a/n: I really had some plans for this chapter to get super plot-heavy. Then Clint Barton showed up and was like, "Nah, my time to shine." Once again, I say, I am not in charge at all. These damn characters. Anyway, buckle up bc next chapter is gon' get REAL.
PS. Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!
Chapter 11: Ace of Spades
Nathaniel stared up at the off-white ceiling and let out a long sigh. He couldn't really keep track, but his best estimate was that it had been almost four hours. For probably the first hour and a half, Hill hadn't said much else besides now and then asking if he needed anything, confirming that food would be brought eventually, et cetera. But otherwise, it as silent. Finally, Hill started asking intermittent questions, asking if Nate was ready to talk or if he had anything to share.
"Not unless you've got the entire Avengers Initiative in there with you, Maria," he had stated.
That seemed to be enough and Hill didn't ask any more questions. Nathaniel closed his eyes and shifted on the bed, folding his arms behind his head and trying to relax. If that was even possible.
He'd just started to doze off when he heard the door clicking. He sat up just in time to see it swing open and watch Ava Starr walk in with a tray-full of food. She closed the door behind her, then turned to face Nathaniel.
"I've got some pizza," Ava said, tilting the tray slightly so Nate could see its contents. The plate had a few slices of pepperoni along with the usual foods that accompanied pizza. There was a can of Sprite, and a cup with ice. With a sharp inhale, Ava stepped forward to set the tray down on the edge of the bed. Nathaniel just stared at her, wide-eyed. Clearing her throat, Ava backed up until she was right by the door. She turned and reached for the handle of the door.
"Ghost." Nathaniel breathed out, standing up and overcome with a sudden desperation to keep her from leaving. Ava glanced over her shoulder, evaluating Nathaniel through suspicious eyes. "How, um—" Nate licked his lips, considering just what to say. Finally, he let out a breathy laugh. "I know you don't me, but I've known you. Or, at least, versions of you."
Ava frowned, and all Nathaniel could do was chuckle.
Shakily, Nate told her, "It's really good to see you, Ghost." Nate looked down, feeling tears sting his eyes. He'd avoided asking Scott, mostly because there'd been too much going on and he'd been too stunned to even see the man alive and well. Now, the question was thundering in his head. So, in a quiet voice, he asked, "How's Cassie?'
The intercom crackled. "Ghost, get in here."
"Hope?" Nathaniel's head snapped toward the one-way glass.
"Ava. Now!" Hope's voice sounded frantic. Ava bolted toward the glass, dematerializing as she passed through the solid surface.
Nathaniel could only think of one reason why Hope wouldn't want Ava to stay and talk to him. And he couldn't stop himself. He tried to follow Ava, slamming into the wall and standing there with his forehead leaned against it. After a few deep breaths, Nathaniel sighed and staggered backward from the wall. He looked into the glass.
"Cass?" Nathaniel asked, staring at his reflection in the dark window.
There was nothing for a long time. Nathaniel's heart was hammering against chest and he found himself wishing someone would talk to him, that someone would ask him to talk. If Cassie was there? Well. That might change things for him.
Finally, Hope spoke again: "You should eat your food."
Nate's heart plummeted. He stalked back over to the bed and stared down at the food. His stomach had been roaring before, but now he didn't feel like eating. He moved over to the armchair and sat down, pulling his legs up and tucking them against his chest.
"Suit yourself," Hope said softly. Her voice sounded frustrated, and slightly defeated.
Nathaniel knew the feeling.
Without another word, Nate curled up into a ball on the chair and closed his eyes, forcing himself to go to sleep.
*!MCU!*!MCU!*!MCU!*
"Morgan?" Shuri's voice called out in a harsh whisper.
"Here," Morgan replied, letting out a cough as dust settled around her. Had the little bunker been shaking?
"What just happened?" Shuri asked, sounding closer.
Morgan reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone, clicking on the flashlight function. She raised it just in time to almost blind her friend. Shuri threw her hands in front of her eyes to block out the light. "Sorry!" she hissed, lowering her phone from Shuri's face. Then, with a sigh, Morgan made a slow circle, trying to assess damage with the light from her phone.
Glass crunched under Morgan's work-boots, from the lightbulbs that had burst. Her guess about whether the shack had been shaking was confirmed when she saw many of her tools, devices, and other various do-dads had tipped over or fallen off counters entirely.
When she turned to the table she'd been working at, she froze. "Shuri?" Morgan whispered, her voice ready to crack.
"What is it?" Shuri asked, stepping up beside Morgan and grabbing her shoulder as a kind of anchor in the darkness.
"Where's Vision?"
Shuri let out a gasp, as her gaze must have finally fallen to the now-empty table where Morgan was shining her light. Quickly, Morgan swirled the light to the ground around the table, in case the body had fallen off. But there was nothing there.
"This isn't The Walking Dead; corpses don't just get up and walk away!" Morgan hissed.
That's when she heard it: A shuffling noise, and a soft groan from the corner of the room.
Whirling around so fast that she almost lost her balance, Morgan aimed her flashlight toward the corner, where a bright dot of white light flickered before fading out. "Shit," she breathed out. Then, she was moving across the lab, as quickly and carefully as she could in total darkness.
"Morgan!" Shuri yelled after her, trying to grab her arm but just missing her. There was a loud clattering noise following by mumbled swears as Shuri attempted to follow Morgan. She could pinpoint the girl based on where the flashlight was, but that didn't make the path any easier to navigate blindly.
