Author's Note: Hello everyone! The hugest of thank-yous for sticking around.
I'm incredibly sorry for the long update time. Major, major writer's block . I didn't know how to bridge to my next arc. Really, I don't want to leave this story unfinished. It's just that I didn't find... well, the words.
I hope you're not too mad at me and you still continue to read my story.
And I know that this chapter does not push the Asgard-arc, but I wanted to have a bit of a friendship moment before heading back into the drama.
Please enjoy ;)
Loki sits at the desk in her room, busying herself with writing, reading, drawing, and occasionally sending some smaller objects flying through the air, if only for a little imaginary dance to make a smile creep up her lips. One of the things Loki loves about magic is that it can be so silent. Of course that is a great advantage when it comes to fighting, but she always found that somehow soothing, to watch little marbles and liquid flying through the air as though it no longer had any weight, as though it could just fly away, something that Loki, at least in the early years, found more than tempting. To simply escape, out the window, and fly beyond the Rainbow Bridge. Only once Loki was old enough to travel alone did she get opportunity to get a taste of what she considered freedom. Now she is mostly fine with the little freedoms.
Even if a part of her would love to fly away right now, too.
Because a cage, no matter how big, remains a cage.
Especially if it keeps you away from the one person you have inside your heart.
Loki looks up, letting her work rest for a second. Before she hears the beep from the door, the trickster already rolls her eyes annoyed, "Stark, come in already. I can hear you thinking through the wall. And your thoughts are ever so disturbing."
And of course Tony makes his entrance with his signature smirk a second later, "You know, others pay for my awesome ideas."
"And for some of your ideas... you'd probably end up in prison," Loki retorts, her eyes not leaving her notes once. Not that this is anything new. It became their kind of game. Even if Loki is often irritated by Tony's behavior and jokes, she can't deny that on the scientific level, she very much enjoys the way he thinks – because it is outside the box, a step ahead, not just testing the unknown waters, but taking a full step into it, no matter what ground will be found, if at all. And that he always takes things with humor is something that Loki can honestly relate to. She also likes to use sarcasm as both a shield and a way of expressing herself. The same seems to be true for Tony, as she learned, which is why Loki starts to feel this... nagging sensation that he actually managed what he warned her about what seems to be so far back already. Something he said to her short after she befriended Bruce – and was still rather hostile towards Tony.
"I'll grow on you, trust me. Coz I'm adorable."
Well, maybe not adorable in Loki's opinion, for that he is just too annoying and doesn't listen to his master's orders, but... Tony did grow on her. Friendship is a curious thing, really. Just like love. You don't choose it. It just happens. And now... that man happens to be her friend. Yet, Loki is now with Thor, too – and if that can actually happen, then a friendship with Tony doesn't seem that farfetched anymore, at least in the trickster's opinion.
The mechanic makes his way over to her desk, his eyes scanning the notes scattered all over it.
"Let's see what we have here... hm, new construction plans, nothing uncommon... more equations... look like fun... hm... drawings... you really have a way with these, though I find that dark one rather creepy. You should draw more rainbows and unicorns, that lightens up the mood... and... is that... Greek? Since when do you speak Greek?" he frowns as he skims through the pages. Loki swats his hands away with a snort, "I don't speak it, yet. I get better writing it. I'm working on translations."
"Why?" Tony makes a face.
"Why not?" she blinks at him.
"... I mean, it's cool that you speak so many of the... alien-languages, but... why would you want to speak... ours, I mean, like... all of them?" Tony frowns.
"I always took a liking to languages. The underlying messages and codes in words fascinate me since my early days. And more practically, I like the thought of being able to communicate with people, even if I don't know them. Once you know the language, you know part of the cultural code, and that way... you bypass a lot of trouble. Believe me that much, it saved my life more than once," Loki explains.
"How?" Tony grimaces.
