A Feather's Trick ➸ Loki fanfiction

Chapter 9

"My sister should be back in a few days." Pietro began.

"Oh?" I raised my eyebrow.

"Which gives us to plenty of time to do whatever you'd like. As long as it's in the city." He added as an afterthought.

"I've never been here. I don't know what there is to do." I looked at him blankly. He looked pensive.

"I know just the thing." He snapped his fingers together as the idea came to him. "There is a mountain that overlooks the city."

"So we will be hiking?" I asked.

"We could take a shortcut." He wiggled his eyebrows.

"I won't deny it. It is quite beautiful." I breathed.

"It's not much, but it's home." He nodded.

The rolling green fields were accompanied by bubbling brooks. Birds chirped, flying above the grazing cattle. Its charm was undeniable. I could understand why Pietro would never want to leave, even after all he'd been through.

"Did you ever think about going away?" I asked. He turned to meet my gaze.

"Never," He said without thinking, "We always hoped Sokovia could become better than America."

"That seems unlikely." I muttered.

"We didn't know better. We thought we were making a difference with our protests." He shrugged.

"Were you?"

"It wasn't until HYDRA recruited to us that we were given a real opportunity."

"You say 'recruit' now. I thought you said they tortured you." I thought aloud.

"It was painful, yes. But we chose it. I do not regret it, and neither does Wanda."

"Regret..." I mused. He sensed my pause on the word.

"Even though we were both completely for it, it was my idea first. Wanda suffered as much if not more than I did. For that, I do feel guilt."

"Why should you feel guilt?" I argued. "It wasn't your fault. You weren't the one who tortured her." I ranted. He looked taken aback.

"No, but if it were not for me, we may not have been in that situation."

"You couldn't have stopped her, you said so yourself."

"No, I couldn't have." He chuckled. "But they pushed her, more than they needed to, I'm sure. And you know what I did?" He asked. I shook my head. "I did nothing. I could've and should've done more." His tone was bitter.

I didn't argue aloud, though privately I still believed he shouldn't feel guilty at all. If he felt guilty about something that wasn't his fault... Could Odin be right? Should I have been feeling guilty about Loki's mistake? Was Loki's mistake... my own? In some way? I shook my head to be rid of the thoughts.

We spent the next few days wandering Sokovia. It felt very mundane. It was actually quite fun. I didn't feel like a captive. I was sure Pietro didn't feel like a captor.

I soon found out Sokovia had more to offer than meets the eye. We visited the forests surrounding the city, observing the animals. When I caught Pietro staring at me, my heart couldn't help but flutter. It was almost as magical as Asgard. I shuddered, urging those thoughts away.

"Are you alright? Are you cold? Is it the wind?" He asked, concern lacing his voice.

"I'm fine. The wind can't bother me. I'm just remembering."

"As long as you don't forget."

"Forget?"

"About me." He gave me a small smile. "And my sister." He coughed, running his hand through his hair nervously. I noticed he did that when he was nervous, which wasn't very often.

"I could never forget." I scoffed. His eyes lit up. "You wouldn't let me." I rolled my eyes and he laughed.

"I wouldn't want an angel to forget me." He murmured.

"I'm not an angel." I nudged him. "I daresay it's an insult to what I truly am." I said thoughtfully. I hadn't considered it before, but it was true.

"You're an angel to me."

"I prefer the term Goddess. Goddess of Air to be exact."

"Of Air you say? Air and Speed go well together." He wiggled his eyebrows. "I thank you for my gift." He bowed solemnly.

"I had nothing to do with that. I haven't had my powers for a while now." I let slip despite myself.

"What? What powers?" His eyebrows furrowed.

"Exactly." I patted his shoulder awkwardly. "Let's go." I turned to lead the way back.

We finally circled back to the Maximoff's residence, laughing together the entire way.

"Pietro, stop!" I laughed, shoving him playfully.

"I will do no such thing." He dashed past me.

"That's not fair! You're cheating." I stomped my foot in an immature fashion.

"How am I cheating?"

"You can't be serious." I groaned. "I could beat you if you weren't cheating!" I yelled after him.

"Unlikely!" He called back, smirking. I huffed as I followed after him slowly.

He turned out to be a mischievous individual. I watched him closely. He reminded me of Loki then. I felt a flicker of sadness fill my heart. He stopped when he saw me looking at him. I brushed the feeling off.

"What?" He asked, smiling uncertainly.

"Nothing." I smiled back reassuringly. He didn't need to know. He had a lot of his own stuff to deal with. "You do know how you were cheating right?" I added.

"Hmm," He tapped his chin thoughtfully and leaned close, "Perhaps." He said popping the p. He froze when he looked behind me. "Wanda. You're back early."