In the corner, Morgan hesitated for only a second before dropping to her knees. She held her phone out, shining the light directly in front of her.
"Demethi. Sifile!" Shuri exclaimed. "Sizakwenza ntoni?" Morgan could hear the Princess throw her arms out to the side. "Siyicacisa njani le?"
Morgan glanced over her shoulder. "Language barrier much?" she growled.
Then she felt Shuri's hand on her shoulder. "Is he. . ." her voice trailed off as she lowered herself to the ground next to the younger girl.
Carefully, Morgan reached toward the figure in front of her. Her hand hovered over his heart. She paused. Did androids even have hearts? Unsure, Morgan raised her flashlight from the chest to the face. With a gasp, the girl fell backward, landing hard on her butt. Her jaw dropped as she watched the being change in front of her. The red and gold mechanized figure faded, replaced by the appearance of. . . a man. Just, a man. Tall, thin, with light skin and blondish hair.
Shuri didn't say a word, apparently rendered speechless. Then, there was a bunch of scuffling followed by a click and more light, as Shuri pulled her phone out and turned on the light, too.
Morgan sat up on her knees and cleared her throat. "Um. Vision?" she asked softly.
Shuri shined her light on her friend, giving her a worried look.
"Hang on," Morgan urged. Then, with a gulp, she leaned forward. She reached forward and as she gently patted the man's shoulder, she again asked, "Vision?"
Morgan blew a puff of air, moving hair out of her face. Then, she reached forward and gave a forceful shove, shouting, "Vision!"
Vision's eyes flew open and he let out a noise like a yowl. Shuri tipped over and started scrambling backwards on the floor. Morgan yelped out of surprise, but managed to stay seated on her knees where she was. Vision's gaze darted around the room, apparently trying to orient himself in the darkness. Morgan tried to keep her light handy to illuminate as much of the space around them as she could. After a few seconds, Vision's short, rapid breaths started to calm down. Once he was breathing semi-regularly, Morgan tilted her phone back to light up her face a bit and smiled.
"Hi," she said. "I'm Morgan Stark."
That drew Vision's attention directly to her and he looked her up and down briefly, wide-eyed. "Stark?" he asked quietly.
Morgan nodded. "My dad was Tony Stark. He. . ." she paused, biting her lip as she searched for the words. Finally, she settled on the simplest explanation: "He made you."
Shuri crawled forward, stopping next to Morgan and sitting on her knees, too. "Do you remember anything?" Her voice was soft, like she was trying not to frighten a wild animal.
Vision gave a solemn nod. "There are a few holes," he admitted. "But I would say that I remember almost everything."
Morgan couldn't help smiling. She'd heard JARVIS' voice in videos of her dad in the past, from when he'd been working in the lab or from video-feed from his suits. She's always loved the way JARVIS sounded and she knew how much her dad had loved him. In a weird way, she felt like she missed JARVIS, too – even though she'd never actually 'met' him. Hearing Vision speak, with JARVIS's vocal qualities, and having it be in person? It was beyond amazing.
"I'm Shuri. Do you remember me?" Shuri asked, tilting her head sideways in curiosity.
"Yes," Vision told her. In the glow of her phone, Morgan could see him smile. He had a nice smile, she decided.
"Do you think you can stand?" Morgan asked him.
"I should think so, yes."
Despite the Vision's confidence, Morgan and Shuri both hurried to their feet and each grabbed one of his hands, helping him up. Once he was standing and relatively steady, Shuri pointed her phone's light toward the door. "Maybe we should find somewhere private but with light? And fresh air?"
"Yeah," Morgan agreed. The girls helped Vision to the door and supported his slightly unsteady form up the five steps to the doorway. Once they were outside, Morgan made sure the door was locked behind them. Shuri supported Vision while Morgan peered around the building, making sure nobody was coming. If anyone heard the noises or saw any weird lighting events from the shack, they weren't doing anything about it. And that suited Morgan just fine.
She looked up to the sky. It was dark, except for a sliver of the moon, and blotted with stars. Turning to Vision, she sighed. "A lot has happened. We'll fill you in." Then, Morgan nodded her head toward the tree-line nearby and the trio started walking to their temporary hiding spot.
*!MCU!*!MCU!*!MCU!*
Loki opened his eyes slowly, blearily blinking back to consciousness. Glancing out the window, he could just barely see a faint light on the horizon, starting to tint the sky purple and orange. It would probably be another half hour or so before the sun truly started rising. And the bed was comfortable and warm and safe, and Loki had no desire to move. With a yawn, he rolled over, closing his eyes and tucking himself up against Strange. He told himself it was just because he was tired, or the result of some post-coital stupor, that caused his heart to speed up when the other man's arms wrapped around him, allowing him to nestle into the Sorcerer's chest. The warm tingle of Eldritch magic seeped through Strange's fingers and Loki sighed as he let it warm his cold Jötunn blood, reveling in the intoxicating effect of their intermingled magic.
"You awake?" Strange asked quietly, his voice rough with sleep.
"No," Loki replied with a smirk. He opened his eyes and leaned back to look at the mortal.
Strange was looking at him in a stupidly adorable manner. And Loki found himself wondering when butterflies had taken up residence in his intestinal track. Silently, the doctor tilted his chin down and kissed the top of Loki's head. He squeezed his arms tighter around the mage's thin frame, tugging them closer together. Then one of his hands found Loki's hair and he started running his fingers through the messy, wavy black locks. As fingernails scraped against his scalp and gently combed through his dark tresses, Loki couldn't help melting into how glorious it felt.
