Chapter Five: Real Duties and Child's Play.
"Darkness sets in as the horns start to grow
Suddenly I become somebody I don't know.
What do I do?
This body's a temple of doom.
What can I say
To make all of this go away?"
Voodoo Doll, Fergie.
.oHOPEo.
Lyrics because I couldn't help it.
Thank you to my reviewers, Sergeant Hiddles (the answer to your question is nowhere in sight, by the way, but you can expect some hints along the way, so do watch out for those), aussierose89, Guest, and TheWhyteRabbit. Reviews make me all warm and fuzzy inside: I love to hear feedback, criticism, your hunches…anything, really! So, don't be shy to review or PM!
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Thanks, and enjoy!
.oCHAOSo.
Loki had learned long ago that self-generated portals weren't always forthcoming, but that foreknowledge did not stop him from tumbling gracelessly head over heels when he was spat out in a Midgardian forest.
He landed on his back. The wind flew from his lung in a great whoosh and he gasped for breath. He felt like he'd just been punched by the green monster. Not for the first time, he cursed Thor for shattering the Bifrost. With the Bifrost gone, inter-realm travel had become a painful matter.
The young prince took in his surroundings coolly, fingers laced across his chest as he took a moment to breath.
Green was everywhere. The color dominated the environment. Weak fingers of sunlight struggled to wriggle between the close knit branches. Shiny, serrated leaves hung from the branches of the shortest trees like emeralds from a lady's throat. Jade-colored moss crawled greedily across every available surface. Ferns dotted the ground around twisted, gnarled brown tree roots. There was a plethora of tree species existing in this small, cramped space: fir, hemlock, cedar, spruce, alder, yew. The low of a buck echoed through the forest, accompanying the omnipresent chitters of songbirds.
Almost as prominent as the coloring was the wetness. Water stained the brown dirt a rich black. Moisture dripped from a leaf above and landed on his nose. His trousers stuck tightly to his legs as the ground soaked them.
He sighed, ignoring his body's complaints as he sat up in one jerky movement. The ex-prince felt as though he were a marionette, clipped from the strings, unable to move without due assistance. He struggled to gain stability as he stood; he wobbled precariously before finally sinking backwards and taking a seat on a thoroughly rotted log.
He knew without a doubt that he was too weak, too drained to sustain a spell of transportation. Revenge would just have to wait a few insignificant hours, then, while he regained his strength.
His attention turned to the staff clutched in his trembling hands. He uncurled his stiff fingers, and ran his hands along the bronze surface of Gungnir; he had wielded the staff before, but his amazement was not diminished the second time. I am king of Asgard. Those who once ridiculed me are mine to control.
He craved their loyalty and respect, whether it came willingly or not.
You are a fool, The Voice said in its clinical, detached tone, like a separate entity. A fool and a boy, throwing a fit for attention.
I am not. My ambitions are great.
He did not know it, but eons away, Thanos screamed in fury that it was Gungnir Loki wielded, and not the staff.
.oHOPEo.
Anna yawned in boredom widely enough that her jaw popped. Her abnormally sharp, gleaming white teeth clicked together with an audible snap. She prowled her floor in the Tower like a caged wildcat, pacing down the poshly carpeted hallways without appreciating her surroundings. She searched for some form of amusement to steal her mind away from the aching inactivity at hand.
Flouncing into her bedroom, she vaulted to the bed and sprawled on the covers.
"What do I do now?" She sighed, gazing up at the ceiling as though it would answer her question.
And it did.
"The closest residential floor is Mr. Parker's," the disembodied and distinctively British voice of JARVIS suggested helpfully. "You could visit him, perhaps, Miss Hellfire."
Anna chortled as the AI used her surname. Upon her first welcomed arrival at the Tower, the AI had requested a surname to refer to her by. Since she didn't have one and the supercomputer was far too polite and proper to call her by her first name, she had blurted out the first thing that had popped into her head.
The gawk on Tony's face had been priceless.
"Well, hello, JARVIS," she called cordially, "and thank you for the idea. I think I'll follow through."
