Sadly, I do not work for Marvel. Maybe someday though?
Chapter 20: Guess Who's Back In Town
Loki sighed heavily as she pushed open the front door to her apartment. She had caught a little sleep in the cab, but had not gotten any more in the uncomfortable Quinjet. It had taken them six hours to make their way back across the Atlantic, against the wind. It was now 5:30 in the morning in England. Here, in New York, it was only half past midnight, but it felt much later than that. Changing people's memories always took it out of her. She had meant to go straight to her bed, but was halted by the sight of Thor sitting at the kitchen table, clearly waiting for her, just as she had told him not to.
She closed the door behind her and leaned against it a moment.
"Where have you been?" Thor asked quietly. It was that same damnable quiet voice that Odin used when he was disappointed.
For a moment, she was tempted to say something flippant like 'out' or 'with Natasha,' but the look on his face convinced her not to. Thor was very rarely this serious. "London," she admitted.
"England?" his eyebrows lifted.
She rolled her eyes. "Yes. I am impressed with your knowledge of Midgardian geography."
He would not be deterred. "What were you doing? Why are you dressed like that?"
She glanced down. She hadn't bothered to change her outfit, although she had dropped the illusion that made her look like Natasha. "Dancing. At a club." She smiled a little. "You should have been there."
Thor frowned. "I highly doubt that SHIELD would send one of its agents, in one of it's jets, with you, all the way across the ocean to dance."
"Oh, so you've been talking to someone. Fury? Then why do you need to interrogate me?" She fumed.
Thor sighed. "I was hoping you would be honest with me."
Loki stared at him, livid. "You mean you hoped to trap me into a lie?"
Now Thor looked confused. "No, of course not, I just-"
"I don't want to hear it," Loki interrupted. She stormed into her room and slammed the door. As she fell down on the bed she fought off tears. Why did he have to treat her like a child? She gazed up at the ceiling, at the image of Thor smiling there. She growled in frustration and shoved a pillow over her eyes.
When she woke in the morning, Thor was not there. She shrugged it off, eating breakfast and then allowing the agent stationed outside the apartment to escort her to work.
The Italian marble was waiting, and Tony was eager to get started on the work for Grand Central Station, claiming that the ruin of it was an 'eyesore on his doorstep.'
Loki slid her hand over the milky white stone. It was beautiful. She could make something gorgeous from this, and for the first time she wished that she could use her talents for something other than the restoration project. She sighed, and then rolled up her sleeves, starting to work.
When she returned home in the evening, Thor was again waiting for her. She rolled her eyes. Was this going to become a routine? At least Jane wasn't there.
"Loki," Thor stood from the couch, coming toward her with his hands in a pacifying gesture. "I wish to speak with you, please."
She sighed and crossed her arms. "Ok, talk."
Thor looked disappointed. "I have spoken with Lady Romanov."
Loki frowned. "What did she tell you?" Would Natasha have betrayed her?
Thor chuckled. "Very little. She is fierce-I think Lady Sif would find her a difficult rival."
She smiled a little. "She is that."
Thor gestured for Loki to sit next to him on the couch. She did so, wrapping herself in her favorite blanket.
"What she did say was that you had offered to go on a mission on her," he began.
She nodded.
"Why?"
Loki shrugged. "For the parameters of the mission, I seemed to be the best solution. She's been very kind to me and I wanted to return the favor."
Thor studied her a moment. "I have noticed of late that you seem to avoid me whenever Jane is present. Lady Romanov speculated that this may have been why you wanted to go on the mission."
Loki began to protest, but thought about it. Of late she had grown more frustrated with her life here on Earth, and part of it was because of Jane. But that wasn't all of it. She sighed. "No, Thor. I..." she searched for the words to explain to him. "I just feel... out of place. Things have not worked as I had imagined them to."
He placed a comforting hand on hers. "There is more. Jane has been offered a job working for SHIELD."
Loki closed her eyes, defeated.
"She has not decided whether she shall accept. She seems to think that it would be an unkindness to you if she stayed here permanently." He spoke slowly, cautiously, as if she might lash out.
Now Loki felt awful. What kind of person was she, if she wanted to ruin Thor and Jane's happiness? And here Jane was willing to turn down a great opportunity to make Loki more comfortable. "No," she said softly. "She should accept. It is a good job, and she will be closer to you." The words felt like knives as she spoke them.
Thor's eyes seemed to light up, and he seemed oblivious to her pain. "Truly? You do not mind if she stays?"
Loki smiled weakly. Natasha's words haunted her. If you really love someone, you should be happy as long as they are happy.She looked into Thor's eyes, and drew a deep breath. "As long as you're happy, I'm happy. No, I don't mind." She closed her eyes, feeling light-headed, as if she might faint...
Thor blinked rapidly. As he watched, Loki seemed to glow, and when the light dimmed, she had changed. He had changed, to be precise. For where his sister had sat a moment before, was now his brother, as he had been before the change.
