Thanks to the influence of Loki's green, Slytherin green, and just green being my main color… I want my walls green.
Enjoy! Please Review/comment, I'd seriously love feedback please!
Kathy found herself breathing heavily and heart racing as she packed her suitcase. If she hurried, the police might search her place as she's leaving and she could get onto the train to New Jersey and get out of the state.
She never had the intention of killing a third person, let alone a cop. But the woman was desperate to cover up, even if it meant a third murder in her slot. Kathy's plans had gone down hill, the television in her bedroom showed the news channel of the fire.
"This establishment has already been reported of having two homicides inside, with the owner, Mark Winston,"
A photo of her husband popped up.
"Taken into questioning before the fire erupted. We were told that a Philadelphia Police Officer, Charlotte Lane,"
Then a photo of the officer was shown on the screen next.
"was in the fire, locked inside of the security room. She is currently in critical condition at the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, no word has come if she's awakened. It is currently under investigation."
"Damnit! They'll want to question me next!" Kathy hissed, shutting her suitcase and zipping it up.
"How right you are." Kathy's breath hitched as she spun around to find that dark haired man standing in the doorway of her bedroom.
"H-How did you get in!?" She screeched, moving to get around the bed, putting the furniture between them.
Loki looked offended by her question. "That little device you call a security alarm? Child's play." He grinned, pushing off the doorway and stepping in. He held a calm and collected air about him, arms folded behind him as he looked to the tv.
"Hmm, I was just there." He commented, the screen was showing the now burned down lot. Loki turned back to her. "Funny how things turn out; You murdered two innocent men, tried to kill a loyal and hardworking officer of the law, and now you think you can get off scot free?"
Kathy scoffed, her back pressed against the dresser behind her. "There's no proof I was there. Any evidence has been burned away, so you can't arrest me. Unless you got a SWAT team behind you."
"No, just you and me, alone." He assured, narrowing his eyes. "I know you have it." He narrowed his eyes. "That footage will not only prove Mark Winston's innocence, but put you where you belong for two homicides and the attempted murder on Officer Lane."
Kathy felt a sweat start, her heart racing in her throat. Her head lowered for a moment, her hands reaching to slowly pull open the drawer behind her. Her hand felt inside feeling under the clothing.
Loki shrugged, "Then again, we managed to get remaining video footage of you setting the bar on fire and escaping. Thanks to Charlotte's quick wit." he added.
"So why come here alone?" She questioned, feeling the metal grip she had been searching for. "Why not bring back up? Think you can handle me alone?"
Loki snorted, "I don't see how you could inject any drug into me like the last victims, nor set me ablaze." he challenged. "Though I'd like to see you try and put a scratch on me."
"Yeah?" She seethed, "How about a bullet in your head?" Kathy raised the gun she got from the dresser, and fired rapid shots at him.
The gunshots were loud, resonating in the room, the contact of the bullets against Loki was like hitting a steel wall. They were deflected and sparks flew off as if he was bullet resistant. He made no move standing there, though he flinched a tad like a bug hit his face. Still, no blood was shed when she fired her final bullet.
The weapon trembled in her hands, the clicking of the trigger as she wished there were more bullets. Loki sighed, kicking the bullets on the floor as he rounded the bed toward her. Kathy shook, pressing her back tightly against the dresser forcing the drawer closed. Within reach, she raised the gun in an attempt to strike him, but Loki simply grabbed her wrist, applying pressure forcing her to drop the gun.
"You are a waste of flesh upon this planet. You think highly of yourself to kill a god as though I were some feeble mortal such as yourself?" He hissed, lowering his face to hers as she stared wide eyed in fear.
"Please, please don't kill me!" She begged, squirming at his grip and trying to shrink herself against the dresser.
Loki let her arm go, "I would not waste my blade on you. Death is too easy for you, you deserved to be punished by the laws of this realm." he snarled.
Kathy rubbed her wrist, shoulders tight and hunched as she was cornered like a cat by this towering man, claiming to be a god. His words shook her for him to be a crazy man, fearful he might just kill her despite his turn of phrase. Loki huffed and turned, seeming to be leaving the room, pausing at the doorway.
