"Oh Linda! You look so radiant! How far along are you?" Sarah asked as Jill chewed her Dungeness Crab cobb salad. Loki found himself in a new social set of people called 'ladies who lunch'. These were all the wives of wealthy bankers that all devoted every spare minute of their days to their children and the maintenance of their bodies. They reminded Loki of the ladies of the court back home. Yet these women possessed an air of vulnerability that the women in Asgard do not. It must be the fear of divorce. In Asgard arranged marriages are the norm with lovers kept discreetly on the side. Divorces in Asgard are incredibly rare due to Frigga's strict criteria to end a marriage.
"Um…four months." Loki replied.
"You and your husband look so alike." Sarah said.
"Yeah like you are brother and sister or something." Jill added. Sarah shot her a look.
"Ignore her."
"I have heard the comparison before." Loki lied. It had taken him a week to figure out what the television was and how it worked. It took him even longer to stomach some of the content on the said moving picture box so that he could learn the culture and language lingo of these people. He hates Midgard. He misses Asgard and he misses Thor. Unfortunately the television also informed Loki of Thor's presence here in this realm. Apparently knowledge of other beings beyond this world had been previously considered laughable. Thor had made quite the splash with these mortals.
Loki continued to spew lies about where he was from and what his 'husband' did for a living. He listened to the incessant chatter of the women around him drone on about petty things. He was mindful not to let the other women come too close to touching his body. The illusion he had in place would fray at the edges and the green of his seidr would become visible. He hasn't quite figured out what he'll do once he starts to show and everyone around him starts reaching out to touch his bulging belly without permission. Right now he is at the awkward 'is she pregnant or just fat?' stage.
They finish their meal and Loki walks with the ladies back to the tower building where they all live. Jill is just down the hall from Loki while Sarah is one floor up. He entered his new home alone and locked the door behind him feeling both grateful and sad to be there. He looked outside and saw that a sudden rain storm had kicked up. No doubt it was Thor's doing and Loki realized in that moment that Thor was sad and possibly angry with him for running, but what choice did he have? Why is Thor even here? Surely the buffoon realizes what will happen to him if Thor succeeds in catching him?
A dark thought runs though Loki's mind then. What if Thor only wants to find Loki because of the child? Loki shakes his head but in the back of his mind the seed is planted and the nagging doubt niggles like a stubborn prick. Loki walks to the kitchen and opens the freezer, pulling out a chocolate popsicle. He sucks on it as he watches the rain through the window. He debates whether he should move away out of this city and find a more remote location, but decides against it. The high volume of people here provides a far better cover than some remote cabin in the woods. Here he can hide in plain sight in a sea of people. That's not to say he is stupid enough to go outside wearing his real face. He always makes minor tweaks to his appearance when posing as a male.
The silence of his home unnerves Loki. He doesn't like his new human 'friends' but he has nothing else to do but wait for his child to arrive and pine for a life he can never have. He certainly doesn't want to turn into one of the women with whom he has been socializing. He needs a hobby at least. The boredom and anxiety are getting to him. Loki gets up and puts on his coat. He's had enough of pretending to be a woman for the day and he does not want to be accosted by his nosy female neighbors in the hallway.
Feeling peck-ish Loki walks down the block to a nearby Jewish Deli that serves some of the oldest kosher beef hotdogs in the city. Loki discovered them a week ago and has decided to eat as many of them as possible while he is stuck on this god forsaken realm. Loki almost looks like himself as he enters the dining establishment. He still has his beautiful raven hair and green eyes but he has made his body just a little more muscular in appearance and given himself a squarer jaw and changed the nose. His stomach appears flat but if anyone got too close they would feel something they cannot see. Loki's largest complaint about this city is that there are so many people it is impossible not to brush up against another person.
The line at the counter is long today and Loki longs for the days when he had servants at his beck and call bringing him anything he requested from the kitchens. He looks around casually in his boredom as he waits and notices a very handsome man sitting alone at a small table eating a Rueben Sandwich. Loki notes the large muscles, blue eyes, and blonde hair. His heart clenches in his chest. He misses Thor.
