Closing the door to Katherine's bedroom he walked back down the hall to the elevator. Bucky's mind was still blown at the depth of her magic. Every time he thought he knew everything she was capable of something else popped up. She was simply amazing. Pressing the call button he stood patiently for the glass enclosed lift to arrive. He knew she was protective of her brother, but even after seeing whatever she did with Loki she was still worried about him. It kind of reminded him of his and Steve's relationship from before his best friend and him received the serum.
Stepping inside the elevator he pressed the button for the team's communal floor and watched the city fall below him as he went up. Wondering what she and Thor saw, Bucky was curious to know what exactly Loki went through to have them so worried. Who was Thanos and what was his endgame with the Tesseract. That stupid cube had been ruining his and Steve's life for seventy years and here it was popping back up. Nothing good could ever come from it. The ding of the elevator let him know he was on his requested floor making him turn around and see Mathew readying to leave.
"I'll head down with you." Stepping out of the way he made room for his wheelchair. The other man raised his eyebrows in surprise, but didn't say anything as he drove his chair inside.
Pressing the button for the garage they went down in comfortable silence. He didn't know what to say to the other man. They didn't talk much, hell he didn't talk much to anyone outside of Steve and Katherine. People still made him nervous, be it him worried he'd hurt them or they coming after him. Not that he thought Mathew Blake could or would ever hurt him, it was just a tad bit awkward when he'd been actively pursuing this man's sister for five months.
"My sister likes you." Mathew peaks up at Bucky with a grin when the doors opened to the garage. "She hasn't said anything to me, but I know her and how she is with people. She likes you. Don't screw it up or you'll lose your chance with her."
Walking alongside him to his car Bucky asked, "What can I do to not screw it up?"
"Well, Kat can be a bit of a handful at the best of times as I think you know." Him and Buck share a laugh knowing just how much of a handful Katherine can be. "She's gonna tell you she doesn't do relationships which to be fair she doesn't, not in the traditional sense."
Walking towards his car Bucky asked Mathew what that meant. Opening his car door he drove up into the driver's side and closed it, rolling down the window Matt said, "You gotta understand she doesn't like putting all of her faith in one person. She's been hurt badly in the past so she never sticks with just one person. I don't think she's the kind that could get all they needed from just one..anyway she's gonna test to see how much you can handle. If you fail her test she'll think she was right and she'll cut you out."
Starting up his car Mathew clarified. "Now I'm not saying deal with it if you want her. Just know your limits and don't let her push you around. Boss her back." Thanking him for the advice he stepped back to let the other man pull out and drive off.
Okay that was a lot. The time he came from you went with one girl when you went steady. What Mathew was saying was Katherine wasn't just a one man kind of woman. Was that what she meant by sharing? Could he do that, share her with someone else. Having a lot to think about he went on a walk. Letting himself get swept away into the crowd Bucky thought his options over.
On one hand he couldn't handle what she wanted and he learned to just be her friend. On the other he had her, but she wouldn't just be his. Would the pros outweigh the cons for either option?
:::::::
June 13, 2015
Feeling refreshed and rested Katherine rolled onto her back and stretched as she pulled her phone out of her pocket. 7:00 AM the next day. Well damn, she had been more wiped than she thought. Sitting up she saw a tray of cold dinner on her bedside table. Must have been Natasha or Bucky. Needing a shower and a change of clothes she got out of bed and stripped as she made her way to the bathroom. She would need to take it easy today so as to not deplete herself so quickly. With that in mind Katherine took her time letting the hot water soak into her body as she washed.
Yesterday had definitely been a wild day, that's for sure. Here's hoping today went a little more normal. Exfoliating every inch of her skin Katherine rinsed before turning off the water and carefully stepped out to grab a towel.
Wrapping it tightly around herself after quickly drying off she crossed to the sink to brush her hair and teeth. Taking a look at herself in the foggy mirror showed her the dark circles under her glowing bluish white irises and her damp white blonde hair. Closing her eyes she tried to make them the hazel and auburn that she preferred, but when she opened them they were still the natural color she'd been born with.
