First Month. Felicity finally started to think that he wasn't coming back. She was getting used to the idea that things were going back to normal. She still thought often of him, but that was only because in the week that she'd been around him, with him, it seemed it changed a bit of her reality on things.
Second Month. She finally found a job, and get herself working. She had to eat, needed clothing, needed a lot of things, and she couldn't expect anyone to do those things for her. She was getting on with her life. She hadn't had any trouble from the men that had taken her and Loki in. She hadn't heard or seen anything that might mean Loki was back. It didn't matter, she just had to pretend everything was normal, and make things work, she had to make life better for herself.
Third Month. She was completely used to the idea of being by herself again. She didn't think much of what had happened only three short months ago. She was just going on, and she was getting back to being happy without much hesitation. She'd made a friend or two, but it was nothing major, just people she'd talk to while she was at work. She wasn't one to go out and party and spend nights out on the town anyway. Never had been.
Felicity had just left work, she was working in a department store, and was making okay money. It was enough to survive on. She could pay bills, buy food, had a little money to splurge with when she wanted. She was walking down the street, knowing it was only a block from her house. It wasn't late, but it was getting dark outside. She was going to get some take out Chinese food and watch some bad sitcoms for a bit before she went to bed. It seemed like a great plan for her night.
She was almost home when someone grabbed her arm and pulled her into an ally. She turned to hit the person that did it, but came face to face with Iron Man, and the super patriot. She blinked a bit, and her heart started racing. What the hell? She started to take a step back, but found herself pressed against someone that was now behind her. She glanced behind her to see the red head woman from before. What was going on? She moved herself so that she wasn't so close to any of the three of them, and took a deep breath. Three months of peace. Three months of none of this craziness. Why are they here now?
“Where is he hiding?”Iron Man asked, as he stood there, staring down at her.
“I have no clue...I haven't seen him in months.”She replied, as she looked between the three of them standing there surrounding her.
“Look...you're the last person to see him, and in the last month or so, there has been a lot of unexplained activity....you need to tell us where he is.”The woman spoke, crossing her arms over her chest, as if trying to intimidate Felicity.
“I'm telling you the truth, it's been three months since I've seen him....I have no idea where he could be, or what he's doing....and honestly, I find it a bit annoying that you assume that I'm some Gods babysitter!”Felicity cried out, throwing her hands out as she tried to defend herself,”I don't even know how to contact him.”
“Ma'm...why did he just leave you behind?”The one in red white and blue spoke, his voice calmer then the other two.
“I don't know, he said that he had things to take care of....that he'd come back....but he didn't....so I assume that....he's busy or that I'm no longer nearly the fun little toy he'd first thought.”Felicity answered, shaking her head,”I'm working, living in an apartment....and I eat Chinese take out, and ramen noodles most nights....I'm sorry but I'm not the person you need to be talking to.”
“We just had to cover our bases,”Iron Man spoke up,”Last we saw you, you were dead set on staying by his side, so when things start happening that seem to be Loki related, you were the person we needed to see first.”
“I can understand that, and honestly....if he were still here...I probably wouldn't tell you just the same....however, I don't know where he's at.”Felicity replied, as she looked down, and shook her head.
“Ma'm....is there any way we could convince you to help us?”The other man spoke, his arms resting easily at his side.
“Do you want my honest answer?”
“Of course.”
“No...because I still think that someone can change.”
The woman look taken aback at what Felicity had said before looking at the other two. They all just stood there for a moment, before the woman turned and looked at Felicity again, as if studying her. Felicity could say that she was a little uncomfortable with that. She didn't know if the woman was trying to see if she was lying, or if she was hiding anything, or what the woman was doing.
“Loki is nothing but dangerous...he's willing to try and kill his brother to take what he wants, you shouldn't be so quick to defend him.”The woman finally spoke.
“I'm not defending anyone, I'm simply speaking from person experience, sure, he set of my crazy radar a bit, but he didn't hurt me, if anything, he did what he could to do the opposite.”Felicity answered,”He's a god, completely capable of defending himself....I'm not his mother.”
“No...but you mean something to him for him to try so hard to keep you close by.”Iron Man spoke up,”Did he ever say anything more to you?”
“Not really...I asked him about what you all had told me before, but he tried to just blow it off like I didn't know what I was talking about, so I stopped pushing, only so many times you can hit a wall before you get a headache.”Felicity answered him, giving a small shrug.
