Loki and the Avengers are the property of Marvel Comics. For now.
Chapter 22: Tea and Conversation
After his appointment, Rogers escorted Loki back to the apartment. Instead of standing guard in the hallway, though, the captain asked if he could be invited in.
"Of course," Loki said automatically, blinking in surprise.
They sat on the couch and Loki turned on the television. After a few minutes, he tossed the remote to Steve with a disgusted sound-there was nothing on which appealed to him. Steve found a documentary on the Vietnam War, which he still didn't really understand, and they watched it together with an uneasy silence.
Eventually Loki got up and rummaged around in the kitchen, coming back with sandwiches for the both of them.
"Thank you," Steve said, frowning at the sandwich.
"It's not poisoned," Loki said before taking a bite.
Steve laughed a little. "I just thought that you didn't need to eat much, now that you're not human."
He shrugged. "Habit."
The captain stayed until evening, when there was a knock on the door. He answered it, Loki remaining on the couch.
"There you are," he heard Natasha's voice from the hallway. "What are you doing in there?"
Steve glanced back into the room as Loki stood to join them. "Keeping him company?" he said as if it were obvious. "Anyway, it's easier to keep an eye on him. Less boring, too," he joked.
"Please, come in," Loki said, the image of a polite host.
Natasha narrowed her eyes, caught between Steve's kind example and Loki's suspicious good behavior. "Alright, but just until you turn in."
Loki gave her an amused look as Steve said his goodbyes, but remained silent.
"What's so funny?" she asked after the door had closed.
"Only that I do not need to sleep. I could remain awake for the next 72 hours with no ill effects. You, on the other hand..." he frowned. "When do you sleep?"
She shrugged. "During the day. I switched to night shift after London."
He almost asked her if she closed her curtains to keep out the sunlight, but decided to keep his knowledge of her mildly exhibitionist habits to himself. "Make yourself at home," he said instead, gesturing towards the living room. "I do so enjoy your company," he added.
"Why?" she wasn't buying it.
He smiled. "You are clever, Agent Romanov. I like that. It's nice to have a conversational partner who can keep up."
Natasha hesitated a moment, and then walked in. Rogers had a point, Loki could escape through one of the windows, and she would never know it out in the hallway.
She took a seat at the kitchen table.
"Coffee? Tea?" Loki was thoroughly amused by how his politeness seemed to set her on edge.
"Coffee," she sighed.
He raised an eyebrow. "You don't seem too happy about that," he commented.
She made a face. "I hate coffee, but tea just makes me sleepy."
Loki smiled a little. "Let me give you something to try," he suggested.
She eyed him, suspicious, but he seemed eager to show her whatever it was. She nodded.
He set about making tea, heating water in the kettle as he measured the leaves into a small strainer. He found some honey in the cupboard and pulled the milk out of the fridge. Once the water was just barely boiling, he steeped the tea, adding the honey and milk with practiced care. At last he set a mug on the table in front of
Natasha, taking one for himself as well.
She picked it up and breathed in the swirling steam. "It smells like chocolate," she said, surprised.
"Try it," he suggested, smiling secretly.
She took a sip. "This is hot chocolate," she stated. "Really good, dark hot chocolate, but-"
He shook his head, grinning. "It's tea, with chocolate in it. A special kind of tea called maté, with as much caffeine as coffee."
She smiled in spite of herself. "Where did you find this?"
"I asked Dr. Bryardie where she bought her tea, and I found this online." He did not add that Thor had purchased it.
"How is the good doctor, anyway?" she asked sardonically.
Loki thought about that a moment. "Interesting," he said at length. "She is a talented summoner, much more so than I would have guessed. Also, did you notice that she's a natural submissive?"
Natasha nearly spat out her tea. "No, can't say as I did," she answered automatically. When he looked disappointed, she rolled her eyes. "I don't assess everyone sexually. Besides, you never can tell with subs. Some of the most powerful men and women in the world prefer to get their jollies trussed up like a pig."
Loki waved a hand dismissively. "Those aren't real submissives. They're just lazy narcissists who want an excuse to make the other person do all the work."
She laughed a little. "Doms are much easier to spot," she added.
"Oh?" he smiled, remembering her accurate assessment of him.
"They tend to be unmitigated assholes," she finished.
He pressed his lips together, but whether to hide laughter or anger was unclear.
She took a sip of her tea, thinking. "I thought that 'lazy narcissist' was basically the definition of a submissive," she joked.
"Oh no," Loki said gleefully. He stared into his cup and seemed to be reminiscing.
"Enlighten me," Natasha suggested. It was one corner of human sexuality she had yet to really understand. No matter how many times she played the dominatrix, she still didn't see the appeal.
Both of Loki's eyebrows shot up. "I would love to-" he began teasingly.
"Verbally," she interrupted.
He sighed theatrically. "As you like. A true submissive does not just enjoy the physical aspect of being dominated. There is a mental component as well. They find pleasure in being demeaned, in having their will utterly denied. It's an act of great vulnerability, and therefore risk. Or trust, depending on the dominant."
She frowned, put off. "How exactly is that different than rape?"
He shrugged, remarkably casual about it. "Consent?" he guessed.
Natasha shuddered.
"The best submissives, though," he went on, "are the ones who fight back. It makes the dominant angry, you see, and goads them to new heights-"
"I don't think I want to talk about this anymore," she said suddenly. "I'm sorry I asked."
He stopped, surprised. "Why Agent Romanov, have I shocked you?" He sat back in his chair, and she couldn't tell if he was teasing or genuinely disappointed. "And here I thought you were a kindred, jaded spirit."
"There is a difference between knowledge and enjoyment," she warned.
"Ah yes," he looked suddenly somber, gazing out the window as he sipped his tea. "We were both ill used, weren't we? Since we were babes in arms, by all and sundry."
Natasha bristled. How dare he compare them? How could his pampered life as the second-favorite prince possibly compare to what had been done to her? What she had been made to do? She stood suddenly, and he glanced up at her, surprised. "I'm going to go stand duty in the hallway," she said, and began to leave.
"Here," he stood, following her and holding out her unfinished mug of tea. "I hope it helps."
She took it, unthinking, and made her way out to the hall. She stared down at the tea, confused. Why does he get to me this way? She wondered. He was compromising her focus. She would just have to distance herself, that's all.
Over the next week, Natasha continued to pull the graveyard shift guarding Loki. Every night he offered for her to come in and 'visit,' and every night she turned him down. He offered to make her more maté, and she turned this down too, telling him it made her jittery. It was a lie, and she was pretty sure he knew it, but she just couldn't let him lure her into a false sense of security.
After his trip to see Dr. Bryardie, there were no more outings. Loki was unconcerned with this, calling the apartment 'a much better cage than the last.' He was given limited internet access, and the only special request he ever submitted was for a printer and some paper.
Once Thor was sure that Jane was safely away from Loki, he returned to Asgard to discuss the situation with Odin. An uneasy peace settled over the Avengers. Loki was behaving, for the moment, and whatever the King of Asgard decided, it was well out of their hands.
A/N: Yay, some fun interaction between Loki and Natasha!
I've been thinking… the once-a-week update schedule and my style of slow exposition kind of make for a frustrating, snail-like pace. On top of that, I still have a very robust buffer of chapters I've already written. Therefore, I think I will begin posting chapters twice a week, one on Saturday and one on Wednesday. The Wednesday chapters will likely be posted late in the day, but keep an eye out for them!
As always, I adore reviews. Nothing makes me happier than seeing a review email in my inbox!
Wednesday's chapter will feature more of Loki and Natasha, and things will get a little heated… ^.~
