Loki barely had a chance to see Jak for the next week. Agent Woo and the parole board were very concerned when they learned that Jaklyn's mother's remains had been stolen, had the flesh removed, and sent to the Avengers Compound. They became more concerned when Jak mentioned to Agent Woo what Loki had said about grinding up the bones to become more powerful. While the agent believed Jak when she said she hadn't stolen the remains, the parole board wasn't so sure.
All week long, she was taken back and forth to the city to meet with her lawyer, a slew of agents, and the board. Because everyone agreed that Loki's presence would not help matters, he was confined to the Compound and only saw her when he followed her as she cleaned. He'd suggested she stop her janitorial duties while everything was sorted out, but she told him that her work was part of her probationary agreement and if she stopped she'd be in even more trouble.
Loki did his best to distract her from cleaning and maintenance anyway. He created intricate illusions in the rooms she was meant to be moping, intending to entertain her. It only frustrated her and she quickly began using her own magic to punch holes in his illusions. She wasn't powerful enough to dispel them completely, but she managed to make enough holes to complete her work. Loki stopped glamouring the rooms and instead disguised himself every night as someone different and waited to see how long it took her to realize he was not an Avenger.
He stopped this when she began to talk to everyone as if they were him just to annoy him. She pretended that every person she came across was him, even when he was not disguised and standing right next to her.
Not to be stopped in his mission to distract her from the parole board and her work, Loki began reading aloud to her from the books he picked up at the bookshop in town. Particularly cheap romance novels and the more amorous scenes in those books. While it did not embarrass him in the least to read these scenes out loud, Jak's face turned bright red with every word. For a short time, she allowed this to continue, but when he started reading an especially graphic book, she finally put her headphones on and ignored him. He only laughed and concocted another scheme.
Though he was most definitely annoying her, he made sure never to push it too far. He was trying to keep her mind off her legal troubles, not make her hate him.
As the investigation into the stolen bones continued, however, Jak was asked to be in the city more frequently. The following week, Stark suggested she stay at Avengers Tower until the business was concluded. Having worked for the Avengers before they moved to the Compound, she was familiar with the building and other custodial staff. It was a fine solution and kept her from exhausting herself. It made perfect sense.
But, selfish as he was, Loki still asked her not to go.
"It's just temporary," she assured as she packed her bag. The same bag she had packed the day after he arrived, when she had wanted to be as far from him as possible.
"Completely unsafe," he said, sitting on her bed next to the suitcase. Once she had her back turned he took out the item that she'd just put in, hiding it behind his back.
"The Tower has great security," she replied, putting a shirt in the bag and turning away again. Loki took the shirt out and hid that behind him as well.
"It does not," he scoffed, "Not unless they've had a major update since my invasion."
She placed a pair of pants in the bag and frowned in confusion when she didn't see the shirt. Shaking her head, she looked at him and smiled wryly. "Okay, maybe not great security. My mother and I were able to get in pretty easily as well. But Happy Hogan is there. And Mr. Stark will be there."
"I still find it absurd that everyone thinks I should not accompany you," he huffed. When she turned away he took the pants out of her suitcase and hid them. "It has been quite some time since I've murdered anyone. I am a shining example of what they wish for your rehabilitation to result in. Am I not?"
"One, you are constantly threatening to gut people or slit throats or crack skulls," she laughed, digging through her dresser drawer, "And two, the American government is never very good at seeing rehabilitation. In their eyes, once a criminal, always a criminal - especially if you are not a 'typical American'."
She brought another shirt over to the suitcase and narrowed her eyes, immediately suspecting him.
"Something the matter?" He asked innocently.
"Put my pants back in the bag," she pointed.
With a great sigh, he did so.
"There was another shirt in there too, wasn't there?"
Loki sighed even louder and put that back as well. Then he reached behind his back and lifted the third item, a bra, with a single finger.
"I suppose you'll be wanting this as well?"
"Loki!"
"It is a rather dull garment, don't you think?" He handed it back to her and as she grabbed it he transformed it, changing the simple white cups to sheer black lace, trimmed with silky green ribbons.
"You are a menace," she snapped, summoning magic to her hand and attempting to change the bra back to its original appearance. His magic stubbornly remained so she gave up and tossed it into her suitcase. "Fine. I suppose that just means I'll have to find an occasion in Manhattan to wear that. Without you."
