Chapter Twenty-One: No Fun
Eve sat still as the canine jumped up on her lap and licked her face. She laughed at first and then became quiet, still smiling, when Sasha pulled away and stared at her with her tail wagging. This gift was more than just a gesture. It felt like a promise. Loki had gone out of his way to make her know she was in his thoughts, and he'd done it the second he left. Now his disappearance was less ambiguous, she saw that he was running from SHIELD, not her. Sasha provided more comfort than she'd imagined she'd get when being held and questioned. It occurred to her that maybe she wouldn't be allowed to keep the pup, and she looked first to Barton. His face was stern and shocked. She turned quickly to Natasha who had taken a liking to the dog almost immediately.
Natasha smiled at her and looked up at Barton, schemes swirling behind her eyes. "Oh, no," he spoke up, taking a step back. "I don't think so."
She stood and pulled him down the hall, leaving Eve alone and longing to pet her new best friend. "What's the harm in it?" She asked.
"Allow me to answer your question with one of my own. Where did it come from? We have to assume Loki dropped it off for her. That means he was literally in this building. The man is taunting us. Besides, she doesn't deserve to be rewarded," he gestured toward their captive, who paid him no attention.
"Let's be fair. We don't know she wasn't under hypnosis, we don't know what he was threatening her with. Put yourself in her place. You're powerless, weaponless and you don't understand your adversary."
"You know what I definitely don't do? Fuck the guy!"
At this, Eve's head turned to them. Natasha pushed him further down the hall. "Hey! I get why you're upset. I'm not thrilled. We need to get the missing pieces before we pass judgment. If anyone who's made a mistake is automatically worthy of your hostility, you'd better start being real callous toward me too. And add yourself to that list while you're at it."
Down the hall, Eve was trying to enjoy her time with Sasha in case it proved temporary. Her head turned when casual footsteps approached her from the way they'd come. Tony Stark, now out of his armor, looked at her, and then the puppy, then back to her. "How did you end up alone in the hallway? Jeez, if this is how Clint handles all of his assignments, I'm not surprised Loki escaped."
Eve felt a familiar tingle sweep down her spine. She felt a delayed version of being starstruck, which was coupled by shame due to their first meeting in her bedroom. "They're just down there," she tilted her head toward them, unable to point.
Tony squinted, though they weren't far enough away to warrant it. "And this is?" He dipped down to pet the puppy. He lifted her name tag in his fingers. "Sasha, huh? Where did she come from?"
"Oh, don't all the rooms have one? I assumed it was my welcoming present," she joked, earning a low chortle fro him.
"Green collar...seems like someone wanted your stay to be enjoyable." Barton and Natasha headed back toward them. "You didn't tell us where to meet you," Tony went on.
Barton entered the open door to check for anything else Loki may have left behind. He returned a couple minutes later, looking annoyed, though that was no surprise. "He also left anything you could ever possibly need to care for a dog. Food, water, toys, a bed, newspaper, leash...it's just a giant pile of green accessories."
"Check inside the food bag, check everything for anomalies," Natasha advised. He turned and went back to the items. "Meet us in the conference room," she called to him after a moment's pause. As she helped Eve up, Eve looked anxiously at Sasha. "Get the dog," she instructed Tony, voice hushed. Tony scooped the pup into his arms without a single hesitation and stroked its fur as they walked. "We'll discuss what's to become of her later, okay?" She added rhetorically, squeezing Eve's shoulder briefly.
Eve nodded in response. Why was she being so kind? It was most likely a front to coerce her into cooperating. Not that she had much of a choice. They arrived at the conference room and sat her at the head of the table. "Do I still need to be cuffed?" She asked, trying to make herself sound as pathetic as possible-it wasn't a challenge.
"Oh yeah," Tony laughed, "like you're any match for us. God, even Natasha here could rip you in half, and she doesn't even have robot arms."
"What do you mean even Natasha?" Natasha glared at him. "If I remember correctly-"
"Ah! Well, no need to cite specific instances...you're right, you're way tougher than me. Anyway," he transitioned smoothly and unlocked Eve's handcuffs. She twisted her wrists around in front of her and stretched. She was allowed to do this for about twelve seconds before Tony grabbed one wrist and Natasha grabbed the other and forced them down onto the table. Tony hit a button underneath and Eve's eyes widened as two thick, curved metal restraints swung up from behind panels in the table, trapping her wrists yet again.
"Seriously? Really? Really?"
"Seriously, really, really," Tony confirmed with a smug look.
"What do you think I'm going to do exactly?" Eve begged to know as she kept eye contact with the steel that held her.
"We don't know. Better safe." More Avengers began to trickle into the room, along with a few people Eve didn't remember ever seeing on TV. They took seats and across from her at the opposite side of the table sat a very threatening black man with...was that...an eye patch? When Barton joined them and everyone was situated, it was that man who spoke first.
