I don't own Loki or Natasha, but boy am I having fun with them ^w^
Chapter 19: Just Dance
The flight to London was much shorter than Loki expected, only four hours in one of SHIELD's Quinjets, but when they arrived it was already evening because of the time difference. They took a 'cab,' actually an undercover car provided by MI6, to a hotel where they would make their final preparations. Loki and Natasha dressed in their matching outfits, and Loki watched in fascination as the assassin hid a veritable armory in her scant clothing. Loki cast the illusion, becoming her mirror image to all but Natasha's eyes.
Once they were ready, Natasha called a real town car to take them to the nightclub where their target had been spotted by carefully placed informants. As they rode through the twisting streets of London, Loki began to feel anxious.
"First time jitters?" Natasha asked quietly.
Loki laughed. "I hope I'm not that transparent."
She shook her head. "Just to me."
Loki wondered if she had said that for the sake of the eavesdropping driver, to preserve the twins cover, or if she really meant it. It didn't really make her feel better.
Natasha smiled. "Don't worry about it, ok? Just try to have a good time. I'll take care of the rest."
"Ok," Loki smiled a little. Playing the shy twin seemed to be coming naturally.
They got out of the car, and walked toward the club. A low, quiet thrumming made the air seem to pulse around them. "What's that sound?" Loki asked, frowning.
"That," Natasha smiled, "is music."
Loki looked doubtful. She followed Natasha past a line of waiting people to the VIP entrance, where she flashed a smile-as well as a furtive hand signal-at the bouncer. He smiled back, ostensibly taken with the pretty twins, and let them in. As the inner doors opened, all of Loki's senses were assaulted by what was inside. The music, quiet outside, was now so loud it seemed to pass through her body, her lungs resonating with the beat of it. It was hot, almost swelteringly so, and the smell of a thousand perfumes mixed with the smells of sweat and cigarette smoke nearly made her eyes water.
"You get used to it," Natasha shouted over the music.
Again, Loki found this hard to believe, but she shrugged as the two of them made their way to the bar. Natasha ordered them drinks, handing a brown longneck bottle to her. She didn't think drinking was a great idea so soon after her little party with Tony, but she understood it was important to keep up appearances. She took a swig, and nearly spat it out in surprise. It wasn't beer, just cold apple juice.
Natasha giggled as Loki double checked the label. "Come on," she took her arm and pulled her through the crowd. They came to a stop at a balcony, and Loki gaped at the sight. On a level below them, hundreds of people were pressed together, jumping and writhing in time with the so-called music. It was such an astounding sight that she almost missed Natasha's hand signal.
Across and to the left, she indicated. Loki continued to gaze wide-eyed at the spectacle, only now she was ogling the patrons on a level with them, in private booths.
She panned to the left, looking for the man that SHIELD wanted them to investigate. There, in the third booth from the corner. Loki signaled that she had seen him.
They stood there awhile, watching the comings and goings of the patrons, particularly the guards and guests of their target. It was becoming clear that they wouldn't be able to approach him without an invitation. Loki drank her 'beer,' and began to relax as she became accustomed to the environment. The smells died away, the heat seemed less bothersome, but the music still irritated her. Then the song changed, and this one was much more tolerable, enjoyable even. Loki felt it move through her, and felt her body start to move with it, swaying from side to side.
"Finish your drink," Natasha shouted, downing the last of her own. "Let's go dance!"
Loki wasn't sure she was ready to enter the throng of humanity below her, but she quickly did as Natasha asked. Once again, Natasha took a firm grip in her wrist so they could stay together as they pushed through the crowd. There was a moment of respite as they came to a stairwell, which was mostly empty except for a few impassioned couples, and then they were diving into the sea of bodies. They found a pocket of space, and Loki tried to catch her breath.
I don't know how to dance like this, she thought, watching a couple nearby. What they were doing was certainly a dance, but it was far more provocative than the stilted waltzes and playful jigs of Asgard. Suddenly, she wished Thor were there. To dance like that with him... she thought.
Natasha put her hands on Loki's shoulders, "Hey, we came here to forget about him, right?" She seemed to read her thoughts. "Dance with me, instead!" she began to move her hips in time with the music.