He laughed. "You won't. But you'll have to wear that undergarment at some point while you're away and I'm sure you'll think of me when you do."
She shook her finger at him scoldingly. "If bras weren't so damn expensive I'd throw it away."
"So ungrateful," he teased, finally changing the bra back to its original, bland state. Though, he supposed if she were wearing it and nothing over, it would look far from boring.
She resumed packing and he was certain he saw a smile on her lips. Despite her scolding, he knew she found his antics entertaining.
"But back to the matter at hand," he said as she threw several pairs of socks in the bag, "I could go in disguise. Just to the Tower. I don't have to go to the meetings with you, but wouldn't you rather I be closeby?"
"Of course I would," she stopped packing and sat on the other side of the suitcase, "But maybe it will be good to be apart for a little while too, don't you think?"
He frowned, reaching across the bag and taking her hand.
"You want to be apart?"
"No!" She replied immediately and then bit the corner of her lip, "But I'm still not used to… us. To dating. To being with you. Or anyone for that matter. I think it will be good for me to have a week or two to myself. Besides, I think Thor is going through something. He could probably use someone to talk to."
Loki made a face at that. He had not noticed his brother "going through" anything. Hadn't he been his usual smiling, booming, idiot self? Though, he supposed he had been crying into his breakfast that morning. Loki had just assumed his brother really enjoyed the poptarts and not asked any questions.
"He was crying in the bathroom last week," Jak said when Loki made no comment.
"He has his own room. He could have just cried in his room."
"Loki."
"Fine! I'll see what ails the big oaf," he brushed his thumb over the back of her hand and looked down at the suitcase between them. "You really wish to be parted?"
"Just while I'm figuring out this stuff with the parole board. I really, really like you," she said quietly, "But I am never going back to depending wholly on another person. Not after getting away from Mother."
He had never heard her refer to her mother's death as "getting away". Her words were not hateful, but he could sense the pain in her voice.
"Is there something that I've done that has… reminded you of her?" He asked carefully.
"No! No, not at all," she squeezed his hand and smiled, "You are perfect. I don't really want to be away from you, but I need to make sure that, with all of the excitement lately, I can still be on my own. Having an Asgardian prince and all of the Avengers watching over me might make me get too comfortable. I can't let myself become a damsel in distress, can I?"
"No, certainly not," he smiled and leaned across the suitcase, kissing her forehead, "You are a fervid, ferocious, dangerous supervillain."
"Please add 'reformed' to that list of adjectives," she laughed, rolling her eyes, "I don't think the parole board would like to hear me described as 'dangerous' or as a supervillain. They would probably prefer I be a damsel."
"Well, perhaps the parole board is made up of idiots," he brushed her hair out of her face and let his fingers linger by her ear. "Of course, should you ever wish to be a damsel in distress, I cannot promise to be your heroic knight, but I'll happily slit a few throats in your honor."
"There you go talking about murder again," she pressed her cheek into his hand and closed her eyes for a brief moment before standing up again and resuming packing, "I think maybe the parole board would have a thing or two to say about that as well."
"Well, perhaps I shall slit their throats too."
"Loki!" She gasped, but there was no real shock or horror in her tone. If anything, she seemed amused by the idea. He grinned at her and stood up.
"Why not? Let's kill them all and run away together. We could commandeer a ship and travel the galaxy."
"And where, pray tell, would we get a spaceship that we could travel the galaxy with? I don't think earth has anything that will go farther than Mars."
"Surely Stark could concoct something," Loki dismissed.
"'Oh Mr. Stark, would you mind creating a spaceship so that my supervillain Asgardian prince and I can kill several government officials and then go on the run? Thanks!'" Jak snorted, "Do you think that would go over well?"
"Perhaps not," he stepped behind her and wrapped his hands around her middle, pulling her back to his chest as he spoke into her hair, "But someday we can travel the realms together. Have you ever been out of this solar system?"
"Ha!" She placed her hands over his and relaxed into him. "You make it sound like going to outer space is as common as traveling to another country."
"If you take into account the many, many other species out in the universe, it is probably more common than that," he cast an illusion on the room, making it seem as if the two of them were floating in a sea of stars. Specifically the stars that could be seen from Asgard. "We could see anything you want. We could try any sort of food you can imagine. We could get away from Midgard and go somewhere the Winter Soldier will never be able to lay a finger on you."