“You make a good point, but I'm telling you now, he's back, there has been some strange things going on, and I should tell you, that you need to watch out.”Iron man said, shaking his head,”Though from the way you talk, I doubt you'll listen.”
“I'm listening, however, whatever I choose to do, it's because I want to live, not because I'm an idiot.”Felicity retorted simply, giving a bit of a smile,”I don't let my emotions decide what I do.”
The woman with the red hair gave a nod, as if she could respect what Felicity was saying. That was a small moment of relief. She didn't need these guys breathing down her neck, and trying to push her into doing something she wasn't okay with. She finally took a deep breath before looking back towards the street. She needed to go home. She needed to get out of her work clothes and get some food.
“Is there anything else you need?”Felicity asked after a moment of silence.
“No, just keep your eyes open, and watch your back.”Iron man answered, before taking off into the sky.
Felicity watched as the other two took off as well, and in a moments notice, just as quickly as they had arrived, they were gone. She let out a small breath of relief, before slipping out of the ally and starting home. She was going to order in. Let the Chinese food place deliver tonight. She did not want another experience like that this evening. She hurried into the apartment building, and rushed up the stairs. She wanted the safety of her sweat pants and her couch.
She got to her door, and grabbed the keys out of her pocket, and quickly unlocked the door and stepped inside. She shut the door and locked it behind her, before letting herself completely relax. No more crazy tonight. None. She wouldn't have it. She turned and as she did so, her heart stopped. There, stood Loki, in armor, looking ready for battle. She paused and her eyes went wide. He was back after all.
“Loki.”She said softly, and turned herself completely to face him, looking surprised.
“I've returned...I'm sorry for the delay.”He replied, giving a small nod of his head.
“Delay....Loki....it's been months....”She said, trying very hard not to sound breathless as she took him in.
“I'm aware, Felicity, I had things that I had to see completed before I could return.”Loki told her as he moved towards her.
“What's going on?”She asked, tilting her head to the side, her face full of questions that she wasn't sure she should ask right now.
“I have done what needed to be done, don't worry yourself with the rest.”He said as he brought his hands up to her face.
“I have to worry....those people...Iron man and his friends....they cornered me tonight on my way back here.”She said as she looked up in his eyes. She was astounded, but she wasn't in shock. She worried, seeing him dressed as a soldier, as the last time she saw him, he was simply wearing nice suits, coming off as someone with a lot of money on their hands.
“No need for worry anymore, they wont come near you again.”He tried to assure her.
“Where did you go?”She asked as she stood there, keeping her eyes on him, trying to see if she could detect or sort out the lie, if he chose to tell one.
“I returned home...there were things that I had to do, things that I needed to see through, to make sure I could complete what I'm on Earth to do.”He replied, answering her without giving her the whole truth.
Felicity pulled away from him and shook her head. She then turned and started towards the kitchen. This was about what he'd spoke of before. Taking Earth over as his kingdom. She bit her lip as she looked around, needing something to distract herself for a moment. She glanced back to see that he was following after her, looking worried.
“Loki, I told you before....if force, death, harm....if that's what you have on your agenda, I would not be a part of that.”She told him, her voice stern and angry.
“I must do what is necessary, Felicity, why can't you understand that?”
“Because I have flat seen that there is a part of you that doesn't want to hurt anyone, you're doing this out of spite, for whatever reason, and it makes you no better then a child throwing a fit.”She said as she turned to look at him.
“So you think that I am doing this because I'm nothing more then a child, selfish and impatient?”He asked, as he moved towards her.
“No...I think that you're trying to be the bad guy, when you know that it isn't really you.”She said, giving a bit if a shrug.
“I have everything to prove.”He said, raising his voice just slightly,”I can live with the consequences of my actions, but I must do what I'm burdened to do.”
“I don't believe that for a moment.”She replied, giving a small shrug as she took a step away from him.
“Because you have not lived my life, because you are simply a human.”He snapped as he tried moving towards her again.
“And you're a god....it's humans who are petty and selfish....You could be so much more then that if you wanted to.”She snapped right back, rolling her eyes at him,”If this...what you're saying....is what you really want....then you should go, I can protect myself,”
Loki stopped where he was and just stared at her for a moment. He had a look of grief on his face, and Felicity wished in that moment that she hadn't said anything. She took a moment to regain herself and moved towards him. Loki didn't move, he didn't say anything, he just stood there, his bright blue eyes watching her, lips tight and jaw set, his face almost set in stone. She stopped right in front of him, and looked up at his face, and frowned, shaking her head.
