This chapter's theme song is "Wicked Game" by Chris Isaak. In addition to the original, see if you can find the Flamenco Fusion Guitar version done by Greg Reiter. Or just imagine it being sung by the Gypsy Kings.
Chapter 46: Just a Dance
The ceremony was short and sweet. It took place on the beach, with everyone barefoot. Tony and Pepper had written their own vows, and while some of them got a few laughs, they were sincere and loving. Everyone clapped for the kiss, a few photos were snapped, and then it was off to the reception.
On the large deck that spread out behind the clubhouse, a dance floor and refreshment tables had been set up. A local band played flamenco, mariachi, and Polynesian covers of any popular song you could name—as long as it hadn't been written in the last 15 years. The guests danced, ate cake, and mostly talked.
"Congratulations," Steve offered. "Never would have guessed you'd be the first of us to get married."
Tony, Clint and Bruce laughed. "Yeah," Bruce agreed. "You always seemed like the confirmed bachelor type."
"What made you want to seal the deal?" Clint asked.
Tony grinned. "I just had this epiphany one night. I had this really hot girl at my place," he began, "She was way drunk, and way into me."
Halfway across the deck, Loki's head turned, and he quietly came to stand behind Tony, listening in.
"And I mean, she was ready to go, you know? But all I could think about was Pepper. That's when I knew. I kissed the girl goodnight and sent her home." He shook his head.
The guys laughed. "That doesn't sound like you at all," Bruce agreed.
Loki chose this moment to speak up. "Well thank the heavens for Pepper, then, or you might have taken advantage of that poor girl." His expression was teasing, but there was an edge to his voice.
Tony turned around very slowly and looked up at Loki. He laughed nervously. "Yeah. That would have been... really bad." He shuddered.
"To Pepper," Loki proposed, lifting his glass. The others lifted theirs as well, grinning. "And all the virtue she has unintentionally saved."
They laughed, but drank, Tony deepest of all.
Loki wandered off, resuming his previous task of covertly watching Natasha. He made his way to the cake table, where Darcy had practically parked herself.
"Hey Loki," she said through a mouthful of cake. "You gotta try the chocolate. It's divine."
Loki took a plate of the suggested cake, and sampled it, savoring it carefully. "It's very good," he admitted at last.
She scoffed. "Jeez, you even look sexy when you're eating. You make me look like a pig. It's not fair."
He laughed. "Well you must be doing alright, as I hear you've found your very own brooding gentleman?" he teased.
Darcy's eyes widened. "You didn't..." she grinned.
He took another bite of cake. "Not me precisely, but I might have put the idea in Her head."
She set down her cake, and then hugged him tightly.
Loki lifted his hands, trying not to let his cake get squished between them. "Hey, watch the tie," he scolded, rolling his eyes.
She just laughed and let him go. "I don't know how to thank you. Clint is..." she glanced over to the man in question, who was currently talking with Natasha. "Perfect."
Loki smiled sardonically. "Well I don't know if I can agree with that, but I do know how you can thank me."
"Oh?" Darcy looked eager, detecting the mischief in his voice.
Loki continued to watch Clint and Natasha talking. "I should like to have a dance with Natasha... uninterrupted. Do you think you could... distract him for about 15 minutes?"
She grinned and gave him a mock salute. "It would be my honor, sir." She grabbed one last mouthful of cake, and then turned to go.
Loki caught her wrist. "Oh, and Darcy?"
"Yeah?" she glanced at him quizzically.
"Don't ever call me 'sir' again," he said casually, but there was something about his expression which warned her he was serious.
She shrugged. "'Kay."
He let her go, and then went to speak with the band.
Natasha had been pretending not to watch Loki pretend not to watch her all evening. He was good at it, but she was better. She wondered what he was up to. She was talking to Clint—who finally seemed willing to ignore the elephant in the room long enough for a decent conversation—when Darcy practically came skipping up to them.
"Hi!" she said cheerfully, and wrapped herself around Clint casually. "Can I borrow him for a bit?"