Frowning, Kat glared at her otherworldly appearance. This is what had made it so hard to blend in when she was a child. It took her years to be able to control her appearance and by then everyone in their neighborhood had thought she was a freak. At first they thought she was an albino or something, but normal people's eyes didn't glow white with a burning blue ring of fire. Spitting and rinsing her mouth she left the bathroom to get dressed.
While it was June she would be staying inside today Kat wore a hoodie to help cover her hair and added in some sunglasses to hide her eyes. Stomach rumbling, she reluctantly left her bedroom for the kitchen. She kept her head down as she made her way to the elevator in the hopes that if she did run into Natasha, Wanda or Pietro they wouldn't see her freaky appearance. No such luck.
Just as the elevator doors were closing the speedster was suddenly standing next to her. Ever the flirt, Pietro greeted her. "Morning, krasivaya. Feeling better this morning?"
"Hmm." She hummed in response trying to avoid actual conversation.
"Do you have a magic hangover or something?" He asked, gesturing at her sunglasses and hoodie layered over her black jean shorts.
"Something like that. Wanna press the button for the kitchen?" Doing as she asked he then leaned across from her tilting his head to the side. "What are you staring at, Maximoff?"
Pointing at his eyes he nods towards her face. "Your eyes are glowing through your sunglasses." Clenching her jaw she takes them off and stuffs them into her pocket. So much for hiding one of her biggest flaws.
The silver haired man slowly walked towards her to get a closer look at her eyes. Not one to back down, she stared right back. "Your eyes are the most beautiful colors I've ever seen. Why do you hide them?" He asked, his accent heavy as he tilted her face up to his to get a better look.
"You don't think they're weird?" Pietro shook his head no. "Most people get scared when they see my eyes." Pulling down her hood she showed him her hair. "I hide them because this reminds them that I'm different and normal people are scared of people who are different from them."
"Normal is overrated, isn't that right Sergeant Barnes and Captain Rogers?" He asked, playing with a strand of her hair. Katherine's eyes flick over to the doors to see Bucky and Steve standing there watching them. Fighting back the desperate urge to cover her head and put her sunglasses back on, she stood there looking right at them as if daring them to say anything.
Smiling at her, Bucky nudges his best friend's arm. "Steve and I haven't been normal in over seven decades so I would say so. You should power down more often, you look beautiful, doll."
Fighting back a blush Katherine stared at Bucky and the other man who nodded at his sentiment with a frown on her face. Touching their minds she saw that they were being truthful. Shifting from one foot to the other she tucked her hair behind her ears and avoided their gaze. Outside of her brother, mother and Tony no one had ever had anything positive to say about her natural appearance. She didn't know how to handle it so she didn't say anything at all.
As soon as the doors opened she pushed past them all and headed straight for the coffee maker. She needed caffeine before she could even think of handling anymore people. Avoiding the curious looks from Sam and Clint, Katherine poured herself a large tumbler of coffee and dumped several spoonfuls of sugar and a healthy helping of creamer into it. She walked over to the living room and hunkered down in her usual chair by the large windows and breathed in the heavenly scent of cinnamon and vanilla.
For the most part everyone left her alone until Tony came down. Already knowing what she looked like and not caring one bit he came over to check on her. "Hey Tonks, how are you feeling today?" He asked, sitting on the footstool in front of her chair.
Gesturing at her face with a scowl she said, "How do you think I'm doing?"
"Beautifully, what else is new? Now that you're up, do you think you can show me what you saw? I'm thinking more mind reading than mind melding." Snorting out a laugh she nods and rolls her eyes at the third man to call her that today.
"Sure, but you get Fury and I'll grab Steve so I can do this all at once. I need to hibernate my brain after yesterday's godfest."
