"Really? Because his shape shifting is starting to flicker a little," Clint pointed out from the sidelines.
Pepper whirled to face "Luke," and saw a terrifying flash of Loki's Asgardian form before he dropped Luke's form to became Frost.
"So you found me," Frost said, still a little breathless as he stood to his feet. "Now what?"
"Now you tell us who you really are," Thor growled, taking another step towards the Jotun version of his brother.
"You would have me die this way?" Frost asked curiously, eyebrows rising as he assessed his brother. "At the hands of your dearest friends?"
"As would be justified, I suppose."
"And how would that be justified?"
"Considering what you've done to them, let alone to Ms. Potts."
"Ms. Potts," Ginny grated out. "Is totally unharmed by Frost and all other people that he is capable of becoming. And I was under the impression that Frost's banishment to Midgard was to be his punishment for his other crimes."
"That is true by Asgardian standards;" Thor agreed. "But not necessarily will that be sufficient punishment for him in the minds of Midgardians."
"Whoever he is, if he's living with Pepper – sorry, Ginny – I say that's punishment enough for any crimes," Tony drawled.
Frost suddenly drew himself up to his full height, glaring heatedly straight at Tony as he ordered, "Do not insult my partner again."
"I'm sorry," Natasha said, her eyes narrowing suspiciously upon Frost's face as her hand moved towards the gun on her hip. "You say 'partner,' but… is this love, Frost?"
Ginny can tell instantly that something just went horribly wrong. Whatever undercurrent Natasha's words had carried, they'd meant something to Loki, and he'd recognized them instantly, judging by the way his demeanor had shifted again. All h*** was going to break loose unless somebody did something to stop this train of events.
But let it never be said that Loki wouldn't at least try to talk his way out of trouble first.
"Why, yes," Frost said evenly, watching Natasha with wariness dancing in the depths of his red eyes. "Yes it is – at least on my part. I have not yet garnered the courage to ask her whether she loves me or not, though I suspect she is smart enough not to – not with all the red that's in my ledger." Natasha snorted, to which Frost cocked his head to the side curiously and asked her, "How about we make a deal, Agent Romanoff? You put your weapons away and make sure your partner does the same, and I will give you a piece of information about your dear Hawkeye."
"What the heck do you know about me?" Clint snapped.
Frost kept his eyes on Natasha, repeating, "No weapons."
Natasha was obviously angry and mistrusting of Frost – and Ginny suddenly realized that was because she knew he was Loki – but she still threw her gun across the room after another moment's pause.
"Tell the man what the heck you know about him, then," she ordered Frost.
The Jotun smirked, saying with a tone of serenity that they all knew to be somewhat false in this situation, "I know everything about you, Barton. I know where you grew up, I know you have an elder brother named Barney with whom you no longer speak, and I know that you are desperately in love with your partner, regardless of the fact that she claims to believe love is for children."
"You know," Natasha said calmly, leveling her gun at Frost's chest again, "If you wanted to try playing matchmaker, you really could've gone about it a much nicer way."
"No other way would have given me even a moment's security."
"And now you've managed to double how badly I want to kill you."
"Then go ahead," Frost dared her in that same unfazed tone. "Shoot me. Please, do it. It'll be fun to see your reactions."
Ginny saw Natasha's finger twitch on the trigger and sprang instinctively to stand in front of Frost, begging, "Natasha, stop!"
"He asked me to do it," the other woman pointed out.
Ginny replied breathlessly, "And I'm asking you not to."
"Considering who he is and who he's surrounded by, he's practically dead already, so why not let me do the honors?"
"Because I love him!" Ginny cried, heat flickering dangerously in her arms. "Please, Natasha, think back to when you were in my position – practically helpless when you saw Hawkeye all but dead. You don't want to be the monster that Loki was, do you?" Here the expression of the redheaded SHIELD agent faltered, as did the steadiness of her gun, and Ginny saw it, continuing, "I swear, we will leave all of you alone if you'll do the same for the two of us. New York City is big enough for us all, right?"
"He hasn't actually caused any real damage here on Midgard since his banishment," Thor pointed out, suddenly eyeing Natasha warily as he realized that his brother just might die in front of him at her hand.