She laughed. Darcy had been talking to Loki only a moment before, and she had no doubt this was part of his plan. Luckily Clint had been facing away from them, or he might have figured it out, too. "Sure," she agreed.
Darcy proceeded to drag Clint away. He looked confused at first, but when she whispered something in his ear, he grinned and consented to sneak away with her.
Now he will make his move, she thought, while I am alone. It was well done, she had to admit. Had she been in any real danger, she would have attached herself to a large group of talkative people. Instead, she took her drink and walked to the balcony, staring out at the sunset.
He appeared beside her only a few moments later, silent as a cat. He stared out at the view as well, saying nothing. At last, the band finished the song they had been playing, and began setting up for another. Loki turned to her, bowed in the Asgardian manner, and held out his hand.
"Would you like to dance, Lady Natasha?" he asked formally.
She smiled, amused by the game he was playing. "Yes," she put her hand in his, and he led her to the dance floor.
He placed one hand on the small of her back, and held the other aloft. For a moment, she thought they were going to dance the Tango. It would be like him to choose a flashy dance like that. But when the music started, a slow, sensual flamenco guitar piece, the beat was all wrong. He began to move his feet and his hips, effortlessly leading her through the Rumba. On second thought, she realized this dance was a much better fit for him. It wasn't as showy as the Tango, but for the dancers it could be much more sensual, as their hips swayed together in sync.
"Where did you learn to dance like this?" she asked as he turned her in a slow spin.
He shrugged gracefully, pulling her back against him. "I watch a lot of television," he reminded her. "Where did you learn? You are exquisite, as always," he murmured.
Despite the compliment, her face darkened. "It was part of my training."
Loki didn't miss a step, but there was a pause in his expression. "Someday, you will tell me what happened to you," he said demandingly.
She sighed, leaning back into a dip. "Someday. But not now."
Their conversation was ended as the singer stepped up to his microphone and began the lyrics to the song. He had a strong accent, but Natasha already knew the song, and the words carried easily into her mind as Loki directed them around the dance floor, until it seemed there was nothing around her but his body and the words.
The world was on fire and no one could save me but you.
It's strange what desire will make foolish people do.
I never dreamed that I'd meet somebody like you.
And I never dreamed that I'd lose somebody like you.
No, I don't want to fall in love (This world is only gonna break your heart)
No, I don't want to fall in love (This world is only gonna break your heart)
With you (This world is only gonna break your heart)
What a wicked game to play, to make me feel this way.
What a wicked thing to do, to let me dream of you.
What a wicked thing to say, you never felt this way.
What a wicked thing to do, to make me dream of you and,
I don't want to fall in love (This world is only gonna break your heart)
No, I don't want to fall in love (This world is only gonna break your heart)
With you. (This world is only gonna break your heart)
No, I...
Nobody... loves no one.
Natasha felt a strange tightness in her throat as Loki brushed his lips across hers with the last of the words. The song was over, and she didn't want it to be. Applause for the band brought her crashing back to reality. She looked around her, they hadn't been the only ones dancing.
Thor and Jane, who had yet to leave the dance floor, stood nearest, grinning at them as if they knew something which Loki and Natasha did not. Further off stood Tony and Pepper. Tony winked at her.
She felt Loki bristle beside her, as if he too had forgotten they were not alone, and was unhappy to find them the center of attention. He took Natasha's hand, kissed it rather roughly, thanked her formally for the dance, and stormed off. She followed him for half a step, as if an invisible string connected them and then snapped, painfully.
She sighed, and lowered the hand she had left hanging in the air where he had kissed it. Spotting the cake table, she made her way determinedly towards it. There were so few emotional problems that could not be solved with chocolate...
Loki stood at the edge of the surf, on a rock which the tide beat relentlessly against. The sun had gone down, and the moon was yet to rise, so the only light came from the party behind him. The sound of the waves crashing on the shore and then retreating with a hiss of rolling pebbles almost drowned out the music. It almost drowned out his thoughts, even.
It was enough, however, to cover the sound of Thor's approach. "Would it be so very terrible," he called, breaking Loki's reverie, "if you loved her?"
Loki laughed, turning. "You've never been one to beat around the bush, have you?"