"You have a simple task to perform; turn yourself to the police, admit your crimes, and bring the footage you've stolen to warrant your guilt." he glanced over his shoulder, "If you do not, I will find you and hunt you down once more."
With that, Loki left Kathy alone, allowing her to collapse to the floor succumbing to what she had just experienced. Whether his threat worked or not, he would still make sure Charlotte's actions and risk of death were not in vain.
Loki Odinson walked the halls of the hospital, the scent of the disinfectant was very pungent and he nearly tasted it. He had gotten word that Charlotte was in stable condition, resting after having stitches from the head injury inflicted. Once he happened upon her room, he entered silently, finding her indeed asleep, head wrapped and turned to the side to let the wound have less pressure. An oxygen mask was gently strapped over her nose and mouth to help her breathe, having suffered from the fumes she had inhaled.
Loki took a metal chair and scrapped it loudly to the side and sat down. He leaned back and crossed his legs, heaving a tired sigh. He could've gone back to the hotel, get that rest he needed for being up all night, and morning. Rarely did he feel exhausted when he hadn't even been doing usual sparring or practicing his skills with Thor.
Thor must be bored, he thought. Melting materials, making weapons for battles, sweating on that hot planet with those dwarves with nothing else to do. Thor was a fighter, he'd grow restless eventually. Loki thought on his mother's words, smirking as he imagined his brother on Midgard once more.
"There's a smile I was worried I wouldn't see." Loki's head shot up, surprised to find his mother standing at the end of the bed. Though an illusion casted, it felt as if she herself was physically in this room.
"Mother, this is a surprise." He muttered, standing to greet her. Once again, forgetting she was an illusion he couldn't hug.
His mother's smile stretched when she glanced at her son, her eyes sparkled at his sight. "My dear Loki, you've been quite busy. I'm glad you've taken to this realm well."
Loki huffed, a soft smile playing on his own lips. "This realm is more than what I expected mother," He walked around and moved toward the window.
The sun was high and it was about past noon, he had been up all night and was tempted for a nap on the couch in the corner.
"This place is as peaceful as Vanaheim and as prosperous as Asgard," As he spoke, Loki saw the look of his mother. That look she gave whenever he mastered a new spell, won in a spar match, or perfectly recounted stories his father told him.
His smile fell, eyes focusing on the city outside. "Yet, it doesn't yield to the dangers these mortals live in every day of their short lives. As though they were strolling through Muspelheim without sensing the death around them."
"It ails you, my son?" She asked, taking a step toward him. "To see humans die each day?"
Would he be considered weak for saying yes, Loki wouldn't say it was his top concern. It puzzled him more than anything. Living in the peaceful safe home as Asgard, little trouble was rarely found in his realm. With his father ruling, it was safe to wander the planet of Asgard without a second thought of who was around the next corner or lurking in the dead of night.
Yet, he was taught to fight, to defend himself, to plan battles and learn to kill. These humans, how many knew how to defend themselves?
"More along the lines of, mystifies me." He answered. "Some commit the worst of crimes for the most irrelevant of reasons. Yet others-"
"Others wish to throw themselves in that peril world to save and protect the weak." She finished, Loki turned seeing his mother's eyes lay upon the resting officer, Charlotte.
He respected the tenacity of Charlotte's willingness to risk her life to find justice for those two and prove Mark Winston's innocence to the murders. She was a valiant mortal, brash and headstrong, but Charlotte's heart was in the right place. Unlike his brother who did it for the glory, the recognition and the commendation. Charlotte wanted to just bring those people to justice and give them retribution for their actions against others.
Charlotte was a noble mortal.
"She'd be perfect." Frigga's words shook him from his thoughts.
"Pardon, mother?"
Her smile graced back wider, she walked up along the bed, her hand hovering over Charlotte as Loki watched with interest. Sometimes, Loki wished he knew all the magic his mother possessed. Sure, Loki had duplication, illusions, concealment, shapeshifting, and many others. Some things she kept to herself, and always good reason, or that he couldn't grasp it as well. One of them was healing factors.
The healers at home had many methods of dealing with injuries warriors of Asgard would be inflicted with. Many of which he knew well, thanks to how rough Thor was in the training field. But he couldn't grasp those spells, as easily as he could with illusions or telekinesis.
