I'm sorry about the recent updating delays (and apologize in advance for future ones)...I've been shadowing a surgeon and volunteering at a clinic, so that puts a strain on college classes and free time to write. But that's okay! I enjoy doing all of it. :)
Chelsea Grin (9)
Something Stirring
"There are no strangers here; Only friends you haven't yet met."
~William Butler Yeats
When Loki finally figured out how to interact with JARVIS, staying in his room became infinitely less boring. He got to finish Beowulf-for the fourth time.
And when Loki was done, JARVIS had asked, "May I interest you in reading Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, sir?"
Within the span of three days, Loki devoured the entire trilogy. One night he skipped dinner to blaze through the ending of The Return of the King. Perhaps there was hope for Midgard's modern literature after all, he thought. Previously he had inquired JARVIS about the bestseller selections. Even the computerized butler recognized the lack of true value behind book series called Twilight and Fifty Shades of Grey.
"Sir, to put it this way...popularity does not always amount to substance. Sadly, more often than not, that is the case with so-called bestsellers."
Pepper was the first to discover Loki's newfound obsession, and she offered to watch a movie trilogy marathon with him. With Tony not around and busy at his lab for some reason, Pepper and Loki saw nothing wrong with the arrangement. They set aside an entire day to watch the movies. Pepper had seen them countless times with Tony, and Loki had read the books, so they started conversations during the movies' lulling moments.
"What is Agent Romanoff to you?" Loki inquired. "If you don't mind me asking..."
"I can't tell you much, for her sake. But to me, she's a good friend. She comes to me so she can take a break from being with the boys all the time. And it's rare to find a woman who is beautiful and mature like her. Don't you think?"
He hesitated. "I suppose..."
"Oh, come on. A guy would be crazy to think Natasha Romanoff isn't beautiful."
Loki felt suspicious of being led into some kind of trap. "It was not my choice to come here. I have absolutely no interest in her."
The reply came out colder and callous than he had intended. Pepper said no more of the subject. They quietly returned to watching the movie as the battle of Helm's Deep began. The Two Towers eventually ended, Pepper was switching it out for Return of the King when Loki spoke up again.
"I'm sorry about what I had said. She is...a pleasant sight to look upon. I will not deny that, nor her admirable character."
She gave him a secret smile. "Interesting...how you put it that way."
They said nothing more of Natasha that night. After the movies Loki went to sleep, thinking he could stay in Midgard just a little longer to see The Hobbit released in theaters. He was relieved not to relive any nightmares. For now, anyway.
Loki spent most of the next day studying New York City, via a holographic map by JARVIS. If he wanted to go anywhere, he had to have a good image in his mind if he was to end up there. But New York looked like a sprawling urban mess, crowded with tall towers because there was nowhere else for room but upwards. Most of the buildings looked the same to him. All gray, tall and ugly. Not to mention boringly bland by day and annoyingly bright at night. Since his stay on Midgard, Loki had yet to look upon a decent view of the stars.
No offense to JARVIS, but Loki still preferred having a real book in his hands, and relish the feeling of turning a page. He came to the conclusion that while technology was convenient, it also felt distant. He was happy to find out that New York City was graced with a huge library on Fifth Avenue.
Suddenly, when he finished scanning the maps, he felt the need to exercise. With the little magic he had right now, he might as well sharpen what he had left. He had observed how mortals dressed when they went to "work out," and he thought it looked ridiculous. He donned on the Adidas sports gear anyway; blending in called for desperate measures. He made a call to Tony through JARVIS.
"Just so you know, I'll be at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s training facility."
"Say hi to Cap for me, then."
Loki took it as permission granted to go. From the sound of it, Tony appeared to be very busy with work. He wasn't sure if the billionaire was paying attention. What Loki knew was that S.H.I.E.L.D. supplied its agents and operatives with a state-of-the-art gym, so they could keep in shape for their demanding jobs. He teleported to the site of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s headquarters. He knew the general image of the place. It was now a matter of going in and finding the gym for himself.
He passed by the hospital rooms, and he happened to pass by Natasha's. Bruce was in there, talking quietly to her. She noticed Loki out of the corner of her eye and met his gaze. He returned it with a small wave before moving on. As the hallways converged, Loki almost bumped into Steve. The Captain was out of uniform today. He wore simple brown pants and a plain white shirt that read Brooklyn on the front. He looked startled and wary when he met Loki's eyes.