"Well, you see... there was this one time... in the early times of my voyages, where I came to a realm perfectly foreign to me. It was mere chance I found my way there. I never read about it in any of my books. When I encountered its inhabitants, I was suddenly confronted with a language I didn't understand. And they didn't understand me. They took me for an intruder, even if, back then, I had no such intention, for my purpose was solely to travel and... discover, see. Well, so I tried gestures which most commonly denote that you do not seek to fight, I kept a generous distance, made no rash movements, and took on tone and words that generally speak for a positive attitude," Loki explains.
"Sure," Tony nods.
"Well, the next thing I remember is that they tackled me down, hit me with something very hard in the back of the head and... so I learned... wanted to sacrifice me to their Gods," Loki goes on, much more casually than Tony would feel about such a memory. How often was that God actually on the verge of death on the voyages, really?
"How did you maneuver out of that one?" the mechanic makes a face.
"Well, since they couldn't actually hold me, I thought I would give it at least a try to solve it another way. It was such a rare chance of observing another culture no one of Asgard knew about that I didn't want to let it go to waste by... hurting and scaring them. Since they waited for a certain star constellation to sacrifice me, I took my time studying those people until I figured out how their language worked. And apparently, it was that many things were the other way around. What most people see as welcoming or peaceful, they saw as aggressive. That I kept a distance was wrong, since they always put their heads together when they really wanted to talk. They spoke in what we figure is a harsh tone when they were trying to negotiate while they used a softer tone for when they were aggressive. Once I figured the code out, I told them that I was a traveler and not there to harm them in any way – and so on. They were so shocked to have me answering in their tongue that they almost toppled over," she chuckles softly at the memory.
"You seriously laugh about a bunch of aliens trying to kill you by sacrificing you to their... Gods?" Tony can't help but frown.
"I was in no severe danger. They kept me in a simple wooden cage. It would have taken me not much to get away from them," Loki argues.
"So... you're a full-fledged linguist after all, huh?" Tony shrugs.
"I guess, at least I find it particularly interesting," Loki shrugs, leaning back in her chair, but then frowns. "... but that is not what you came for... what did you come for here?"
"Just checking on you, little Empress," Tony replies.
"Checking on me – for what?" she grimaces.
"Well, I see that you're busying yourself with tons of work. Like literally, I think there is a ton of paper on that table...," Tony grimaces at the sheer mass of papers. Loki rolls her eyes, "Are we getting to a point sometime soon? Or else I will go on with my studies until you sorted yourself out."
"Well, you know... Thor's away and you were all lovey-dovey and now... nyah," Tony grimaces.
"Oh, so you think I miss him and therefore bury myself in work," Loki concludes.
"Well, it's the way most... partners react when in a relationship... and the other one has to leave for a while," Tony shrugs.
"So, as I take it, the Avengers have yet taken it upon themselves to make sure that I don't do something stupid, for I'm known and feared for my mood-swings?" Loki snorts.
"We're just... concerned," Tony argues. "Look, it must be hard and..."
"I spent eons of time without the dull oaf. I will manage a few weeks without crawling up and down the walls. And for that, apparently, they invented good old work. That keeps one's mind sharp and focused, which is much more productive than is moping. I had that before, it really wasn't that fruitful," Loki huffs.
"So you are compensating after all," Tony smirks almost victoriously.
"I'm supposed to worry less. And I don't worry for as long as I'm productive," Loki tells him.
"So you don't miss him, you're just... worried," Tony translates.
"Well, I would kick his arse if he didn't come back and just leave me here, but I find it far more unsettling that Asgard is going up in flames thanks to Odin's madness, again," Loki argues.
"That's true, of course...," Tony exhales.
"And yes, I do miss him," Loki admits, not meeting Tony's eyes. The mechanic chooses not to comment. He knows how precious such moments are – when Loki admits not only weakness, but also her tender side to show, the one that cares and is simply loving and craving to be loved. For her it's still hard at times to let go, even around the people she learned to trust by now. And judging by her background story, Tony honestly understands that the trickster is rather hesitant about letting go. People she should have been granted to fully believe in lied to her. That is a kind of trust break that no one takes easily – and is surely enough of a reason to be rather cynical. Though Loki starts to warm up more often. It just takes some time to break through her defenses.
