Chapter Text
Sometime around six in the morning, when the credits of the fourth part finally rolled and Natasha had been sleeping peacefully next to Elizabeth for four hours, she finally pushed the blanket off her legs and got up.
She hadn't been able to sleep. After the nightmare, she was struck by that typical inner restlessness, which wasn't helped by the previous events with Loki. Instead, she had been thinking all night long, wondering whether she had misbehaved with him, but she hadn't come to any logical conclusion.
She tucked Natasha in again and then disappeared into her room to change and go running.
As she passed Loki's door, she paused. Because of where she was sitting, she had had a perfect view of his locked bedroom door the entire night and kept toying with the idea of maybe trying to talk to him again. On the other hand, however, she respected his decision that he seemed to want to be alone. Sighing, she walked past his door.
When she returned from running an hour later, the wonderful smell of fried bacon and freshly baked rolls filled her nose.
As she came around the corner, she was already greeted by Natasha and Bucky, both sitting on the bar stools at the kitchen island. The former held out a glass of orange juice.
"You got up early," she remarked.
Elizabeth gratefully accepted the juice and greeted Bruce and Vision, who were sitting at the other table. She shrugged her shoulders. "I could not sleep. I went for a run.”
She padded over to the counter where there was a plate of fried eggs and bacon. She took a plate from one of the cupboards and placed two fried eggs and bacon on it.
She slid onto a bar stool next to Natasha.
"Have you heard anything from my dad and the others?"
Natasha calmly shook her head. "No nothing."
"Isn't that bad?"
Bucky shook his head now. “They may not be able to maintain radio contact. They’re in enemy territory. The Quinjet's technology is advanced, but they could still be discovered if they tried to contact us."
Elizabeth took a bite of a roll. "That sounds logical, but I just have this unpleasant gut feeling. Since last night.”
Vision, sitting at the dining room table with a newspaper in hand, paused and straightened up. He thoughtfully tilted his head a little and looked at the black-haired woman from behind. He wanted to say something, but bit his tongue. It would be better not to worry her, but he too has been bothered by an unpleasant stinging sensation in his forehead since last night.
"Everything will be fine. I mean, they have Thor and Wanda with them, two of the strongest Avengers. Nothing will happen to them.”
Elizabeth nodded thoughtfully. "Yes I know. I hope you are right."
“What’s next for you today?”
"I wanted to distribute the toys to the children. Sigyn offered me her help. Yesterday I already sorted everything and went through the lists,” she took another bite of the roll and furtively glanced around. "Have you seen Loki?"
"He rushed outta here earlier - it almost seemed like he was on the run."
"When ? When I was running?”
Bucky silently nodded, as did Natasha. "I saw him from the window earlier, he's downstairs with the Asgardians."
That would be good. Maybe when Elizabeth was finished with the kids, she could talk to him afterwards. She knew it wouldn't be fair to speak to him in front of his people, but he certainly wouldn't run away from her again like he did last night.
After showering and changing, Elizabeth walked out of the wing and down to the exit with her lists in arms. She had sorted all the toys by age group, as much as this had been possible, hoping to have a better overview of the situation.
Sigyn met her on the lawn in front of the former aircraft hangar. She was as beautiful as ever, wearing a warm, light yellow summer dress that was a little too big for her and her blonde hair tied in a pretty braid.
“There you are,” she said with a smile and walked next to her. “The children are really excited. May I ?"
In a way, Elizabeth could understand why Sigyn was someone so hard to hate on. When she arrived, the sun seemed to rise - and by that she didn't just mean the color of her clothes. Her smile and her constant good mood were instantly infectious and she exuded a calmness and composure that Elizabeth had always envied in her older teacher colleagues.
She handed her the clipboard with the lists. "Unfortunately, so far I've only been able to sort the toys by age. You have a list of names, but I don’t know all of these children and can’t estimate how old they are.”
Sigyn gently shook her head. "Oh, that's not bad at all. I know many of these names here. And Loki will certainly be happy to help us with the rest.”
Elizabeth wanted to say something, but bit her lower lip - after all, she was looking at Loki's ex-girlfriend. She couldn't and didn't really want to talk to her about the problems with her... Well, what were they actually? Were they a couple, were they a one-night stand, were they friends with benefits? What actually were she and Loki?