He felt her tense. She slipped out of his arms and silently began putting more clothes in her suitcase.
"Apologies," he said, wondering why the mention of the assassin suddenly made her shut down. "I did not mean to -"
"Nothing to be sorry for," she assured with an uneasy smile, "I'm just… I should finish packing."
She didn't ask him to leave, but the request was clear in her body language. Though his instinct was to stay and find out what had caused her sudden change, he supposed he had pushed her enough for one day.
"I will check in with Stark," he said, taking a step toward the door, "Ensure he has everything ready for you."
"Thanks," she nodded, not looking him in the eye. Loki frowned, but said nothing as he left the room.
Rather than go to Stark, he went immediately to Wanda. She would know if something had happened that made Jak more anxious about the Winter Soldier. It was likely that Jak would have told the witch if something was bothering her, but even if she hadn't, Wanda would know anyway. The trick would be convincing Wanda to tell him what she knew.
He knocked on her door and she answered immediately, a tired expression on her face. She had likely felt him coming down the hall with her powers.
"You are projecting frustration so loudly that I am surprised no one else can feel it," she crossed her arms, "What's the matter? And don't try and sugar coat things or I'll just read your mind."
"Has Jaklyn expressed any new concerns about Sergeant Barnes to you?" Loki said. Normally, he would dance around the subject for a few minutes, trying to manipulate her into telling more than she wanted. But he could see that she was not in the mood to be trifled with.
"What happened that would make you ask?" Wanda responded.
"We were having a perfectly normal conversation, but when I mentioned the Winter Soldier, she immediately went cold and wanted me to leave," Loki frowned, picturing the worry in Jak's eyes. What was worse, was that he could have sworn it wasn't worry for her own safety.
"Hmm," Wanda closed her eyes, "She hasn't said anything to me. But her emotions are… conflicted right now."
"About me or about the Winter Soldier?" Loki asked, half joking. What reason would she have to be conflicted about Bucky Barnes?
"Both."
"Both?" Loki's frown deepened. "What is she debating about me?"
"Loki," Wanda opened her eyes and tilted her head, "You are the one dating her. Don't you think you should just ask her?"
She was right and he knew it, but he could not risk offending Jak. Not when she wanted time away from him already. She might have said that her desire to be parted had nothing to do with him, but he couldn't help but feel that she was tired of him. Had he pushed his pranks too far? Had she finally realized that he was someone that most people avoided and she wanted to do the same? He feared she wanted to end their short relationship and that she was running off to the city in order to do so.
"You will not tell me anything else?" He asked Wanda coldly.
She started to shake her head, but stopped and glanced up and down the hall. This was pointless, as she could use her magic to sense anyone nearby, but Loki took the gesture to mean he was meant to lean in closer. Wanda lowered her voice to a whisper.
"I will only say - and don't you dare tell her I said this - that if you find Bucky Barnes, you'd better not kill him or you risk pushing Jak away."
The witch refused to say anything more and she closed her door in his face. Loki stood there for a moment, puzzling out what she could have meant and connecting dots that he hoped were not meant to be connected.
Jak was conflicted about him and the Winter Soldier. And now Wanda was telling him that she did not want to see Barnes killed. He knew, of course, that others in the Compound had a vested interest in keeping the assassin alive. Jak had expressed sympathy for Barnes before. And she'd said she had known him years ago.
Loki began to wonder just how well she knew him. And why she would be feeling conflicted about both the man who was set on killing her and the man she was currently in a tentative relationship with. And why she was so insistent that he not come to Manhattan with her.
"Damn it all," he muttered. He had no answers, but he had suspicions. However, he doubted that Jaklyn would be willing to confirm or deny any of those suspicions.
No matter.
He hurried toward the lobby, hoping she hadn't left without a goodbye. He would not confront her just yet. She obviously was not ready to share. He would give her space, all the space she wanted. But he would make sure that she would miss him while she was away.
A note from the author: Trouble in paradise? Hmmm... we shall have to wait and see!
Thanks for continuing to follow along with this story! Special thanks to darkangelynn5 and Amelia Von Joy for your reviews, I really appreciate the feedback and hearing that you are excited about this story as well! :D
Until next time!