Author's Note: Thanks for reading my stuff, hope you'll enjoy this chapter also ;)
Chapter 16 revised now!
Tony comes into the lounge with the latest newspaper in his hands, the broadest of smirks on his face.
"What happened? Did they put up another picture of you or what gets you so dumbly grinning?" Natasha huffs.
"And why actual newspaper? You usually use anything in the digital version alone," Steve grimaces. He likes to read newspaper because it gives him a feeling of nostalgia, but Tony is definitely a child of the technology generation, no, he is its King.
"I love the smell of freshly print newspapers," Tony smirks before her turns to Natasha. "And... no... it is not about me, at least not entirely."
He flops down the newspaper in front of them. On the title page is a spread of their latest fight, and Loki is in the focus as she protects a girl while attacking one of the enemies. The headline reads: NEW HERO-IN(E) TOWN.
"Now, look at that. News made it official," Tony smiles gleefully. Loki leans back in her chair with a shrug, not impressed in the least.
"Why exactly are you so excited about that? She's on the team in a while now. Or didn't you get that memo?" Clint huffs.
"Of course she is, but no one's taken notice of it yet, from the public side," Tony argues.
"Kinda makes sense because most of those ops were secret ops, and not in town," Natasha argues. The operations they had until now never demanded that Loki was shown in public, well, until the mission they had here in New York.
"And that's why this is so cool. I mean, the picture is pretty neat, especially since I'm flying by in the background," Tony grins broadly, pointing at the picture. Natasha leans over it, narrowing her eyes, and then retorts sarcastically, "You mean that tiny red dot over there? Oh, no, that's just a grease stain."
"What-ever," Tony rolls his eyes, but then turns to Loki instead. "So? What do you say, Loki?"
"I find the headline little appealing, and that is an overstatement. It is absolutely dull in my opinion. For a tabloid befitting, but not exactly of intellectual greatness, hm?" Loki huffs.
"I give you that, but c'mon. This is so cool. You have to regard this as your... baptizing, pretty much. You know, you have to be in the news once before you are on the team, pretty much. So whatcha say about being officially on?" Tony asks, still overly excited for a reason Loki honestly does not come to understand.
"I was officially on ever since Master Fury approved my status as an active member. I even have that in my contract, you know," she rolls her eyes at him.
"Yeah, no, but about everyone knowing that you are one of the good guys now?" Tony smiles.
"One of the good guys, really?" Loki huffs.
"You can't deny that you are no longer feeling the power of the dark side," Tony argues.
Loki shakes her head, "Sadly not, for that would have saved me that foolish pop culture reference."
Tony snorts. He still tries to get her into his favorite movies and music, but the little witch is very persistent, even if she actually watches are listens to something now more regularly, though she always underlines it is just in the service of science. As if.
"And anyways," she exhales. "If people knew that I actually was not one of the good guys before... we would have a very big problem, since that would mean that I was uncovered."
"Okay, given, but... still, c'mon, now comment on this piece of epicness already!" Tony debates childishly.
"Epic, really?" Loki huffs. She actually likes to play this game with Stark. He always tries to convince her of something he enjoys or likes very much, and she just keep rebuffing him. It's honestly funny just how persistent mortals can be at times. And it never ceases to amaze her.
"Well, maybe not as epic as my first appearance as Iron Man, but... this is a damn neat picture with all the flames, then the small kid in your arms, the flashy new weapons, the pose, totally cool. I mean, not all of us got so cool intro pics," Tony argues.
"Hm, my comment: I find it funny that they chose this of all pictures... after all, I ate that child once the fight was over," Loki snorts, leaning back in her chair, a devilish smile on her face. All got used to Loki's morbid humor at times, and all actually smirk at her comment. They can still vividly remember how she tried anything to protect this child from getting caught in the crossfire of the battle. She truly acted like a heroine that day, but of course... Loki remains a stubborn little thing. She just has to leave the impression alive that she is one tough bone after all, who gives a damn on everyone and everything, even if that is probably about as farthest from the truth as it can get, so all had to learn about her by now.
"Hm, hm... well, Fury will be pleased that they did not name you Loki. That would confuse people, you know. And I think is always cool to have an alter ego and some badass nickname. No offense, Thor," Tony smirks at Thor, who just shrugs. That is nothing that burdens him, really.
"What's her nickname, then?" Steve asks curiously.
"Jade Eyes," Tony declares.
Loki, leaning back in her chair, blows air through her lips up her forehead to make her curls bounce in the airstream, "And here I though the headline was unoriginal... now, this really tops it."
"There's still worse. One guy is called the Thing," Natasha huffs.
"Hm, perhaps if I were capable of pity, he'd get it from me. My ears could potentially bleed from such foolery," Loki grimaces. As creative as some humans can be... as little can be some of these. And for some reason, so Loki figured, those people somehow seem to make it to the Yellow Press, always.
"Anywho, isn't this totally amazing?" Tony jumps up and down like a five-year-old.
"... well, SHIELD did not come to lecture me about my 'official appearance'... so I suppose it could be called a kind of success, but... just a kind of success," Loki replies coolly.
"As I said, totally amazing. I think I will frame this," Tony says, picking up the newspaper again. He holds it out in front of him to glance at the paper again.
"Why would you frame it?" Natasha makes a face.
Tony, as if it was the most obvious thing on earth, tells her, "Coz this is... totally... amazing..."
"Asking for reason when it comes to this guy is a lost cause anyways," Clint shakes his head.
"True again. Yeah, Stark, you should definitely frame it," Natasha snorts.
"I know... gladly, I bought all in store," Tony smiles gleefully.
"Why would you do that now?" Steve blinks at him.
"That is Loki's first official appearance. That means... some ten years from now... collector's piece," Tony explains, holding up his index finger in a lecturing manner.
"You are multi-billionaire. What do you care?" Clint frowns.
"I just think that we should hold the first editions of all franchise," Tony shrugs, as though that was the most natural thing on Earth.
"But that is...," Steve means to argue, but Natasha nudges him into the side harshly, "Stop asking him, or he'll keep talking."
"Right," Steve turns to Tony with a big fake smile. "Great idea, Tony."
The others settle in their usual banter as Loki fidgets for one of the newspapers, glancing at the picture once more, the smallest of smiles flashing over her face. She – one of the good guys, now officially, approved by human society. It must be really epic irony that this is her new life now. If this is the Gods' doing, then this is perhaps their kind of humor to teach her a lesson. Which one? Loki is not quite sure yet, but she can't deny that she starts to like this kind of lesson... after all, the picture really looks... good.