Broken - (Loki x OC)

[The Puppeteer's Lesson]

               "Well if it isn't Little Stark," Loki's voice echoed as I stepped into the room. The sound of the door locking behind me signaled the beginning of my session with the infamous trickster, now my reluctant mentor.

               "It's Elizabeth Stark. You can call me Liz, though," I corrected him, firm in my assertion.

               "I know what your name is," Loki hissed, his tone dripping with disdain. "I think 'Little Stark' better suits you." I couldn't help but roll my eyes at his persistent taunting.

               "Anyways, I hear you have a power that you can't control," he continued, shifting the focus to the purpose of our meeting.

                Stepping forward, I nodded. "Yes, I can replicate myself. I can control when I spawn and clear them out, but I can't control them when they are spawned," I explained, a hint of frustration coloring my words. "They just tend to walk around aimlessly."

               "Show me," he demanded, a challenge in his tone.

               I complied, spawning a clone of myself. It immediately began to wander, defying my attempts to rein it in. "See?" I stated, my voice tinged with exasperation.

              Loki observed as my clone meandered about, then, with a calculated move, he tripped it. The clone fell, and I felt a surge of irritation at his unnecessary action. "Really," I said flatly, my annoyance palpable. "Was that really necessary?"

               "Try to make it get back up," he instructed, unperturbed by my frustration.

               "I don't know how," I snapped back, my patience wearing thin. "That's why I'm here. I'm trying to learn how to control them."

               "Just try," he insisted, his tone tinged with impatience.

               With a resigned sigh, I made several attempts to command my clone to rise, but to no avail. It remained inert, as though glued to the ground. "It's not working," I admitted, feeling defeated as I sank to the floor in frustration.

               A moment of silence passed before Loki offered guidance. "Focus your mind into the clone. Imagine you are the clone. Put yourself in its eyes, and imagine getting up off the ground," he instructed.

               Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and followed his guidance, picturing myself rising. When I opened my eyes, the clone remained motionless. "This is impossible. Nothing is happening," I sighed, feeling the weight of my inability to control my own power.

               Loki's response was a barb, stoking the flames of my frustration. "I figured you wouldn't be able to do it. You're just a pathetic girl who gives up after you can't manage to do one thing. No wonder your own mother kicked you out," he sneered.

               His words struck a nerve, igniting a fierce retort within me. "You've got some nerve to say that, considering you were always second place in your father's eyes," I shot back, my anger flaring.

               A flicker of surprise crossed Loki's face before he countered, "At least my mother cares about me, unlike yours."

               The exchange escalated until I found myself standing toe to toe with the god of mischief, our confrontation reaching a boiling point. "Well, at least my father cares about me," I spat, my voice laden with defiance.

             Loki's retort was swift, his words a calculated blow. "You mean the father you just met yesterday? Yeah, I don't think so, Little Stark," he taunted.

              Fury coursed through me, and for a moment, I entertained the urge to lash out physically. But before I could act, my clone, lying forgotten on the ground, surged to life, delivering a punch to Loki's face with startling force.

               Shock registered on Loki's face as he staggered back, a hand flying to his cheek. Without hesitation, I rushed to his side, my apology tumbling from my lips in a rush of panic. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean for that to happen," I gasped, offering a hand to help him up.

               Loki, however, brushed off my attempt at assistance, rising to his feet with a declaration that left me stunned. "It's fine, I wanted that to happen."

               Confusion knitted my brow as I processed his words. "Wait, what? What do you mean you wanted that to happen?" I questioned, struggling to comprehend his motives.

               "I purposely tried to get you mad to see if your clone would have a reaction," Loki explained, a note of satisfaction in his tone. "It obviously worked. What I didn't expect was for it to punch me, and for it to surprisingly hurt." He rubbed on his cheek again.

               As I mulled over Loki's intentions, I couldn't help but question the sincerity behind his provocations. However, delving into his motivations seemed like a perilous path, one best left unexplored.

               "Your mind is connected to your clone's. When you feel a really strong emotion about something, your clone will also feel it. Sometimes they will do the thing you think about doing, sometimes they won't. It depends on how motivated you are about completing that certain task. In this case, you were obviously very steadfast in punching me in the face, so that's why your clone did it for you," Loki elucidated, shedding light on the intricacies of our peculiar connection.

               His explanation prompted an awkward laugh from me, acknowledging the undeniable truth in his assessment. "So when you tripped my clone and I tried to get it back up, the reason why it never did is because I wasn't very determined in getting it up?" I sought clarification, piecing together the puzzle of my powers.

               "That is correct," Loki affirmed, his tone devoid of mockery, acknowledging my progress with a measure of respect.

               "Interesting. How do you know all this anyways?" I inquired, curious about the origins of his knowledge.

               "I've read about it in Asgard before. I find magic to be a very interesting topic," he responded casually, revealing a facet of his character that piqued my curiosity even further.

               For the remainder of our session, I delved into experimentation, honing my control over my clones through trial and error. Despite encountering obstacles along the way, I made strides in mastering basic tasks, each success fueling my determination to unravel the full extent of my abilities.

               As the hours slipped away, I glanced at my phone, noting the time with a sense of satisfaction. "Well, it's starting to get late, we should probably call it quits. Same time tomorrow?" I suggested, a lighthearted tone punctuating my words.

               "I guess...it's not like I can go anywhere," Loki quipped, his dry humor breaking through the tension that often defined our interactions.

               With a shared laugh, I bid him farewell and made my way to the door, where Tony awaited. As we journeyed back to the surface, our conversation flowed effortlessly, bridging the gap between us with each exchanged word.

               Upon reaching my room, I reflected on the day's events, Loki's presence lingering in my thoughts. Yet amidst the uncertainty, a glimmer of hope blossomed—a newfound connection with my father, forged through shared experiences and the promise of a future filled with possibilities.