I really need to get off my ass and finish this story but things keep coming up. I'm debating on whether or not to write smut next chapter. Review and tell me if you want smut or plot. or possibly both. FYI I did quite a bit of research for this chapter, so enjoy!
LovesDragon you are what is keeping me going at this point because if it wasn't for you I would have thought my story absolutely sucked and just gave up. Your reviews make me happy :D
Natasha silently made her way down the hall. It was only 10 at night, but the hallways were deserted. She was pretty sure that most of the Avengers were upstairs taking full advantage of the hot tub. Natasha had been busy playing with her new pet the majority of the evening so no one questioned why she wasn't up on the roof also enjoying the hot tub.
Natasha quickly entered Loki's room, thankful that he never bothered to lock his door. She assumed because he knew that locks wouldn't keep anyone out if they really wanted in. She shut the door behind her quietly and glanced into the room: he wasn't there. She frowned and looked around again. She realized that there was steam coming from underneath the bathroom door. She contemplated going in but spotted the stack of books on his bed.
Natasha climbed onto the bed and laid down onto her stomach. She reached for the closest book and began flipping pages. She found herself once again looking at words she didn't understand; though it did have pictures on almost every page. She flipped around the book as she waited for the god to find her on his bed.
She stopped halfway through the book as she saw the picture of Thanos that Loki had showed her once before. Natasha frowned as she stared at the creepy creature. She reached out and ran one of her fingers along the swirling clouds of destruction. Immediately the picture began to move. Thanos was moving as if coming for her and she felt her body immediately tense. She could see the rage and power in every movement of his body.
"Midgardian books don't do that, do they?"
Natasha refrained herself from bolting straight up at Loki's voice. She turned slowly like she completely expected him to be there. He was busy drying his hair with a towel while looking at the book. She noted that he was already wearing some black slacks. "Move? No."
Loki crawled onto the bed and laid on his stomach next to her; leaving space between them. Natasha arched her brow at him but he ignored her.
"Are you still mad about earlier?" Natasha grinned.
"No," Loki turned the page of the book. They were now looking at some other creepy creature.
"Or is this about Mischief?" Natasha smirked.
"The spider?" Loki raised a brow. "I care not. Thor likes tossing strange creatures on me when I sleep because it is apparently quite hilarious."
"So, you have no problem with," she used her fingers to crawl across Loki's arm, "Mischief." She nearly laughed at the sudden tenseness of Loki's muscles.
"None, whatsoever," Loki said as he flipped the page again.
"What's that?" Natasha pointed to the picture of a gauntlet.
Loki ran his finger over the picture and six colorful stones swirled above it. "This gauntlet allows someone to wield the soul gems, also called the infinity gems."
"Infinity gems?" Natasha asked.
"There's the soul gem which allows you to steal others' powers," Loki ran his finger along a line on the page. "The time gem which allows control over time."
"Aptly named," Natasha commented.
"Space gem allows you to move things anywhere through reality. You've already seen the mind gem…"
"The stone in your spear?" Natasha asked. Loki nodded.
"The reality gem is supposed to be able to grant wishes and the power gem allows one to access any and all power that has ever existed." Loki pointed to the red gem above the gauntlet.
"So this stuff exists," Natasha frowned as she thought about all the different powers.
"My father has the gauntlet locked away and my brother has been scattering the gems so that they are unlikely to be held by a single person." Loki flipped the page.
"What's Asgard like?" Natasha asked suddenly. She was starting to think it was some kind of warzone with all these warriors and powers of destruction.
Loki closed the book and got up off the bed. He pulled out his 'bag of tricks' and reached into it. Natasha yet again noticed how the item he retrieved did not look like it should have been able to fit in the bag in the first place. Loki climbed back onto the bed with her and opened the book. She was greeted by an image of mountains covered in fogs and mist.
"That's Asgard?" She asked.
Loki shook his head and chuckled, "This is Niflheim, the oldest of the realms." He turned the page and she saw a giant dragon. The next page held giant waves of ice. Loki continued flipping, ignoring the words on the pages.
"That's Muspelheim," Loki stated as he passed a picture full of fire and lava. The next several pictures were of dark creatures and large giants. One in particular held a flaming sword and looked extremely menacing.
"And this is Asgard," Loki stopped on a page.
Natasha's eyes widened. It was a fantastical city with a rainbow leading up to the gates. She could see the forests and beautiful wilderness behind the city that was underneath a crystal clear sky. She reached up and touched the picture and it shined from the page. The trees blew with a breeze and she could see flying crafts move in the picture.
Loki turned the page and showed pictures. "Agnar, the king of eagles." He pointed to a picture. He began flipping through and pointed to several others. "Alibar, skilled swordsman and has quite a few interesting magic items up for trade…though he tends to try to sneak them back."
Natasha blinked as she realized that Loki knew these people.
