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“Good luck, brother.”
Thor undid the cuffs, letting him loose in the gym, like he was a dog being let off its leash. Every time Loki was free to roam the compound he still needed shackles, despite the fact that once he stepped foot out of the interrogation room he had been held in for weeks–no, months–on end, his seiðr was promptly confiscated once more. Stark had said it was ‘returned to him momentarily in order to make sure his design worked properly’. He couldn’t understand why they were still so wary… on second thought, just because he couldn’t kill Georgia without permanent consequences, didn’t mean the others were off the table.
Thor took his spot by the windows, taking a seat on one of the benches.
Georgia stood by the weapons shelf. All fake. Loki had been told… multiple times. She ran her fingers across the blade of an axe.
“Master,” Loki announced his presence.
Georgia stepped back with an eye roll. “Please don’t make this more painful than it needs to be.”
“No promises,” He grinned.
Georgia flicked her fingers, tipping him off his feet. His ass hit the ground, hard. There was a deep chortle behind him.
Loki pinned Thor with his glare, “Shut your mouth you bumbling oaf, before I shut it for you.”
Thor put his hands up in mock surrender, badly concealing the laugh in his chest. When Loki turned, he could see a small smile turning Georgia’s lips, she was looking over his shoulder at his brother. Loki was yet to see her properly smile, this was the closest he had come to witnessing it. Of course there was the first day they met, in which she vexed him. Those smiles, he decided, were all fake. Part of the face she was wearing that day. But this one? This small upward turn… was real.
His hands clenched at his sides.
“Are you going to begin?” Loki cleared his throat. “Or must I be forced to see you fawn over my brother like a doe eyed fool.”
Her gaze snapped to him.
“Sure.” She reached her hand out and towards the weapons stand, the axe she had previously been examining flying from the shelf and into her right hand. She plunged the left out in front of herself, pushing him off his feet and onto the ground once more. With a large step, she was standing over him, axe swinging down towards his throat. “We can begin.”
Loki couldn’t help but beam up at her.
It took another few rounds of getting knocked on his ass before the smirk was also promptly knocked off his lips. He felt that the match wasn’t even close to fair. She was allowed her powers and weapons, whilst Loki was left with his bare hands and a hollow ache in his veins where his seiðr used to be.
“Enough,” He grumbled, her hand firmly on the ground beside his head. “Why are you afforded the privilege of using your abilities?”
“You never know what we’re going to be up against,” She pushed herself off the floor, offering out her hand.
He refused it, “Yes, but I will be allowed my powers in the field.”
“When we’re there you need to blend in, that means you can’t always use them. Not unless you want to kill everyone in the room after.”
“I could do that.”
“No. You can’t.” She walked back towards her starting position, he followed suit. “This is also standard S.H.I.E.L.D protocol. You need to be able to fight with and without abilities, it makes sure you’re prepared for any possible scenario.”
“Yes, well not everyone we come up against will be enhanced, no? Shouldn’t we practise a few times without you using your abilities also?”
“I guess,” She shrugged, “I was just going to do that another day.”
Loki narrowed his eyes, “You are afraid you will not be able to beat me.”
“Excuse me?”
“You know that when we’re evenly matched, you do not stand a chance.”
She laughed coldly. “I can’t believe I’m doing this,” She muttered. “Fine. One time. No weapons, just our powers.”
Loki grinned once again. Tipping his head back. Savouring the feeling of strength before it was ripped away from him.
“My Lady,” Thor said warily behind them. “This may not be such a good idea.”
“Catch,” She threw something small and flat out of her pocket, Thor seizing it in cupped hands. “If things go south, just turn it off again.”
“You’re going to regret this,” Loki smirked.
“Unlikely.”
Georgia beckoned him towards her and Loki took the opportunity to pounce, quickly diverting and following her when she dodged his advance. They both threw blows that didn’t land as the other would push them away with a flick of their wrist. For almost a minute there was no physical contact.
Until she clocked him in the side of the face.
His head snapped to the right. He could tell that she faltered for a moment and took that chance to knee her in the stomach. She dropped down quickly, but rolled as he fell to the floor after her. He reached out his arm, closing his fist, her hand pulling across the ground towards him, her body dragging along behind it. She put up her uncaptured hand and attempted to tip him, yet it was futile as she was clearly much weaker without her dominant hand.
“Georgia?” His halfwit brother called out.
“Don’t.” Georgia replied, managing to lift her body up and push a surge of power into Loki’s chest. He fell off balance, Georgia quickly jumping to her feet and tackling him to the ground. She exhaled a triumphant breath, but Loki wasn’t finished. He swept her leg out from under her, pinning her to the ground, both wrists captured in his fingers.
Her chest was rising and falling rapidly, hair splayed out across the floor. She looked…
“Well played,” Georgia said. Loki swore that she was almost smiling. “I was going easy.”
