The Devil Is A Gentleman | Loki

22

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Avengers headquarters
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"Do you seriously think this is going to work, Tony?" Bruce asked nervously, pacing in circles around Stark's makeshift Bifrost chamber.

"Of course, it'll shoot us straight up there." Tony replied, "Well, It could either feel like flying or being torn in half. Either way it'll be a learning experience."

"You're awful" shot Natasha.

Tony held his hand up to his head in an overdramatic fainting motion before Steve intervened.
"So this is ready to go now? How much time do we have?"

"Not long is my honest answer. But she should be good to go by the end of the day"

Wanda emerged from her silence to say,
"When it comes to facing him - facing Loki - I want to make it slow. Make it hurt. Hurt him like he's hurt her."

This created a collective silence as the team thought about their mission. All anyone could think about was bringing Aria home, as safe and sound as she could be. But Steve's mind wandered to Thor. What would be his response to this? Of course he would save Aria in a heartbeat. But perhaps the problem of Loki needed better assessment.

"We don't need to hurt anyone." Steve spoke assertively over the silence. "We use the Bifrost, speak with Odin, find Aria with his help, and get her home. For all we know the King of the gods has already dealt with his son. It's not our place. We get in, get her, get out. Agreed?"

A series of nods were shared around the room.

"Wanda?"

The girl looked up from her contemplation at Steve and nodded along with the others.

Steve stood up from his chair and turned around, calling out as he made his way out of the room,
"Okay, Tony, get this production on the highway"

Natasha frowned at that, to which Tony responded, "i've been "teaching" him some modern phrases."

"Again, you're awful." She retorted, holding back a smirk.

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Asgard
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"So start from the beginning. When did Stark begin his experiments on you?" Loki asked tentatively. "Project Curunis" was all that had plagued his mind since their reunion, however if the humans had experimented on her he didn't want to bring it up in such a casual way. However, desperate times call for desperate measures. Loki had to get to the bottom of this.

"What on earth are you talking about?" Aria almost laughed

Loki widened his eyes, assuming Aria didn't have the same information he did.

"You mean to say that's not where your powers-"

"God no" Aria interjected, admittedly to Loki's relief. However questions still flooded his mind. What were the avengers planning with her? What made them think she was all that dangerous? What could they possibly want with her in a suit like that? A suit he was admittedly rather jealous of.
Nevertheless he didn't ask them. He first needed to assess how much she knew of her own powers before fitting them in a box.

"Truth be told they started here on Asgard. Frigga she- helped me sort of harness them"

Loki felt a pang of grief at the mention of his mother's name, but swiftly moved on.
"What do you mean?"

"She taught me to make a flower fly, the powers only grew from there.." Aria paused. She looked over her shoulder through the window, placing her hand over her strangely infected arm. She'd been wearing long sleeves over since her return to Asgard, and hadn't said a word of it to anyone.

Before she knew it, her eyes filled with tears, and she whispered. "I've killed someone, Loki. I've killed."

Loki was at a loss for words, Aria continued, "I can't take that away, ever..
Each time I use these powers it's like they become stronger but I become weaker. I'm no longer in control of my own mind and it sickens me. I feel like a monster."

Loki pushed his futile reservations away and held her hand in his.
"You don't have to feel like a monster around me." He said quietly.

Aria turned back towards him and smiled, sending stars soaring across his heart.

"We may not know what this is. But I know for a fact that you are not a monster."

"What am I going to do?"

"You are going to get some rest, Odin knows an energy surge like that is bound to drain the strongest of conjurors."

They stayed in each others company for a while after that. Perfectly safe in each other's presence. Aria fell asleep curled up on the bed, but Loki had duties to attend to as Odin.
Before he left the room, he covered Aria's shoulders with the quilt, and cast a dark look to the mountains.

He wasn't sure how Völva was involved in this. But nothing like this could happen without her influence in some way. Little did he know what was about to befall them both.
He looked at Aria's peaceful complexion while sleeping and felt a pang in his heart. He remembered the Curunis file and reached over to scratch at his left hand. Things were going to get much harder before they became much easier. He left for the throne room as Odin, the image of "project Curunis" flashing up in his mind, plaguing his thoughts of what was to come.

For now, he would fulfil his duties as King of Asgard in peace.
Until a certain team of humans burst through the grand doors.

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Hello my lovelies!
This one is quite short compared to others but I want to thank you for all the support!