"Well, since that means that you are kinda down, I came up with something, coz I'm just that much of an amazing BFF," Tony snickers.
"Binary File Format?" Loki makes a face.
"... you seriously know that abbreviation, but not what I mean?" Tony makes a face.
"... if it is pop culture reference again, then I most certainly do not know," Loki shakes her head. Tony still tries to get her into all those TV shows he adores, but the trickster watches most of them only in the service of science. After all, Loki has another "fun project" now, and that is to study humans. Understanding their kind of narrative, at least in her opinion, is always a good starting point, though there are some shows that just make her turn off the TV and leave the room.
Humans impress her often, but sometimes... they are just so dull.
"This is more a social media thing," Tony argues.
"... I don't like social media. Too much of a network to be social. And too social to be a network. And as I discovered, what people put on the internet is often even more disturbing than is what you come up with," Loki shakes her head. "And that seems hardly possible."
"Best Friend Forever," Tony dead-pans.
"I liked the Binary File Format better," Loki snickers.
"Fine, my little File. I came up with something to maybe take your mind off of missing Thor and worrying yourself sick," Tony tells her sarcastically.
"I thought that what I do here is serving just that purpose?" Loki grimaces.
"But that's boring and... boring," Tony shakes his head. "And not social."
"Oh, yes, and Master Fury underlined again and again that I'm supposed to be social," Loki nods.
"Now don't be a mood-kill," Tony pouts.
"... fine, I bite. What is this grand activity supposed to be?" Loki rolls her eyes.
"Nah, that's a secret until we get there," Tony snickers.
"You think that lures me out of my room...? For someone who can build devices like you... this is fairly obvious," Loki grimaces.
"I don't see the point in setting up a great plot or whatever. That is more of your department," Tony argues, to which Loki nods her head, "True again."
"So?" Tony wiggles his eyebrows at her expectantly.
"So?" Loki mimics him.
"Are you coming or what?" Tony snorts.
"Well, if this distracts me somehow, it might be for good, but if this is supposed to be me acting as other people for your entertainment, I will personally behead you," Loki warns him.
"That was just once and it was hilarious!" Tony argues vehemently. He counts that to one of his happiest memories in life.
"It was stupid and Master Fury was mad at me for about a month. I still think he is...," Loki mutters. At some point she honestly asks herself why she ever let Tony talk her into it. Against better judgment, she had actually posed as Fury, only to have him walk in on her. Tony rolled on the floor holding his stomach, the others were confused, and Loki never saw the secret spy so aggravated, not even when she created possible nuclear weapons out of thin air. Though she can't push aside the feeling that this was more of an act back then to make her join the team and make the team fully accept her as a member. Not that she knows for sure...
Yet, it seems to be the case that somehow... Tony, as her... friend... manages to make her do stupid things, acting like a child again.
But maybe that's just what she needs.
Who knows?
"I think he's just mad that you never listen to his orders," Tony shrugs.
"Oh, that couldn't be further from the truth. I do listen to his orders," Loki argues. Tony snorts, "Yeah, right."
"I do follow his commands, but only if I find them right. That is a huge difference," Loki scolds. "If I never listened to him, it would be a very childish action and little productive. What I do is to critically evaluate his commands, and based on that evaluation decide whether or not I take part in it."
"Which you then, ever so eloquently, simply reward with a bitch-face or you turn around and leave the room," Tony smirks.
Loki did that a few times by now. The first time she did it after Fury suggested a plan for new tactics. Loki got up from her chair wordlessly and simply left the room. Tony had never seen Fury that distracted, really. Even the badass spy of the millenium was caught off guard by that and simply stared after the raven as she left the conference. When Fury came back to his senses, he managed to ask the others if something was wrong with her, to which all shrugged in unison. Loki appeared a few minutes later, sat back down and asked if they could turn to a different topic. When Fury wanted to go on with his plan another time, she left the room again. It took them two more tries until all figured out what she was really up to – and then all simply agreed on a different plan.
"His plan was utterly ridiculous," Loki argues.