Apparently, Loki had dozed off because he re-awoke with a start when his head started to drop off Strange's chest. He could see rays of light across the floor and up the wall, as they were streaming in from the window behind him.
"Good morning," the female voice spoke overhead. Loki tensed slightly and he heard Strange chuckle softly.
"Morning, FRIDAY," the Sorcerer said into the open space. Then, he shifted so he could meet Loki's gaze. "Good morning, You," he said, his voice soft and his eyes warm.
"Morning," Loki replied lazily. He sat up, stretching his arms behind his head and popping his neck. Then he wrapped the sheet up around him and flopped back down onto the mattress.
Strange laughed and straightened up, leaning back against the headboard. He ran a hand through his hair and when Loki glanced back, the man was staring at him. "Look at you," Strange cooed teasingly. "Like a little burrito."
Loki rolled his eyes and pulled the sheet over his head. "I'm not turning into food-stuffs."
After barking out a laugh, Strange asked, "What?"
"Yesterday, you compared me to a cat." Loki pulled the fabric off his face and sat up, pushing some unruly strands of hair out of his eyes. "Now, you say I'm Mexican food." As he tugged the blanket around his shoulders, he gave a coy grin. "Wonder what I'll be tomorrow."
Strange's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed harshly. "Tomorrow?" he asked.
"Mm," Loki hummed. Then he lowered himself back down to lay across the doctor with a devilish smirk. "Unless you feel up to round three right now?"
So taken by surprise was Strange that he snorted and almost choked on his nervous laughter. Loki grinned mischievously, proud of his ability to rattle the mortal.
"Apologies for the interruption," FRIDAY's voice broke through again. "But Sam has requested the presence of all available Avengers in the cafeteria for an early morning conference."
With that, Strange slid down the headboard and laid back on the pillow with force. He ended up knocking his head into the board anyway. "Ow," he grumbled, closing his eyes.
Loki crawled forward, putting his lips to Strange's head where he'd hit it. Then he slithered down to lay beside the man. Strange didn't hesitate to wrap an arm around Loki, absently rubbing his thumb along the god's arm. Loki ignored the way his heart was hammering. "Does that mean we have to get up?"
"I'm afraid so," Strange replied.
"Fine," Loki groaned. Then he rolled over and stood up, taking the sheet with him. Strange scrambled for a throw blanket and stood, wrapping it around his waist. "No need to be modest, Doctor." Loki glanced over his shoulder seductively. "Nothing I haven't seen already." With a wink, he added, "And certainly nothing to be embarrassed about."
Strange cleared his throat before quickly gathering his clothes off the floor. "Okay, well, I'm gonna go in here," he jabbed his thumb toward the bathroom. "I'll be right back out."
Loki chuckled to himself as the Sorcerer disappeared into the bathroom, the door clicking shut behind him. Tossing the sheet onto the bed, Loki stretched some more. Over the past year, he'd grown quite fond of stretching and spreading or sprawling out. He suspected it was because he'd spent too long cramped up in cages.
In no particular rush, Loki collected his clothes from the floor and piled them on the bed. It would have been easier just to magic them on, but the mage felt rather lazy and decided to take his time. He figured he must still be a little magic-drunk. He pulled his leggings on, followed by stockings, and then laced up his boots. As Loki stood and picked up his tunic, Strange emerged from the bathroom. The man was fully dressed in casual slacks and a long-sleeved shirt, with his hair dripping slightly from a quick shower. He had a towel wrapped around his neck and he dropped into an armchair to pull his shoes on.
"Um." Strange froze, holding one of his shoes in the air. Loki raised an eyebrow, waiting. "FRIDAY has promised her, uh, discretion." The Sorcerer pointed a finger at himself, then at Loki. "About us."
Slowly, the Trickster nodded. "That's good." Looking up, Loki said, "Thank you, FRIDAY."
"My pleasure," she said. But her voice halted slightly. Then she asked, "How would you like me to address you?" Loki furrowed his brow. FRIDAY took his pause as confusion and elaborated: "Do you prefer Mr. Odinson, or Mr. Laufeyson? Or, perhaps, Your Highness?"
After a glacial pause, Loki cleared his throat. "Just Loki will be fine, if you please," he told the AI.
"I can do that, Just Loki," FRIDAY stated. Loki was about to correct her when Strange started laughing. As if on cue, FRIDAY chimed in, "Pardon my sense of humor, Loki. Boss was very big on dad-jokes, at the end."
"Oh," Loki replied quietly. Something caught in his throat. "That's quite all right. . ." his voice trailed off. Strange went back to putting his boots on, and Loki tugged his tunic over his head. Then, a thought occurred to the mage and, before he could stop himself, he was saying, "Actually, FRIDAY?"
"Yes?"
"You may still call me Loki, but if you'd like to then perhaps sometimes you could also use," he stopped a moment to lick his lips, completely aware of the fact that Strange was watching him from his peripheral vision. "Erm, Mr. Friggason?"
"Certainly," FRIDAY responded. Strange tugged his laces tight on one shoe and sat up, looking at Loki with a soft smile on his face. Silence settled as the doctor went to work on the other shoe and Loki stood, hugging his arms around himself somewhat awkwardly.
"So, you're coming to this meeting thing, right?" Strange broke the silence, asking casually as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
Loki scoffed and crossed the room, straightening out his tunic. "I doubt two-point-oh meant to include me in the invite."