However, to Elizabeth's surprise, Sigyn seemed extremely adept at reading people. Actually, as a teacher, that was Elizabeth’s job, she thought. But the blonde abruptly stopped and looked at the black-haired woman next to her, who first ran a few steps further and then turned to her in confusion.
"What’s wrong ?"
"I could ask you the same thing."
Elizabeth frowned in surprise. "What do you mean ?"
“Something is bothering you.”
Was Sigyn a witch? Could she read minds? Elizabeth hoped not.
She shook her head quickly. "No I'm fine. Nothing bothers me.”
She quickly started moving again. Sigyn followed her.
"We may not have known each other for a very long time, but I want you to know that you can confide in me. It often helps to talk to a stranger. And I’m happy to help.”
"Oh no, everything is really fine. I'm doing well."
"Is it about Loki?"
Elizabeth quickly tried to clear her surprised expression, but Sigyn had noticed. "So it's about Loki." A dry statement. “Did you have an argument?”
"No - well, apparently he knows more about it than I do, because he's been avoiding me since yesterday."
Sigyn thought for a moment. "Loki is... special. If something goes wrong, he quickly withdraws and isolates himself from everyone else. He’s like a frightened animal that extends its claws even when you just want to help him.”
Elizabeth found this comparison extremely apt. It was noticeable that Sigyn and he must have once spent a lot of time together. The Asgardian knew him well.
She nodded. "Yes, I've already noticed that. I tried to talk to him, but he always turned away from me.”
"You can't let up. Give him the space he needs, but not too much,” Sigyn continued her explanation and then took an artificial pause. "You feel something for him, don't you?"
Elizabeth looked at her in abrupt surprise. She hadn't expected such a direct question. She reminds herself that it was still Loki's first great love who stood here in front of her. She should hold back.
“Do you still do?” she decided to ask a counter question.
Sigyn seemed to be able to understand and in reality, Elizabeth's counter question was answer enough for her. She smiled understandingly. "No, I don’t," she stopped with her in front of one of the large roller doors to the airport hall. It was a warm morning and the gates had been opened to let fresh air and light into the hall. Elizabeth found herself looking for Loki.
"We were very good friends and hopefully, we still are, I don't want to lie to you. He may have been my first love, but my true love was Theoric. I will never be able to love anyone the way that I loved him again.”
Looking at her sad look, Elizabeth couldn't help but feel pity for the pretty woman. "Thor told me he died in battle. I am very sorry about that."
Sigyn swallowed the tears that were forming. "As you said, he died in battle. He is now in Valhalla, with our ancestors and the Allfather. He’s at peace now.”
"You are very strong. You will see him again.”
“But you are, too,” replied the blonde. "That's why Loki is attracted to you; strong, kind, righteous. You embody everything he once wanted to be.”
"Loki is good," Elizabeth insisted immediately. "And strong."
The images of his torture flashed in her mind. He had endured all these ordeals, he had shown incredible strength.
She didn't notice how Sigyn had to smile at her quick reaction. "I know."
“Then why do you say something like that?”
"Because I've known him for hundreds of years. And because I know how he behaves towards someone he is courting.”
Elizabeth laughed dryly. "I doubt Loki is courting me."
"Perhaps that term is a little too old-fashioned for you Midgardians, but I see the way he looks at you. When Thor and you joined us a few days ago; I've never seen him move away from me as quickly as he did at that moment. He didn’t want you to think wrongly of him.”
“Like thinking you might still be a couple?”
"For example. He really likes you, Elizabeth,” she put a hand on her shoulder. "And if something is bothering you - and apparently him too - then talk to him. Loki is not only a master of pranks, but also of pushing away the people he loves.”
Elizabeth smiled. She dared to claim that she had an extremely good sense of human nature as a teacher - well, better than the average person anyway - and Sigyn's words seemed sincere. "Thanks."
"Not for that," she smiled that radiant smile again that Elizabeth so envied. "And now let's go to the children. They are really looking forward to your project.”
During their conversation, Elizabeth had not noticed that they were both being watched by a small group of children who were trying to hide behind one of the bunk beds. She broadly smiled at the children and waved at them, whereupon they dared to stick their heads out from behind the bed a little more.
