Author's Note: Okay, for all those who might ask themselves when Thor and Loki finally start with real Thorki... you will get it very soon. I just thought it would be only appropriate to "give" them time to figure themselves out, especially Loki. I suppose those two really have a long way to go, and that only works when you get used to each other again, finding a common ground. So, please enjoy, review if you want. Thanks ;)
Chapter 17 revised now!
Natasha and Loki are hanging out in Loki's room after Natasha gave her another lesson in SHIELD-approved combat. The two actually learned to enjoy that activity together. For Natasha it's a great way to spar with someone, and Loki gets a chance to let her anger out, if only just a bit, and she has company, something that she really starts to enjoy foremost about her stay on Earth.
Loki sits on the bed while Natasha plopped down in the armchair, sipping some water.
"So... you know that Stark is throwing this overly lame banquet thing...," Natasha sighs.
"... if it is so lame, as you say, then why are we discussing it?" Loki frowns at her incredulously.
"Coz all Avengers have to attend, for prestige and publicity and all...," Natasha rolls her eyes.
"Aha," Loki makes her face, which makes Natasha gape at her, "... wait, you don't know about this?"
Loki cocks an eyebrow at the other woman, "... was I supposed to?"
"Stark is so gonna get it for forgetting to invite you. I'll tear him a new one, that's for sure! God, sometimes I can't believe this guy!" Natasha exclaims. Normally, she doesn't freak like that, of course, but with Loki... Natasha actually feels protective of her in some way. The attempted suicide, as sick as it sounds, somehow brought them closer together. She thinks of Loki as a friend now, and if someone is rude to her friend, even an otherwise composed and calm Natasha Romanov may lose her nerves.
"Wait," Loki holds up her hands in surrender. "Ah, now I remember. Isn't it this?"
She flips her hand and a card flies to her, from over the nightstand into Natasha's hand. She glances at it and nods, feeling relieved, "Right, that's the invitation."
Good for Tony, that means he won't die tonight, at least not for that reason.
"I was irritated because you referred to it as a banquet. Here it says masquerade ball...," Loki explains. To her, that's two perfectly different things.
"Ah, now I got you," Natasha gesticulates. "Yeah, no, Stark is just having this weird little perv fantasy of all girls showing up with masks."
"The men don't?" Loki makes a face.
"He said he had that once and he bumped into a table quite ungracefully... which means that he hit himself right in the crotch, real hard, so Pepper told me," Natasha huffs. Both smirk at that. Yeah... that fits.
Natasha goes on, "Well, he thus made even more of a fool of himself than he is anyways. Stark figured that maybe masks on men were not the best friends, but still found it cool on the girls which is why he decided that only the girls wear masks. For that the men have to wear something else that's stupid, like gloves or so... changes due to mood. You know Stark."
"All too well already," Loki rolls her eyes.
"Well, this year, all guys have to wear a pocket square in a flashy color instead of a flower," Natasha shrugs.
"... well? Now what about it?" Loki grimaces.
"Are you coming, too?" Natasha asks.
"Not really. I thought this mail was by accident anyways," Loki shakes her head.
"What? No, you gotta be there!" Natasha exclaims. She actually didn't think it was a questions.
"Why?" Loki blinks at her. This is not making any sense to her. A moment ago, Natasha asked her if she wanted to go, but now it sounds like she never had a choice from the start. Then why did she ask? Even if Loki is making any effort to learn about human society, some things still confuse her.
"Because all Avengers will be there. It is an official meet'n'greet, pretty much," Natasha tells her.
"Master Fury wants me to keep it low, so I would do better to stay home, don't you think?" Loki makes a face.
"Don't worry about Fury," Natasha huffs. "If it really were that much of an issue, we would have had SHIELD in here before Stark could have dropped that on your nightstand, trust me. You earned yourself the night out, even SHIELD sees that. You are one of us. Heck, they even produce your franchise. There's a friggin' Jade Eyes Doll with daggers which sells better than those godforsaken Barbies. I know you sometimes don't like the thought, but you are on the team in a while now – and you won't get out of it that easily ever again."