Thor shrugged, smiling sheepishly. "I never saw the point of it."
Loki shook his head, and then jumped down from the rock, coming to stand next to Thor. "Yes, it would be terrible," he said seriously.
He looked shocked. "Why?"
He sighed, bent down to pick up a handful of rocks, and started chucking them angrily into the sea. "Many reasons."
"Such as?" Thor prodded.
Loki scowled at him. "Why should I tell you?"
"Because I am your brother, and these are things which brothers discuss?" he hazarded.
The old argument that they were not brothers rose to his lips, but he let them go unspoken. Thor had helped him through the heartbreak of Angerboda and the frustration of Sygin. So he said nothing, continuing to toss the stones, although with less rage.
"It's not as if I haven't considered the consequences of loving a mortal woman," Thor offered. "What would the court of Asgard say? What would SHIELD say?"
"I care nothing about their opinions," Loki said sullenly.
Thor hid a smile. "That is most likely a good sign." He studied his brother a moment, at the pain written clearly on his face. "Is it because she will live so short a time?"
Loki dropped the remaining stone in his hand. "I had not even thought of that," he admitted softly.
"Then what? What stands between you and happiness?"
He sighed heavily again, staring up at the stars. "She does not love me."
Thor chuckled at this, causing Loki to turn on him with a scowl. "Did you see her face when you danced? It was a mirror to yours."
He rolled his eyes. "That is lust, not love," he scoffed. And that had been the whole of his intention, to stir desire in Natasha, early in the evening, so that he could capitalize on the delay later on. He had not known the song he picked well, and had not expected it to effect him so.
He spread his hands defensively. "Whatever it was, it was effective. You likely could have had her right there on the-"
"Don't be crude," Loki scolded.
Thor looked surprised, but pleasantly so. "Not many ladies have had their virtue defended by you," he pointed out.
Loki finally lost his patience, even though he knew that was Thor's aim. "She told me once, that 'love is for children.' Long before any of this started, long before we were anything but enemies. If I fell for her... If she knew... I would lose her respect."
Thor frowned. "Lady Natasha is very skilled in deception, perhaps even more so than you. Are you certain she spoke in earnest?"
He sighed. "Yes, she said much the same thing to Her, later."
"And her respect is more important to you?"
"Yes."
They stood silently, sizing each other up. Thor gracefully let it go, turning to study the ocean as Loki had. Irritatingly, it reminded Loki of how Odin would have acted, but he stood and watched with him. He knew he was trying to help.
"I intend to announce something tomorrow, concerning myself and Jane," he said without turning.
Loki gave him a sidelong glance.
"I was going to announce it today, but Dr. Banner informed me that it would be a breach of etiquette. I am already in disagreement about this with Father, so I am hoping that you will support me." Thor clasped his hands behind his back.
Loki snorted. "I hardly think having me on your side will help you in any way," he argued.
Thor smiled a little. "Still, it's important to me that I have your blessing."
He chuckled and shook his head. "Alright, then, you have it, for what it's worth. But I cannot speak for Her in this matter."
He frowned down at the sand. "Will she make a scene, do you think?"
"No, She's too eager to please for that," he sighed. "But it will likely hurt her."
"I know," Thor said quietly. "It cannot be helped."
"No."
They stood a moment longer on the sands, and then Thor clapped Loki hard on the shoulder. "Well, I bid you good night, and good luck with Lady Natasha."
Loki smiled faintly. "After that dance, I fear I shall need it," he joked.
Thor chuckled, and wandered off back towards the party.
A/N: Little bit longer chapter, and nice and sexy and broody. Hope you guys like it. I think I may have struck a useful deal with my muse whereby I can write one chapter of my new story for every two that I write for this one. We'll see if that works. Thank you again for all your wonderful reviews and support, I really appreciate it!
If you're wondering why I didn't write the wedding itself en scene, it's because I'm saving it for a little one-shot collection I'll post either after this story is over or when it's close to over called "Four Weddings and a Farce."
Next on Wednesday, Chapter 47: A Declaration! (But who is declaring what? ^.^)