He chuckled, low and deep. “I bet you were.”
“I won’t next time.”
“I look forward to it.” He stood, offering a hand out to her.
She refused it.
*****
“What were you thinking?”
Tony seemed to be in a state… Which wasn’t entirely unusual.
Georgia’s face scrunched a little, popping another grape into her mouth and leisurely flipping the page of her book and–
Oh.
She knew exactly what she was thinking and what he was thinking and what this dramatic flourished entrance was about. She tried to hide the slight cringe she made when she realised, aimlessly reading random words from the page in faux interest.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” But still she tried to hide, chewing slowly on another grape. It was sour as she swallowed.
“Ha.” He followed his first fake chuckle with a string of manic and equally fake laughs. “You’re doing my head in.”
“Sorry?” She shrugged, pretending not to see the way his lips turned down bitterly.
“Yes,” He stated. “You should be sorry. Because what you did was reckless and plain idiotic.”
Okay, that was a slight over exaggeration… maybe.
“That doesn’t sound like me,” She replied, still afraid to look at him, her eyes glued to her fingers as she flipped yet another page that went unread.
“No.” He declared, his arms spread wide. “It doesn’t. Which is why I was absolutely dumbfounded when Thor came to me saying that you had challenged Loki to a fight.” Georgia peaked up from her book. Thankfully Tony was swept up in his speech and hadn’t glanced at her for a few staggered moments. “I thought, no! Not my Georgia!” He looked like he may have an aneurysm. “My Georgia has a brain!”
Georgia gulped down what little dignity she had left, saying in the most unimposing tone she could muster, “I’m fine. Aren’t I?”
Tony sighed. A long, wounded, I’m-trying-not-to-have-a-conniption sigh. “I was hoping you’d deny it again and I’d have to break the news to that poor old bastard that he was hallucinating.” Tony crossed his arms over his chest. Georgia wanted to melt into her mattress. “I can’t believe you would be so irresponsible.”
She took a moment before she continued, wondering if he would ever stop clenching. He never did. “It was a lapse in judgement,” She offered.
“A lapse?”
“Was it stupid?” She shrugged, “Yeah. Am I completely fine? Also yes!”
He looked at her like what she had just said was pure unintelligible word vomit.
“I’m not letting you train him unsupervised.”
“What? I wasn’t unsupervised.”
“Yeah, well Point Break is clearly a pushover. Clint,” He lingered, “Will be looking after you guys tomorrow.”
She scoffed, “He’s such a buzz kill.”
“Don’t make me send Rogers.”
She hesitated, taking a slow breath in.
“You know,” She plastered a big blinding smile onto her face, “I can’t wait to see Clint tomorrow.”
Tony breathed a small silent laugh.
*****
“I am bored.”
Georgia didn’t grace Loki with an answer, simply ignoring the way her legs felt unstable for a moment when he whispered in her ear.
They had fallen into a loose stream of fighting, clearly paying no mind to the fact that one of them should have been actively winning. He pulled away from her slightly to mouth the word “bored” once more, sending her eyes rolling.
She snuck a glance at Clint, who was clutching his bow, his knuckles turning white around the wood. He clearly took this job very seriously, as Loki hadn’t been able to get too close without having to dodge an arrow. Therefore it was easier to mindlessly spar than to duck away from Clint’s flying fury.
“What line would I have to cross before bird-man over there,” Loki nudged his head towards Clint, talking in a hushed voice, “Throws caution to the wind and decides to shoot me in the crotch?” He looked surprisingly smug for a man that was possibly putting his crown jewels on the line for a sliver of entertainment.
“Well doesn’t that sound endlessly amusing?” She said flatly, swinging her sword down in another predictable stroke.
“You can thank me later when you no longer have to endure this painfully dull training,” He whispered.
She had barely processed his sentence when he rolled behind her, placing one of the blunt daggers he had chosen against her throat.
An arrow began to whistle towards the pair.
Loki ducked them out of the way. “You went for the head, you sneaky bastard.”
“I won’t hesitate to try again,” Clint said with a murderous gleam in his eye.
“All in good fun.” Loki dropped his weapons, putting his hands up in submission.
“I think that’s enough ‘fun’ for today.” Clint unclipped the cuffs on his belt. “Your two hours is almost up anyway.”
“Until tomorrow, Master.” Loki offered out his hands as he was placed back in restraints, bowing to her in ‘reverence’.
“Sure,” Georgia said, wiping sweat from her brow.
*****
“Insomniac are we?”
Loki was sitting at the kitchen counter, his forearms resting on the top. She had never seen him look so casual. Loose white t-shirt and a peak of dark sweatpants. It was far from his royal garb and Georgia couldn’t help but duck her head to hide a small smile.
“Don’t they lock you in your room at night?” She padded over, her bare feet stinging slightly on the cool tiles.