The two women walked through the crowd together and the word soon spread among the families that Sigyn had the woman from the paramedics from the day of the disaster with her - the daughter of Tony Stark, the man who gave them a roof over their heads. The man who had always had the greatest control over donations.
The two women decided to set up their tables outside. The sun was pleasantly warm and it was neither too hot nor too cold for an early summer day in New Jersey. With the help of a few Asgardians, they carried the tables outside and arranged them in a U-shape. They took the boxes out of one of the small storage rooms with the help of small transport carts.
“It’s just getting more and more,” marveled Sigyn, who had not previously been aware of the extent of the latest donations and Elizabeth nodded with a grin.
"I said I wouldn't disappoint you when you’ll see all the boxes."
Sigyn helped divide the children by age and they decided it would be best if the mothers with babies and toddlers could choose something first. How much depended on the size of the toys. They tried to be as fair as possible.
And then, after almost an hour and with half the toys distributed, Elizabeth could hardly believe her eyes.
She was encouraging a little boy who was hiding behind his mom. She was holding a light blue stuffed rabbit and crouched down in front of him when she saw movement out of the corner of her eye.
At first, she only saw several children running through the open roller doors of the aircraft hangar and across the meadow, screaming happily. Shortly afterwards, she recognized Loki, who was following the children and had deliberately slowed down his pace. He did not wear the light, leather armor he had usually worn with his people or their training. He wore lighter clothing, which nevertheless did not appear to be of earthly origin; he wore a dark green tunic and black leather trousers. Over his tunic he only wore a vest made of dark green leather.
He was holding a ball that Sigyn had recently given to a little boy.
He seemed so different, Elizabeth thought to herself. Youthful and innocent. He looked happy, she could see that. He had that carefree laugh that she had only heard from him once before; when they woke up next to each other the morning after.
Sigyn had also noticed the god. She exchanged a look with Elizabeth, who had slowly stood up and was watching the others. The boy, who had previously hidden behind his mother, was now very fascinated by the children and then asked his mother if he could play along. Shortly afterwards he happily ran off to Loki and the children.
Although she was still a little distracted, Elizabeth then turned to the boy's mother: "You can take the teddy bear for him, he seems to have really liked it earlier."
She nodded her thanks. "I thank you. It’s wonderful to see that at least the children can live here without worries.”
Elizabeth nodded understandingly. “Your new home will soon be finished and the first people will be able to move into their houses. You’ve all been so strong so far, you just need to stay strong for a little bit longer.”
The woman nodded. “The last few months have been really difficult, but the worst is over. I want to tell you again how grateful we are that your father is providing us with a home.”
"That goes without saying. You needed help and we have the resources to help. It's a give and take. Speaking of which,” she took a few steps to the side and pointed to two more tables. "The teddy bear isn't particularly big and we still have more than enough to choose from. Feel free to choose something else for your son that you think he would like.”
The woman curtsied and Elizabeth briefly looked overwhelmed at Sigyn, who only shook her head gently. She probably still has to get used to the customs of the Asgardians. "I thank you."
Meanwhile, Elizabeth stood next to Sigyn, who had just unfolded two empty boxes. However, she still kept her eyes on Loki. He was still holding the ball and apparently they seemed to be playing something similar to rugby because the kids had just surrounded him and were trying to tackle him to the ground.
"I didn't know Loki was good with children."
Sigyn shrugged. “He has changed, you said that yourself earlier. He is a good king.”
Elizabeth nodded in agreement and watched as the children finally tackled him to the ground and climbed on top of him one by one so that he could no longer escape them.
"How did it come anyway, that Loki is now the king and not Thor?"
"Well, Loki is King Regent, that's a difference," Sigyn pointed out and Elizabeth nodded in agreement. "But Loki has ruled over us for much longer, we didn't even officially know it was him."
"What do you mean ?"
"He disguised himself as Odin for around a year."
"And you weren't angry when it turned out it was Loki and not Odin?"
"Oh no, we all knew all along." She said it so matter-of-factly that Elizabeth frowned.
"What do you mean, you knew?"