"My pleasure, madam," the ceiling -or perhaps the walls, she was never quite sure- answered smoothly. "Shall I inform him of your intentions?"
"No, that's alright, I think I'll just drop in."
.oCAREo.
Peter was so engrossed in a dusty old tome that he didn't seem to notice when the elevator stopped on his floor. Annie crept through the living room, waiting for him to notice that he was no longer alone.
He did not look up.
She felt an inkling of respect for the kid; she had been guilty of getting hopelessly absorbed in a good book on more than one occasion. The young woman almost felt inclined to leave him be.
Almost.
"Thank God," she enunciated, hopping over the back of the leather couch and plopping down beside him. He started violently and looked over at her, blinking. "Another human being. I was starting to think that I'd entered the twilight zone."
Having just resurfaced from an alternate dimension, Peter was not quite eloquent. "I-uh-yeah," he stammered lamely, a flush creeping along the rims of his ears. "Yeah, it's pretty quiet around here."
She raised a brow, prompting him to continue.
"Tony's always working in his shop, or hanging with Pepper, or sometimes even at a Stark Industries meeting -however rare that is." He chuckled, a strained, nervous chuckle that indicated the significant strain her presence placed on his shoulders. "Bruce is usually either with Tony, since they're 'science bros', or cloistered up in his room. He's not much of a people person. And Barton and Natasha...they're a thing, but they don't want to admit it. They're working out or watching movies. They get a couple assignments every now and then, but since the Avengers are technically assembled right now, they're supposed to be here in case we need them. Steve wanders the city a lot, though he never goes far. He's still trying to get used to the real world."
Throughout his monologue, Annie nodded pensively to indicate that she was listening and, no, she was not counting the tiles of the ceiling, thanks. The two of them floundered in the awkward silence that ensued before Peter spoke again.
"Y'know...two of them disappear once a day, in cycles." She stiffened at the new information, and he gazed at her with bright, meaningful eyes. "But whenever I ask where they've been, I get bull answers. Maybe..."
"...There's something we're not being told," Annie finished for him. She tapped her fingers sharply against the arm of the sofa as she stewed. "But what is it?"
"I don't know," Peter answered earnestly.
"Huh," she groused, not liking the sound of that at all. Suddenly, she charted a new course, basking in their momentary camaraderie. "I like you. You're not like the others."
He blushed three shades of red. "I-uh-thank you, I guess."
She smirked. "I don't like you like that, lover boy, so don't get any ideas in that head of yours. I'm not a cougar, anyway."
"Naturally; we don't even know each other."
"That's a good point." She leaned more intimately into his personal space, causing him to slide away. She laughed inwardly, finding amusement in his flustered expression. "Why don't you enlighten me?"
He frowned slightly. "There's not much to tell, really. I just graduated high school in June. I'm trying to get work as a photographer for the paper by taking pictures of the Avengers -"
"-let's not forget that you are one now, Spidey-"
"-in action. I have a girlfriend who is my girlfriend but isn't, and I have an aunt who worries about me constantly."
"Aunt?" Her brows creased.
"Yeah. My parents died when I was young, so my aunt and uncle raised me. My uncle was killed just this last year." His tone was painfully blunt, swift, and to the point. He crossed his legs and settled back, thumbing through the book inconspicuously.
"Oh" was her gentle reply, accompanied with a knowing smirk. Then, as he began to open the book, "that trick doesn't work on me, you know."
His eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "What trick?"
She lounged, crossing her legs and flinging her arms around the back of the sofa. "The one where you tell me that your parents died so that I feel awkward and leave you alone." He flushed, and she smirked. "Honey, I've been playing that trick on people for my whole life."
"Your parents died?" he asked hesitantly, looking up from his book.
Her brow twitched and she inclined her head once. "Yes. But I didn't have any family, so I ran away and raised myself."
They surveyed each other for a very long moment; respect forced itself upon the both of them.
"I like you," Peter said finally, the ghost of a smile etched on his lips.