"Argog, the warrior… This is Bor, my grandfather." Loki pointed to a very scary looking male with a helmet that had horns coming forward like a longhorn bull's. Bor carried a large axe in one hand. "And this is Buri, his father." Loki pointed to the next page that had an Asgardian that looked just as menacing.
"Do you have any relatives that don't look like they can kill a planet?" Natasha frowned.
Loki looked at her.
"I mean besides your brother the labradoodle?"
"What is a-"
Natasha snickered and turned the page. She waited for the explanation on the frozen tundra and dark skies. She turned to look at Loki when he didn't speak.
"That's Jotunheim," he told her. "It is nothing but a frozen wasteland now." He turned several of the pages and stopped on a picture of a forest near a lake. "This is Midgard."
"I think your book needs updating," Natasha grinned.
"It says that men were created by my father and two uncles Vili and Ve," Loki read. "The first man was created from an Ash log and the first woman was created from an elm log."
"Please tell me you are kidding," Natasha stared at the younger version of Odin and the two other Asgardians.
"I have no idea if that's true. Father is not fond of Midgard and hardly talks about it. I am sure that hasn't improved since Jane," Loki smirked. He became rigid as a knock was heard on the door.
Natasha felt her skin prickle and she knew that she was hidden from view. Loki went to answer the door and she was surprised to see Steve at the door.
"Can we talk?" Steve questioned. Loki headed into the hallway and shut the door behind him. Before the door shut, Natasha was able to see the surprise on Steve's face from not being invited in instead.
"Weird," Natasha muttered. She flipped through the pages and saw pictures of men and women in a rather primitive state. There was a large snake circling the Earth. Natasha started to turn the page but stopped and glanced at the door. She sighed; it helped to have someone who could actually read the book.
The Avenger flipped back to the previous pages so she could play with the pictures. She stopped on the picture of the frozen tundra. She poked the picture and it was as if a blizzard started on the page. Must not be a very important place, she mused. Loki had to think for a second before being able to even come up with anything about the wasteland. She flipped to the next page and her eyes widened as her mouth opened slightly in surprise. Staring at her was a blue creature with red eyes. She looked up and stared at the door that Loki had exited.
Loki leaned against the wall and listened to the Captain. Apparently Loki's previous spell had the man in loops with his morality. It made Loki feel quite happy that he never had such qualms. It was actually quite comical to Loki how much Steve was distressed by his actions.
"I know this is a matter of life or death," Steve continued. "But I don't think I can live knowing that that's what we did."
Loki held back the smirk. There was an easy fix to that particular problem. "So, no more disembowelment?"
Steve frowned, "Well, I'm not for that. But the actual spell: I think it crossed a line."
Quite sure it crossed more than one. Loki nodded to Steve. "I will refrain if it will make this situation easier."
"We are in this together?" Steve held his hand out for the god.
Loki held back his sigh and shook it. "We will fight side by side against Thanos."
Loki shook his head as he entered the room. "The Captain really trusts in people, doesn't he?"
"Please don't ruin that." Natasha looked up from the book. "It's quite endearing."
"Endearing?" Loki's features shifted into Steve's. He crawled onto the bed and pinned Natasha. "How endearing?"
"Not that endearing," Natasha pushed the blond off. He chuckled and shifted back into Loki. He glanced down at the book and saw a serpent circled around the Earth.
"The Midgarian Serpent," Loki chuckled. "I told Thor about this and kept him off of Midgard for centuries because of it."
"Midgardian Serpent?" Natasha blinked. "That doesn't exist."
"Maybe it died," Loki grinned.
"What's this one?" Natasha turned several pages and stopped on a wooded area.
"Vanaheim," Loki settled in next to her, this time without a space between them. It was nice to actually have someone curious about these things. Better yet was someone who was actually listening to what he was saying.
Natasha walked toward Stark tower which loomed ahead of her. It had been an interesting day. Fury hadn't mentioned her not going back out so she took it as an opportunity. The first thing she did was head for the library which was thankfully out of the range of the previous destruction.
She spent a majority of the morning in piles of books from all sorts of different genres. Only after two hours, did she start reading what she had come to read. She didn't dare look at it before that in case Loki had followed her there. She had pulled off the shelf several books on Norse legends and mythologies. It took some time but she finally found information on the Jotuns. Not much, but enough for her to realize that Asgardians did not care for them too much and that they were a large race with blue skin and red eyes.
Natasha recalled how upset Loki had been at his skin being blue. It was as if he was not used to seeing it like that. It made sense though. Thor had already mentioned that Loki was adopted and Loki had mentioned his mother taught him magic. And what would you do if you adopted a blue child and have all the magic in the world? Make him look like he belongs.
Natasha entered the bottom level of the tower and tilted her head at the blond god that was pacing like crazy. "Did someone forget to feed you?"
