaving the scene.
"What is Natasha doing with Loki?"
Tony taps his lips for a moment.
"Hey Pep." Tony murmurs through his fingers while Pepper looks down to him, a brow raised. "Where did you say Steve went on his mission?"
Pepper's heart begins to sink as she suddenly recognizes Tony's tone.
"I didn't, he never told me."
"Right…."
Tony stands slowly, his hands kept flat upon the surface of his desk as his back bends over to stand. Pepper takes a habitual precautionary step backwards.
"Assholes." Tony mutters under his breath before turning fully to her. "My friends are assholes."
"What?" Pepper asks, confused by this reaction.
Tony pushes himself away from the desk and picks up a random object from his never ending clutter of assortments. In jerky movements but with a steady hand he begins to tear the gizmo apart.
"You know…" Pepper hears Tony say through his annoyance and angered dismembering of a machine. "I love being in a team. Do you love being in a team?" Tony says without looking at her.
For a brief moment he stops, and raises his head in thought.
"I guess this is what it feels like to be the nerd not picked for the class dodge ball game." He trails off.
"Tony, please." Pepper tries to say but is cut off.
"Oh, Iron Man is too nerdy. Iron Man can't bring any skill set to an impending war that could go nuclear."
"They probably didn't want you drawing attention to the situation."
This causes Tony to gawk and cease his destruction.
"Me?" he points to himself. "Attention?"
Pepper doesn't miss the slight rise in his voice, but being around Tony Stark for the length that she had, she knew Tony was being serious. That in fact, he did not understand.
"Pep, they let the guy who is literally a walking American flag go undercover. Which may I add, would seem a little counterproductive, because honestly who wouldn't recognize that guy… and you're saying I would draw attention?"
Pepper shrugs. "You do have a certain flare."
Tony's face falls as he deadpans her.
"Unbelievable." He mutters to himself.
An alert will let you eat Loki's cooking a Review will let you hunt with him
-Brought to you by the most apologetic broadcaster... Mimbillia-