When I came to, my body felt exhausted. I was in a dark room, but it was bigger than any room that I had seen on the helicarrier. I was wearing some sort of silk nightgown, I assume. I slowly sat up in the bed, waiting for my eyes to adjust so that I could see. The only light in the room was coming from the dim glow of my hair and eyes. After a moment, I slipped quietly from the bed, and I suddenly became aware of how cold it was in the room. The gown barely reached to my knees and the straps were thin spaghetti straps, exposing far too much skin for my liking. I could hear city sounds, but they were faint. Silently, I made my way to the door of the room, my bare feet freezing on the cold floor. Just as I reached for the handle, it suddenly turned and the door swung open. Loki through the doorway, closing the door behind him with a click. His eyes raked over my form, taking in the ivory flesh on display.
"You're awake", he stated.
"Where am I?"
"According to Barton, it's called Stark tower, I believe."
"Why did you bring me here?" He reached out with a hand, brushing his long, cool fingers against my jaw. I ignored the tingling sensation that shot through my body.
"You're where you are meant to be." I lifted my head, my eyes meeting his emerald gaze.
"What will it take for you to abandon this mission. It's pointless, you won't win."
Anger flashed though his eyes briefly, and then was replaced with something else, "I can't stop now." His gaze shifted downward. I moved closer to him, wrapping my arms around his cold body. He stiffened, but as I held on, he relaxed and soon wrapped his arms around me. His bare skin felt cool on my shoulders, sending a shiver down my spine.
"Let me help you", I whispered, my face still pressed against his chest. He let out a deep breath and I looked up at him. "What will it take for you to get free?"
"Whether or not I succeed, I have to go through with the plan. I must carry it out. Do you truly wish to help?" I nodded as I stared up at him. "Then tomorrow", he said slowly, his hand running through my hair, "I need you to do whatever it takes to stop me." He released me, running his hands down my bare arms. If I didn't already have goosebumps on my skin, his touch would have caused it.
"Are you cold?"
"Not too bad", I answered. "How do I know that I can trust you?"
He chuckled. "You don't. I haven't yet determined if you're to be trusted as well."
"This is so fast. I'm just some human, and you're a god." He lifted my chin with the tips of his fingers and brought his face closer to mine. I tried to control my breathing as his emerald eyes bored into mine, merely inches away.
"My dear, I believe most humans would be decrepit at your age. You're much more than that."
"This still feels so sudden."
"What does it matter? Does it feel real? Tell me that you didn't feel something from the moment I met you." I didn't say anything, but I didn't need to because he wasn't lying. As evil as S.H.I.E.L.D. made him out to be, I couldn't see him that way. "You're my equal", he whispered, staring into my blue eyes intently. He pressed his cool lips against mine, and it felt as if my heart stopped. Loki pulled away from me, but the feel of his lips still lingered on mine.
His eyes seemed to darken, and his lips curled into a devilish smile. "I know you're a good man", I blurted. "I know you aren't the monster that they make you out to be. You don't have to play the role that they've put you in."
"I'm glad that someone sees that", he said softly.
"How long do we have before they find us?" It felt strange to say, but it also felt right saying 'us'.
"Long enough", he whispered seductively, his words sending shivers running down my spine. He brought his lips to my own, kissing me softly, and then becoming more hungry and forceful. His hands were roaming over my exposed flesh, making my skin feel as if it was on fire. A glow lit up the room as my power flared to life, sparking along my skin in response to his touches. My fingers tangled themselves in his hair, delighting in the silky feel of his dark tresses. His hair was every bit of dark as mine was light, perfect opposites. Without breaking contact from my lips, he lifted me off my feet and carried me over to the bed, where he laid me down gently. I gave myself to him, in a way that I had never done before- body and soul. As I laid with him afterwards, pressed tightly to his cool form, I realized how strongly I felt for this man. For the first time in a long time, I no longer felt hollow.
It had almost felt like a dream when I first awoke, until I realized I was still in bed with Loki, his bare chest pressed against my back and his arm draped across my waist. I turned to face him, being careful not to disturb him; he was still asleep. He looked so peaceful as he slept, his face was relaxed and for once it didn't look as if he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. A stray lock of black hair hung in his face. I reached to move it when a hand circled my wrist.
"You're staring", he said, his eyes still closed. He released my wrist and I brushed the hair from his face, tucking it behind his ear. My fingers lingered against his skin, relishing how cool it felt. His eyes opened, the deep emerald boring into my own.
"Is this what it feels like?" I whispered the words, but I had meant to say them in my head. "To be accepted, I mean. Wanted." His fingers grazed my skin, tracing lazy circles into the exposed flesh of my shoulder.
"I suppose so", he said.
Loki pulled himself away from me, rising from the bed. In a green flash, he was dressed in his Asgardian armor. Sunlight was beaming through a large window, making him look even more regal.
"I have a feeling that your friends are already on their way", he said at my raised brows.
"They're not my friends", I said calmly. Especially if they were just planning to use me like the Tesseract. "I won't let them hurt you."
He smiled, "There's no chance of that, my dear." I went to rise from the bed but realized I was still naked. I clutched the sheets to me, a blush on my cheeks.
"Where are my clothes, Loki?" His grin grew wider as he saw my red-tinged cheeks.