Steve Rogers smiles politely at the man in line. He's a handsome man and Steve wonders absently if he is Loki. Then again, he wonders if everyone is Loki. A pregnant woman enters the deli. She has long flowing blonde hair and blue eyes. Maybe she's Loki? He thinks maybe to watch her and follow her until her cell phone rings and she answers it, clearly having a conversation with her husband. Tony and Thor gave up on the jewelry angle after a dozen attempts. Word spread between all the major jewelry houses of the city that Tony Stark and some very handsome blonde man were pretending to shop but were actually carrying out some sort of investigation. It didn't take long for the industry to stonewall the men once they all started comparing notes.
Tony's surveillance hasn't yielded any results either. He's got Jarvis analyzing video feeds from all over the city at all hours of the day but so far not a single match has surfaced on the facial recognition software, just as Thor had warned. Loki probably isn't even in the city anymore. He could be anywhere. Thor is still shacked up at Tony's tower. He spends his days flying all over the city searching the ocean of faces, hoping to recognize his brother even though he'll be wearing a different face. It is a hopeless venture and Nick has been quietly diverting his people back to more important assignments.
The calm of the deli is suddenly interrupted by a skinny tweeker with a gun. The twitchy tattooed man grabs the last person standing in line, Loki. He places the barrel against Loki's temple.
"Everyone down on the floor or I'll shot this asshole! Give me your money! Now!" He shouts at the cashier. The frightened old man behind the counter opens up his register and starts stuffing a brown paper bag with all the money. Steve rises from his seat to address the criminal.
"Son, think about what you are doing. You are making a very big mistake." Steve says in his Captain America voice. People of a certain age would recognize Steve's face immediately, but standing there in his civilian clothes, no one has a clue as to who he is. Least of all the idiot with the gun, or the man that is currently his captive. Loki uses the momentary distraction to his advantage.
With the speed of The Flash and the agility of The Black Widow, Loki is able to move his head, yank the gun out of the man's grasp and elbow him in the face all in one graceful movement. Unfortunately the man's flailing limbs also knocks the gun from Loki's hand and it goes flying across the room. Steve leaps for it to catch it so that it does not accidentally discharge and kill someone. Loki punches the tweeker in the face repeatedly with the full strength and force of an angry god. The man's face caves in like a crater and he drops to the ground dead. Blood gushes from the fist shaped dent like a fountain. Steve tucks the gun in his pants and goes to Loki who is shaking with adrenaline. He looks down at the body and then at Loki's bloody clenched knuckles.
"That's one hell of a punch you got there. What's your name?" Steve asks.
"Lo…Luke."
"Well Luke, the authorities will be here soon. You'll have some explaining to do but you just saved the lives of a lot of people today. You're a real hero."
"Thank you. I…I should go." Loki says.
"It'll be alright son, I'll vouch for you." Steve puts his hand on Loki's shoulder to reassure him. The police come and interrogate everyone that witnessed the event, and Loki in particular. The deli owner lets the police watch the surveillance tape. They gawk with awe and respect as the scene unfolds. In addition Steve informs them of his own identity as well. When Captain America praises Luke's actions the cops back off. They collect Luke's contact information, shake his hand, and then leave.
"You look like you could use a drink." Steve says.
"I could, but I don't imbibe. Thank you." Loki says with a shaky breath. Steve smiles at him with warmth and it steals Loki's breath away. Only Thor has ever looked at him like that.
"I don't either. Would you like to come hang out at my place? It's small and cramped but it's clean and the neighbors mind their own business." Steve asks. Now that the excitement is over Loki wants to cry or get drunk or get cuddled until he falls asleep. None are really an option at the moment, but he does know he does not want to be alone. This man's company is far superior to that of anyone else he has met thus far.
"I would like that." Loki says.