"Well, that it was Loki and not Odin. The Allfather had been behaving out of character for a long time and we made assumptions - the people speak, more than the kings would like. Odin had suddenly stopped to lose his temper over small things. One day one of the smaller colonies declared independence and the only thing he did was to say: “Good for them” and drink a whole bottle of wine. Then he went and wrote another play. So we were all like: Yup, must be Loki then.”
"And you said nothing?"
Sigyn shrugged. “The Asgardians were doing better than they had for a long time; no taxes, more festivals, even the common people were often invited, we weren't attacked... things couldn't have been better for us.”
"That's why you accept him as your king," Elizabeth concluded, watching as Loki tried to struggle to his feet but was stopped by the children.
“Odin was a strict ruler, resolute and law-abiding. I think what Asgard needed after all its reign was just a little chaos and lightheartedness. And that’s what Loki gave us.”
"I understand. So Thor has decided that Loki will be his deputy should he be unable to attend.”
Sigyn nodded in confirmation. "Exactly and the people agreed without hesitation."
The blonde became distracted when a group of three children ran up to them saying they heard there were toys. Sigyn then took one of the boys by the hand and led him to one of the tables. From the way Elizabeth watched her interact with the children, she believed that Sigyn would have made a good teacher.
Then her gaze fell back to Loki, who had finally been able to fight his way back onto his feet and was following the children who now had the ball.
He seemed so relaxed and carefree that Elizabeth had to smile. She had met the god with purple strangulation marks on his neck and a broken soul. Every night she saw him being tortured and it broke her heart every time, even though she knew that these were visions from the past. Seeing him like that seemed to heal her heart a little.
A few hours had passed before the two women had distributed all the toys. And their work was impressive: for some time now, the two of them had been sitting, leaning against one of the tables in the grass in front of the aircraft hangar and contentedly watching the children playing on the lawn.
"That's why I work with children," Elizabeth finally spoke after a long period of comfortable silence.
Sigyn turned her head towards her and took a sip from her water bottle. "What do you mean ?"
"They're so carefree. They don't yet know about all the horrors in this world - even when they've had to go through a lot. They see the world from completely different eyes. And they are still so malleable – they have so many possibilities and can grow into such great personalities.”
"Thor told me that you are a teacher. But the way you treated all the children earlier, I could have guessed just from that.”
Elizabeth smiled a little at the comment and also took a sip of water.
“How did you know that this was the right career for you?”
She shrugged. “Being a teacher is more of a calling than a profession. I think the crucial point was when I changed schools.”
“You of all people? You’re more like the person everyone wanted to be friends with.”
She shook her head. "Oh no, quite the opposite. Despite our...financial means, my mom wanted me to live a normal life and go to a normal school, like she did. There's nothing to blame her for, but unfortunately she didn't take the other students into account. Being the daughter of a weapons tycoon and one of the richest people in the world didn't make me particularly popular. They probably assumed from the start that I was a spoiled city brat who would have daddy pay for everything. And the teachers joined in.”
"But something doesn't add up. Then why did you become a teacher? With an experience like that, all the kings horses and all the kings men wouldn’t have gotten me back into a school.”
“I wasn’t finished yet,” laughed the black-haired. “After Mum died, we left Malibu and came here to New York. The change of school was good for me - the people there were good for me. The teachers were nice, as were the students. That changed a lot for me. My grades improved and I enjoyed going to school again. A few weeks before the final exams, I gave tutoring at the request of a few classmates - and at some point the whole class showed up.”
Sigyn laughed. “Were you such a nerd?”
Elizabeth laughed too. “Oh yes, no one could fool me in English. My mother was an editor at a publishing house and read the typical classics to me from an early age; Jane Austen, Arthur Conan Doyle, George Orwell… I was obsessed with classic literature more than anyone in my class. But that was also the advantage in the final exams. I think the fact that I enjoyed this tutoring so much and that the new school changed so much in my life, changed me a lot. I saw school as a space for opportunity rather than a prison. And I’ve always been very good with children.”
Sigyn smiled quietly to herself at her words. Elizabeth didn't seem to realize how similar she and Loki were. She sighed and leaned her head against the leg of the table behind her.
"I envy you, Elizabeth."
The black-haired looked at her both surprised and questioning. "Me ? There’s nothing to envy, believe me.”