"Well, you know, conventionally, you still listen to that someone – and simply ignore him with a smile," Tony smirks. "That's what I do, too."
"I don't want to fill my mind with unnecessary information. That was such. So rather than changing him into a toad, I left the room. I found that more appropriate according to your rules of convention," Loki argues with an air of nonchalance.
"... I think you kinda exaggerated when you did it over and over again," Tony smirks.
"He didn't stop talking about this nonsense," Loki argues vehemently.
"Because he was convinced that it was an awesome idea," Tony shrugs his shoulders.
"Then he was clearly a victim of fundamental fallacy," Loki huffs.
"You will never admit out loud when you're wrong, right?" Tony smirks.
"I won't deny or affirm it," Loki grins. "Because either option would imply that I'd ever be wrong."
"Fine, little Empress, enough of how you're so much smarter than the rest, and let me prove you wrong. Because I'm the smartest person who ever walked the face of earth."
"In your dreams alone," Loki hums as she gets up from her seat.
"Now come already," Tony urges her. Loki rolls her eyes as she follows the billionaire. He leads her outside where his Ferrari is already waiting for them. Loki cocks an eyebrow as he opens the door for her, but then gets into the passenger seat. Tony then gets into the driver's seat, starts the engine, grins at the beautiful sound, and starts to speed down the streets.
"Lady Romanov informed me that men use cars as an extension of their power to further affirm their manhood," Loki says with a hum.
"So?" Tony smirks.
"Well, this car, then... certainly means that you have to affirm that manhood quite badly," Loki grins mischievously.
"No, that's a mistake, little Empress," Tony scolds her. "I have a big car because my power and manhood just need something that matches this epic awesomeness, even if it never comes quite close."
"I really start to understand why Thor likes you. The two of you boast about yourselves so much that it hurts one's ears," Loki grins.
"Well, he surely likes you more than me," Tony wiggles his eyebrows at her with a smug smile tugging at his lips.
"It is your luck that you are currently riding that car, or else I would smack you across the face," Loki tells him nonchalantly, hugging her arms.
"It's so cute when you're affectionately hostile," Tony snickers.
"I'm just hostile," Loki corrects him.
They continue in silence. Loki watches the streetlights being extended by the illusion of speed to long threads of different color. Tony parks the car in front of what turns out to be a bar.
"Your grand surprise is a bar night?" Loki makes a face. She actually thought it would be... a bit more dramatic. That man is about as much of a drama queen as she is.
"I never said it was a grand surprise. It's just a change of scenery," Tony argues. "And they have the best Scotch you've ever had, trust me."
"Oh, that, of course, changes about everything," she snorts.
"C'mon, now don't be a poor sport," Tony snorts.
"Fine, I long since know that sometimes one has to play along," Loki shrugs. "But aren't I under-dressed, then? If this is supposed to be one of your 'in' bars?"
"We all know that you can always find a fitting attire, without having to putting it on," Tony huffs with a smirk. Loki just rolls her emerald eyes at him.
"Well, then I think we should head out," Tony winks, getting out of the car. He walks around the car to open the door for Loki. Even if she is one stubborn witch at times, she is a woman of tradition at some point, and the proper rules of courtesy are things she seemingly pays special attention to.
And that is actually something quite curious about Loki, among the many other things that are simply astonishing and odd about her: there is this one side that calls for liberation, the side that breaks away from any social convention whatsoever. That is, as far as she said, also one of the reasons why she was frowned upon for so long when still in Asgard. She just never fitted in, taking her different heritage aside for a second. She doesn't care if she steps on someone's toes. She is very... open about her sexuality in many ways. She does whatever she wants.
But then there is this other part that seemingly clings on to tradition quite desperately. She is always trying to use the right tone, always uses a very refined language. Even when in a tantrum, she is not the one to throw out cuss words, except for the archaic ones which are just hilarious. Already back at the masquerade ball she proved that she knows of all traditions when it comes to dance. She moves like a queen. And even though there is always anguish in her voice when it is about Asgard, there are moments when the trickster talks about politics and traditions and has that fervor in her voice.