"Do not be alarmed, Captain. I'm just here to spend time in the training facility."
Steve relaxed slightly. "You mean the gym...? Uh, sure. I'm heading up there myself. You can follow me if you want."
Loki gestured for the Captain to lead the way. Steve led him into an elevator that took them up a few floors.
The Captain looked down at Loki's tracker. "What's that?"
"One of Stark's toys. To keep me collared."
"Oh."
They arrived at the helicarrier's gymnasium in a matter of minutes. It was wide, spacious and empty. Steve occupied himself with the punching bag, as usual. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Loki look around, trying to find something to do. Loki seemed to only take interest in the weights. He settled himself and reclined against the seat. His fingers curled around the steel above him. Steve stopped in surprise when Loki selected the 500-pound weight...and lifted it effortlessly.
"No, this won't do..." he heard Loki mutter.
The God of Mischief adjusted the weights and grunted in satisfaction as he lifted the half-ton. He began bench pressing roughly 1000 pounds, keeping a steady pace. He was nowhere near Thor's strength. But he could play the superhuman when he put his mind to it. Soon he grew tired of the monotonous routine. He noticed the lap pool on the other side, barred by a glass door. Going for a swim sounded nice, if only he had the appropriate attire for it.
Loki moved to the punching bag and tried to remember his sparring techniques. He bobbed lightly on the balls of his feet, making feints and hooks at the bag before him. His fists flew at incredible speed, and he lashed out with the occasional kick. Loki could feel the Captain staring, and he stopped to face him. Steve looked like he wanted to say something, but was keeping it back. Loki continued to stare, as if imploring him to spill it out.
"Do you want to spar with me?" Steve finally asked. "I know that you're a good fighter."
'Of course he knows...that little skirmish in Germany isn't something neither of us would forget.' Loki replied with a shrug. "Why not?"
They moved to a little arena with space just for fighting. The two men faced each other from opposite sides. Loki gave an Asgardian salute, by tucking a right fist to his chest and dipping his head. Steve nodded in return.
They lunged and struck simultaneously. Steve was a hard-hitting fighter, but Loki was pretty solid himself. He had taken harder hits from Thor many times before. Steve was frank and straightforward when it came to taking the offensive. Loki leaned toward evasive manuevering, constantly shifting to the left or right. He veered Steve's fists off course with open palms hitting the Captain's wrists.
Loki wished he had his ability to manipulate energy. He could knock Steve flat with jets of water, or stream of rocks, in seconds. He even wished for throwing knives nestled between his fingers, ready to strike like venom from a snake. Fighting from a distance was his forte, as well as his preference. But he had to make do with his fists and feet.
Venom from a snake...suddenly Loki had an idea. His palms met with Steve's fists. They engaged in a wrestling deadlock. Loki bared his teeth and feigned a bite at Steve's neck. The Captain instantly backed away and recoiled. Loki slipped a leg out and promptly tripkicked Steve to the floor. The Captain fell with a glorious solid whump! Loki almost burst into laughter.
Steve sat up and glared. "Hey, that's playing dirty."
Loki felt a flash of cheeky arrogance. "Could you have expected less from the one and only God of Mischief?"
He continued to gloat in silence. But he didn't attempt any more slippery tricks as Steve rose to dust himself and recollect his dignity. Then they continued sparring. After a few minutes, Loki and Steve stopped to take a break.
Steve glanced at the clock overhead. "It's almost time...I got a meeting with Director Fury."
He wouldn't tell Loki anything more than that, of course. Loki didn't ask, but merely nodded as Steve rose with his towel wrapped around his sweaty neck. He was ever the gentleman; he turned to Loki before leaving.
"Thanks for sparring with me."
Loki was surprised before he said, "You're welcome."
He was left alone in the gym. After an intense workout, he decided it would be a good idea to wind down and relax at New York City's public library. Before he had left his room, Loki took note of a few areas where he could teleport safely and unseen. Reaching into his bag, he changed into more presentable clothes. He closed his eyes, and ended up at an inconspicuous junction of the library in a matter of seconds. He made his way to the front so he could walk into the library like any unsuspecting human being.
