Loki hardly spoke with her the rest of the morning, and though he was polite enough Clint took to filling the silence between them with filling Natasha in on the latest mission that Steve Rogers, the captain of their team apparently, was being sent on, hoping it might spark something else within her memories. Though none of the names stood out she could tell it was helping Clint more than her, helping him find some semblance of normality in what had become the craziness of the present. She was fine playing along, sipping at her orange juice and catching Tony's eye as he smirked at the archer's exuberance.

"You know, Clint, you're never that excited to speak to me about missions," Tony teased.

"You're not my partner." Clint laughed. "And you barely step out of your lab long enough to do anything other than get coffee, how am I supposed to talk to you?"

"Can't you go down with him?" Nat frowned.

"Not unless I want to be accosted by his idiot robots-."

"They didn't accost you-and don't call them idiots! Only I get to do that!" Tony defended, his eyes narrowing. Nat simply rolled her eyes, looking over at where Thor and Loki had been sitting, the pair obviously having moved in the commotion that was Tony and Clint arguing. She frowned, searching around the expansive kitchen and dining room of the suite, only able to assume that they'd left. She wasn't sure she wanted to know why, or what they'd be talking about, though she was sure she had at least a faint idea.

"What's up?" Clint asked quietly, leaning over and clasping his hand over hers, where she was holding onto her glass so tight it was a miracle the glass hadn't entirely shattered, splintering from where her palm covered its once smooth surface. Woah. How did that happen?

"Sorry," she said quickly as she released it, juice leaking slowly from the cracks within the glass. She watched them dribble through the edges and couldn't help but think how easy it was for her to weaken it so much, how she'd barely even noticed what she was doing. How was that possible?

"You feeling alright?" Clint asked, frowning. "Did something come back?" His eyes lit up at the idea, sitting up a little straighter at the prospect of her memory coming back without Loki's help. Poor bastard wanted it so badly.

She shook her head, lips turned down and brow furrowed with concern and an apology. "No, I'm sorry. Just thinking is all."

"Oh." He looked disappointed for half a moment before he forced himself to smile once more. "That bad?"

"Huh?"

"You only ever near break something when you're in a bad mood or something goes wrong so I figured you'd just remembered something particularly nasty," he told her, and even Tony gave a quiet chuckle.

"It's true. You broke through the glass doors to my lab after one of the missions with Steve went sour."

She winced. "I did?" Was this supposed to make her feel better? "Maybe when things get back to normal I can try working on it?"

"I'm sure we'll get it all figured out," Clint promised, standing and mopping up the little juice that had spilled before depositing the glass into the small sink provided for them in the suite. The archer continued on with stories as though nothing had changed between them all, filling Nat in on the usual sorts of missions that they went on, who they worked with, which villains they went against and what each of them did. Nat had to laugh at a couple of the names. Batroc the Leaper, really? Dr. Doom? She'd thought the nickname Black Widow had been rather dramatic, but she supposed Doctor Octopus really took the cake. Clint even alluded to the first time they met in Budapest, though it was clear he didn't feel wholly comfortable divulging too much information in front of Tony. Nat wasn't sure why, but didn't press it. Everyone had their reasons she supposed.

"Think we could train sometime soon?" She asked when Clint stopped to draw breath. "Just so I can get an idea of how we're supposed to fight. In case."

Barton frowned. "In case what? Loki will get your memories back, wherever the hell that damn sorcerer went." He muttered, looking at where he'd been sitting before as Nat had done a few minutes earlier. No wonder she wa sthe spy if he was just getting to noticing. She hid her smile by stealing a drink from his glass of water.

"At least we had a productive morning," she reminded Clint, not wanting him to be too angry with Loki. He was doing the best he could, she was sure, and she was grateful for his concern. He didn't have any reason to care for her, not really. Even despite being curious he didn't have to be nice about what was happening, and the fact that he was, well, it only made him seem better than Clint seemed to give him credit for.