"With you?" Loki laughed.
Natasha grinned. "Yeah! Guys totally dig it, they think it's sexy."
"I don't know how!" Loki admitted.
She shook her head. "There isn't a 'how,' just move, do what your body wants to!" she began to demonstrate, looping her arms around Loki's neck and moving, twisting and bending to the rhythm.
Loki laughed a little, nervously, and then tried to do the same. She shifted her weight from foot to foot, trying to feel the beat that pulsed through the crowd. Just as she was beginning to get the hang of it, the song ended. Loki was disappointed, but then another song came on. This one had a better tempo, slower, with a good beat, and it caught Loki up with the rest of the crowd.
Constantly, boy, you play through my mind like a symphony.
There's no way to describe what you do to me,
You just do to me what you do,
and it feels like I've been rescued, I've been set free,
I am hypnotized by your destiny
You are magical, lyrical, beautiful, you are,
And I want you to know baby,
I, I love you like a love song, baby,
And I keep hitting repeat-peat-peat-peat-peat-peat.
The dancers pressed together, pushing Loki up against Natasha as they moved. The song was right, there was something of magic to this, being swept away in something transcendent, it was like battle, it was like...
Oh Hel, she thought as Natasha ground her hips against her, let's be honest, this is like sex. A sly grin stole over her face, and she began to reciprocate more suggestively.
Natasha glanced up and caught sight of Loki's expression, nearly doing a double-take. She hadn't seen that particular smile since the helicarrier. With it, Loki resembled her former self much more. It sent a shiver down her spine, reminding her exactly who it was she was dancing with. Strangely, it only heightened her already thrumming senses. She hoped they would catch the target's attention soon, because she was getting seriously turned on...
Loki nearly jumped as someone tapped her on the shoulder. She pulled away from Natasha quickly, guiltily.
"Hey, you gels twins?" the man was young and thin, with chin-length blond hair. He had to shout over the din of the music
"Yeah!" Natasha shouted back cheerfully, easily staying in-character.
"You wanna go to a private room?" he asked.
"Sure!" Natasha grinned, and Loki smiled and nodded as well. They followed him through the crowd.
When they reached the relative quiet of the stairwell, the young man threw a smile over his shoulder. "My mate's got a thing for twins," he admitted. "He wants to meet you."
Natasha giggled in response.
"We get that a lot," Loki joked.
The blond led them through security, into one of the private rooms. It was well-appointed, and the velvet drapes, carpet and upholstery went a long way towards softening the blare of the music. "Look what I found!" he announced.
"Well," a man in a gray suit with tanned skin and dark hair stood to greet them. "What have we here? Don't tell me you're twins?" he had a slight Colombian accent. He was, without a doubt, their target. He gestured to a low couch, and they sat, one on either side of him.
Natasha eagerly engaged him in a meaningless conversation. Loki struggled to follow along, distracted by the music and her surroundings. She kept a careful eye on the blond man, who came and went. Body guard, she thought.
After an hour or so, it became clear that he wasn't going to give up any info easily. Natasha had tried all the classic angles, to no avail.
"So what kind of work do you do?" she tried.
"Oh, imports," he said vaguely and changed the subject.
"You must be rich," she complimented him at one point, hoping he would elaborate on the source of his income, as many men loved to.
He nodded, "I'm afraid my old man has to take credit for most of that," he admitted.
Inwardly, Loki frowned. This was a lie. She knew the taste of them well. She worried that he was starting to catch on to them, and signaled as much to Natasha.
She signaled back that she agreed, and that they should move to plan B.
"Your sister is so very shy," he said suddenly, turning his attention to Loki.
"Yeah, Lucy doesn't say much," Natasha admitted, and gave him a suggestive smirk, "But they say actions speak louder than words."
He looked interested, raising his eyebrows. "Ah, a woman of action then?"
Loki blushed and bit her lip, trying to look coy. "I'm not used to all this noise," she admitted. "I don't go to the clubs with Natalie very often."
"Well, then," he smiled slyly. "Why don't we go somewhere quieter?"
She smiled, and didn't have to fake the eagerness behind it. He was falling right into their plans. "Ok," she agreed.