He was taken aback at the sheer size and length of the place. It reminded him of the great halls of the Asgardian palace. But for all its hugeness, it was relatively pleasant and quiet. There were lots of people, but they milled around or sat reading without making much noise. That was how he liked it. He was browsing through the Classics section when a few books caught his eye. He picked them out and sat down to read. Loki was so engrossed in a book that he didn't notice someone trying to catch his attention until she waved a hand in his face.
"Hey Lokster! Long time no see!"
Loki's head snapped up to glare at whoever disturbed his reading. Then he quickly composed himself when he recognized her. He nodded in greeting. "Hello, Darcy Lewis."
Darcy peeked over his shoulder. He instinctively ducked the book away from her sight. "Whatcha reading?"
It was hard to hide a big book. She caught a glimpse of the spine. "War and Peace? I didn't know you read Russian literature."
"I've recently stumbled upon it. I must admit they're very compelling."
Darcy took a seat across from him. "I thought you would be reading ancient stuff like Beowulf."
"I already have. Four times."
She stared wide-eyed through her red-rimmed glasses. "Damn, Loki. You're one hardcore bookworm."
"A bookworm? You Midgardians have the strangest idioms." He said it in jest, as opposed to his previous attitude of scorn towards the peculiar mortals and their peculiar ways.
Darcy caught on. "You think we're weird? You guys talk like living Shakespeares."
"Yes, I get that quite often." Loki peered at the stack of books in Darcy's hands. "And what are you reading?"
"Oh, mostly study aids. It's all Jane's fault. She made me go here to get me away from Facebook and Tumblr. I'm a political science major, so I gotta read a lot on law, government, all that jazz."
Loki raised an eyebrow at her. "You are still in school?"
"Ooooh yeah. Buddy, let me tell you about college."
Darcy spent about 15 minutes explaining the ways and importance of the Midgardian education system. Loki was very intrigued. He liked the idea of Midgardians stressing the importance of a long and thorough education that didn't involve brawn, valor and battle glory.
"Here's how I would sum it up: no college, no money, no house, no happiness, no life." Darcy said. "Unfortunately, some people don't get that and just drop out of high school anyway."
"I see. Can one practice magic at these so called colleges?"
To his surprise, Darcy burst out laughing. She quickly stopped so she wouldn't disturb the peace in the library. She still had a wide grin on her face when she collected herself.
"Sorry, Loki...you can't major in magic. That would be pretty cool, though. If only Hogwarts was real..."
Loki checked the tracker on his wrist. He had been in the library for most of the afternoon. Staying with Darcy wasn't something he looked forward to, since he would rather spend his reading time alone. He rose with the books in his hands. "I think I've stayed here long enough. I must head back to Stark's tower."
Darcy looked up in alarm. "Not so fast, Lokster. Where are you going with those?"
"Stop calling me that. I'm taking these books along, of course."
"Uh, that would be stealing."
Loki scowled. "But the librarian said they were free."
"Yeah, free to rent." Darcy sighed and got up as well. "Come on. I'll get you a library card and show you how to check out your books."
After making his own library card, Loki could pick books to take home. 8 was the limit, though he didn't intend to carry that many. He chose 3: Crime and Punishment, War and Peace, and a collection of C.S. Lewis works. Having to return them was not a problem. He was a fast reader and always did as he was told promptly.
Darcy and Loki left the library together, then they went their separate ways. She waved cheerfully at him.
"See you, Loki! Until next time."
Without turning back, he lifted a hand in acknowledgement. Loki returned to the tower with his books. As soon as he arrived, Tony went up to him and jumped a question. "Hey Loki. Can you do me a favor?"
"I don't know. Can I?"
"Ha ha. Very funny. Look, it's plain and simple." Tony held out a wrapped box. "Take this to Natasha while you visit. I didn't spend all my time in the lab for nothing. Hopefully she'll like it."
Loki sighed. "Very well. I will do what you ask."
Tony beamed back at him. "Good boy. Now run along. Don't do anything funny and get yourself into trouble. I've got a date with Pepper, and I don't want you getting in the way."