She sniggered and waved her hand, indicating that he should continue reading. He had only just returned to his sanctuary of leather, glue, and paper when the elevator dinged and Barton strode inside.
"Hey, kiddies, we got an assignment for you two. Real Avengers stuff."
Peter groaned and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like, "I'll just stay in my room next time."
Annie giggled and thumped his arm playfully, following Barton into the elevator. Peter sighed heavily but he, too, followed the agent.
.oCHAOSo.
His physical exhaustion had cleared, but now he was locked in a waiting game for the replenishment of his mental energy.
Loki huffed, thoroughly bored with his surroundings, and decided to wander. His trousers needed to dry, at any rate, and the log he had made a seat of helped matters not.
A small, snakelike footpath studded with round rocks twisted across the forest floor. He followed it with a raging bout of curiosity. A Midgardian phrase that he'd learned in his short stint in the Realm last time came to the forefront of his mind: curiosity killed the cat.
Well, surely redemption brought it back. And that cat was, most likely, not a master in a magic, or a demigod, or any of the insurmountable things that Loki was.
He set off into the forest without a shred of fear.
.oHOPEo.
As they exited the elevator on the thirtieth floor, Peter and Anna flocked behind their leader hawk in a v-formation.
Like geese, Anna thought in amusement, only hawks.
"Where are you taking us, Oh Obscure One?" she pestered. Barton flinched in annoyance, rolling back his shoulders and pretending that he had not heard her.
That behavior would not fly with Anna. "Birdbrain? Birdman? Cupid? Merida? Katniss? Robin Hood?"
He seethed silently. "I'm taking you two to meet someone," he ground out.
"I bet he's going to introduce us to his Merry Men," Anna stage-whispered her quip to Peter, who in turn snorted. She was appeased by the answer, however, and stepped higher.
The agent led them down a darkened hallway lacking in windows but not in doors. White wall sconces lit the way every few feet. The walls had been papered in a somber umber, and the floor blanketed with coarse black carpet.
They must be the Alternative Merry Men, Anna thought.
At the last door on the right, Barton stopped. "Before we go in," he carped, pausing only to flash Anna a death glare of intensity just shy of actually killing her, "there are a few things you should know. One, this guy deserves your respect. He's an Avenger, just like the two of you; except he's been here longer, so he's more important than the two of you. Two, he's on the mend and on the run. He's been threatened, and even though our enemies probably know where he's at, it's best to keep it under wraps. Therefore, do not speak of him with anyone but Pepper, Jane, the rest of the team, or Fury. No one else is to be trusted. Got that?"
Peter and Anna nodded in unison.
"Good. And, finally, you should be warned that he's really overeager. And a little…odd. Do you understand everything that I have told you?"
The two youngest Avengers exchanged perplexed, critical glances before Peter nodded sharply.
Barton opened the door. Anna was not prepared for the storm that followed.
First came the assault of harsh antiseptic scent on her sensitive nose. She wrinkled it up in disgust, breathing as little as possible.
"Friend Barton!" A mass of blond hair, pink plaster and sweatclothes lumbered towards them on a pair of undersized crutches.
"Hey, buddy." The solemn Hawk actually managed a lukewarm smile. "You finally figured out those crutches."
The blond giant beamed a thousand kilowatt smile. "I have not fallen nearly as many times today!"
"It was quite a feat, actually," Banner chipped in from behind. He sat next to a hospital bed in the right corner of the room, a well-worn Rubik's cube cradled in his hands.
"Especially considering how many times he face-planted the other day," Tony added. He sat in a rolling chair at the end of the bed.
Barton interrupted the banter, beckoning Anna and Peter forward. The giant's light blue eyes fell on them with an air of curiosity. "Thor, there's a couple people that I wanted you to meet. This is Peter Parker and Annie; they're the new teammates we told you about."
Thor grinned cheekily, hobbling forward as best as he could manage. "It is my pleasure to make your acquaintance, Son of Parker and Lady Annie." He wrestled with the crutches and managed to hold out his hand to Annie. Bemused, Annie slowly offered hers. Thor snatched her hand up and kissed her knuckles, releasing just as quickly.
