Intertwine

19 - What Laufeyson?!

"You're an Avenger now Woodson, even if not all of them know it now."

"That's... great." I murmured, not paying any attention. "Fury I'm going to have to call you back." 

"Woodson I do not give you permission to-" Loki pressed the red button before Fury could even finish his sentence.

"What are you thinking?" He asked.

"How do you know I'm thinking anything."

"Besides knowing you well, I can read minds. Of course your mind was always slightly harder to read, all chaotic," he winked, "but do correct me if I'm wrong, but you just had sirens going off in your head and big blaring red word: trap." 

"I have to call Alina."

I dialled up her number. It rang out. 

"Come on Ali." I muttered, ringing again. It rang out. "One more time." I rang it. This time it picked up.

"Hey Ali-"

"Sorry Ro, I can't really talk right now."

"It's really important-"

"I'm in the middle of something, I'm going to have to ring you back." 

The phone clicked off. I looked up at Loki, who had a grim expression plastered onto his face.

"If there's one thing I know about that midgardian, it's that she likes to talk." He walked over to me, placing his hands on my shoulders. "I know you're worried, but you can't go out there."

I shrugged his hands off me. "What do you know about being worried about a friend. You abandoned me without looking back once."

"It wasn't like that." He sighed. 

"What was it like then?" I felt my temper rising. "Because from where I'm standing it looked a lot like a big fat betrayal."

He stepped forward, a placating hand out in front of him "Now, listen," I took a step back, "it really was far more complicated than it seems."

"No Loki, it was simple. I nearly fucking died after that night, and last I remember was you leaving me as I was shaking on the ground. I watched you get up and turn your back to me. I had blood running out of my ears! If Thor hadn't found me and taken me to Asgard and healed me there, I don't know where I would be now. And the immortal thing? Yeah, that really wasn't funny. I should have died at least 320 years ago. I shouldn't be alive right now. Do you know what a burden that is? Knowing I should be dead!" 

The hurt on his face was so clear it nearly made me feel guilty. His mouth was slightly open, his eyes holding a horror I didn't quite understand. "Roara, you are meant to be alive, I don't know how else to put it." He said quietly.

"NO! Loki I'm not! My family died! I watched them waste away, I pretended to be their nurses, or a nun, or whatever it took to be there holding their hands as they took their final breath. My sister, my younger sister, she forgot her name. She was in her eighties when she finally died. Every day I would come in and make her comfortable and she would ask who I was. Every single day. Until right at the end when she said I reminded her of her sister. Her sister who had gone missing years before. Because people were starting to notice Loki, that I hadn't got a single wrinkle on my face. Do you know what a fucking beautiful thing it is to age? I want laughter lines! I want my face to show all the emotions I've lived through. I am not meant to be here. I have great great great great nieces and nephews. That's too many greats! One of them is called Anna. She lives in London. She just won a photography competition for her photo documentary of racism in the work-place. It was beautiful. Do you know how old she is? 46!" I sighed and ran my hand through my hair. I kept forgetting how short it was. I'd never had short hair before.