"Thank you all for joining us," Fury began in his trademark booming voice, "If today's meeting goes well, and I swear to god it better, we should be on our way to capturing Loki once and for all. Any questions before we begin?"
"Yeah," Tony piped up, earning an exaggerated eye roll from the director, "shouldn't we make sure everyone's acquainted? Make this just a tad friendlier?"
"You want us to be friendly," Fury groaned. This was definitely not a question. "Is that a dog?" He shouted, standing and gesturing for emphasis, when he noticed Sasha.
"Yeah, well, that development kinda goes toward the end of the story. We'll get there," Tony nodded until Fury's blazing glare forced him to stop.
"No freaking way!" Darcy beamed as she noticed the puppy. "Can I hold her?"
Tony looked to Eve for permission. Eve's mouth hung open for a second too long, surprised, before she spoke. "Yeah, totally, sure, go ahead!"
Tony set Sasha down onto the table and she looked overwhelmed. Darcy cooed and kissed at her until she sprinted her way, slipping and sliding on her paws. "Best meeting ever!" Darcy exclaimed as she cuddled the dog.
"What the fuck is going on?" Fury screamed, exasperated. Several members of the group began explaining to him at once, and before long the conversation devolved into a scattered mess of jumbled, irrelevant words.
Eve sat perfectly still and observed. She noticed one thing missing from this excessively strange scenario. Sam. She wasn't given long to think about it, though, as her attention was soon drawn to something much more pressing. She felts hands on her shoulders and when she turned to look, Loki was standing next to her.
"Don't say anything," he said. His voice calmed her to no end. "And don't look directly at me. They can't see me, or hear me. I won't be able to stay too long, this illusion drains my magic if I keep it up for extended periods of time. Just think your responses to me."
Okay, she thought, it's very good to see you. Very, very good.
"I'm flattered that you miss me. We'll be together before long, I'll make sure of it. Now, you need to be honest with these people. SHIELD agents are trained to know when someone is lying or withholding information. Just tell the truth. It won't get them any closer to locating me, I guarantee it."
The truth? Even about how I actually started falling for you? She was given no time to carefully phrase her words, her thoughts were out in the open for him.
Loki was silent. Their physical attraction was one thing. What she thought there, well, that was another level entirely. He had assumed she felt that way, she certainly acted like it. But to hear her think it brought him more joy than he'd anticipated. It caught him off guard, knocked him back. He stared at her as she pretended to observe the various tiffs going on around the room and couldn't help himself. Instead of verbally returning her sentiment, he chose a more physical approach. He kissed her cheek and then her neck, taking care not to move her in any unnatural, noticeable ways. She bit her lower lip to keep from smiling and it spurred him on. He was soon venturing a hand and kneading his fingertips into her thighs where no one could see. The sight of her in restraints turned him on, though he wished that he'd been the one to put them there. He continued to kiss her gently, steadily as he moved his fingers further up and rubbed in between her legs. She lurched forward slightly and struggled to keep her eyes ahead. She choked down sighs and moans, and he found himself wanting to crack her open. Though her hardened exterior was for his own benefit, the sport of it seemed all too appealing. He dug in deeper until she was grinding into his touch. Her eyes scanned the room to make sure no one was paying attention. They were all engrossed in their own conversations, and she was tempted to let go of the paranoia and just enjoy herself. Her hands twitched periodically and her movements became less and less subtle.
That feels so good, she thought, but you have to stop, I can't keep quiet much longer.
"You're no fun," he whispered directly in her ear. He removed his hand. She let out a relieved sigh, though her relief turned out to be premature. Loki only slid his hand out to undo the button on her pants and slip his hand in under her underwear. His fingers found her button with ease and made way to torture her. Her breaths became heavy as she tried to remain in control. He rubbed more fiercely and she closed her eyes. When it became too much, she couldn't help but let a small noise free. Yet he didn't stop, in fact he curved his hand until his fingers were inside her. The next sound she made was not so quiet.
Tony's eyes snapped to hers suspiciously. "You doing alright there?" He asked as his eyes narrowed, and the rest of the room grew silent.
Loki was gone in a heartbeat, his evil snicker reverberating in her ears, and Eve was left unfulfilled with her pants unbuttoned-and no way to fix either problem. "Just peachy," she murmured.
A/N:
Can't decide whether or not to hash out their entire meeting. Is that something you guys would want to read? If not I can summarize it well, and then something important(ish) happens at the end, so I'd detail that bit and move on. The meeting would be mostly Avengers banter, which is always fun, but no Loki. Let me know if you have a preference.. if no one cares either way, I'll have to go with what I feel like in the moment.