"Has he hurt you?" Tony asked Ginny evenly.
"No, of course not."
"I would never purposely hurt her," Frost swore solemnly from behind Ginny, seeming to sense that the imminent danger to his life was passing. "Or any mortal, for that matter, now that I am more at myself then when we first met."
"And how is that?" Tony snapped.
Realizing that by now all of the Avengers had slowly realized who the man was that they were facing, she answered for him, "The Chitauri were controlling him during the attack on Manhattan. His eyes have always been blue, so that's why no one noticed. Then, when he tried to tell everyone what had actually happened to him, no one would believe him."
Thor looked suddenly ashamed as his gaze darted down to the floor while he said, "No one would believe him but you."
"I do believe him, yes," she answered softly with a quick nod of her head. "And I would like to ask you again to please lower your weapons and walk out of my home. I am fine, Loki is fine, and we are happy."
"Together?" Tony verified slowly, a look of pure shock on his face. "As a couple?"
Ginny looked uncertainly at the man behind her, surprised to see that he had shifted back into Loki while she hadn't been watching him. They'd never had the question phrased quite so bluntly, and it gave her pause until she saw the searching, nearly vulnerable – even desiring – look in Loki's eyes when he returned her gaze.
It gave her the push she needed to answer Tony firmly, meaning every word, "Yes, together as superheroes, partners, and a couple."
"That's us," Loki said, and Ginny thought she heard a touch of – was that giddiness? – in his voice as he wrapped his cool arms around her shoulders, pulling her back against his front. "Frost and Flare."
The Avengers traded confused and a few disgruntled looks with one another before Steve asked, glancing uncertainly between Ginny and Loki, "You're sure about all of this?"
"Absolutely," Ginny answered resolutely. "Now, not to be rude, because I really do appreciate your concern, but if you could be on your way…"
"-And kindly keep Fury and SHIELD from locating us-" Loki added.
"-We'd very much appreciate it."
A few more confused looks from the bewildered Avengers and then the six of them slowly shuffled out the door.
When Thor went out last, Ginny was pleased to see the demigod lay a hand on his adopted brother's shoulder, telling him how glad he was that he was "faring so well" and congratulating him on his new "domestic endeavor with such a fine woman." And then earth's mightiest superheroes had left the apartment, and she was once again alone with the banished god of mischief.
Loki sighed, his back to her as he shut the door behind Thor, commenting, "I have the feeling he's going to be truly disappointed when he finds out we lied."
"We did what?" Ginny asked in confusion. "When did we lie?"
"You said we were a couple," Loki replied, turning a nearly emotionless gaze upon her.
Her eye twitched as she asked him carefully, "If we're not a couple… what are we then?"
"Whatever you want us to be, I guess," Loki replied with what might have been a shrug as he looked away from her.
That little impromptu meeting that they'd just finished up with the Avengers might have been a little too much she realized. Too much, too sudden, bringing to the surface too many things that she and Loki had left simmering underneath the surface of their new "partnership," whatever that word entailed. Or was it simply the shove that one of them had needed to say what had been left unsaid up until now?
"Do you really mean that?" Ginny asked him, tilting her head as she watched him distinctly avoid her gaze. "Because here's the thing, Loki: I really don't think I lied to Tony – and if you do think so, then we may have a problem."
He turned his eyes to hers now, asking curiously, "How so?"
"I told him what I thought we were – 'together as superheroes, partners, and a couple' – and I sincerely meant every word that I said…" Though she felt she knew what his answer would be, she still couldn't help the nervous pang that hit her stomach as she asked, "Do you not feel the same way?"
"I thought you didn't feel the same way," Loki answered, a slow awe coming into his eyes as he took a step towards her, realizing what this conversation meant. "But you do?"
Ginny smiled softly, stepping into the circle of his arms. "I do. We are what we are, Loki."
"Superheroes, partners, a couple," he repeated. "Frost and Flare."
She smiled cheekily, saying, "I guess opposites really do attract."
"Indeed they do."
And that's when he kissed her again. Her smile widened as she kissed him back.
A rather sudden ending, I know, but hopefully my lovely readers don't mind. Thanks so much for all of the support for this story; it's really been awesome!:)