"I hoped a productive afternoon would be in the cards, too. The sooner you remember everything the less danger you'll be in," he reminded her. Right. How could she forget with Clint going on about the specific feats she'd done before, none of which she remembered?

Thor came in a few minutes later, thougH Loki wasn't with him to Nat's curiosity and mixed dread. Had he meant it when he'd said he wouldn't help anymore? Clint rose, his eyes narrowing and mouth opening to say something-likely less than polite about Thor's absent brother-but the demigod silenced him with a hand up and a smile of peace on his face.

"Loki will return, I assure you, he just needs time to think by himself, but he will continue to help the Lady Natasha recover her memories." He walked closer to her and clapped Nat on the back. She nearly pitched forward, not expecting the sheer force he commanded with one swing of his arm. Not for the first time was she grateful to be on the same team as he was. She'd really hate to be on the opposing side of one of his hammer blows. Ow.

"Thanks, Thor, for everything," she said, forcing herself to smile though she was certain her brain had knocked hard against the front of her skull.

"Of course. I wish to do whatever I must to help a fellow teammate," he assured her. "And though he doesn't always look it my brother is happier with you here. Certainly lighter than he has been in some time. It does him good to help, aids him in forgetting the past I think. I am glad of it." He paused, even sobering up a little. "It is certainly more comfort than I can offer him."

Natasha felt her throat tighten up, and without a word she stood to wrap her arms around him, though she had a hard time holding him in his entirety. He gave half a moment's pause before embracing her the same, burying his nose in her red curls to simply breathe her in.

"You two are too fucking cute to handle," Tony said with what sounded like a repressed smile. "But, uh, I'd like ot keep my breakfast down."

The resounding 'thwak' of Clint hitting Tony upside the head resulted in a shout of pain from the inventor and a snorted laugh from Nat, Thor's own laughter sounding like a thunderclap as whatever tension there might've been in the room quickly dissolved as the archer and inventor went back to bickering.

Loki did not resurface for another few hours, and without anything else to do the other four had taken to sitting in front of the television, Tony tinkering on his cell phone, Thor's arm wrapped around Nat's shoulders while her legs were on Clint's lap as he massaged her feet, something she was so glad he seemed comfortable doing because it felt like heaven. Her whole body was relaxed when Loki entered the room, smiling down at her where she was sitting. Her hands she'd tried folding in her lap, though they felt oddly heavy and almost misaligned, as though going so long without action had caused them to tense up. Perhaps it had.

"What movie?" Loki asked.

"The Lord of the Rings, the second one." Nat smiled.

"It is quickly becoming one of my favorites!" Thor said with a grin so wide it hurt Nat's cheeks to see it. "The Rohirrim remind me very much of home."

Loki's smile was softer than Nat expected as she looked up at him. "Aye. Me too," he reached a hand to grasp Nat's shoulder. "When you're ready we can begin again," he offered.

"Can I see the rest of the movie?" She asked, smile small and timid, enough to make Loki mirror the softness in her eyes, nodding his head before taking a seat on the floor in front of her even as Thor offered to switch places with him. Loki simply shook his head, citing quietly that he didn't want to be a bother before he placed himself just below Nat. She couldn't help but push back the thoughts that came with looking down at him, rubbing her heated cheeks to try and get them to calm down. Clint cast a sideways glance at her and smirked.

Closeness. Intimacy. That's what Loki said they needed for this to work. She pulled away from both of the men at her sides, shifting so that her legs planted themselves on either sides of his shoulders. As the movie neared the epic battle that it all seemed to be leading up towards Natasha slowly wound her hands in Loki's hair, threading his soft black locks through her fingers, massaging his scalp, glad to find that his hair was softer than it looked. He melted under her hands, shoulders loosening as she played with his hair, glad for her restless fingers having something to do. He bent his head back, laying it on her lap as she eased her fingertips across his skin, raking her nails so that he shuddered and gasped beneath her. He looked up to catch her gaze, smirking to see that she'd stopped watching the movie in favor of watching him instead. His eyes, dark in the dim lighting, were thick with lust and his mouth parted to drag his tongue over his bottom lip.