He noticed a gold glow shining from her hands, even from afar she cast her spells to here. Much like his spells could be seen to phase in green, her's was a gold glow that rivaled the sun. Once her hand hovered over Charlotte's chest, her fingers gently fluttered. Charlotte took in a deep breath, her chest rising and heaving an even clear sigh.
"She will breathe easy now." Frigga told, resting her hand to the side and looked over to her son. "She will awaken, and you, my son." He looked to her, sensing her time to leave was impending. "Keep her by your side, she is sufficient for you to learn this realm, its cultures, its people; all of it."
Loki wanted to talk to his mother more, remembering his wish to return home just hours ago. But hearing her words, her encouragement made him nod at her. "I shall, mother."
Just as Charlotte seemed to be stirring, Frigga faded away in a glow of gold and then alone he was with the patient.
The ache started to set in once her consciousness returned, everything sounded disoriented like echoing down a long tunnel. For a short moment, she felt disconnected from her mind until she took in a sharp breath of air through her nostrils. Her lungs suddenly felt tight, she coughed back out air, wincing when the burning sensation in her chest and throat arose.
"Easy, easy." She heard soothingly, her eyes cracked open seeing blurry whites and blues, then small black by her side.
Her hands reached up, ignoring the sting in her wrist from the IV needle and device clamped on her finger to check her heart rate. This mask was bothering her, feeling the air supply her wanting freedom. Loki felt he should call a doctor, but knowing how long they took, he reached over helping her take it off to assure she didn't worsen her head injury.
Her breathing, just as his mother said, was much better. When he entered the room, she was wheezing to breathe, unable to expand her lungs to full capacity. Now she was taking bigger breaths and her airway sounded much clearer.
"Damn thing," She muttered, her voice horse though not unexpected. "Help me sit up."
Loki adjusted the pillows, as she pulled herself up. She searched for the remote that adjusted her bed and once found, held down the button to raise it up. Better positioned, she laid back and sighed, feeling less ache for her back.
"Better…." She sighed, her eyes clearer now to see him. "Oh, Loki. I thought you were the doctor, my bad." Charlotte chuckled, earning Loki to respond with a smile and moving around the bed.
"Shall I inform them you're awake?" He asked, hesitating to be at the door or his chair.
Charlotte shook her head, "Please, don't. They'll prod me and make me do tests. Don't want that stress yet." she told him.
Loki nodded and retook his seat in the chair. "How are you feeling?"
"Dizzy and achy, but alright for now." She answered. "Not as bad as I expected, nearly dying in a fire and all."
The Asgardian was curious, he leaned forward onto his knees, allowing his hands to meet and clasp together. "Do you remember it all?"
She frowned at him, "Remember nearly dying? It's something you don't forget." Charlotte chuckled.
Even when speaking of death, she had a way of brushing it off. "No, no. I mean, how you got out."
Charlotte's brows lower, soon creasing as she looked down at her sheets. "I may sound crazy, but I swear I saw you come and save me." She recounted the memory. "It was so bizarre, like- It was something out of a Sci-fi; You were walking right through the flames without them touching you. No protection, no mask, and once you picked me up, it was like the smoke was clear and the heat was gone."
So she had remembered that all, Loki was tempted to use his mental manipulation to convince her what she was was just an hallucination. Sure he had used a small bit of his tricks and power around her, but he didn't know if he really wanted her to know about his true power. He had already told his identity, but not that he was from another realm or a benevolent god in actuality.
"That couldn't have been though," She laughed, shaking her head. "Yeah, that's just too crazy. I must have imagined it or the lack of oxygen was playing mind games on me."
Loki looked up, seeing her dismissing it all on her own. "You believe so?"
"There's no way you could've walked through that fire with no protective gear, and got me out without a single burn on you." Charlotte waved her hand. "Lack of oxygen can make someone hallucinate the damndest things."
The urge to show her his power rose in his chest, wanting to have her amazed in what he can do. But he abided and sat back in his seat, letting her believe it was all a mind game. Besides, he thought, Charlotte might not react very well if she knew the truth of the matter. What if she was terrified of his powers? What if her reaction was as negative to his magic as his father had been a few times before?