"'Two-point-oh?'" Strange repeated, looking up when Loki stopped directly in front of him.
At that, Loki snickered. "Your new captain. Wilson." Loki smiled broadly and shrugged. "He's version 2.0."
Strange rolled his eyes. He reached forward and grabbed Loki by the waist, tugging him down into his lap. "He's going to hate that nickname."
"In that case," Loki murmured against Strange's temple, "I'll make sure to use it frequently."
The doctor chuckled, but his laughter stopped when Loki gently lifted the towel from around his shoulders and started drying his hair. Then he took the end of the towel to wipe toothpaste off Strange's lip. With a smile, Loki leaned forward and kissed him, savoring the minty flavor of the man's mouth. When they pulled apart, they were both smiling at each other. Strange reached up and stroked Loki's cheek with his knuckles for just a fraction of a moment before pulling his hands away. He kept one hand at Loki's waist but moved to tuck the other one under his own thigh. Loki was quick to grab it though, pulling it back up and placing it on his face.
"Why do you hide, Stephen?" Loki asked quietly. He closed his eyes and placed his hand on top of Strange's, delicately tracing the mottled lines of scarring with his fingers. Opening his eyes and locking blue on gray, Loki said, "Kintsugi."
Strange watched Loki for a moment, eyes darting around and scanning his face curiously. Loki started to explain, saying, "It means—" but he was cut off by Strange pressing their lips together.
When they pulled apart, Stephen tucked Loki's hair behind his ear. "I know what it means. It's a Japanese technique, the art of repairing broken pottery by mixing powdered gold into a lacquer and using the gold to mend the broken areas."
Loki smiled and nodded. "The philosophy of wabi-sabi and the mental state of mushin." Again taking Stephen's hand in his own, Loki kissed the scarred fingers and palm. He moved his lips up Strange's wrist and around to the back of his hand. "We must accept flaws," he murmured. "Life is fragile. We must accept that which cannot change, embrace things for exactly what they are – mono no aware."
Loki had closed his eyes and when he opened them again, he found the good doctor staring at him. "What?" the mage asked, feeling a bit self-conscious.
"It's just," Stephen paused. He licked his lips, apparently trying to decide what to say.
Loki gulped, suddenly regretting how open and vulnerable he'd allowed himself to be. He'd taken care of Stephen, been nurturing, shown empathy. He couldn't help but wonder if he'd laid himself too bare. Or maybe Stephen knew he was a hypocrite. Here he'd been encouraging the mortal to stop being ashamed of his scars, all while Loki wore a glamor to cover up the very essence of who he was – not to mention that he was hiding the scars that he hadn't been able to get rid of, the only scars that hadn't healed after everything he'd been through. . .
Finally, Strange blinked a few times and shook his head gently. "You're really something, Loki," he settled on. Then, he patted Loki's ass and urged them both to stand up. "Time to go," he said.
They stood and Strange moved toward the door. Loki really did want to follow, but he hesitated. "Stephen," he said, causing the other to turn and look at him. "I'm not an Avenger."
Strange eyed him curiously, then clicked his tongue. "You're here and you're willing to help us against whatever comes, right?" Somewhat reservedly, Loki nodded. Strange shrugged. "So that's that. You need to be in the loop to help. You're coming."
The feeling of being needed, of being wanted was almost too much to bear. So when Stephen grabbed Loki's hand and squeezed it, the Trickster couldn't help but squeeze back. And when the man opened the door and stepped out into the hallway, Loki felt it was impossible not to follow. And, as he followed Stephen Strange down the hallway, he couldn't even be mad at himself for thinking that maybe, just maybe, if he were to give in and fall for this man, that might not be such a terrible thing.
*!MCU!*!MCU!*!MCU!*
Scott paced the lobby of the Compound, watching the main entrance with intensity. He rubbed his face and let out a groan. It was too early, and things had not been going well.
He'd woken up to Cassie banging on his door, demanding answers. Which, of course, left Scott scratching his head because he had no idea what she was talking about.
"That boy!" Cassie had shouted, pointing her arm down the hallway.
"What boy?" Scott asked, stifling a yawn.
"The one in the basement," his daughter growled. That made Scott freeze. He stared at her.
"How do you—"
"Hope took me down there," Cassie interrupted. "She trusted me and wanted to give me a chance, so I'm not totally out of the loop around here."
"Okay." Scott scratched his jaw. He wasn't sure how to respond. He wanted to be mad at Hope for going behind his back and figured he probably needed to punish Cassie in some way, but he just couldn't quite get the words together.
Cassie sighed in exasperation. "This person that's got everyone so worried, the one who basically came riding in as a horseman of the apocalypse today – it's seriously that boy down there?"
With a tight expression, Scott nodded. "Yeah! Okay? The kid is the one everybody's talking about."
"He's not a kid." Cassie narrowed her eyes. "And neither am I."
"Oh, Cass. C'mon, let's not do this!" Pretty sure he was already in for defeat, Scott turned and stalked back into the bedroom. Cassie followed him, letting the door slam behind her.
Scott sat down on the edge of the bed and put his head in his hands. Then, he waited. He expected to hear Cassie's usual arguments and for her to beg him to let her be an Avenger, or to have her lecture him about how he can't just keep her hidden away from the world forever and he can't stop her from growing up. . . he'd heard it all before. Many times. So he was ready for it.