Loki opened his eyes and blinked back. He looked around the room as if startled. "I-" he spoke, and then paused, as if surprised at the sound of his voice. His hand flew up to his throat, touching his Adam's apple. He looked down at himself, at his hand. Slowly, it clenched into a fist, and a fierce grin lit his features. "Yes," he whispered. "Finally, I am rid of that unbearable curse!"
Thor slowly stood, backing away carefully. "Loki," he said quietly.
Loki looked up to him, narrowing his eyes. "What?"
Thor swallowed. "Why are you... unclothed?"
Loki glanced down at himself, frowning. Underneath the blanket on his lap he was, indeed, naked. He waved his hand, but no clothes appeared. He frowned deeper, and reached for his magic. Nothing. He could not even feel the passive eddies of it that were always present. "NO!" he shouted. His anger rose, and suddenly the ruby around his neck flashed, and Loki was knocked back with the force of the pain. If you lie, the voice of Morpheus floated up from his memory, you will forget everything. He cursed.
"Loki, what has happened?" Thor asked, sounding worried.
He scowled at his brother. "Save your concern, I am not the whimpering chit that has been ruining my life of late," he spat. "It would seem that I have been released from her control, at last, although I have lost my magic in the bargain." A thought occurred to him. He stared down at his hand, and grinned as his fingertips began to turn blue, spreading down his hand. "Well," he said, glancing up at Thor with eyes that were turning red. "It would seem that I have also regained by dubious heritage, as well as my memories."
Thor frowned. "Your memories?"
Loki allowed the blue to recede, returning to his familiar Aesir appearance. "Yes. All of them. I remember... everything. I am precisely the same person I was before all this nonsense." He smiled up at Thor, and behind his eyes was the cunning and anger that had been missing from his changed self.
Thor resisted the urge to summon Mjolnir. "I think it would be wise if I called SHIELD," he said.
Loki rolled his eyes. "Do as you like."
Natasha ran a hand through her hair and stared at the apartment door. Thor had explained the situation, and had left to see that Jane Foster was removed to a safe location. Loki seemed cooperative for the moment, but he wasn't taking any chances. So it was left to her to watch him in the meantime.
She wasn't sure this was a good idea. She was only human, and Thor had said that Loki's Jotun abilities had been returned to him. She was pretty sure super-strength was on that list somewhere. But at the same time, she could not resist her curiosity. She had learned much of Loki while he had been changed, and she had to know. How much of that personality had been the change? How much of the monster she had spoken to in the helicarrier remained?
She opened the door silently, and slipped into the apartment. She stayed close to the wall, glancing around the corner. Loki stood, hands clasped behind his back, staring out the window into the darkened courtyard. He wore only a pair of Thor's drawstring pants, which were somewhat too big and hung off his hips. He was not the muscular vision his brother was, but she rather preferred his lean, wiry figure, his skin pale in comparison to his dark black hair.
"Hello, Natasha," he drawled.
Too late Natasha caught sight of his reflection in the window, which looked straight at her.
She cursed, but came into full view. "Hello to you too, Hannibal."
Loki laughed and turned to face her. She wasn't sure, but he might be more intimidating shirtless than he was in full armor.
"Wait, do you know what I'm referencing?" She frowned.
"Of course. Hannibal Lector, Silence of the Lambs. Rogers did not like that one at all." He smiled a little at her confused expression, and took a few steps towards her. She moved as if she thought to step back, but held her ground. "Ah yes, Natasha. You see, I remember everything. All the fun things I did before, which She forgot. And all those delightful conversations we had."
Natasha paled, remembering the very personal things she had told Loki. Had she been fooled all along? No, she refused to believe that. Loki had been someone else, but now, he was... back. She closed down, raising her walls and falling easily into what she thought of as her 'professional' mindset. "I hear you lost your powers," she couldn't resist the urge to return fire.
His eyebrows shot up. "Alas, yes, I have lost my magic. Elsewise I would not be here," he gestured to the room. He took a few more steps toward her, until he was so close she could reach out and touch his bare chest. "They would put me back in a cage, and that would be such a shame," his voice was low and quiet. "I much prefer to converse without a wall of glass between us."
He let the reminder of their conversation on the helicarrier hang in the air between them. He lifted a hand, as if to touch her face, and she flinched back, out of his reach. He smiled, triumphant, but she caught a hint of sadness behind it.
"I'll be standing guard outside," she warned.
Loki looked amused. "I shall sleep better for it, then."
Natasha swallowed and left before she said anything stupid. She closed the door, but she could hear the sound of Loki's laughter through it.
Loki shook his head and sighed, staring at the closed door. She was too smart, too clever by far to trust him, even though she had trusted Her. It made him angry, although he could not say why. Although he was not particularly tired, he chose to retire. He slept, and dreamed his favorite dream, the one where she screamed his name and begged while the blood trickled down her soft, white skin.
A/N: Dun dun dun! The plot thickens! And with the return of Dude Loki also comes the return of only one chapter a week. Don't worry, I'll make up for it next week with a really long chapter: Old Wounds and New Scars.
I hope you're all as excited to have Dude Loki back as I am… as much as I love Femme Loki (since she's my own creation) there's nothing like the original, twisted Loki. ^.^