"Well," Anna gushed, feeling her cheeks grow slightly hot, "I guess chivalry isn't dead, after all."
Suddenly, Jane appeared at Thor's elbow. She was so short that the giant of a man must have obscured her from Anna's view. Anna deduced that Jane and Thor must have been romantically involved, because Jane's eyes were narrowed with ill-concealed jealousy.
"And the claws come out," Tony cackled from the opposite side of the room.
Barton cleared his throat in the suddenly hawkward atmosphere. "Anyways. Thor needs two guards at every given moment." The guardee in question grimaced. "Right now is about time for a changing of the guard, since Bruce and the asshat have been up here for the past couple of hours –"
" – hey, this asshat is paying your room and board for you, you ungrateful son of a – "
" – so we figured that you two could take the next duty. Up for it?"
The full gravity of what they were being entrusted with struck Anna. Thor was important, and he was being placed fully in their care.
She raised her chin decisively. "Yes."
"Alright, bro, let's go do some science!" Tony rubbed his hands eagerly together as he left the room. Following, Bruce looked…somewhat thrilled. Not as thrilled as Tony, though.
Jane and Thor bent their heads together, discussing something quietly. Anna made a distinct gagging sound before her attention was captured by Barton.
"Thor is not, under any circumstances, allowed to go outside." He ticked off the guild-lines on his fingers. "Watch out for his puppy dog eyes, because they're lethal. Don't let him convince you to bring him Pop Tarts, because he'll eat himself sick on them. That's pretty much it."
"Go, Lady Jane," Thor ordered gently. "I could not bear if you made yourself ill worrying for my health."
She pursed her lips, gazing woefully up at him with her doe's eyes. "Fine, Thor," she agreed, standing on her toes. They shared a quick kiss before Jane left the room, shooting a warning glance at Peter and Anna as if to say, "he's special to me, watch him carefully".
Barton left on her heels, and Peter, Anna, and Thor were alone.
With a huff, Thor sat on the bed, propping his pink-ified leg up.
Anna snickered. "What's the story with the pink cast, big guy?"
"The Man of Iron," Thor lamented. His brow puckered. "Could we go for a stroll?"
Peter and Anna glanced at each other.
"Barton said not to let him outside…" Peter trailed off.
"…But didn't specify whether that meant outside of the room or outside of the Tower." Anna tapped her chin, thoughtful.
I don't see why not, she reasoned. The rest of the Tower is going to be as safe as this room. All the glass is one sided. No one's going to see him. Should be safe.
"I will not make a spectacle of myself." Thor leaned forward hopefully.
"Well…I don't see why not, Peter."
Anna spotted a wheelchair beside the bed. "Do you mind if we push you?"
Their charge shook his head, nearly bouncing up and down in excitement. "Not at all."
.oCHAOSo.
He had been walking for hours, but his demigod stamina did not wear thin in that span of time.
The path let out at a worn, weather-beaten cottage constructed of gray, haphazardly stacked round stones and grimy mortar. The roof drooped wearily, like an old man in the last of his years. Undergrowth had claimed the tiny home as its own; vines wrapped protectively around its berth and crept in through the gaping windows.
Loki stepped forward, brushing his hand along the doorjamb and peering inside.
Empty.
It's all the same, The Voice insisted dryly. You do not have time to tinker with long-forgotten Midgardian trinkets. If creatures as simple as mortals have forgotten this place, then you should not spare it your eyes, either.
The trickster's brow puckered. Yes, that was true. He supposed.
Have you forgotten the task at hand?
He puffed out his chest angrily. Of course he hadn't!
Loki deliberated, gauging his magic. He had almost returned to his full potential, and that was certainly enough.
He turned away from the cottage, and held an image of the lavish tower he had visited when last in Midgard in his mind's eye.
Stark Tower, his mind supplied him with the name.
Lids closed, he smiled.
Stark Tower, and Thor.
He disappeared from the spot, insignificant woodland creatures squealing in surprise.
.oHOPEo.