"I've always wanted a life like that - a job like that. I like children too, but it’s not appropriate for a noblewoman to spend time with them.”
"But weren't children also the future of your house?"
The blonde nodded. "Yes, but that's it. It was important to bear heirs – who then grew up with the nannies.”
Elizabeth thought. She remembered watching Sigyn earlier. She was really good with children. She was friendly and kind and her smile was extremely personable and contagious. Even when the children were shy or afraid, she managed to get them out of their reserve.
"Well, a lot has changed."
"You don’t say."
"No, that's not what I mean," Elizabeth sat up and turned to her. “Asgard as you know it no longer exists. Odin's reign is over and you are now on Earth. Different rules apply here. What keeps you from doing something with children? To teach them or to take care of them?”
"You mean I should be a nanny?"
Elizabeth laughed. "No not really. But here there are special professions for this kind of thing; Kindergarten teacher, middle school teacher, carer… you could be all of those things. At the latest when you are in New Asgard and all the adults are busy building a new life for themselves, they will need someone to look after the children during that time.”
The blonde next to her seemed to need a moment to understand what Elizabeth had just told her. But then her expression slowly brightened.
"You're right. No one can tell me what I should or shouldn't do anymore. Everything has changed. Thanks."
She was a little surprised when Sigyn wrapped her in a warm hug. Elizabeth grew to like the Asgardian more and if she wasn't mistaken, she believed that in another life, the two of them would have become best friends.
"But let's clean up now. These things don't wear themselves in," she stood up and pulled Elizabeth to her feet. She put her arms on her hips and briefly looked at the little chaos that was left of their action.
"Well, then I would suggest that you fold the empty boxes and I take the first stack to the back."
"Good idea. But before that, I’ll ask if a few men can help us with the tables again.”
"Very good."
Said and done. Elizabeth grabbed the first stack of empty boxes that they had already partially folded and tried to somehow carry the unwieldy things to one of the smaller storage rooms at the back of the hall. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Sigyn rushing off, looking for someone to help them with the tables.
After finally managing to push open the door to the storage room with her elbow, she decided to lean the boxes against one of the walls. She put it down and rubbed her forehead. These boxes were empty and light, but damned unwieldy.
She turned around when she heard heavy footsteps behind her, expecting to see one of the Asgardians Sigyn had asked for help.
Instead, Loki Laufeyson stood in the doorway. He was carrying one of the heavy tables in his arms and seemed as surprised as she was to see her.
"Loki," she gasped out, breathlessly.
He forced himself to look away from her, marched into the room and placed the table on top of another in one of the corners of the room instead. As he wanted to leave again, the door closed behind him. A click was heard as someone locked the door.
Elizabeth also seemed to awaken from her torpor and took several steps forward. Meanwhile, Loki hit the door with his palm. "Sigyn!" he growled warningly.
"I won't let you out until you've spoken to each other!" she called out from the other side of the door.
"As your king, I command you: Let us out of here immediately!"
“You are no longer my king!” she cried, unaffected. "I married a Vanaheimer, which made me part of their people!"
"Yes, and he was bumped off! So now you’re an Asgardian again!”
Now Elizabeth also stood next to him. "Sigyn!" Please, it doesn’t have to be this way.”
"Oh it has. Otherwise you two children won’t be able to talk to each other like normal people do.”
You could hear her footsteps receding. “Sigyn?” Elizabeth called questioningly.
"Sigyn!" Loki growled angrily, but neither of them got an answer. The blonde was gone.
"I'll kill this whench myself at some point," Loki cursed.
"Don't you know some magic that can open the door?"
"I am a god, not a locksmith."
Elizabeth rolled her eyes and glanced around the cramped room; The walls were lined with shelves and several tables were stacked in one corner. Only a single light bulb dangling from the ceiling on a cable lit the room. It was damn small and tight and she felt her throat tighten. The door was locked, she wouldn't be able to get out of this room anytime soon. Her heartbeat quickened.
While Loki flopped down grumbling on a pile of boxes, Elizabeth paced restlessly around the room, checking once again whether the door was really locked. To no avail, they were trapped in this small room.
"Could you stop that?" Loki asked irritably after the black-haired woman had been pacing up and down restlessly for several minutes and had tried to open the door twice again.
