Intruder
Somewhere in the dark, a pair of eyes watched you reading some book in the library, sitting under that one bulb illuminating the desk where you sat alone, lost in those yellow pages. Your one hand kept over the book while the other rested on your face, your little finger playing along your lips.
Click.
A sound came from some unknown source. You inhaled a lungful, never blinking away.
Click-click.
You blinked and looked up, turning to see outside the door of the library. Nothing but darkness said hello back. Not thinking much about it you went back to the book, taking your little finger under your teeth and leaning back in the chair on an angle.
Click.
Click-click.
This time your ears were sharp, your head tilting quickly in the direction of the sound. Straining your auditory nerves, you kept looking in the direction of the door for a good while.
Click-click.
That's it. I'm checking it out.
Old experiences and a lot of late-night crime and horror documentaries had taught you to be discreet when it came to weird noises of the night. But what you figured out yourself was that a book would not be the most suitable weapon against whatever was lurking out there. So, picking up Rhodey's trophy kept in the showcases of all the awards collected by the Avengers over time, you pushed your slippers over to the carpeted floor while slowly moving out of the warm space.
The clicking sound now echoed through the compound. So did the sound of ducks quacking in the pond outside; quite possibly at the stray cat that you'd brought home once and tried to hide from Tony. Ultimately you had to leave it outside when it scratched Vision for turning off his body heat because little Mew Mew didn't want to get up from his lap. In Vision’s defence, he’d lost a bet against Pietro and had been dared to that.
The fact that everyone else was out of town was not helping with every little tinker of noise you were hearing or your mind was making up.
Friday. I still have Friday. She'd take care of me if there was an intruder, right?
You wanted to ask her so bad. But the fear giving away your location in the dark was too much of a risk right now.
Maybe it's a mouse.
Click click click.
Yeah, it's just a mouse looking for some chee-
A cold chuckle came from the lounge along with a faint glow, freezing you in the open corridor that led to Bruce and Tony's lab. A crack of lightning lit up everything around you before the thunder rumbled, sending jolts to your already weak heart that saw a figure pass lounge- from the kitchenette towards the dorms- with a candle in its hands.
Had you not forcefully been made to exercise to strengthen your muscles you could've sworn you might have peed right there out of sheer fright.
There's someone out there. THERE'S SOMEONE IN THE FREAKING LOUNGE!!! HOLY FUCKING SHIT! OH MY GAAAHHHDD!! SHIT SHIT SHIT SH- Wait. If there was an intruder Friday would have warned me right? But she didn't say anything. *Gasp* Did they-did they kill Friday?!
Queue lightning and thunder!
Oh my G-no no no I'm sure Friday's alright. Oh God oh God oh God oh God! Okay okay okay breathe. Yes, breeeeeathe. Good. Good. Now, if it wasn't an intruder and Friday is okay does that mean it's a ghost?
Just when all those thoughts were running inside your head like a freight train, a figure in the shadows lingered behind you, getting closer by the second at an incredibly slow pace.
Oh FUCK WE HAVE A GHOST IN THE COMPOUND!
The figure in the dark behind you was nearly over your shoulder when you felt your hair rise in anticipation of the presence behind you. And like any bad horror movie, your reflex worked to turn you around with the trophy pointed outwards at...nothing.
N-no one's there. Okay, I'm clearly creeping myself out. What if...w-what if it's a friendly ghost. What if it's a Casper? I'm sure we can check that out, right? You asked your inner voice.
Do you want to die? 'Cause that's exactly how you die, came the reply.
Oh, come on! We can't possibly hide from a ghost anyways. And I'm sure Mr Stark has equipped the compound with something against ghosts. Hopefully.
Your inner voice chuckled.
What is he? A daddy of fourteen kids?
...dude.
Yeah, I know the answer to that question. My bad, she shrugged.
A door creaked somewhere in the dorms, bringing you back to reality.
Maybe we should check it out, your inner voice suggested, making you question its sanity.
Aren't you supposed to protect me against danger?
Ay, she sharply pointed at you, I'm also supposed to satiate your curiosity. So, this time the cat might just, I don't know, die.
Wow, you are a nasty one, you implied at your inner voice.
It's ookay, she cooed, you can call me a whiney whore. We both know who is the only one working whenever we see someone that bedazzles you.
Snorting at her, you made your way towards the lounge.
Friday isn't even lighting up the corridors.
The distant roar of thunder was unsettling and the patter of raindrops over the glass part of the roofs and walls did not help when you strained your ears for the slightest of discord.
From the edge of the doorway, the kitchenette seemed empty under that faint blue hue of lights under the slabs that lit up for the nightcrawlers looking for water in the wee hours of the night or early mornings. Many times a couple of them have scared each other for looking like ghosts under that dull blue glow.
The sofas were vacant as well, painted in colours being thrown in their direction from the big screen that you very well remember turning off the moment Steve had dragged a very reluctant Scott and Bucky out and not letting them watch the last fifteen minutes of The Witcher finale.