Loki thought it best not to retort by mentioning the Lord of the Rings marathon with Pepper. He had been looking forward to retreating to his room and reading. But he didn't really mind visiting Natasha either. Curiosity replaced his irritation, since he wanted to know how she had been doing since he last saw her. He went from the Stark tower to Natasha's room in an instant. Dr. Banner was no longer in the room.
'Perhaps he left when I was in the library,' he thought.
Loki took a few seconds to observe her. Natasha appeared to look better; the bruises under her eyes were beginning to fade away. Otherwise, there was no drastic change to her. The scars were still there, perpetually grinning. He remembered how much he had frightened his Asgardian peers when he came back from Nidavellir, the realm of the Dwarves, with bleeding lips sewn shut.
"Good evening, Natasha." he said. "Tony Stark asked me to give you this."
He pulled out the box and handed it to her. She opened it to reveal some sort of small laptop. There was a sticky note attached to the box:
"Hey Natasha,
Thought you might like this double-screen digital notebook. It's a quick and easy substitute for talking. When you type, you don't have to turn it around all the time. Text is adjustable too, so you can make it however big or colorful you want. My gift to you. Pepper and I send you our best wishes and hopes that you get better soon.
Lots and lots of love, Tony"
Loki had no idea what it was. He found out soon enough when she switched it on. He saw the typed message on the screen before him in large, black letters.
"Hello Loki."
"Hello, Natasha. How are you?"
"Okay. Could be worse. And you?"
"I've had quite an interesting day. Want to hear about it?"
She nodded. He told her about his time in the library and running into Darcy. Or Darcy running into him. Then he gestured to the books he had in hand.
"I was reading some Russian literature in the library. Darcy showed me how to rent them. Have you read these before?"
Loki showed her Crime and Punishment and War and Peace. Her eyes lit with recognition and she nodded.
She typed, "Good books. Haven't read them in a long time."
Loki rubbed the back of his head, then he tugged at his scarf. "Would you...like me to read one to you?"
"Yes. I would like that."
Loki took a seat next to her, closing the distance between the two. He flipped to the first page, cleared his throat and began reading Crime and Punishment. It reminded him of the days when he and Thor were children, and Loki would read stories to his brother late at night. He looked up from time to time as he read. Natasha sat still, looking relaxed with her head against the pillow and hands folded at her lap. Her eyes were closed, but he had no doubt she was hanging on to every word he said. He figured that unlike Thor, who would sit cross-legged and wide-eyed, this was Natasha's way of fully enjoying the experience of listening to a story. He read aloud for a while, and he still didn't feel tired. Then he glanced at the tracker.
"I'm afraid it's about that time the hospital is closed to visitors. I must take my leave."
He almost regretted leaving her. She opened her eyes to watch him go. Loki closed the book, rose to his feet and looked back to her as he approached the door.
"Have a good evening. I hope you get some rest tonight."
"You too. Thanks for reading to me."
He gave her a rare small smile. "You're welcome."
Natasha shut down the digital notebook when Loki shut the door. It couldn't be denied. Natasha actually enjoyed having him talk to her. He turned out to be an excellent reader, and when it was time for him to leave she almost protested.
Though she had been sleeping better, Natasha still couldn't get her legs to move without the risk of pain. Healing was taking longer than she had expected, and it irritated her. She liked to be active and on the move. Being bound to her bed made her feel helpless. Next time the nurse visited her, Natasha would put her laptop to use by asking for a wheelchair. She wished Clint would be here to do it, but he was miles away fighting in a foreign country.
A week passed, and Natasha was able to get her casts removed. Her ankles and feet were stiff and numb when she tried to move them around. They felt distant and detached to her, almost as if they weren't part of her body until now. The first few flexes were painful and awkward. But as she continued her exercises, the pain died away. She assumed she must look strange from afar, laying calm and expressionless in bed with nothing moving but the occasional wiggle of her toes. As for her mouth, the cuts still felt swollen. Thankfully, the painkillers stifled the worst of the feeling.
To keep herself occupied during the times of lonely silence, Natasha would hum tunes of Russian folk songs...the hymns of her youth and former homeland. Her favorite was "Katyusha," a song about a girl longing for her war-bound husband. Her own former spouse, Alexei, used to call her his little katyusha. They had been young and naive, and their marriage was brief. But it made Natasha feel good about remembering what could be called real love...before her charm and body were exploited as weapons. Her feet unconsciously bobbed to the rhythm as she hummed. Even at night, she sang herself to sleep.