"Understandable. I'll go grab Nick and meet you and Rogers in the conference room in twenty minutes." Getting up he makes his way over to pour himself his own coffee. Tony prefers his strong and dark with no extra frills. She didn't know how him, Steve or Bucky could drink it that way.
Shuddering at the thought she went back to drinking her heaven in a cup and watched the people down on the streets scurry about their morning. Today was looking fairly nice for mid June, the weather was slowly heating up but not too badly. Maybe later today if she could fix her hair and eyes she'd go on a walk or more likely tonight.
Her decent mood was interrupted by Loki's arrival to have breakfast. She watched as he looked around unsure where anything was or what he could eat. 'Spangles, the princeling needs sustenance.'
Steve glanced over his shoulder at her with a raised brow before looking over at the prince who'd probably never fended for himself. "Loki, we kind of help ourselves in the morning except on Sundays when we have breakfast together." He showed him where the cereal and bowls were and got out the milk from the fridge.
The Asgardian ran his hands over his armor as his eyes flicked around at Sam, Pietro, Bucky and Clint before stopping on her for a moment. "Thank you, Captain."
"You're welcome, but it was Kat who noticed you needed help." That star spangled snitch. She glared at him for telling the menace she'd silently helped him at all. Loki gave her a nod in thanks as he looked at his options of breakfast cereals.
Watching in amusement as he poured a little of each in his hand to taste them Katherine continued to drink her now cooler coffee. Settling on Fruit loops he filled his bowl and then looked at the gallon of milk and then over at her. Rolling her eyes she mimed pouring it into the bowl which he carefully did.
Dipping his spoon in the bowl he took a bite and then smiled at the taste. She wished she could be happy with something as simple as eating cereal as he was. Finishing up her drink she headed over to the sink to rinse out her cup and put it in the dishwasher.
"Come on Capsicle, time to go report to Fury." He glares at her use of Tony's favorite nickname for him. 'That's what you get for snitching.' Pursing his lips he washed his breakfast dishes and follows her to the elevator.
Pressing the call button he says, "I heard you and Tony mention something about mind reading?"
"Yeah, gonna show you guys the easy way what I saw about this Thanos guy." Poking his muscled stomach she teases. "You lucked out, no makeout session today, Spangles." Laughing uneasily he holds the doors open for her to step into the elevator.
"If I can, I'll avoid that kind of show and tell. It's a bit much to have that much knowledge shoved in your brain all at once." He furrows his brow in remembrance of the one time he'd volunteered to see her memories of how she had helped the day of the attack on the city and what else she'd done when she came up on the Avenger's radar.
Wiggling her eyebrows up and down at him she flirted. "For sure, but who knew Captain America could kiss like that? I for one wouldn't mind it happening again, but strictly in a non-work capacity." Bucky's wide steel blue eyes were the last thing she saw as the doors closed. Gotta keep him on his toes she chuckled to herself.
:::::::
Glancing from Barnes to the now closed lift, Loki asked, "Does she flirt with everyone or just soldiers?"
"Not everyone, but most." The silver haired man says with a grin as he strolled over to set his empty bowl in the sink. The metal armed soldier narrowed his eyes on the other man before clearing his face of all expression.
He was interested in the witch, likewise she was interested in Barnes, but she was keeping her options open. Maybe they were more alike than he initially thought.
Finishing his sugary meal he took his bowl and spoon to the sink and rinsed it out before putting it in the contraption Katherine and Rogers put theirs. After ascertaining that no one else was going to use the milk or cereal he put them back where they belonged and went to sit in Katherine's chair. Conjuring one of the books Thor had graciously brought from home for him Loki settled down to read for a while.
The longer he sat there the more Avenger's came down to break their fast. Most ignored him, but the occasional snide comment was made. Choosing to ignore them himself Loki tried to focus on the book of spells and incantations that had been his mother's. He could feel several pairs of eyes on him, not able to ignore the tension any longer he looked up to see Barton glaring at him.