"Doesn't that make you uneasy?" Elizabeth asked the counter question and finally slid her back down the locked door. “Being locked up?”
"No."
Elizabeth swallowed. After all that time in a cell on Thanos' ship, on Asgard, she thought that Loki in particular had a good predisposition to develop claustrophobia. But the opposite seemed to be the case.
"She wants us to talk."
Loki didn't answer at first. He just stared straight ahead at the opposite shelf. Elizabeth didn't say anything for a while either. She hated the silence and the suffocating confinement and balled her hands into fists in her lap to hide the trembling. She bit her bottom lip and leaned the back of her head against the door behind her. She tapped one of her toes restlessly on the floor.
Loki finally groaned in irritation. "Stop doing that. It sucks."
"This whole situation sucks," Elizabeth replied angrily and didn't stop.
"We wouldn't be in this situation if you hadn't poured your heart out to Misse's relationship savior."
Elizabeth raised her head. "So you're saying this is my fault?" I’m certainly not keen on her locking us in the nearest storeroom.”
"You didn't have to run to her with your problems."
“Problems that wouldn’t exist if you would’ve just been able to talk to me.”
"I don't know what there is to talk about."
Elizabeth fully sat up. “You see ? That's exactly what I mean. You deny what is right in front of you and avoid problems. I don’t even know exactly what I did wrong.”
Loki snorted irritably and rolled his eyes.
"But you seem to know."
He turned his head away from her and stared stubbornly at the stack of boxes next to him instead.
"What the hell is wrong with you? Since yesterday you've been so... cold and distant. You’re avoiding me and there’s no reason for it.”
"We fucked. Multiple times. Now it's over. Get over it.”
Elizabeth looked at him perplexed. His words hit her like a punch to the face. She blinked several times, but that didn't change his cold tone.
“Really?” she then spoke, trying to hide the hurt. "That's what I am to you?" Just a simple fuck?”
"You said it yourself."
Then the scales fell from her eyes. "Oh my God, you heard us."
Loki snorted dismissively and irritably looked away. "It wasn't difficult not to understand."
Elizabeth looked at him briefly, unsure what to do next. She had hurt Loki incredibly with her words to Nat yesterday. He didn't want to admit it, but she could see it in his eyes; could see the disappointment and anger.
She slowly took a few steps towards him and stopped in front of him. "Listen to me: I didn't mean anything I said.”
He wasn't looking directly at her, but she could tell he was watching her out of the corner of his eye. "If I had told her what happened between us, she would have run straight to my dad. And neither you nor I would have wanted that.”
"So you're saying you hate me?" She could hear the hurt in his voice as he tried to hide it with a hint of venom.
"I never said a single word like that. On the contrary: I tried to buy us time.”
Loki snorted in irritation again. "I don't know what for."
"You're like a little child whose toy has been taken away," Elizabeth finally said. She knew he was hurt and she could completely understand him, but he should at least hear her out. "I was just trying to keep us safe. To protect whatever is between us right now.”
She calmed herself down and closed her eyes for a moment. She took a deep breath and crouched down in front of him. "Listen: you know them. And you know my father. No matter which of them found out first, they would make a pulp out of you. And heavens, I just want to avoid that. But Natasha-"
Loki looked up and at her again for the first time. "What about her ?"
"She knows something. She's an agent, she has her eyes and ears basically everywhere. Well, she observes a lot. And concludes.”
“Do you think she suspects something?”
Elizabeth shrugged. "She saw us the night at the gala when we were dancing. And she says, you don’t look so grumpy when I’m around.”
"I don't look grumpy."
Elizabeth laughed softly. “Shall I bring you a mirror?”
When she could see the corners of his mouth twitching telltalely, she finally dared to reach out and grab his hand.
"The next time something bothers you, talk to me. I would never have said something like that if I knew how much it would hurt you.”
"It didn't hurt me."
Elizabeth raised a skeptical eyebrow and looked at him. He was Loki Laufeyson, of course he would never admit it. "Of course it didn't."
She carefully pushed a strand of hair out of his face and watched him as he closed his eyes at her touch. This man in front of her, this god, he was so powerful and strong and yet so broken. In some ways, Loki was still the little boy he had once been, terrified of being abandoned and hurt. He had to heal.