Loki couldn't handle that, the way she smiled and laughed around him, possibly enjoying his company and liking him around her. Even his mother encouraged to keep her close, Loki had little, if not, any friends. He had Thor, but he was just casting a shadow over him everywhere he looked. Sif and the Warriors Three were more of Thor's friends than his. He's noticed the looks they'd sent and the gossip they'd whisper. He wasn't just a prince of Asgard, he was the lonely second prince of Asgard.
But here, here he could be Loki. Himself, his own reputation not soiled by his brother.
"Hey, Loki?" He jumped from his thoughts, looking up not realizing he had been glaring at the floor. "You alright? You look like something's bothering you."
He shook his head, adjusting his seat to be more relaxed and comfortable. "Nothing at all, just thinking of the case."
Charlotte's smile fell, she scrambled at her sheets making Loki jump to his feet. "What? What's wrong?"
"That case! The case, Loki! Kathy's going to get away!" She tried to untangle her legs, but groaned when her head started to spin.
Loki looked around, finding a 'nurse' button above the bed and pressed it. "Charlotte, I need you to calm down. Listen, listen." He pressed his hands to her shoulder, keeping her from leaving the bed as the cords to the IV and heart monitor were being tugged.
"She's got the footage, Loki! We need that footage!" She argued, wincing but trying to ignore her headache.
"She's in custody, everything has been taken care of."
That finally stopped her, pausing her legs to kick off the blankets. "Wait- She, she is?"
Loki nodded, "Yes, she's currently under arrest confessing to her crimes." he told.
A minute later a nurse arrived, rushing over seeing the straining cords and the patient trying to escape the bed. She got her back up into the bed, adjusting the blankets and checking if her IV was badly positioned. The heart monitor was removed as she was awake and asked how she was doing.
Loki sat waiting as she went through a check up, even checking her breathing. Charlotte was given a small tube with a little ball and told to blow into it as hard as she could. The ball floated from the pressure of her blowing air into it. Deeming it alright, she got her stop and offered her food if hungry. Charlotte said she had no appetite, but Loki distinctly heard growling from her stomach.
Once the nurse left, Charlotte sighed and leaned back rubbing the bridge of her nose. "I hate hospital food." She groaned.
"Is it that distasteful?" He asked curiously.
"Oh, yeah!" She chuckled, opening her eyes to look at him. "Imagine getting a perfect cheese steak and they put it through a blender, then freeze it and put through another blender. That's what they give patients."
Loki couldn't help but huff out a snicker, "What would you prefer? You're cheese steak?" He asked.
"Honestly? Just some ice cream, my throat is sore from the smoke inhalation." Charlotte told.
"What flavor?"
"Chocolate, of course."
With a sly smirk, he held his hand out and waved his other hand as a small container of chocolate ice cream appeared. Charlotte's eyes went wide as did her lips at the sight of him able to just pull things out of thin air. Loki smiled back, seeing her positive reaction and handed it to her. She hesitated, but feeling the cold solid object assured her it was real as she gently took the tub, her stomach growling louder. He handed her a spoon, no doubt conjured, and she dug right into it.
"I usually brush off magic and illusions, but you really prove me wrong, Loki." She praised, humming as she got a good taste of the delicious ice cream and soothing coolness down her throat. "Childhood dream of being a magician or something?"
"Little tricks my mother taught me." He told her. "Useful for day to day occurrences."
"Such as lock picking and free food?" She teased, digging more into her ice cream.
Though light hearted, he thought back to how he had been undermining her and their fight before the fire. "Charlotte," She looked up. "I deeply apologize for my behavior, you were right about Kathy being the culprit. She drugged the victims and killed them while they were unconscious."
Her brows went up, "They were drugged? I was honestly bullshitting her to get a confession." she muttered, amused by herself. "And I'm sorry too, for calling you a douchebag. You're far from it."
He laughed at that. "Glad to know." Loki got to his feet, fixing his dress shirt. "The sergeant has allowed you time off to recover, and I shall allow you to rest."
"Hey, um, I hate to ask. But, can you talk to my landlord for me?" Loki gave her a questioning look. "I don't know how long I'll be here, and I haven't been home to check on my dog since the case started. Mind dropping by?"