He chuckled, "You don't need those, love. No need to be shy, I've seen it all now."
"I do need clothes, especially with S.H.I.E.L.D. on their way." I climbed out of the bed, the silk sheets wrapped around me still. He flicked his wrist, and a green flash surrounded me. It felt similar to my own power on my skin, but also different. I was dressed in a royal blue tunic and a pair of black, leather leggings. Although the clothes were simple, they also gave off a regal feel. The material was soft to the touch, but still felt durable. I pulled my white hair into a ponytail, the end brushing my waist.
"Thank you. It's beautiful."
"Nothing but the best." He came forward, kissing me softly on the lips. "Stay put, don't want you getting hurt. Business awaits." He left the room abruptly, closing the door behind him. I brushed off the momentary daze that had come over me from his kiss and went over to the door. Locked.
"Damn it, Loki!" I slammed my fist on the door. I had taken him on myself and matched him in strength and he wants to lock me up in the room like some helpless girl. I guess it shows how much he cared about me. It was still new to me, all of these feelings that I felt for him, but I felt like he was being sincere with me. The sound of boosters came from outside and I saw a flash of red and gold streak by the window. Looks like Stark was the first to show up. I had to keep Loki from harm, every fiber of my being screamed it. At the same time though, I had to stop Loki. I summoned the energy within me, directing it towards the door as I blasted it off its hinges. As I walked out of the room into an open penthouse area, I saw both men- Loki and Stark- stride inside from the balconies, confidence evident in their gait.
"Please tell me you're going to appeal to my humanity", Loki said with sarcasm evident in his voice.
"Actually, I'm planning to threaten you", Tony said as he walked further into the room.
"You should have left your armor on for that."
Stark looked thoughtful, "Yeah, it's seen a bit of mileage and you've got the glow stick of destiny." Loki smirked, glancing down at the scepter in his hand. His form stiffened as he glanced up, seeing me enter the room. Tony followed his gaze and finally noticed me.
Tony raised a brow as he took in the clothes that I was wearing. He glanced over at Loki, noticing how his demeanor had shifted ever so slightly. His eyes moved back over to me and I tried to keep the blush from rising in my cheeks under his scrutinizing gaze, "The bad guy? Really?"
"It's more complicated than that", I muttered.
Stark shook his head in confusion, turning his attention back to Loki, "Would you like a drink?" He moved to his bar.
"Stalling me won't change anything."
"No, no; threatening. No drink? Are you sure? I'm having one."
Loki faced the window, "The Chitauri are coming, nothing will change that. What have I to fear?"
"The Avengers." Loki glanced back at him. "That's what we call ourselves. We're sort of like a team. Earth's mightiest heroes type thing."
Loki walked towards my chair, "Yes I've met them", he said, placing his hand on the back of it.
Stark scoffed, "Yeah. It takes us a while to get any traction, I'll give you that one, but let's do a head count here. Your brother, the demigod; a super soldier, a living legend who kind of lives up to the legend. A man with breath-taking anger management issues. A couple of master assassins. And you, big fella, you've managed to piss off every single one of them."
Loki smiled, "That was the plan."
"Not a great plan. When they come, and they will, they'll come for you." Tony walked around the bar and towards me, causing Loki to come towards me as well.
Loki's stance grew uneasy, "I have an army."
Tony stood his ground, "We have a Hulk."
Loki grinned, "I thought the beast had wandered off."
"You're missing the point. There is no throne. There is no version of this where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you. Because if we can't protect the Earth, you can be damn well sure we'll avenge it." Loki stepped closer to Stark, stepping between us.
"How will your friends have time for me when they are so busy fighting you?" Loki lifted the spear and touched it to Tony's chest. Nothing happened.
Loki tried again with the same results, "This usually works."
"Well, performance issues, it's not uncommon. One out of five..." Loki suddenly grabbed him by his throat and threw him across the room.
"Loki, stop!" I had told him that I wouldn't let him hurt them, just as I had told him that I wouldn't let him get hurt. My eyes went over to the scepter in his hands, it was glowing brightly. I remember how it had escalated the anger of everyone that had been in Bruce's lab. It could be doing the same thing to Loki right now.
"Jarvis anytime now", Tony said, getting up from the floor.
Loki had already crossed the room grabbing him by his throat once again and lifting him into the air, "You will all fall before me."
"Deploy", Stark choked out, "Deploy!" Loki threw him through the window. A red, rocket-type thing blasted from the wall and flew out of the window.
"No!" I screamed, running towards him. Loki turned abruptly, a dangerous look in his emerald eyes. It softened upon seeing me, but it was still there nevertheless. Before I could really think about what I was doing, I grabbed the spear from Loki. Since I had caught him by surprise, I didn't have any resistance from him. I backed away from him slowly, the cool metal tightly gripped in my hands.
The anger seemed to dissipate from his eyes and he looked me over calmly. "Rayne", he said softly, "Give me back the scepter."
"No, Loki. Don't you see what it's doing to you?" The scepter began to glow brightly, and I felt energy blaze to life in my hands. It suddenly felt like white hot lightning was coursing through me, I screamed in pain, blue energy blazing to life all over my body in response. The last thing I saw was Loki before everything around me faded to black.