She stroked his cheek, he kept his eyes closed, but she could feel his tense features slowly relaxing under her touch. The deep wrinkles on his forehead and between his eyebrows disappeared and he no longer clenched his jaw.
“Is there anything else you want to talk about?”
He opened his eyes and slowly shook his head. He kissed the inside of the hand that Elizabeth had placed on his cheek.
"I want you to know that I won't betray you. And I know that statement was a mistake. I'm sorry."
"Your intentions were understandable. But I could have handled Stark or Romanoff… or Maximoff.”
“I know that,” she smiled and hesitantly leaned forward until her face was only a few centimeters away from his. "Peace ?"
In response, he leaned forward and kissed her. She remembered the feeling, and even though they hadn't spoken for just a day, she realized she had missed it a little. Whatever this was between Loki and her; she didn't want it to end so quickly. He felt warm and gentle and calming. When his lips met hers, a wave of warmth immediately ran through her.
When he pulled away from her, he leaned his forehead against hers and still kept his eyes closed. Elizabeth followed suit.
And then reality came crashing down on her again.
They were locked up. In a room of the size of a broom closet. And the door was locked.
The argument had distracted her just a moment ago, but now her mind clamped down on the fact again and her heartbeat automatically increased. She held Loki a little tighter.
"Are you alright?"
"Are you sure you really don't know a spell that can open the door?"
Loki looked down at her hand, which was clasped in his. He finally reached for the hand that had been clutching the material of his shirt on his shoulder and held it by the wrist.
"You're shaking."
"I'm cold."
"You're lying," his eyes darted to the locked door and back to her. Elizabeth should have known that lying to the God of Lies was pointless. She had always been a bad liar anyway. She bit her bottom lip.
"The door is locked. That’s why you were so restless.”
"I don't like being locked up."
"Locked up in small rooms."
He could almost give Natasha a run for her money. Loki had always been damn good at reading his counterpart like an open book, but with Elizabeth this seemed to take on a completely different dimension. To him, she was more than an open book. More like a colorful, flashing advertising sign on Times Square.
“Are you claustrophobic?”
"No?!" Her voice sounded too high and shrill to be believable, Elizabeth noticed that the moment she’d opened her mouth.
She watched as Loki tilted his head a little and looked at her. "You're taking on thirty school children at the same time, but you're afraid of small spaces? What about the stuffy office at the gala?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “It makes a difference whether the door is open and I can leave at any time or not. We’re locked up in here.”
He stroked her cheek with his hand, then gently pushed her to the side and stood up. He walked to the door and looked at it for a moment. He couldn't see any hinges, which meant the door opened outwards. Perfect.
He turned vaguely to Elizabeth. A grin crept onto his lips. The black-haired woman caught his eye and suspiciously stood up. "Oh no, I know that look. What are you planning, Mischief?”
"The door opens outwards. We can easily kick it in.”
"And why don't you do that?"
"Because you will."
Her eyes widened. "I don't have the strength for it."
He walked around her and stopped behind her. His warm hands first slid over her neck and then rested on her shoulders. The goosebumps drove her crazy and she closed her eyes for a moment. “Perhaps not the strength,” he said, leaning down to her ear as he said his next words. “But the power.”
More goosebumps ran through her and Elizabeth turned her head slightly towards him. If she leaned forward just a little bit, she could place her lips on his…
She frowned. "You want me to open it with magic?"
"It seems like a good lesson to me."
“But we’ve never practiced that before.”
“Exactly.”
His hands roamed down her body; across her chest, her shoulders, down to her arms. He grabbed her wrists and stretched her arms forward towards the door. He opened her palms towards the door and placed them on top of each other.
“Imagine you have to throw a ball,” he then began and pulled her arms back to her body. "Push it as far away from you as you can."
With his help, she copied the movement and pretended to push an imaginary ball toward the door.
"Now you have to create an energy ball, just like we practiced."
Almost instantly, a light blue ball of energy appeared in front of them. Loki frowned. “Have you been practicing secretly?”
She shook her head gently. Her cheek rubbed against his. “I just have a good teacher.”
"I'm flattered."
"Don't let it go to your head."