Maybe I didn't turn it off.
Maybe the ghost likes Geralt of Rivia, your inner voice called out. Or Yennefer, if they're adventurous.
Thump!
You jumped where you stood, the grip on that trophy tight. The noise had come from the dorms followed by a low grunt.
Casper doesn't grunt like an a-an angry demon.
The sweat collecting on your back was now making a trail down your spine, adding a chill when the cold wind brushed itself against you, coming from a door left unlocked or a window left open.
You know what, you breathed in, fuck this. If this is how I die, I'll at least be haunting my own family.
You started walking silently in the lounge, turning to walk towards the dorms where light filtered out through a partially opened door.
What if it's not a ghost, your inner voice tilted her metaphorical head in innocence, what if it's an intruder. A man at that.
You stopped five feet short of that door, everything going blank at the worst words your insides could've have spoken.
I...should hide then. Right?
You were about to turn around when you heard muffled footsteps come from the end of the corridor and the doorknob to Scott's door suddenly twist to be opened with a ghastly creak.
Cursing in a muted rhythm, you dashed inside the very room you were trying to avoid- which was your own.
Two huge strides and you were skidding on the other side of the bed, clearly missing the candles kept on a table right in the centre of your room. Wait what, your adrenaline-induced brain shot itself out to bring back the frames you missed.
Before the ten thousand four hundred and seventy-one theories could take a better form inside your head, the door to your room let out a groan, stopping your heart.
You laid yourself on your stomach to be as much out of the view of the intruder as you could.
The door clicked close. Footsteps walked away from it towards the centre. A sigh followed.
It is an intruder.
Your veins wanted to freeze over. Your heart was already shouting 'NOPE' and your inside wanted to come out.
A ruffle made you slide a little to peek from the corner of the bedside. A figure stood with its back to you in a black trenchcoat, unbuttoning the fabric tortured by the rain.
He's distracted, your inner voice shouted from your shoulder, now's our chance.
On your knees, you stepped out, positioning yourself low right behind him.
Gloved hands brought the cap of the trenchcoat down before going for the shoulder shrug to remove it.
Now!
Raising your weapon of choice over your head, you aimed for the loose strands of raven hair that suddenly were turning away to bring forth green eyes watching you in horror as cold pale hands blocked your attack- but not your rage-filled shriek- and forced you halfway over the bed.
"What in the hell are you doing?"
Loki's hands still held you down, his wet strands gracing your fear-burned cheeks with water droplets.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?! You are supposed to be out on a mission with the rest right now?!"
Your voice shook but the anger you were feeling could be seen in your eyes by the God.
"Leave that," Loki commanded, pointing to the trophy still in your hands.
"No!" you spat back. You couldn't. The shock had frozen your hold.
"I said leave it."
"No!!"
"Were you really going to use it on me?"
"Of course I was going to use it on you!" you scoffed and raised the fiery embers just a smidge in your tone. "I was going for the spot and wanted to make sure you were shivering on your knees when I was done."
"Oh my God," a tired voice came from outside your door, making you both dilute the confusion and fire to look in that direction.
"I go out for five minutes to find ribbons and flowers and this is what I get back to. Give me a fucking break!"
You furrowed your brows at the door.
"Is...is that-"
"Yeah," Loki answered, never taking his eyes off the door, which clicked open with an annoyed Clint entering the space.
"Why do you guys have to talk like that during normal stuff," he mumbled, closing the door, "do you know how many times you've given me a heart atta-"
He stopped short. His eyes absorbing you lying halfway on the bed with Loki over you, his hands wrapped around yours, keeping your arms over your head while his legs locked yours in place. What was worse for the man was you looking at him with suspicion.
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!"
"She tried to blow me."
Clint's eyes went three times wider, his jaw on the verge of falling.
"You were supposed to be out! I thought you were an intruder, you idiot!!"
Clint's hand came up as a sign to apply the breaks at this entire conversation.
"You thought he was an intr-oh ohh OH!!! Okay." He finally breathed, trying to feel his heart by placing his hand on his chest. "It's okay. It's okay."
"Now, am I an intruder?" He asked you, his eyes going soft, his hold loose.
"...no," you replied softly, letting go of the hold on the trophy.
Placing his knee on the edge of the bed, he pushed himself up, bringing you with him by your hand.
"Why didn't you guys tell me you were here? I nearly shat my pants!"
Loki and Clint exchanged a look, clearly hurting you for not knowing what was going on.
Clint sighed, lowering his head.
"Well, you weren't supposed to know till the next-" Loki looked down at the watch on his wrist- "twenty minutes. We were supposed to take you somewhere."
"Where? And why?"
Loki stepped aside to show you a small mountain of gift-wrapped boxes kept on the table in the middle with a balloon tied to the one at the top- the floating green thing spelling out a very obvious greeting.
Loki smiled at the unadulterated shock rushing over your face as your eyes grew wide and a muted gasp left your parted lips.
"Happy birthday."