Cruel
Nat stops at the threshold for a beat, seeing the pair of them. She approaches, book in hand thumb wedged between pages, a page she points to when she halts by Loki. He takes it from her inspects the contents, brows furrowed in concentration, face clears then. “Almost. But leave it,” he sets it on the nightstand top the pile.
A small, whimper-like sound takes their attention. The cat twitches bodily murmuring disturbed moans. Unthinking Loki reached and pet down its pelt, hushing softly. It eases.
“What’s wrong with him?” wary Nat asked. Quietly Loki answered:
“…Bad dreams.”
She studies the god resuming with motions to soothe and console, retracting when Tony stirs head straightens and sleepy eyes open. He grumbles and Loki answers: “Not just yet.” Natasha faced him.
“Sure you can’t understand him?”
“Of course I understand him,” words of depth for the matter, and Tony warms immensely. Loki turned to her then changed the subject: “We’ll not make real progress until the Captain and your boyfriend return with the witch’s grimoires. Then I can safely reverse the spell. After I find it, that is.”
“So what are we doing all this for?”
“Because what if they can’t find anything? Come agent, I thought you were smarter than this.” She gave an unimpressed look. “What exactly happened?”
“Tony got on her nerves.”
“Shocking,” he grins Tony’s way who flops down with another low grumble. Loki looked to the book he’d been researching said pointed: “Need something else?” the Widow doesn’t move and when their eyes locked it was with a look in hers, knowing, concerning.
She leaves.
“Jarvis put something on.” A playlist starts shuffling, mostly of songs Tony favors. He’d smile if he could. He stands, stretched and yawned and Loki smiled at the sight resisted the urge to pet as now he can see Thor’s turmoil.
The cat settled to sit just by him then, stared silent. Loki spared him a glance. “I’ve a new idea for one of your suits. All of them, preferably. An enchantment, a warding. Assuming you trust me enough to cast it.” It tilts its head tail slowly swept, before it bounced onto Loki’s legs the latter starts slightly. Tony sat. Loki smiled widely. “I’m going to consider that a yes.” It gave a light meow moved forth, halts at the book paw pressed between the pages tilts down to see. “Don’t even try, love. It’s gibberish to you.” The meow was unamused. “I’m sure you’d love to prove me wrong.” Certainly looked it. The paw pats one of the symbols on the page, asking. “Hmm. I recall a mutual agreement in not divulging knowledge either on magic or ‘basic coding’, isn’t that right?” Tony yowls loud, blinking wide pearly orbs at the god, who raised then a brow,
discards the book leans forth till they’re facing, close, his voice low. “You think your pretty little cat eyes will persuade me?” of coyness Tony always responds in kind and those eyes fall lidded blink slowly. They were quite alluring. Despite their aloofness Loki sees now why people many find it difficult to refuse cats.
He reaches, scratched lightly at its cheek the soft fur, behind its pointy ear. Browns close it tilts into his palm. He cannot help but picture Tony in his own form reacting so, nor wonder why he reacts now, just briefly, before dismissing the matter entirely as he had been since this ordeal had started since Tony had reached for him, and stilled with him easing into his grasp swiftly.
He lifts him rests him against his torso, reclined book reemerging. “Tell anyone about this I’ll turn you into a fish. So this symbol here means change. This, is a blood spell. Not the nasty kind, not sacrificial and all that.” Another meow alert followed by a paw quick to point another symbol’s way. “Patience, we’ll get to it. And now we can’t go over everything; you do want me to change you back, right? I’m quite content keeping you this way. Incapable of backtalk and wisecracks.” Tony voiced irritation and glared when the god laughed. “Points for effort,” resumed elaboration,
no wisdom in the action at all, to disperse this information, but the notion of consequence fell fogged.
Especially when some time in he could feel, hear the soft trembles of a purr, loudening and.
Tony Stark made it difficult as is; this was cruel.