At some point she seems to be just as much of an ancient person as Thor is one, something that the God of Thunder actually pointed out a while back in conversation with the others, while Loki was busy elsewhere. Before it all went down and the trickster turned against the clan, Loki was one of the greatest believers in Asgard, curiously enough. Of course Loki still broke rules and bent them on more than one occasion, but, so Thor explained, deep down, Loki was proud to be an Aesir... which, in the retrospective, makes the outburst only the more understandable in some way. If you believe in what you think is your heritage, an inherent part of you, and suddenly it's taken away from you...
That is when an entire world collapses, tears you in half.
So yes, Loki proves once again that she is a creature of ambiguity.
Tony opens the door for her. Not all too much to his surprise, she comes out in a fashionable navy blue short dress with a broad brown leather belt with golden buckle instead of the casual wear she had on before. This is coupled with brown boots reaching up her calves with wedge heels and a few golden buckles.
"Aren't we a little diva after all?" Tony chuckles.
"Well, as the gentleman taking me out for the night, it would have been your obligation to tell me which attire would be proper. So don't judge me for taking matters into my own hands," Loki shrugs. Tony holds out his arm to her wordlessly, his smirk not wavering for a second. Loki rolls her eyes before she links arms with him. The two make their way into the bar.
The interior is a bit more stylish than was the bar the Avengers celebrated at after they won over their bizarro versions. Much to Loki's liking, everything is held in green and brown, which she figures was certainly so intended by the Tony as the initiator. There is a dance floor and some lounge areas. The mechanic guides her over to one of the lounges. Upon coming closer, Loki soon realizes that their friends are already chatting and drinking. They wave at them as they come closer.
"See what I found!" Tony grins as he settles down next to Pepper, snaking his arm around her shoulder. Loki sits down next to Bruce.
"Good to have you here," Bruce winks at her. Loki pats his arm lightly.
"Well, it's been some time since we were out to do something together," Steve shrugs. "So we thought this might be something nice for a change."
"And I very much appreciate it," Loki tells him.
A waitress comes to their table.
"Good evening, can I get you two something?" she asks politely, turning to Tony and Loki.
"Two glasses of your finest Scotch, please," Tony grins.
"Alright, of course, Sir. I'll be back in a second," the waitress smirks before checking the others for drinks. She walks off to get the Scotch.
"So I don't get to decide on my drink?" Loki smirks, cocking an eyebrow at him as she rests her chin on her hands.
"I'm doing you a favor, trust me. The Scotch is marvelous," Tony argues. As if on cue, the brunette waitress promptly shows up with the Scotches.
"Here you go, can I get you anything else?" she asks.
"No, that's all, thank you," Tony winks at her almost flirtatiously, to which Pepper nudges him in the side.
"Alright, let's quickly toast to a good old night out, because I'm thirsty as hell, cheers," Tony says, raising his glass. The others copy his movement, "Cheers."
"So, little Empress, is that drink amazing or is it amazing?" Tony grins.
"Oh, it changes my entire perspective on humankind," she snorts.
"Exactly," Tony grins, to which the trickster rolls her eyes with a smirk.
At some point Loki figures that she actually spends more time with Stark because he often reminds her of Thor. Boasting. Self-conscious. Very fond of certain drinks.
The group carries on with small talk. And honestly? Loki really enjoys it. Of course it's by no means new to have conversation with her companions. They talk all the while, and especially since Thor took off, she finds them "checking" on her.
Something that she still has to get used to at some point.
Back in Asgard, she only had Mother or Thor checking on her.
But suddenly... there are enough people to fill a lounge area – and those are by no means just loose friends, as Loki regarded the Warrior Three and the Lady Sif, for instance. They were Thor's friends, but not Loki's. Back when they were still fighting together, Loki of course relied on them at some point, just as the prince would also protect them in battle, but Loki never felt close to them.
Yet, here now? With those humans? Loki always thought that maybe it was her destiny to only have... a handful of people caring about her, and that handful being Mother and Thor. However, this group made her realize that there are more people out there who like and care about her, about her person, not just the function, a title, a set of abilities. Her.