Little did she know that Loki came into her room one night, and caught her humming a beautiful lullaby. She laid motionless and relaxed with her eyes closed. The notes drew out and softened as she slipped into sleep. Loki decided it would be cruel to disturb her. He departed with a smile of tender amusement.
Over the course of a few days, Loki decided to grow a beard. Normally he would've declined at the prospect. Asgardians saw them as a sign of manhood; Loki only saw it as a bother. His face had been kept clean-shaven for hundreds of years. He failed to see what made facial hair appealing, particularly when food got into it. His disgust with Volstagg during feasts was enough to discourage him from growing a beard to mirror his father and brother. Loki had endured the teasing from many Asgardian men, and even some women at court. Prince Baby Face, they used to call him. He didn't know why he wanted a beard all of a sudden. He couldn't put a finger on the exact reason.
'The only good thing about beards is that women seem to like them.'
He thought of Natasha, then furiously shook his head. It couldn't be that he wanted to look more like a man to her...or could it?
Loki concluded that if anyone asked, he would say he was either too lazy to grab the razor, or he simply wanted to try something new. He would furiously scratch at his stubble. He had forgotten how much a new beard itched. Loki kept it trimmed and short. The beard around his lips and chin was as dark as his hair. It made him look older, but not by much. At least he didn't look like a hairy mongrel like Volstagg, he assured himself.
The first time Tony saw it, he gave Loki a weird look but said nothing. Pepper was nice enough to complement him.
"Growing a beard, Loki? Very classy."
Loki couldn't resist smirking and he dipped his head courteously. "Thank you, Miss Potts."
Tony rolled his eyes. "Oh please. Nothing beats my goatee."
Then Loki had to attend to the matter of cutting his hair. In Asgard, every man and woman cut his or her own hair, just as every warrior tended to his own blade, and every scholar to his scrolls. Loki scoffed at the thought of Midgardians making a living by being "barbers," who were paid to cut off mere snippets of hair. There was no way Tony trusted Loki with anything sharp and dangerous in the vicinity. Loki had to man up by going to the kitchen and ask for a knife, at the same time insisting he cut his own hair. In a matter of minutes, he had his hair trimmed back to its previous length before his exile from Asgard. Which felt like ages ago.
Huginn and Muninn showed up at his balcony again, to restore his levitating and summoning had to make it quick, since they must keep talk short and scout for the Allfather. Loki was glad they went about business without arguing and pecking each other's heads out.
'Well...at least that takes care of the problems with changing clothes and carrying things.'
Loki assumed that he was given back his passive powers first, suitable for convenience but not strong enough to be harmful or destructive. He wondered how long it would be until Odin trusted him enough to restore the rest of his magic.
What prevailed his mind, however, was recollection of his nightly visit with Natasha. Something about her moved him, stirred up a feeling he had never experienced before. The surprising beauty of her voice...the beauty of her. And it struck him then, that Natasha truly looked lovely and beautiful.
He quickly checked himself and pushed away the absurd notion. That kind of thinking was dangerous. He was simply here to help Natasha through her suffering, not develop fancies as if he were some foolish young man. Certainly everyone else held her dear to their hearts and cared for her deeply.
Loki couldn't help asking himself, 'What is she to me? Not a comrade, not a sister...something less, or something more?'
That's it for Chapter 9. Keep your eyes peeled for Chapter 10: Surrealism! It'll be an interesting one.
Lots of font changing in this chapter, since there's all these book titles and Nat typing out stuff on the laptop. It's an English major thing...since teachers and professors are so nit-picky about titles. Kinda funny though...how reluctant I was to put Twilight and Fifty Shades of Grey in italics. I know there are lots of people who think they aren't real books lol.
I like imagining Loki with facial hair. I think he would look very dignified and kingly with a beard. Not to mention smokin' hot! :D How I'm imagining Loki right now is that he looks like Tom Hiddleston during the War Horse press conference, which I'm sure everyone knows those photos pretty well. Then replace the brown hair with black. -Slips shamelessly into fangirl mode-
So...how is it so far? Yay, nay or okay? Head down to the magical box and let me know. ;)