They got up, and he found his body guard. They made their way to the stairwell, and he unlocked the door to another flight going up. The guard remained at the door as they made their way up.
"Wow," Natasha said appreciatively as they came into a stately living room. It was nicely furnished, with a couch, a full bar, and rather suspiciously, a bed.
"You like?" he asked, and began to kiss Natasha. Loki took this opportunity to pull the man's jacket off, and when his hands were behind his back, she slipped a pair of handcuffs around his wrists deftly.
He chuckled. "Oh, so you girls like it kinky?" he turned to face Loki, smiling.
Natasha placed the barrel of her gun against his temple. "You could put it that way," she said seriously.
The man was surprised for a moment, then angry. He fumed as Loki pulled out a chair from the bar, Natasha pushing her gun against his head to make him sit. She waited patiently as Loki summoned some rope and tied his feet to the legs of the chair.
"Now," Natasha said with a smile, "How about we discuss your imports,"
He cursed. "I won't tell you anything, you little bitch. You won't kill me, I know too much."
She raised an eyebrow. "You're right. I can't kill you." She lowered the gun until it pointed to his crotch. "But that which doesn't kill you..."
He rolled his eyes, not buying the bluff.
She fired the gun, and Loki jumped as he screamed. She hadn't expected Natasha to follow through. The screaming stopped quickly, though, as the man realized she had shot the chair just between his legs. She had timed it well with the dull beat of the music from downstairs, no one would have heard it.
"Next time, I won't miss," she said in her deadliest voice.
"Okay, okay," he said desperately. He then poured out all the information he could think of. When he was done, Natasha hit him across the forehead with her gun, knocking him out.
Loki let out a breath, cursing softly.
Natasha looked to her. "You okay?"
Loki laughed. "Yeah. I just... you're good."
She smiled. "I know. But we need to get this cleaned up."
"I can do that," Loki offered. She used her magic to mend the hole in the chair and the floor, and located the shell before vanishing it. "I can make him remember differently," she offered as she got rid of the ropes and handcuffs.
It was Natasha's turn to look impressed. "That would be excellent." She took the recorder out of her cleavage, checking to make sure that it had caught all the information she had gathered.
Loki lifted the man's head, noticing a bruise forming on his temple. "Hm... I can't fix that..."
Natasha looked up, sighing. "Can you work it into the memory?"
Loki nodded, and focused, putting her fingertip on the middle of his forehead. She created a new story, one where he had, in his eagerness, tripped and hit his head on the bar. Angry to be embarrassed in front of them, he had yelled at them to leave, and then collapsed on the couch. finished, she stood up and levitated his unconscious body over to the couch, leaving him face down.
She looked to Natasha, who nodded in approval. "Let's go." She stowed her recorder, and they headed down the stairs. The guard was surprised to see them again so soon.
"Um," Loki said, looking embarrassed. "He kinda fell, and hit his head. He was really pissed. We'll just go," she said, looking awkward as hell.
He made to go up, but Natasha stopped him. "He was really pissed. I wouldn't."
He looked between the two of them, and then nervously up the stairs. His boss had a hell of a temper. He nodded, and stayed where he was.
They made their way out of the club, and Loki was relieved to breathe the cool night air again. Natasha hailed a cab, and told the driver to go straight to the airport.
As she sat back, Loki sighed. She was exhausted. "How'd I do?" she asked.
Natasha smiled genuinely. "You did great." She caught Loki's hand and squeezed it.
Loki turned away, blushing. "Thanks," she mumbled. She rested her head against the window and quickly dozed off.
A/N: Say what you like about Selina Gomez, she's not everyone's cup of tea and honestly not my favorite artist either. But I absolutely love the sound of "Love You Like A Love Song." There's a good thrumming off-beat to it that's perfect for dancing. I suppose I should add an extra disclaimer here that I don't own her lyrics, either.
Soooo… a little fun stuff with Loki and Natasha, but just a little. Next week's chapter will be the one we've all been waiting for: "Guess Who's Back In Town?" I'm so excited! Also, I love to hear from you guys, any kind of comment is appreciated, even if it's demanding more updates lol.