Even if there are still many things Loki doesn't yet understand about humans, she admires their kinds of friendship, their sense of companionship.
Maybe the dull oaf was right after all... maybe she doesn't have to worry that much anymore.
Not that she'll ever let him know.
Loki is pulled out of her musing, however, as her ears recognize the next acoustic ambush she tried to ignore all the while.
"That band is simply horrific," she growls, which makes Bruce chuckle, "I don't think they are all that bad."
"Oh, please. The guitarist, fine, the drummer is actually quite good, but that fiddler? One should just bind his hands together so that he stops violating this poor instrument," Loki argues vehemently.
"Hey, I thought you'd like it that they use classic instruments along with the new," Tony jumps in.
"I do not care for the genre or style for as long as they play accurately," Loki huffs.
"Not all are as perfect as you are, little Empress," Tony snorts. "Or rather... they don't want to either."
"Actually, music is about mastering a piece and thus play it in perfection," Loki lectures him.
"Well, some of those bands are simply focusing on other things, like the looks or the lyrics," Pepper shrugs.
"That still doesn't give them the right to violate the violin like that," Loki shrugs, leaning back in her seat.
"I didn't know that you were that much into music?" Natasha blinks at her.
"Oh well, I wasn't always. As a child I hated it because Mother forced us to learn an instrument," Loki snorts.
The others can't help the chuckle. Some things in Asgard seem to be just like they are on Earth. Parents forcing their kids to learn an instrument, have a certain hobby...
And it's ever the more funny to have Loki talking about it. During moments such as these she seems just so close to human.
"She thought that this would somehow help Thor in learning to be... less berserk... which obviously remained fruitless... and for me, she said it would help me with my magic... which may have been partly true, but I still hated it," Loki explains.
"So did you learn the violin?" Bruce questions.
"Oh, no, I learned the lur," Loki explains.
"The what?" Tony makes a face.
"A kind of trumpet," Loki tells him. "I hated it."
Tony snickers at the image of Loki playing some kind of trumpet, to which Pepper, once again, nudges him in the side, earning a yelp from him.
"What did Thor have to learn?" Steve asks curiously.
"The lyre," Loki grins.
"Not the other way around?" Clint snorts. Because the lyre would probably fit Loki much more than would a trumpet. And Thor with a filigree instrument like a lyre seems just as outrageous.
"Mother certainly did that purposely," Loki shrugs. Though she does not yet know which one that would be.
"So what made you change your mind?" Pepper asks. "So that you liked it?"
"Well, when I was on my voyages... I… partied... a lot?" Loki shrugs. Tony wiggles his eyebrows at her, which is why she kicks him under the table.
"Anyways... The musicians at those festivities were truly magnificent. Dancing to their music was a pure pleasure. It made me realize just how well the body responds to music, if it is good music," she says before turns her head with a cringe, "That is not good music."
"So that's why you didn't hit the dance floor yet," Pepper winks at her.
"Exactly," she agrees.
"Well, not all are as gifted," Tony argues. "Plus, I have the philosophy that if you pout about something, you should be better at it yourself."
At that comment, Loki gets up wordlessly and walks over to the band.
"... okay...," the mechanic makes a face. "Did I just make her mad or what's the matter?"
"If you did, I will smack you," Pepper warns him. It would be a pity if the night out would end up making the trickster mad at them. It's enough that she is missing Thor. Pepper honestly feels with her. When Tony is on a mission or otherwise busy, she misses him, too, well... sometimes. After all, Pepper is not the kind of woman to patiently wait for her man to return to make her happy again. She has a job, a job she loves and is great at, and she harbors her independence, but that doesn't mean that you can't miss the person dear to you, right? And now to have one of your loved ones gone to a place Loki really can't follow must be exceptionally hard on the trickster, especially after they came such a long way to finally be close again.
"Not fair!" he pouts. "How was I supposed to know that this would make her upset?"