What he was not ready for, however, was what Cassie actually said: "He knows me."
Scott lifted his head up, looking at his daughter with wide eyes. Cassie's expression had turned somber. She stepped forward, sitting down in a chair in the room, across from her dad. "When we went down there, Hope said she was just letting me satisfy my curiosity by getting a look. Then I was gonna go to bed and her and Ava would stay for their guard duty." The dark-haired girl inhaled sharply. "Ava took some food into the cell, and the guy knew her. Like, really knew her. As in, he was excited to see her."
Scott nodded. "I'm pretty sure he knows all of us. Versions of us, anyway, I guess? I don't know, it's all kind of mixed up."
"Okay, but," Cassie ran a hand through her hair. "He asked Ava about me."
"Well, what did he say?" Scott sat up straighter, leaning forward eagerly from morbid curiosity.
But Cassie only shrugged. "Just, asked if I was here and how I'm doing?" She shook her head. "Then Hope freaked out. She told Ava to get out of there and not to say anything to him. And then she basically shoved me out of there and locked the door in my face."
The two were silent for a moment. "Dad," Cassie began, her voice wavering slightly. "Why does he know me? What does that mean?"
Scott rubbed at his eyes. "I don't know, Cass. I think it means that there's a lot we don't understand." Then an idea struck him. "And we might need backup."
So an idea had struck and, after running it by a very grumpy, half-awake Sam, Scott made some phone calls. Which explains why Scott now found himself pacing in the lobby and watching the door like a Ritz-Carlton bell-boy. Finally, he saw a car speeding up the driveway. A smile spread across his face as the car made it up to the doorway and parked. Scott bolted out the door, laughing as his friends climbed out of the vehicle.
"Scotty!" Luis called, running around from the driver's side and all but leaping into his friend's arms.
"Whoa. Hi!" Scott greeted. He managed to peel Luis off of him. "Have some class, though. We just saw each other like two days ago."
"I know, but, like, so much has happened in those two days, y'know?" Luis grinned widely. "I mean, you left and then we all were like, 'man, we miss Scott,' and we went to get some ice cream. And we thought it'd be funny if we went to that shitty Baskin Robbins you worked at for a while – remember when you worked there?"
"Yeah, I remember—"
"Well, we went to that one. But guess what? It's not Baskin Robbins anymore! They just, I don't know, closed up shop, man. And now it's like this weird store that sells cigars or some shit? I didn't go in because it looked super shady, but I'm pretty sure it's like a front for the mob or something." Luis shook his head, looking thoroughly perplexed.
Scott just smiled and patted his friend's shoulder. Then he looked up and smiled. "Kurt!" he called to the other man, who was still hovering by the car. Hearing his name, Kurt made his way over and stood by Luis.
"Hello, Scott," he said in his thick Russian accent. "We have been driving all night. Non-stop."
"It's good to see ya, buddy!" Scott gave a friendly punch to Kurt's shoulder. "And thank you both for coming. I owe you."
Kurt perked up at that. "You have some breakfast foods here, yes?" he asked hopefully.
Scott waved them both toward the door. "I'm sure we can find something. Let's go inside." He chuckled before leading them inside, filling them in on the recent events.
By the time they reached the cafeteria, Luis and Kurt were fully caught up and briefed on what had been happening within the Compound since the day before. They entered the cafeteria, only to be quickly engulfed in hugs by Cassie and Hope. Ava stood behind them.
"Hi Luis," Ava said with a wave.
"'Sup, Ghosty?" Luis replied, pulling her in for a hug.
Ava leaned around Luis. "Oy, Kurt," she said fondly.
"Baba Yaga," Kurt replied in a harsh whisper. But he winked, earning a grin from Ava. Then, Kurt's eyes scanned the room, landing on the buffet-style setup. He rubbed his hands together greedily before starting off toward the food. Luis and Scott followed, with the girls close behind. As they all stocked up on food, Kurt and Luis animatedly commented on the items they were loading onto their plates.
"Is just like Holiday Inn!" Kurt exclaimed upon discovering the Belgian waffle maker. He wasted no time pouring batter and getting the machine going.
Scott and the others laughed. "We're gonna sit down. Come join us when you're done!" Scott called, receiving only a dismissive wave from the Russian. Shaking his head, Scott led his little troupe to find an empty table.
Their path quickly took a detour, when Luis darted past Scott and stopped at a table where Carol was sitting. On top of the table was Carol's cat. Luis instantly started making cooing noises and scratching under the animal's chin. "Who's a good kitty?" Luis said in a squeaky voice. Carol sat beside them wearing an amused expression.
Scott sighed and swerved, moving to sit next to Carol. Hope sat next to him while Cassie and Ava sat across the table.
"What's your name, wittle fewwa?" Luis baby-talked to the cat.
"This is Chewie," Carol answered, stroking her cat's tail.
"Like Chewbacca?" Luis asked with a grin. When Carol nodded, Luis went back to petting the furball. "That's a good name, man. I always liked cats. But my mami, she was allergic. So instead, she got me a fish. But it's not the same, ya know?" He looked at Scott and shook his head dejectedly. "Damn fish wouldn't even come to its name."
Luis sat down, pulling Chewie onto his lap and allowed the cat to fall asleep on his legs while he started eating. Kurt joined them and noisily enjoyed his Belgian waffles.