"Your landlord wouldn't check for you?" He asked.
"Mitsy isn't fond of him, growls each time. If she growls at you, ask him to contact my dog walker. She'd be fine." Charlotte told him, she reached for a pen and paper on the bedside, writing down her address. She tore off the paper and held it out, Loki took it and read it over.
"I'll head over now to check on her." Loki strode to the door, taking the cold handle.
"Loki?" He turned back at her, graced by a smile on her lips. "Thanks for saving me, I owe you."
The mischievous God had been told many things in his life, many praises from his mother or taunts by the palace staff and brother. But never had he ever been thanked for doing something before. She had thanked him with food, but this felt more genuine and knew this was a thanks from the bottom of her heart. It brought warmth to his chest, a tingling up his arms and even the hair on his neck to stand. Is this what it felt like when his brother was praised and cheered for his efforts? For his birthright? For anything?
"You-You're welcome. Rest easy, now." He smiled back and left the room, taking a breath once the door shut behind him.
Had his mother seen the interaction, possibly Heimdall informing her of every move he made and action he took. But, his mother approved and even motivated him to work with Charlotte. How she could teach him of this realm, the many cultures, language, and history. He had been to this realm once before, though it was a long time ago and in a different land of the planet.
With a spring in his step, Loki marched out of the hospital looking forward to his remaining three hundred and sixty-two days on this planet.
Charlotte rested in the hospital for another day before being released. She had been informed by Jack that her dog was doing fine via hospital phone call, and would be excited to have her back. He had mentioned a surprise waiting for her at the flat, no doubt a welcome home or recovery party. Charlotte was prescribed pain meds until her stitches could come out, her check up date next month. If she did the math right, it was December 7th. If out for a week, she would return to work on the 14th.
Charlotte sighed to herself as she walked the halls to the front desk, she should be busy enough to avoid Christmas with her mother and sister. Especially with that engagement thrown at her face over the phone-
Phone!
Charlotte needed a new phone. Kathy smashed hers and a new one was needed ASAP.
She made it to the front desk, told that she would need a ride home with the drugs in her system. She didn't have a car officially, so she was going to offer walking back home instead.
"Your carriage is ready, my lady." She let out a grin when Jack appeared on her right. "I got a call from the hospital that you're free as a bird."
"Not completely free, I still need to take it easy with the stitches." She told, pointing at the back of her head.
He winced, curling his fingers. "How long?" He asked.
"Next week I came in to see if they're ready to be removed. If so, back to work for me." Charlotte explained as they left the hospital.
The ride he had procured was an Uber ride, something that had started a new taxi service of that year. Charlotte was apprehensive with them, let alone official taxis. But, she was still tired and rather have a ride than walk at this point.
"I'm so excited for your surprise!" He recalled, a hint of excitement in his tone.
She climbed into the back of the Prius and slid in for Jack to sit beside her. Jack gave the address to the driver, who typed it into his gps and joined the flow of traffic. It was Monday, so a work day, everyone was rushing around for lunch.
"Jack, whatever this surprise is, I rather just take my pills and sleep for a week." She told him.
Jack shook his head, "Can't allow that just yet. Besides, you'll have no choice." He told her.
Charlotte rolled her eyes and looked out the window, watching the city and people slowly pass by in traffic. The ride was soothing, not dead silent like in the hospital. But loud, noisy, busy, and full of people yelling, honking, and laughing. It soothed her to hear the city, something that the hospital staff claimed was stressful so her window had been closed and forced to watch daytime television on their cruddy tvs.
The apartment coming into sight was warming to the heart, she barely slept in that hospital until the drugs knocked her out. She felt exhausted, Charlotte wanted to get through Jack's surprise and snuggle with Mitsy in bed for a nap.
According to Uber, Jack's account was charged which was astounding with no more bills having to carry around. They thanked the driver, Jack saying he had to give a rating later, and the two walked to her apartment door.
"Oh, allow me." Jack took her key and unlocked it, then turned to block her. "Close your eyes."
She eyed him at that, "You didn't refurnish the place or paint it a different color, right? Charlotte asked.
"No it's just-" He sighed, looking deflated. "Because of those damn windows it's not really dark inside so… Just close your eyes, please?"