"Well, let's just hope she doesn't kill them or so," Clint huffs. The group tilt their heads almost simultaneously as Loki goes on having... small-talk with the band. At some point they really thought that Clint's prediction would be closer to the truth. Even though they know by now that she is not that mean, really, she still has her "bitchy moments", as Tony refers to them.
"With Asgardians it can be really difficult at times," Steve grimaces.
"At least it's never getting boring," Natasha snickers.
"Oh, she took the violin from the guy!" Tony comments, now almost childishly excited. "At some point I hope she'll toss it to the ground and stomp on it. I would love to see that guy's face."
"That's low," Steve argues.
"What? If she demolishes it, I will repay him," Tony rolls his eyes, throwing his hands in the air. It's not like money is or will ever be an issue. The little Empress can shatter as many violins to pieces as she wants, that won't ever bother.
However, that is when the band suddenly starts playing again... just that Loki is now fiddling instead of the violinist – quite magnificently.
"That girl always has to show off," Tony snorts. Already back at the ball she proved that she likes to have a show. For someone who can be so silent at times, she still likes to be the center of attention.
"Sounds any familiar to you?" Pepper snorts. Tony means to make a comment, but then shrugs with a grin. True, they are very much alike, even though he knows that the trickster hates it.
"Well, I'd still say mission accomplished if she is happy," Natasha shrugs. "She seems to enjoy herself alright."
The band continues a while longer, Loki completely absorbed into the task, as it seems. She doesn't even look up, her raven hair falling over her face as she plays the instrument as though there was no tomorrow. Once they play the last note, the guests clap their hands. Loki blinks...
Oh, well, that will surely mean some comments coming her way.
She hands the violin back to the fiddler, flashing a nice smile before she walks back over to her friends.
"Enjoyed your little performance?" Bruce grins as she sits back down.
"I just meant to teach that man a lesson," Loki shrugs.
"Well, you just stole his audience," Steve winks at her. "That surely taught him."
"How did you get him into it, though?" Bruce questions.
"Oh, that is not very difficult. Very simple mind. Easy to control... I think he smokes those funny things that they always talk about on TV... uhm, pot?" Loki tells them.
"You just mind-controlled him? We talked about this, young Lady," Tony scolds her. "We don't Obi-Wan people who did not explicitly wish for it and signed a declaration of consent with the SHIELD label on it."
"I did not... Obi-Wan him," Loki argues. "I just convinced him."
"You said before that you controlled him, though," Bruce smirks.
"Men are very often very easy to control, for that you don't have to be a magician," Loki grins softly.
"Oh, so you whispered some sweet things in his ear so that he obeyed? Little Empress, I don't think your darling will like this," Tony huffs.
"It's not like I kissed this untalented creature. I just told him that I'm a fan, that they made me see music in a different light, and that I always wanted to play the violin...," Loki's voice trails off. "His violin."
Curiously, it doesn't feel as hard as she thought it would.
To talk about him.
It's probably the fact that she is talking... to friends.
"She knows how the game works," Natasha shrugs.
"Anyway, your play was much better than was his," Pepper winks at her.
"A chimpanzee would have been better," the trickster argues. "But thank you for the compliment nevertheless."
"But I thought you didn't learn the fiddle?" Bruce asks.
"And I didn't," Loki replies.
"Then how can you play it?" Clint makes a face.
"Music is mathematics," Loki shrugs. "It's logical, harmonic sound sequences."
"So you just... calculated it," Pepper makes a face.
"Well, I had a kind of fiddle in hands before, so I know how they generally work," Loki shrugs.
"How did you know the song, then?" Tony frowns.
"... if you paid attention, you would have realized that they played this song already," Loki snorts.
"Tony is just always taking it hard when there is another genius beside him," Pepper winks at her.
"Oh please, I'm no genius," Loki huffs. "I'm an evil mastermind."
"Once Big Guy is back, we should bring the two of you here again and then he has to play the lyre and you... that trumpet thing!" Tony suggests excitedly.
"Do you have any idea how many of these instruments he demolished?" Loki grins. "He was even worse than me. And I constantly made snakes out of my lur and had it chase my tutor."
"Did he use the hammer?" Steve questions.