It wasn't long before Peter joined them, sliding in next to Cassie. The Barton kids settled in, too. Peter was busying himself with his phone, rapidly typing away at what Scott assumed to be a very important text-convo – based on Pete's look of concentration and the way he stuck his tongue out the side of his mouth just slightly while he focused intently on whatever he was reading and sending.
Halfway through his second waffle, Kurt froze. Scott gave him a puzzled look before turning to follow his gaze, where he saw Dr. Strange walking with Loki in tow. With a smile, Scott stood part of the way and waved. Once they saw him, he gestured for them to come over, pointing to the empty seats at their table.
"Hey guys!" Scott called once the two were nearby. Carol turned around and smiled brightly at both of them. Strange and Loki dropped into the empty seats, with Loki closest to Scott. It only took a fraction of a second for Loki to notice Kurt was staring at him.
"Yes?" the alien drawled, sounding curious.
Kurt sucked in a sharp breath, then whispered, "You're Lopt."
Loki stiffened. In a harsh voice, he softly said, "Do not call me that." Then, just as quickly as the intensity had come, it was gone; Loki moved around, as if shaking out his bones, and Kurt went back to his waffles, resolutely avoiding the god's gaze.
"Um. So, Loki?" Scott asked carefully, still not quite sure what had just happened. When Loki glanced sideways at him, he took it as permission to continue. Scott pushed his empty plates away and turned slightly, smiling. "I was thinking, maybe I could show you a magic trick?" With a flourish, Scott produced a deck of cards, fanning them out in front of his face.
"Oh, boy," Hope murmured. Scott shot her a glare just in time to see her face-palm. But when he looked back at Loki, the Trickster wore an amused smile.
"Pick a card, any card!" Scott called, holding the deck out to Loki. He hesitated a moment but then, after a nudge from Strange, Loki sighed and pulled a card from the pile, much to Scott's delight. "Okay, look at it. Don't show me. Once you've memorized it, put it back in the deck, anywhere you want."
As Scott made a show of looking away, Cassie rolled her eyes. "Dad, please," she groaned.
"Shh!" Scott hissed, winking at her.
Scott felt the card slide back into the deck. He looked back at the dark-haired man, not even bothering to hide how excited he was that Loki was playing along. Scott waved his free hand in the air, shuffled the deck, cut it, and held up half the pile with the cards still face-down. "Is this," he flicked the back of the card on top, causing it to flip over to show the face, "your card?" Scott held up the Ace of Spades.
Loki grinned. "It is," he said slyly. "But, then again. . ." he paused and waved his hand in the air. Suddenly, all of Scott's cards spread out across the table, face-up to show that all 52 of them were the Ace of Spades.
"Aw, man!" Luis whined. "You're using a trick deck? That's not cool, homie. I thought you were better than that."
"Yeah, all that time under house arrest, bragging about your close-up magic?" Carol chimed in before shaking her head in mock disappointment.
Offended, Scott stammered a bit before his voice finally gained traction. "It's not a trick deck! Or, it wasn't one, anyway."
As he spoke, the cards started to glow a green, radioactive color. They rapidly changed to their correct suits and numbers before swirling through the air, coming together, and then settling in a pile in front of Scott.
Scott's jaw dropped, along with Kurt and Luis. When he looked to Loki, the Trickster merely peered at him down his shoulder, fluttering his lashes. "When you can do that, we'll talk magic."
"Play nice," Strange chastised in a quiet but fond tone.
Loki rolled his eyes and smiled. "But I suppose for a mortal with no training, that sleight of hand wasn't entirely disappointing."
"My, my," Thor boomed from behind them. He walked up and clapped his hands on Loki's shoulders. "To whom are you giving such high praise, Brother?"
Scott's eyes widened. "That was high praise?"
Loki nodded and let out a noncommittal, "Mm-hmm." Behind him, Thor chuckled before saying he was going to check if there was enough food left for seconds. "Glutton," Loki mumbled, rolling his eyes at Thor's retreating figure.
As their group settled back into quiet conversation or eating, or both, Scott couldn't help but notice Cooper shifting awkwardly in his seat, just before clearing his throat. "Um, Loki?" Coop asked in a quiet voice. Loki's gaze fell on him instantly. Scott had to wonder if the mage realized just how intense that stare of his could be. "You attacked New York, right?"
It was completely silent as all eyes darted back and forth between Loki and the boy.
"Erm, yes. I did," Loki replied.
Coop gulped. "Um, why did. . ." his voice cracked a little, so he cleared his throat and tried again: "Why did you do it?"
Loki blinked at the boy. Scott felt himself cringe. The whole Loki-Invasion thing had been hard enough to explain to other adults, with many of the finer details being left out. Even Scott wasn't sure he completely understood it. How, exactly, did one even begin to explain such a thing to a younger person?
Lila seemed to take pity on the mage and clarified her brother's question. "We know about the mind control thing. And obviously we know about Thanos."
"Right," Cooper agreed. "I just wanted to know. . . why?" He frowned and let out a huff. "Or, maybe, more like. Um. How?"
Loki's breath hitched. "You want to know," Loki began slowly, "how I came to be under Thanos's orders?"
Cooper gave a curt nod and Lila followed suit, her lips pursed tightly. Loki inhaled deeply. "I was. . . not quite right," he told them, choosing his words carefully. "Some events had taken place in my life which led me down a wrong path. A very wrong path." He avoided eye contact, focusing instead on the wall behind the Barton children. "I found myself in a dark place."
"You were hurt?" Scott asked quietly.