“Yes but,” Loki pointed with his thumb to the guard ominously looming in the corner of the kitchen. “Harry’s keeping me company and well…” He lifted up his, once again, cuffed wrists.
“I see.” She turned, opening the fridge, the blue light illuminating her features.
“Why are you awake?” He asked, turning his glass of water with his fingertips, condensation dripping and pooling on the marble countertop.
“That’s none of your business.” Georgia shut the fridge with a sigh, not even knowing why she had entered the kitchen in the first place. Boredom? Routine?
“Fine, don’t tell me.” He leaned back on the bar stool. “We don’t have to talk. I’m more than happy to plot your murder in silence.”
The guard placed his hand to the gun at his side.
“Relax, Harry.” He didn’t spare him a glance. “It was in jest.”
Georgia cleared her throat, moving on to look in the pantry. She could feel his eyes on her as she examined the cereal boxes as if there were nothing amiss. “Why are you awake?” She asked, still facing towards the contents on the shelves.
“That’s not how this works,” She could hear the grin in his voice, “I asked first.”
She dared a quick glance behind her. “I couldn’t sleep.”
“Clearly, but why?”
She sighed, shutting the doors and leaning her back against them so she was facing him once more. There were no lights on in the kitchen, just an orange glow from the constantly lit hallway. His face looked more jagged. Sharp edges and jutting cheekbones, sculpted jaw and blown pupils. “I don’t know. Just one of those nights.”
“Liar.” He said plainly, still fiddling absentmindedly with the glass.
“It’s not a lie.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
“Lie by omission.”
“I had a bad dream, sue me.” She looked down towards her feet, shivering under his cold concentration.
“What about?”
“I–”
Drowning. Screaming. But not my screams. Everyone else's. Blindly fighting through tears. Silent, burning tears. Something dark and twisted like decaying, poisoned tree roots festering just under my skin. Not being able to stop it. Myself. From–
“That’s not how it works. You already asked your question.” Her gaze settled on him, her eyes adjusting to take in the shadowy details of his skin. “Why are you awake?”
“Just one of those nights,” He shrugged.
“Very funny.”
He took a moment. Thinking. Probably of how to get out of the hole he dug for himself. She wondered if he would actually decide to answer, or just leave her in suspense, never paying her with a secret of his own. What she divulged wasn’t necessarily some deep truth she had been burying. Yet, telling Loki anything remotely personal felt like pulling teeth.
“I don’t want to dream.” He said. Where Georgia would have cowardly looked at anywhere but his eyes, Loki did the opposite. “Of home.” She could just see the rim of blue peeking out from beneath his widened pupils. “It's never nightmares. But I think that makes it worse.” A notch formed between his brows, so deep and concerned. She felt the urge to reach forward. Wipe the line off his skin. Tell him she understood.
“Home?” Her hands were resting on the counter now, her fingers just a hair away from his. “You dream of Asgard?”
“Not how it works, Darling.” He smiled. A real smile. She thinks. A soft and delicate shape to his lips. One that reminded her that he was divine. “What was your nightmare about?”
She pursed her lips, willing herself not to look away. Like every time before it. “I was—”
“I thought I heard voices.” Steve was leaning in the doorway, yawing into his fist. Loki’s back seemed to straighten as he eyed him.
She would like to say Steve hadn't startled her, but if he had said nothing, she wouldn’t have even noticed him walk in. “Just grabbing a glass of water.” Georgia took a glass from the cabinet, filling it with water from the tap and walking towards Steve. She stopped, just before she met the doorway. “Good night,” She said, turning back to face Loki.
“Sweet dreams, Georgia.”
She left the room before he could see her blush.
*****
Georgia was rolling her eyes. Loki was smirking. Fury looked like he might murder the both of them. And Tony? She had never seen him more angry. His fists were clenching so hard his palms were surely bleeding and his eyes carried more murderous intent than Fury’s. But it was directed straight at Loki, which may be the reason why he looked so overjoyed.
“Do I need to call this whole thing off?” Fury said, scolding them like school children.
“No, Sir.” Georgia replied, her hands looped behind her back.
“How did this even happen?” Tony took in the state of her. Puffy eyes, bruised knuckles.
It happened because I’ve been forced to partner with a psychopath, she wanted to say. A psychopath who just can’t stay out of other people's business.
It was two days before they were set to depart to Russia and they had yet to train with Loki’s abilities again. Georgia was hesitant, seeing what had happened the last time, but it needed to be done. Clint was stricter with Loki, so she felt somewhat comfortable to allow him his powers back for the session.
Clint was pretty good at telling when things were beginning to escalate, but Loki always seemed to take everyone by surprise. The session had gone to plan, their training was rigorous enough that Loki was comfortable with his abilities again, focusing on drills rather than sparring. Seeing that Tony wasn’t particularly happy the last time they partook.