"They better not have!" Thor roared. "Fury said they would be back with the cheesiest of pizzas."
"I'm sure," Natasha smiled. "How long ago was that?"
"Long time…" Thor growled.
"Are you still down here?" Fury's voice sounded. They both turned to see him and Steve carrying pizzas.
"Can you take some of these? I can't see." Steve tried peering over the mountain of pizzas.
Thor quickly grabbed half of the pizzas and Natasha took a few from Fury so that they could navigate the tower easier. Steve kicked the button on the elevator.
"I talked to your brother last night," Steve told Thor. "He actually listened."
Thor snorted loudly and entered the elevator. Steve followed him in with a confused look on his face.
Fury looked over at Natasha, "where've you been all morning?"
"Library," Natasha shrugged. "Ran out of books here."
Fury knew there was more to her answer than that but didn't pry. Prying didn't work with Natasha.
"Loki may hear the words, but he does not listen," Thor told Steve as Natasha squeezed between them so that she could push the button to the pent house.
"He occasionally listens," Natasha shrugged. "I was able to bribe him with candy."
Thor laughed, "you did not."
Natasha and Fury exchanged glances of confusion.
"Brother does not get bribed. He goes along with your plans because he wants to, not for any other reason. You may think you are bribing him, but he is just doing what he planned to do from the beginning."
Fury sighed and shook his head.
"I got him to heal Clint when he didn't want to," Natasha told him. "And he doesn't like Clint."
"That's probably because he didn't care one way or the other. He respects you and decided to do it," Thor shrugged.
"Respects?" Fury asked.
Thor turned to look at the director, "Lady Natasha was able to trick him within moments of meeting him. He holds great respect for her."
Natasha smirked as a tinge of pride hit her from being able to trick the god of trickery so easily.
Steve turned to ask how Thor knew that but his question died in his throat as the doors opened. In that split second, Natasha's face changed. If Steve hadn't been looking at her he wouldn't have been able to catch it. He wouldn't even been able to place the expression if Thor's entire face wasn't filled with it: jealousy.
"NO!" Thor stomped out of the elevator which made the whole thing shake. The others quickly moved off of it in fear that it was going to break in his rage.
Loki laughed at his brother's outrage as he twirled Jane around to the loud music playing from the game. Darcy was grinning while still holding the game remote for her dancing game. She was ignoring the game itself as the two danced to the music. "Exactly why have you told everyone that Asgardians can't dance?"
Thor shoved the pizzas onto the couch, grabbed Loki by the hair and dragged the laughing god away.
"It was my idea Thor," Jane called.
Loki winced, "that actually makes things worse."
Thor glared at Loki, "is this your revenge?"
"For cruelly waking me up from my sleep by placing some disgusting creature on my face? Why would I want revenge for that?" Loki smirked.
Thor glared at him, "you are not dancing off with Jane."
"I am not trying to steal Jane away," Loki leaned against the couch. "And if I were to get revenge over such a petty thing, I would think of something much better."
"Like what?" Natasha grinned. Steve eyed the calm woman. There was not even a hint of jealousy on her now.
Thor rubbed the back of his neck, "Loki will either cause me great physical harm, or wait until I least expect his trickery and create several humiliating pranks that may also cause physical harm."
"The pink dress didn't cause physical harm," Loki smirked.
"It caused physical harm to you," Thor muttered. He looked back to Natasha, "he's going to probably wait until after Thanos because I am awaiting for his trickery and because physical harm to me would worsen our chances against such a strong enemy."
"Or…" Loki grabbed a slice of pizza out of one of the boxes, "I plan to create a lot of physical harm soon, heal you in time for Thanos, and then recreate the physical harm."
Thor's eyes widened and turned to look at Loki's dead serious face. As soon as he looked away, Loki smirked.
"I still don't want you dancing," Thor crossed his arms.
"Seriously," Jane rolled her eyes and headed for the pizza that Natasha had set down.
"I couldn't help myself, she has quite the backside," Loki winced as Thor smacked him upside the head.
Jane sighed, "I'm just going to take it as a compliment."
"You should," Loki stated. "You have one of the best backsides here."
Thor growled possessively, "the best."
Loki tilted his head toward Natasha, "Tasha's is best."
Natasha, who was leaning over the pizza to get a slice, didn't even look back at him, "quit looking at my ass."
"Actually," Loki frowned. "Captain might have the best backside."
"Not this again," Thor sighed.
"Wait, what?" Steve blinked in utter confusion.
"It is a pretty good ass," Natasha agreed as she gave it a once over.
"Can we stop talking about the Captain's ass?" Fury frowned.
Darcy grinned, "or at least wait for Coulson to get here."
Not my longest chapter but it was fun to write. Now I'm off to bed :D
Remember to let me know if you want plot, smut or both!