"Yes," Loki answered, looking toward her but not quite meeting her gaze. "And I was desperate. So I fell in with others who were in similar situations."
"Then Thanos found you?" Lila queried.
Loki nodded, letting out a shaky breath.
Cooper frowned again. "But you still joined him."
Ava nodded along. "Did you not know his plans? That he was," she paused, letting out a huff as she shrugged and said, "well, you know, a bad guy?"
"I knew. I just. . . didn't care," Loki confessed.
Surprisingly, Lila nodded. "He used you."
"You resisted though," Peter pressed, his tone gentle. "So you must have started caring at some point."
Loki simply shrugged, apparently not sure what else to say.
"So why didn't you just leave? Or say no, or try to, like, stop him?" Lila sounded a bit more persistent.
"By then, there didn't seem to be many options," the Asgardian admitted. "I couldn't get away, and I was no match for the Titan by myself. I couldn't even tell anyone." Loki's hands, which were resting on the table, clenched into fists. He gritted his teeth in frustration. Closing his eyes, he took a few calming breaths. When he opened them again, he looked around the table, at the adults as well as the kids. Scott noticed that he did, however, avoid looking toward Strange. "The only choice available – or the only one I could see – was to appear as though I was going along with the plan, while secretly doing everything I could to ensure it failed."
"And you did that," Peter said – a statement, not a question.
Cooper and Lila both nodded, apparently accepting the information. A moment passed. Thor had returned to the table, approaching slowly and, obviously, catching pieces of the conversation. He sat down next to Cooper and gave Loki a sad smile. It was quiet for another moment before Cooper piped up again: "You hurt people, though. Killed them. Do you regret it?"
"Coop!" Lila admonished her brother.
Loki smiled as kindly as he could manage at the girl before looking at the boy. "The truth?" he asked, earning a nod from Cooper. "Sometimes."
"Only sometimes?" Luis repeated, sounding shocked.
With a heaviness to his voice, Loki replied, "I am. . . not exactly a good person."
"You weren't good." Everyone turned their attention to Strange, who had finally joined the conversation. The doctor had his arms folded on the table in front of him and was looking down at his hands which, Scott noticed, were not covered by gloves for the first time since he'd known the man. Turning to Loki, Dr. Strange continued, "But you said yourself, you're not the same as you were back then."
Loki nodded, wide-eyed. Apparently unable to speak, Thor spoke for him: "Much has changed. But you have come out on the other side, better for it."
Then, in a relatively stern voice, Carol said, "You're trying to be good now, aren't you?"
Loki leaned forward, looking past Scott to nod at the Captain. Carol eyed him a second longer before shrugging. "Then that's all anyone can ask of you. And that's all you should expect of yourself." There was still something firm in her tone as she spoke, not giving up eye contact. But she seemed appeased.
Loki opened his mouth to say something but stopped, seemingly at a loss. Before anyone else could speak again, they heard a loud "Hey!"
Scott, along with his table-mates, looked up and watched as Clint Barton made his way over. He stopped directly behind his children and stared down at Loki in unadulterated anger.
Lila spun around and reached a hand out to Clint's forearm. "Dad—"
Clint pulled his arm away, holding a hand up to silence his daughter. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" He locked eyes with Loki. Accusatorily, he asked, "You're talkin' to my kids?"
Loki, having recovered from his momentary lapse only seconds before, only smirked. "Question asked, question answered."
Barton narrowed his eyes. "Do you think you're cute?"
Without missing a beat, Loki replied, "I've been told I'm quite adorable, actually."
"It's our fault," Cooper interjected. "We asked him questions."
Clint looked down at his kids, still fuming. "Go find your mom, both of you." The two teens scrambled to stand and raced away without a word. Clint leaned forward, palms on the table, giving Loki a glare that almost matched the mage's in intensity.
Loki leaned back and folded his hands in his lap. "So, we're finally going to have it out then?" Clint screwed his face up in confusion, which just made a mischievous grin spread across Loki's face. "This tension between us has gone on too long. We really should settle it, shouldn't we?"
With that, Loki slowly rose to his feet, stepping away from the bench, making it so he towered over Clint. Scott felt like passing out or puking or something. He scooted a bit in his seat, trying to put some distance between himself and Loki – just in case the Asgardian decided to spontaneously combust or something.
Thor and Strange quickly stood, too, along with Peter and Carol. Scott nodded to Hope, who grabbed Cassie and pulled her away from the table, followed quickly by Luis and Kurt. Ava remained sitting but focused intently on the proceedings. Scott also noticed that Bucky was slowly walking up behind Barton. "Clint," Thor said, his voice soft like when he talked down the Hulk. "Why don't we just relax and discuss things, in a civilized manner?"
Loki scoffed. "Really, Thor? Since when do you prefer talking compared to action?"
"Since I have a Kingdom to worry about," Thor shot back.
Clint stood up straight, tugging down his shirt and never once breaking his stare with Loki. "You'd probably like to talk, wouldn't you? That's what you do best. Silvertongue, right?" With a bark of a laugh, Clint rolled his eyes. "I've been manipulated by you and your pretty words before. Not interested in doing it again."
Loki tutted, saying, "Come now, don't lie to me." There was a sickly sweet smile on his face as he leaned forward and, in a harsh whisper, said, "Remember: I've been inside your head, Hawk. I know the exact kinds of things you'd be interested in doing. I know that you and I are the same."