Loki smirks at her.
"... and if I have to go on this overrated meet'n'greet, then you don't get around it either!" Natasha shakes her head with a smile.
"I don't know. I rather stay on my own, you know that," Loki sighs.
"Ugh, now don't make me beg you," Natasha sighs. "Now I finally have someone other than Pepper to talk to at the party who doesn't have a penis – and you won't do me the favor?"
"So you can only talk to... people without a penis?" Loki makes a face.
"You know what I mean. The guys are the guys... heck, they burp and find it funny!" Natasha grumbles.
"You can count yourself lucky you never had to attend Aesir festivities. There it is really good tone to do just that... And Thor always won," Loki huffs. Even when she was still Loki of Asgard, the crown prince, Loki never liked these feasts. To watch Thor making a fool of himself by drinking himself to oblivion and further, just to burp, gloat, holler a song out of tune, dance with the Warrior Three, or rather hop to some rhythm, and then chase skirts... just to repeat the process, if not interrupted by some jest and what mortals coin as "bar fights". No, Loki never fancied these.
"See?" Natasha gesticulates. "Girls have to stick together when we are already forced to put on a show for the sake to make men gape at our fancy outfits."
"That is of course true...," Loki tilts her head at her.
"And you know how glad I was to finally be no longer the only female Avenger? I have no trouble standing my ground, you know that, but it still sucked until of late to be the only one with the female perspective. Which means you are my team on the Avengers team. It's only fair of you to share that pain with me," Natasha tells her.
"I don't know," she grimaces.
"Is it coz of Thor?" Natasha asks, now more sincere.
"What if it were?" Loki huffs defensively. Even if she considers Natasha one of her closest friends, Loki does not fancy to receive yet another lecture about how she has to talk to Thor, how he has to talk to her, that they have to resolve this in some way, that they should... eat ice cream and reconcile - Tony's idea. As much as she appreciates it that the others care for them so greatly, Loki doesn't like it that her business is made public in that way. It's a private matter, something between Thor and her - and she wants to make those decisions for herself, by herself - and not because someone finds it the right time now.
"Then send him to Hell. I know that you two are still having dozens of problems with, well, this, with everything, but... he should come to terms. And just coz he is there doesn't mean you cannot go, okay?" Natasha tells her. And how much Loki wished she could just do that, send him to Hell, and with him all those problems between them, but... she can't.
"I just don't want to have yet another tête-à-tête with him. As of late, things were okay - and we didn't try to kill each other. But... I think we just need the right trigger to jump right back in. We had so much of fighting, it's too tiring, really," Loki admits.
"Hell, that isn't like you!" Natasha argues. "Loki, where is the mischievous mastermind who gave a damn on everyone – and stepped on as many toes as she could, huh?"
"That's still me. It's just that I... I have spent such a great deal of time pissing Thor off, chase him away, keep him away, push him away... I am tired of it myself. He just doesn't get past our issues, no matter what I do, no matter what I say. Or what you say," Loki shrugs, glancing at her female friend. Natasha bites her lower lip. Of course Loki would get the hint that the team tried to mediate between the two.
"I mean... Thor has been trying since you talked to him. Tthat means something, a lot. I know that man for almost all my life. It takes very much to make him move, make him change. He is very set in his ways, and in that we share a common trait. We are both stubborn fools. That he actually made a step... forward... by trying to accept me around and... as this... I have to appreciate that, because I know how much that demands from him," Loki sighs.
"So what? You just give in?" Natasha grimaces. Because she doubts that this could ever possibly happen when it comes to someone like Loki.
"I never give in, totally. I like the strategy to allow a small defeat to win the war," Loki manages to smirk.
"Then why don't you use this chance to kick his ass, have a small victory instead?" Natasha suggests.