He knew the archer wasn't ready to hear his apology so he refrained, but acknowledged him with a simple nod of his head. Shifting his eyes he saw Romanoff closely watching, but not interfering. Sighing he stood up and began to leave the room he clearly wasn't wanted in. Barton mumbled something under his breath. Stilling just passed the man Loki straightened to his full height and then continued on his way back up to his chamber.
After yesterday's.. excitement he'd stick to his rooms once he woke up to avoid this exact situation. He wished Thor would return quickly so that he wouldn't be alone amongst people who hated him. Entering his rooms he set aside his book and went through his trunks to put away his things. Having been imprisoned he hadn't packed much other than what few books, letters and drawings he'd had in his cell, but his brother had had his servants pack for him.
The largest trunk was full of clothes, boots and armor. Another smaller trunk had his letter writing box and drawing pencils along with paints and brushes. The third and final trunk made him catch his breath at what was inside. Several rolled up paintings of his and Thor's mother as well as paintings he recognized from her chambers from when they were children of him, Thor and their parents.
Stripping off his armor and long Asgardian leather jacket he carefully took the portraits out and set them on the bed then got to work assembling the frames that were packed at the bottom of the trunk. He would most definitely have to thank his brother for all of the thoughtful gifts to make his stay on Midgard easier.
A few hours later a firm knock that he'd know anywhere sounded on his door. "Come in, brother." Turning he saw Thor on the threshold cautious to enter. "I did say come in did I not?"
"You did, but what you say isn't always what you mean." Looking around at his room Thor inquired, "You found everything to your liking?" He inclined his head, clasping his hands behind his back to keep them busy.
"I won't be going back home often, but if you give me a list of books I'll have your manservant gather them up." His brother came over to look at the largest portrait of their beautiful mother that was hung above the couch in the sitting area.
Awkward would be the best description for this interaction between brothers who've been at odds for so long. "Thank you for the books and mother's paintings. I greatly appreciate them." He stiltedly nodded at the small family portrait that had been done eight centuries ago.
"You're more than welcome, Loki. I only wish I could do more." Patting his back Thor inclined his head and then turned to leave. Not sure how to go about starting over he hesitated a second before calling out.
"How does our father fare?" He grimaces at his lame attempt at conversation, but sticks with his inquiry. Turning back round to face him, Thor's look of surprise became a genuine smile.
"He is father." He states simply, his smile dims a little. "He is lonely and misses mother, but he's thrown himself into ruling to keep himself busy." A concentrated expression crosses his face as he pats his chest plate and then reaches inside to pull out something small. "Father wanted me to give this to you. He said she would have wanted you to have it."
Opening the small wooden box carved with leaves and flowers Loki blinked back tears of grief. Nestled inside was the ring she wore given to her from him when he was younger. It was a snake worked into a perfect golden circle biting its own tail with emeralds in place of its eyes. Roughly clearing his throat Loki attempted to thank him, but no words would come out.
Seeing his younger brother overcome with emotion Thor tentatively stepped closer to wrap an arm around his slightly shaking shoulders. "I nev-never meant for her to die. I'm so sorry." Fully embracing his older brother Loki openly wept for the first time since Frigga had died.
"I know." No other words were exchanged as the brothers shared in their mutual grief for their beloved mother. After a few minutes Loki gathered himself as best he could and stepped back, swiping at his tear stained face.
Thor discreetly wiped away his own. Ever hopeful that his younger brother and he could repair what was once broken he asked. "I would like to start again. Be brother's again. Would that be possible, do you think?"
Straightening his green and black shirt Loki looked anywhere but at his brother. "I wouldn't say no to trying. For mother's sake."
Giving him a crooked smile Thor nodded. "Right, for mother's sake." Pointing up, he invited Loki to come with him. "If you would like to join me for the midday meal we can talk some more." Nodding he strode over leaving behind his jacket and armor and followed his brother up to the communal floor.