But the God of Mischief just could help himself.
He grabbed hold of her wrist and before she could tell what was happening, her eyes were rolling back.
Smoke and dust and was that blood? The rim of her jeans were soaked in mud and splashed with red. Her nails were caked in it. She couldn’t tell what was skin or dirt or– She was twitching. Swaying on her feet. She could smell metal in the air and heartache. Her ears were ringing, but no, it was a scream. Pitched and piercing.
She collapsed to her knees, grabbing the shirt of the body in front of her. It was too still to be alive and bile ran up her throat. She swallowed it back down. Someone was telling her to get up and telling her to go. But her legs were numb and–
She realised she wasn’t breathing until she took a breath in. She was looking up at him. At Loki. She had fallen on her knees and he stood above her, his head tilted.
“Clint,” She yelled. “T-turn it off!”
But Loki was already falling down in front of her, clutching his chest. It had clearly only been a couple of seconds but Loki had managed to–
“What have you done?” Her chest was rising and falling, fast and stuttering. “What did you do to me?”
“It was–” He winced. “It was already there.”
“You’re a liar.”
“Yes,” Shaking, he began to stand. “But not about this. That was your memory.”
“Don’t move,” Clint said to Loki, helping her right herself.
Georgia shook her head, watching Clint begin to cuff him. She couldn’t help herself. It was something about what she had seen, about the fact she never remembers that happening. At least not until now. He had to have made that up. Made her hallucinate. That wasn’t her memory. It couldn’t be.
“That’s not mine,” She whispered, her eyes blurry with reluctant tears.
Loki squinted, looking her up and down.
“It’s not mine. You’re a liar.”
“It’s certainly not my memory, Georgia.”
“Be quiet,” Clint warned him.
“You made it up. You– you put it there.”
“I didn’t, Darling.”
“Liar,” She gritted out, her clenched fist swinging out, colliding with his eye. When she pulled back she could hear laughter. Clint talking softly into his com, pushing Loki from the room. She sat down, her head cradled in her knees.
She couldn’t tell how long it had been before Loki was pushed back in, followed by Fury and Tony. It could have been a few minutes, or hours. When she looked up, Loki was against the wall and Tony was offering her a hand.
And now here she was. Having to explain.
“How did this even happen?”
“He did something,” Georgia said, “To my mind. I don’t know what it was, but it was horrible. He put something horrible–”
“It was a memory,” Loki interjected.
“That was not my memory.”
Loki laughed sharply, “Still in denial.”
“I’m not denying anything–”
“The both of you be quiet,” Fury raised his voice above them. Her mouth snapped shut and she pulled her eyes away from him, even though she could tell he didn’t do the same. “Will you be able to complete this assignment without any complications?”
“Yes, Sir.” Georgia replied meekly.
Fury was focused on Loki as he shrugged, mumbling a yes.
“Neither of you are to see each other again before your departure and if I hear of any other issues there will be consequences.” Fury eyed them both before he added, “That includes you, Agent Vass.”
When neither of them answered, he crossed his arms. “Do I make myself clear?”
They both confirmed quietly and Fury made his exit.
*****
Georgia couldn’t get the sight of blood under her nails out of her mind. Cursing the man across from her she closed her eyes, resting her head on the chair. It shouldn’t take more than a week to get into the base and get what they needed. She couldn’t wish for it to end sooner.
The plane hummed.
“Did you sleep well?”
“I don’t want to talk to you.” Georgia answered Loki, keeping her eyes clamped shut. Not only could she not stand to hear his voice, but she couldn’t look at him without bursting out in a fit of rage.
“We all have bad memories. Things we’ve done that we’re not proud of. Eventually you must learn to let it go.”
Her eyes shot open. There was a soft halo of purple around his eye, at least she could take some satisfaction in that. For once he didn’t look immaculate. And sure, it may have had more to do with the fact he wasn’t able to heal himself in the present, than her ability to punch, but she would take what she could get.
“I understand that,” She retorted, “But that wasn’t my memory.”
“You can say it as many times as you want and yet it doesn’t change the truth.”
She didn’t reply. She couldn’t. She wouldn’t be able to say anything she hadn’t already said. That it wasn’t her memory. Or maybe it was and she was going crazy.
“You’re a killer.” He leaned forward towards her. She tried to press further back into her seat. “There’s no shame in that.”
“No shame?” She shook her head. “I’m not like you. I’ve never killed anyone.”
“Clearly you have.”
“I’m not talking about this anymore.”
The plane was dipping. The white landscape was coming into view, snow covered trees and peaks poking out of the fog. She ran her fingers over the remote in her pocket, her left hand skimmed the panic button sewn into the lining of her pants.
Tony had told her to come back in one piece. Georgia was afraid that it wasn’t possible anymore.