Elizabeth giggled softly, but it stopped when he wrapped one of his hands around her middle and pressed her against him. She suddenly held her breath as she felt his tense abdominal muscles against her back.
“Concentrate,” he warned her and Elizabeth looked forward again and at the door. The ball of energy floated cheerfully in the air in front of her hand.
"It's really hard right now," she gasped.
"You can't let anything distract you," his lips moved to her ear. "No one can."
Elizabeth swallowed hard. She could practically feel his grin. He enjoyed driving her so crazy.
"Now open this door." He gave her a kiss on her ear. Goosebumps ran through her.
Then he disappeared.
The ball of energy in front of her dissipated and Elizabeth immediately spun around. "Loki?!"
She looked around, but he was nowhere to be seen. "Loki?!"
“Out here!”
She marched toward the door and pressed her ear against it. "You were able to get out the entire time?!"
“Where would the fun have been in that?”
"You arsehole !"
"Ah, ah, ah. You want me to help you get out of there, or-”
Loki stopped mid-sentence when the door next to him was torn off its hinges with a loud crash and flew in a high arc across the meadow and came to rest twenty meters away. The blue mist only slowly disappeared.
Shortly afterwards, Elizabeth marched out of the room and stood in front of him with her arms crossed. Loki leaned casually against the wall next to the door, also had his arms crossed and was now frowning.
"I see you're learning faster than I thought."
“Was that just a game for you?”
"Everything is a game for me."
“Yes, but that in there? Makes me pace up and down there for hours even though you know I was panicking?”
"We weren't in there for very long."
"Of course, we were-"
“Not even twenty minutes,” he then spoke in a calm voice and pushed himself away from the wall. He stopped in front of her. His calm demeanor seemed to put her down a little.
“Are you in cahoots with Sigyn? Was that your shared plan?”
"No of course not. It just came in handy for me. Be honest to yourself, Liz: would you really have told me the truth if she wouldn't have locked us up in there?"
"And if you had really talked to me, this wouldn't have happened? Then why did you even stay in there if you could have gotten out?”
"Because you were afraid."
Elizabeth immediately closed her mouth and looked at him, perplexed. Had he really just stayed in the room out of solidarity with her? He could have gone out at any time and he had made it clear to her that he would have liked to be anywhere but in there with her.
She was about to say something when the Quinjet shot over their heads at a dangerously fast pace.
"They're back," she said, but furrowed her eyebrows. “They always land at the hall, why do they fly towards the main entrance?”
The moment Elizabeth uttered the question, the answer flashed through her mind: Something had happened.
She looked at Loki and he could see the panic written on her face. Soon she was just a cloud of dust and ran around the building towards the main entrance.
She could see the others from afar. They stood in a small group in front of the main entrance. Next to them were several nurses and doctors with a stretcher from the infirmary.
Something wasn't right.
Something had happened.
She quickened her pace. That unpleasant gut feeling came back. She felt sick. She had been right.
The Quinjet landed. Someone turned off the transmission.
The doctors started moving with the stretcher and ran towards the jet. Some of the Avengers who remained behind, followed them. Only Natasha Romanoff ran towards Elizabeth and tried to keep her at a distance. She held her tight.
"What’s wrong ? What…."
"Liz, listen to me."
Elizabeth didn't like that tone. Natasha always spoke like that when something was bothering her, when something bad had happened. She tried to get past her and get a look at the person on the stretcher, but there were too many people there.
"Your father, he-"
Her gaze snapped to the blonde and she looked at her in shock. Everything around Elizabeth became a blur. She tore herself away from her friend and ran to the Quinjet, where Steve had just put someone on the stretcher. The doctors immediately started moving and ran towards the main entrance.
“Keep her away from him!” she could hear Natasha dully calling behind her and quickened her pace. She ran straight into Steve's arms at such a pace that her feet briefly stopped touching the ground when he caught her.
The first thing she noticed was all the blood. His armor was smeared with blood. Dark red blood. Much blood.
Her mouth felt bone dry. Her heart was racing.
She tried to push past him, but he was stronger than her. She craned her neck and looked past him.
Her father was lying on the stretcher. Covered in blood, unconscious.
A severed arm laid in a box at his feet, chilled in ice.
His arm.