With his puppy look, she couldn't help but comply and let her eyelids close. The door creaked open and he led her inside gently by the arm. Her feet shuffled in fear of tripping over something, then the door closed behind her.
"Okay, open!"
Her eyes lids flew open, even with the windows the lights were on. She saw something out of the ordinary, the walls still the same, furniture still the same- Except with a certain dark haired man on the couch.
"Surprise!" Jack exclaimed, tossing a handful of confetti into the air. No doubt had been sitting in his pocket.
Charlotte stared at the bits of plastic on the floor, then to Jack who grinned like a child at a party. "You do know that's poisonous to dogs, right?"
His smile fell. "Ohhh. Really?"
"Really."
"...I'll get the dustpan." Jack rushed over to the closet by the stairs.
"Welcome home, Charlotte." Loki greeted, stepping over to her. He was dressed in more relaxing clothing, khaki trousers with a dark green sweater. "How are you feeling?"
"Honestly?" He nodded. "Exhausted; I rather just snuggle with Mitsy and take a nap."
"She's on her walk." Loki told her.
Oh, Charlotte forgot to tell the dog walker she'd be off for a week and could walk Mitsy herself. She'll inform her one she returns.
"Quiet a surprise for me when I met her." He told, shoving his hands into his pockets.
Charlotte winced, "She wasn't too vicious to you, was she?" she asked. Charlotte remembered Loki had gone to her place to access her email for the footage she managed to get for the case. But had forgotten about Mitsy and her aggravation toward men.
"No!" Barked Jack, who returned with the small broom and dust pan. He knelt down and brushed up the plastic garbage he tossed carelessly.
"I warned him that the dog could get a bit growly. This guy" He points at Loki "goes in and that dog literally rolls into her belly and demands rubs and playtime with the dude. The audacity!"
Charlotte let out a laugh, covering her mouth. "She did not!"
"Afraid so," Loki confirmed, an amused smile on his face. "She is very well behaved." He praised her.
Jack got the confetti up and stood, a scowl on his features. "Then why does she hate me? It's thanks to me she's got a nice home here!"
"So men aren't the problem." Charlotte laughed some more, patting her landlord's shoulder. "Must be some other reason, she'll warm up eventually."
"You've had that dog since you moved in, she'll never like me. Which sucks, 'cause I really do like animals." He whined. Jack wandered to the kitchen and dumped the confetti into the trash can.
Charlotte shook her head, rubbing her temple. "Well, what is the surprise, Jack?"
"Oh!" Loki half turned to the coffee table, picking up a rectangular box and handing it to her. "Here."
She raised a brow, but opened the box nonetheless. Her jaw had dropped when her eyes laid upon a brand new Iphone 3SG was found inside.
"Are you insane!? This must have cost a fortune, it's like $600!" She exclaimed, holding the box out in fear or touching it or breaking it.
"I have the same." Loki fished his out of his left pocket, smiling proudly of his own device "Practical little gadget, isn't it?"
She ignored Loki's phrasing and approached Jack who was at the closet. "Jack, why would you get such an expensive gift? You're struggling with bills as it is, aren't you?" She held the box out to him.
He looked at it and just laughed, "No, no!" He pushed the box toward her. "That's not my surprise. That was sent in from your job, to replace your phone."
"Oh." She looked down at the phone then to Jack ."What the hell is this surprise you keep going on about then?"
Jack snapped his finger and pointed behind her. She turned, only seeing Loki who stood by the couch, his grin wide like a Cheshire cat. But her eyes darted around his figure then turned back to Jack with a shrug.
"Sometimes you can be dense." He took her back the shoulders, spun her and pushed her towards the couch to stand in front of Loki. Then he moved around the coffee table, playing a second hand onto Loki's shoulder.
"Charlotte, meet your roommate, Loki!"
I've read in a lot of fics that Loki can use healing spells. While in the MCU we don't see this, I feel he'd have a hard time grasping those spells since he relied on tricks and fighting advantages to his brother. But I can see Frigga has the healing side, raised by witches. We're unsure of how much magic she had compared to Loki. Thought it'd be more interesting than a Loki that can heal the OCs every injury, more intense!
Thanks lovemenotlupe for the follow/ favorite!