She was finding that she had a hard time breathing. Oh. Well then. She gave a quiet, breathy laugh that reached his ears and his alone, before turning her attention back to the movie. She said she would finish it, dammit, and she was resolved to, no matter how his fingers began to trace up the inseam of her jeans, how he turned his head to kiss the soft underside of her knee, brushing his cheek against the worn fabric. A low heat started in her groin at seeing him down there and she tried not to shudder under his grip, remembering how his pants had tented earlier at the use of his own magic. Was he using more of it now to turn her on the way he was, or was it all her? She wouldn't have doubted that, having been attracted to him since having met him the first time, but really it was just getting ridiculous now. She tried pressing her thighs together, to get some sort of friction, though Loki stayed firmly between them, nuzzling her other knee as his fingers slipped up the edges of her pants, playing with the smooth skin he found there. Nat was glad that, whatever had been happening before she'd lost her memories, at least she'd shaved and the hair hadn't grown back so much so that it was aggravating. As his fingertips began to slip further upwards Nat's grip on his hair tightened slightly, making him let out the softest of moans.

Interesting.

She went back to rubbing his scalp, bringing her nails against his flesh every so often until he was shivering in her hands, and then only once he seemed absorbed in the story did she tug his hair once more. Again, the same soft moan came from his lips.

She hardly noticed the guys on either side of her exchanging knowing glances and secretly sneaking off, Thor excusing himself to the bathroom, Tony and Clint disappearing not long after, even if the latter wasn't entirely pleased.

Well, they'd weren't about to complain.

Loki climbed up into her lap soon after, taking advantage of the emptied couch as he laid her down gently on the soft, comfortable surface, angling his arm under her head so that she wouldn't get a crick in her neck. Wasn't he sweet? His mouth pressed hard to hers, tongue slipping past her own parted lips as he cupped the side of her face and devoured her whole. She whimpered beneath him, her body going lax underneath his, responding to his every touch, his hands caressing her throat, breasts, hips, flicking underneath the hem of her shirt to toy with the soft, bared skin, hiking it up higher to try and slip it off. If he'd wanted intimacy, Natasha thought as she slipped her arms around his neck and tugged him close, angling her hips upwards so that her hips ground against his, feeling his need right where her own heated the apex of her thighs, well then he was getting it.

They did nothing else but kiss, breaking apart only as the end of movie credits began rolling, and Nat gave a low whine of complaint.

"You made me miss the movie," she teased, her cheeks flushed as she turned back to him. "Ass."

Loki just grinned. "I'm about to make you miss more than just that," he teased, dipping his head to nip at her throat, taking the skin between his teeth and sucking hard enough to bruise and make her writhe beneath him.

Then, as soon as he was atop her, he was off and across the room, winking. "We've got some more work to do, c'mon."

Oh. That ass. She bit back a groan of displeasure as she forced herself up, muttering at how cruel a trick that was before following him. Fine. He could be that way if he wanted, not sparing a smile for him as he held the door open for her. Two could play this game of give and take, and she fully intended to give as good as she got.

A/N: Wow, sorry about the delay! Things are getting absolutely crazy over here, and seeing as over half of the school semester is gone it's going to get even crazier. I'll try and figure out the rest of this and get it updated ASAP, and thank you all so much for reading!

As for the comments about the previous chapter, Clint lifting Loki up and slamming him against the wall as he did, though it was brought to my attention that Loki would be weighing a CONSIDERABLE amount more than the average human at his size, being Asgardian, crazy things have happened when the blood is high and tempers rise, adrenaline rushing and all that. I'm claiming slight artistic licensing on Clint's strength when he gets pissed, because it is his best friend's health and life in question at this point. I hope you all understand, and thank you for reading and keeping up with it anyway! You are all wonderful, exceptional people!