"If he didn't use it as a hammer, yes," Loki nods. "Though I have to say that I may have worsened the situation also."
"What did you do?" Pepper frowns.
"I may or may not have used a chant to force him to play, against his will," Loki grins.
"That sounds like this fairytale about the girl who couldn't stop to dance, what as it again?" Steve claps his fingers on the table, thinking of the name.
"'The Red Shoes' by Hans Christian Andersen," Loki agrees. "I had to frown once I read it – because it was very much alike, though it was by no means as drastic. Thor just had to pick it up whenever I commanded him to. And I only did it to embarrass him in front of his friends, so no more than a few minutes."
"So no bloody fingers?" Tony grins.
"Most certainly not," Loki shakes her head.
"Why did you, though?" Natasha frowns. "Other than maybe for the fun of it."
"I was mad that he was allowed to quit after some time, while I was forced to carry on," Loki explains. "I just took my revenge, as usual."
"Big Guy won't see the end of it once he is back," Tony rubs his palms. Loki winks at him, but then whips her head around, "Oh, the band finally takes off! Let us rejoice!"
Music starts to hum over the loudspeakers, bringing a smirk back to her lips.
"Someone's off to dance, I guess?" Pepper smirks.
"Well, obviously. Would you like to join?" Loki asks.
"Tony? C'mon, get your butt up," Pepper orders the mechanic. He rolls his eyes as he gets up. Natasha and Pepper stand up and the three women make their way to the dancefloor together.
"They shake it up alright," Tony grins as he settles back down.
"Well, I'm just relieved that Loki is having her fun," Bruce shrugs, taking another sip from his Whiskey. "It really was a good idea... Clint."
"Hey, I did all the driving!" Tony insists.
"It was still his idea," Steve grins. Clint shrugs his shoulders wordlessly, taking a long sip from his drink with a small smirk tugging at his lips.
"Though I still wonder what's going on in Asgard," Steve puckers his lips. "I mean, Thor's gone in a few days now. If it was just small business, I think he'd be back by now."
"Well, if they send Asgardian messengers, I didn't think it'd ever be just small business," Clint replies.
"I would rather not have yet another war raging here, though," Steve laughs drily. "Because seemingly Earth is one of their favorite playgrounds."
"I'm actually surprised how calm Loki seemingly is about this," Clint sighs. "Because, think about it. If the King's raging, then he might just as well take out his anger on the person he banished, plus the planet he banished her to."
"I guess we shouldn't paint everything in dark colors," Tony argues. "Big Guy is there right now. He's taking care of it. And we have all security measurements up and ready."
"Well, we can just hope that Odin is in a better disposition than what we heard," Steve shrugs. "And it's not like we can change anything about it. We have to wait for Thor to return to make up a plan."
"Exactly. We should take care of what's within our reach," Tony agrees. "And making sure that the little Empress is happy is within our capabilities. I don't fancy to have both mad at us."
"Oh, I didn't even think about it, but yeah, Thor will be mad as hell if Loki is unhappy once he returns," Bruce agrees. After all, Thor proved to be extremely jealous – and also extremely protective. Especially of Loki.
"So yeah, we have to make sure the Empress doesn't go through the roof," Tony nods. "But now I already have an idea."
Loki meanwhile, gets lost in the movement, in the music, in the warmth she feels inside of her. She generally had to realize that she felt warmer these days, deep down. It's no sensation of the skin, no result of exercise. It's a warmth from within, one that actually manages to make her forget about her loneliness and smile, honestly smile.
Thor really seems to be right.
She has friends. Friends who don't leave her. Friends who even do something to cheer her up, to make her feel at home, no matter the place.
And so it doesn't come as a real surprise that a few days later, she finds a violin prepped up on her desk, with a short note by Tony:
Be productive with something fun for a change ;)
We both know that you love me for this.
Because I told you so.
- Your Binary File Format
And neither does it come as a surprise to the other Avengers as they sit together, watching TV, that suddenly a violin plays its magical tunes.
Sometimes you are lonely, but friends can bring the music back into your heart.