"I might, perhaps," Loki smirks, tapping her chin with her index finger.
"As I said, even if the banquet itself is totally lame, it's one of the few nights off we get here, as Avengers... and where we just get to party and be simply people, really. You should use the opportunity to get out and not cave in here, coz you are likely doing that," Natasha argues.
"Because I like it," Loki shakes her head.
"No one can read that much and not grow tired of it," Natasha makes a face.
"I did that for the past centuries... and didn't grow tired yet," Loki debates.
"C'mon," Natasha huffs.
"I really like my work here, and reading," Loki insists.
"No wonder you are as pale as your are. You hardly see the sunlight with the kinda attitude," Natasha snorts sarcastically.
"... funny, Thor used to say that when we were still smaller, too," Loki whispers softly. Thor would always stand there, covered in mud (sometimes also blood) and tell his brother to come along, play with him, fight with him, accompany him and the Warriors to some quest, a mission, a trip. And only Thor managed to make Loki leave the libraries behind. He went only with him, only Thor brought him out of the library.
"C'mon, now don't leave me hanging here. I don't wanna beg you," Natasha pouts.
"Fine, okay, count me in," Loki gives in. She knows that Natasha won't let this go. She'd probably go ahead and make Fury force her to go for publicity reasons.
"Awesome," Natasha smirks. Loki grins back at her.
"Okay, so we have to get you a dress and a mask, still. We can go shopping if you want. I don't mind," Natasha suggests.
"No, that's not needed, thank you," Loki shakes her head gently.
"What? You just wanna go in jeans and shirt? I mean, it's a fashion statement, but I don't think that will make a lasting impression," Natasha makes a face. After all, Loki actually learned to enjoy clothes. She goes shopping with Pepper and her regularly.
"I actually don't need special clothing," Loki smirks.
"Huh? Why do you go shopping with us, then?" Natasha frowns.
"It's enjoyable," Loki smiles honestly. "I like your company."
Something she actually learned on Earth is that sometimes you do something that may not be productive... just so that you are around those people you like. Loki plays chess with Bruce because both enjoy the game, though Loki could always win if she really wanted, or actually tried. She enjoys his company, and that's why she does it. Loki actually brings herself to listen to Tony's music and helps him with the designs because he, somehow, makes her smile with his goofy nature at times. She likes to watch old movies with Steve. And even with Clint she spends some time now, since she took a liking to archery and wants to learn it, too. She doesn't do this to have productive, palpable gain, but simply to be around those people. Spend time with them, get to know them. If they are supposed to be her reason to live... she has to make the effort, or so Loki figures.
"Why don't you need clothes?" Natasha asks skeptically, narrowing her eyes.
"I am a shapeshifter. I can shift the shape of clothing also," Loki shrugs.
"Oh, oh wow, okay, I never thought about it like that, but yeah, sure... that makes sense," Natasha scrunches her nose. She sometimes forgets that Loki actually is, well, a God.
"So... when is that lame party?" Loki asks.
"Tonight," Natasha nods.
"Ugh," Loki exhales, covering her eyes with her hands.
"C'mon, we'll give it a show just to annoy the rest," Natasha huffs.
"Are you going with Master Barton?" Loki asks, looking up again.
"Someone's gotta," Natasha shrugs.
"He's about as antisocial as I am at times," Loki smirks, and that is honestly something that she enjoys about the man.
"True, which is why I'm so kind to take him under my wing," Natasha snickers. She glances at Loki briefly, before she holds up her hands. "Oh, but if you're worried about us being there together and you being the fifth wheel or whatever, don't think about it. We only meet there, we don't even arrive in the same car. So it'd actually be nice of you to go with me so that I don't have to drive there alone."
"If that is what you wish, Lady Romanov," Loki nods.
"Yeah," Natasha smirks.
"Alright... then we are going out for a mask ball tonight," Loki declares dramatically.
"Right," Natasha huffs.
This will be interesting.