Clint let out a snarl, the only warning before he lunged across the table at Loki. Bucky and Thor each grabbed him by an arm and hauled him back before he made it too far. Loki took two steps backward and smiled. There was a gold shimmer around him before he flickered—kind of like Ghost used to when she was losing control of her matter—but then, nothing happened.
"What the—" Loki frowned and looked down at his wrist where a red tendril was snaking its way up his arm. A matching line of energy was doing the same thing on the other side and Loki threw his head back with a groan. "Damn you, Strange!" he growled. "Let me go!"
Strange kept his hands in the air, controlling the red energy, and shook his head. "You can't just run away from this, Loki," he insisted.
Loki swore—it was in some foreign, alien language, but definitely still a swear word—as the tendrils wrapped tight around his limbs. He struggled against them, but wasn't able to break free. Finally, he stopped moving and just let out a bitter laugh. "You think I'm such a threat as to require the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak, Doctor?"
"Not a threat," Strange argued. "A flight risk."
Meanwhile, Bucky had taken over holding onto Clint, locking both of the archer's arms behind him. It looked like the super soldier wasn't even breaking a sweat as the man tried to break free from his grasp – another futile attempt, it seemed.
Once Clint stopped wriggling and Loki seemed more subdued, Scott let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. "Now," Thor said, stepping forward to be between the two (along with the table, but apparently that didn't mean much if either of them planned on just leaping across it). "Are we ready to talk this out?"
"There's nothing to talk about," Clint grumbled. Then, a bit louder, he said, "I don't trust him and I never will."
Loki pouted. "You wound me, my little Hawk."
"Stop calling me that!" Clint shouted.
There was an odd glint in Loki's eyes as he tilted his head to the side. "Why?"
"Because I'm not your Hawk. I'm not your anything," Clint insisted, baring his teeth.
Loki dropped his head to the ground, looking thoughtful. His arms were still stranded at his sides by Strange's magic. Finally, Loki looked back up, with a significantly softer expression. "You used to be."
Barton looked taken aback. "What?" Clint asked, his voice going quiet.
With a sigh, Loki looked at Strange. "Release me," he commanded. Strange made a concerted effort to shake his head, and even Scott could see that holding Loki was wearing him out. "Stephen," Loki said, his tone surprisingly gentle. "I'm not going to leave. Please?"
It took a moment, but the doctor finally gave a tight nod and lowered his hands. The bands receded, vanishing away and Loki shook his hands out, demonstrating that he was no longer restrained. He then flickered out of existence, only to reappear on the other side of the table right in front of Clint. Not the most tactical move, in Scott's opinion, but hey. . .
"Let him go, Bucky," Loki said with a nod toward the Soldier.
Bucky raised an eyebrow. "You sure?"
"Barnes," Clint growled, craning his neck back to try to look at his captor. With a sharp inhale, Bucky acquiesced, raising his hands in the air as he backed away. Clint swung his arms, shaking them loose, too, after being held back. Then he squared his shoulders and stared up at Loki defiantly.
Scott leaned around the edge of the table, practically on the edge of his seat, as he tried to watch and listen.
"What I was saying," Loki began, "was that you used to be mine." It looked like Clint was about to argue but Loki held up a finger to silence him. "I take care of the things that are mine, Barton."
Clint snorted. "You mind-raped me, you sick fuck."
Loki nodded solemnly. "I suppose I did. The Mind Stone—"
"Don't blame it on the Stone," Clint spat. "You had to know at least some of what you were doing."
That actually seemed to brighten something in Loki. "You're right," he agreed. "Why else do you think I chose you?"
"Uh, because I was the unlucky bastard who happened to be nearby?"
"Don't sell yourself short, Agent," Loki admonished. Taking a step back and speaking up, Loki said, "I chose you because you're strong."
"What?" Thor interrupted, furrowing his brows.
Loki shot his brother an amused look, then looked back at Clint. "You have great strength, Hawkeye. I knew you'd be able to handle the effects of the Mind Stone and that when it was all over, you could recover from having been used that way." The god looked down and shook his head. "I do regret that. I know what it is to be controlled." He looked up, sparing a glance toward Bucky before focusing on Clint again. "I hate mind magic. And I am truly sorry."
Scott looked around, realizing that all eyes in the full cafeteria were on them. It was quiet enough to hear a pin drop. Then, Clint sighed and as he did, it was almost like he deflated. He ran his hand through his hair, then looked up at Loki. "I'm not saying I forgive you. Or that I trust you," he stated. "But I guess you can prove whether you've really changed, and you can try to help us with whatever shit may be comin' down the pike." Quickly, Clint pointed a finger at the Asgardian. "But if you so much as think about stepping over the line, I will personally put an arrow between your eyes."
Loki – the deranged darling that he was – actually smiled at that. "Hawk, I would expect no less from you."
At that moment, the cafeteria doors opened, echoing loudly in the otherwise silent space. Sam walked in, alongside Pepper, Fury, and Hill. Everyone turned to look at them and the four newcomers froze.
"Uh," Sam glanced around. "Did we miss something?"
Surprisingly, it was Clint who spoke up. "Not a damn thing, Cap." He grinned at Loki before walking around him and clapping his hands together. "Now, whatcha got for us?"
*!MCU!*!MCU!*!MCU!*
a/n 2: I say that Shuri is speaking Wakandan but, according to the MCU, the people of Wakanda actually speak the isiXhosa language – so that's what I used in this chapter, courtesy of Google translate (meaning: blame Google for any inaccuracies!).