Monsters and Magic

Chapter 74

Loki couldn't help chuckling at Bucky's whining. "I don't know. I'm sure Stark and Nat miss the little kitten. And I'm sure the Captain misses your company, Bucky," Loki teased.

Bucky rolled his eyes at the insinuation that he was gay for Steve. The insinuation was getting old. You smiled at the mention of your friends. "Everyone misses Pisoi when she's not around. I'm sure Steve does miss me, and Natal'ka will pretend she didn't miss either of us..." Bucky replied, thinking fondly of their friends.

"Buck, what's with the new nickname?" you finally got around to asking, since it clearly wasn't going away anytime soon.

Bucky chuckled. "I couldn't keep calling you 'vampire' now could I? 'Kitten' is much more fitting," he teased you warmly. You stuck your tongue out at him. Bucky was a great friend and you were close after your time together in Hydra, but he was also annoying at times, like deciding you needed yet another new nickname.

"I think it fits," Loki announced, deciding to speak in Russian to annoy Bucky. Those two loved annoying each other.

Bucky replied in Russian, which just annoyed you, since you didn't speak Russian. "Of course it fits," Bucky replied smoothly in Russian. "Your trick won't throw me. I know that Allspeak is exactly what it says on the tin," Loki switched to Bucky's native Romanian for his next reply, which just made Bucky laugh. "Natal'ka and I used to play this game too," he reminisced fondly.

The game continued as you walked back to the palace. The three of you switched between languages while Loki tried to find one Bucky didn't know. You made it through Spanish, Portuguese, German, Latin, Mandarin, and Japanese. You kept up with Spanish, Latin, Japanese, and Mandarin, though Bucky doesn't know Mandarin. You all signed together, still signing away as you entered the great hall for breakfast.

Frigga was already there and looked up at the three of you, smirking at your signing. "Good morning, darlings. What fun are you up to so early?" she knew Loki well enough to know that he was playing some kind of game, especially with how happy and relaxed he was.

"We are going through Midgardian languages. I was trying to find one Bucky doesn't know," Loki explained the game to his mother. It was a simple and silly little game.

"He won at Chinese," Bucky added with a smirk. He'd gotten more comfortable around Mama Frigga in his time on Asgard.

"You boys both beat me with most of them," you contributed, laughing. Frigga smiled warmly at the innocent game and seemed pleased that Loki had such a good friend in the soldier. You turned your attention to her. "Thank you for the jewel, Allmother, it is perfect for what I needed," you told her politely. She'd gone out of her way to get the jewel for your project, though she'd agreed readily enough when you'd explained that it was for her son.

You got a warm "It was no trouble dear," in reply. She turned to Loki and Bucky, who had continued their signed conversation. "There is a Midgardian language speaking with hands?" she asked curiously.

"Yes. It's for those who are deaf. I learned about it in a book I was reading while on Midgard," Loki explained.

"That and Clint uses it when he's too lazy to put his hearing aids in," you added. "So we all had to learn out of necessity,"

Loki nodded in agreement. "Barton is always lazy, so it has become a norm to see the team signing around the tower,"

Frigga laughed, but sobered quickly when a grumpy-looking Thor stomped in and over to your table. "What's wrong, darling?" she asked him, all motherly concern and care. Frigga loved her sons dearly, though she had a soft spot for her Loki.

Loki tensed at Thor's mood and pulled you closer to him as soon as Thor entered the hall. He didn't trust his brother to behave.

"It's nothing, mother," Thor said gruffly and fwumped into a chair on the other side of the table from you. You tensed in Loki's arms, worried, and borderline afraid of Thor's mood. Loki watched Thor too. Thor had only barely cooled his temper and had managed to get it down from pissed to upset. His temper snapped again and he glared at you. "That trick was cruel, lady," he growled at you, despite that you actually cowered from him and his anger, hiding in Loki's arms. "I expect that kind of behavior from my brother, but not from you..."