“You...you are better then this madness.”She said to him, as she reached up and ran her hand across the leather of his armor that covered his chest.
“Am I?”He asked after a few moments of silence.
“Yes.”She said quietly, giving a solid nod of her head.
“I wish I thought the same way you did.”He said as he looked at her for a moment, reaching up to brush her hair behind her ear.
“You could....you choose not to.”She replied, before slowly letting her hands drop away from him.
“Do you really want me to leave?”He asked, lowering his hand so that it rested on her shoulder.
“Do you really want to hurt innocent people?”She answered him with a question of her own.
“I want...”He said and looked away,”It doesn't matter what I want, it's what I have to do now.”
“It does matter....you could stop this, you could walk away....it's your choice.”She said as she started to move away from him again, fairly certain they were going to argue again.
“Felicity...do not make this hard for me, the decision has been made, and I must go through with it.”He said after a moment of silence.
“You speak as if you've made a deal with the devil.”She noted lightly.
“No devils, not this time....but I fear...”He said before stopping himself, shaking his head.
“What, Loki....what have you done?”She said, trying to push him to keep talking to her.
“I am bound in blood to do this, Felicity....it is no longer my choice.”He finally spoke before moving away from her.
Felicity stood there for a moment, before looking down at the floor. What did he mean by that? She wasn't sure she wanted to know. She took a deep breath before moving forward, walking back towards Loki as he slipped back into her living room. She shook her head and bit back the urge to throw something at him. What had he gotten himself into? She wanted to know, and if it was possible, help him.
“Loki.”She said as she touched his arm,”At least give me this much, and take the armor off....there is no war yet.”
“That, I can at least give you.”He replied, before disappearing again.
Felicity took the moment alone to go back to her room, so that she could change. She slipped into her room, shutting the door behind her and shed out of her dressy work clothing. She found a t-shit and some jeans and put them on, before sitting down to pull on some socks. She wasn't sure what was going to happen, but the knot in her stomach told her it wasn't anything good.
Once she was satisfied that she was presentable and comfortable, she stood and slipped back out of her room, and headed down the short hallway back into the living room. She wasn't surprised to see that Loki had returned already, but she was relieved to see that he was in one of those suits he seemed to enjoy wearing and not the armor looking ready for battle.
“We should leave this place, it's not safe if the Avengers know you're here.”Loki said as she took a seat on the couch.
“Not tonight.”She said simply.
“Then when?”
“Tomorrow....right now...after three months of normality, I just want to enjoy sleeping in my bed for one more night before you drag me all over the place again.”She replied as she looked up at him.
Loki walked over and took her arm, bringing her up from where she was sitting, and sighed a bit before leaning down, resting his head against her shoulder. Felicity didn't know what to do with this for a moment, she wanted to push him and tell him to bug off, but she didn't. He was burdened alright, but it wasn't with the need to have power. Something else, something he had chosen to do while he was away, was weighing down on him like nothing she'd ever seen before.
She reached up and took his face in her hands and pulled him up so that he was looking at her face. She frowned a bit as she watched him. He was being eaten away by something, and it made her stomach turn. He had made some sort of really poor decision, and she wanted to know what it was, what was going on in his head, but she stopped herself from asking. Now wasn't the time, as she was sure, in the days to come, she'd surely find out, and then she'd find a way to save him. Felicity couldn't understand why she had this need to save him from himself, but she did, she saw good in him, and wanted him to act on that, more then the bad, the tortured part of himself that he seemed to use to motivate his actions. Loki had no clue what was going through her head, and she was okay with that, as she reached up and pressed her lips to his cheek just lightly.
“You should rest.”He said softly,”We have much to do tomorrow.”
“I know.”She replied, though she made no notion to move from where she was standing.
Loki turned his face, where her lips were just resting against his face, and placed his own against hers. She didn't stop him, nor did she move away, as much as she was disagreeing with him right now, part of her wanted him to know that she wasn't interested in him leaving again, that she would stay by his side, though she was doing so to find a way to stop what he was going to do, more so then to accept it. She brought her arms up and wrapped them around his neck, as he pulled her just slightly closer. This was a mistake. She had told herself before, over and over again, that she would not think with her emotions, that she would not get attached to him. She was being an idiot, she was going to get hurt. She was forgetting about the thoughts that were running through her head as he scooped her up in his arms, and he began walking forward. Now, she was just curious, as to what was going to happen next. This, this was the beginning of something very dangerous.