Once again the familiar stress entered my system, and I needed to work it out of me. I quickly grabbed some black gym shorts and a black vest top from my room draws and dug my hands into my satchel to find so in ear earphones. I quickly plugged in the earphones and slipped my phone into my short pocket. As I entered the gym I noticed the all too familiar thoughts of Steve Rodgers,
‘stupid Loki, I hate him, he’s on this ship for one reason, to cooperate!’ his punches against the swinging gym bag intensified with every word he thought. I sighed and walked over to another punching bag, and quickly changed the song on my phone to fit he work out mood, ‘Superbad by flux Pavilion and Doctor P.’ I smiled as I drew my leg back and struck the bag, viciously hoping to get rid of all my stress as quickly as possible. But once again I was interrupted by Steve’s thoughts,
‘I wonder if I should talk to her?’ I rolled my eyes and blocked his thoughts once again, I stepped away from the bag, and then lunged forwards aiming a side kick to the leather covered weight, causing it to cripple. I sighed and pulled out my in ear earphone’s and quickly took away the broken bag and quickly replaced it, with an equal. I turned away to see Steve Rodgers staring at me around his own punching bag,
“hi Steve.” I said half-heartedly, after what Loki said I think it was best for me to act as distant as possible, without being unfriendly. I turned away quickly and went back to my own punching bag,
“Liberty, what do you think about me?” I swallowed hard, and placed my pale hands against the dark leather bag,
“I think you’re a nice man, and any girl would be lucky to have you.” I nodded to myself and sighed as I rested my forehead against the bag, I heard his footsteps coming closer to me, I slowly turned around to reveal him standing less than ten centimetres from me,
“do you really mean that Liberty?” I nodded and looked up into his sky blue eyes,
“I know you’ll find someone Steve.” I sighed and looked down at my converse covered shoes, this was painful but I knew Steve deserved someone and that someone could never be me.
“I think I have found someone Liberty.” He leaned closer to me, as I took several steps away from him,
“Steve you know you can’t be with me, please just stop before you hurt yourself.” Ducked my head beneath a curtain of my hair, and made my way towards the door, then he suddenly shouted,
“So you’d rather be with a monster than a man?” I sighed and opened the door in front of me, and looked over my shoulder,
“maybe I do.” I quickly slammed the door behind me as I ran towards my room. I felt so confused, so hurt, and so guilty. I looked the door behind me, and slammed my back against it, as my chest heaved heavily, how did I feel about Loki?
I unplugged my earphones from my phone and played aloud, ‘Call Me by Shinedown.’ I sat on my bed waiting and hoping for some sort of announcement, but suddenly quiet murmuring made be sit upright on the plush bed, I walked towards my door and began to walk down the hall towards the second observation deck. The murmuring got louder and louder as I grew closer, as I got even closer it became loud nonverbal and verbal shouting, between Steve and Loki. I carried on walking down the hall as if everything was happing in slow motion; soon both the strong men came into view. Loki’s face was bruised and blood, Steve was hunched over clutching at his ribs as he lunged at Loki with a kick from his leather booted foot. I stood frozen as time finally began to catch up, suddenly everything was happening to fast, Loki was hit with a right hook under his chin causing him to be launched backwards into the white wash wall behind me, as Steve screamed at him,
“you don’t deserve anything from Liberty.” He swung back his right foot, I couldn’t see Loki just lie there and take these hits. I closed my eyes tight and screamed mentally, causing blood to trickle from my nose, and Steve to recoil in pain. Suddenly footsteps pounded loudly against the metallic floor,
“what is going on here brother?” I looked behind me to see Thor standing with his hammer in hand, and a stormy look shading his eyes. Loki’s breathe came out in hard gasps as he pushed himself up from the metal floor,
“nothing brother, just a small altercation between myself and Mr Rodgers.” Loki wiped his hand across his bloody lips,
“It better be nothing more than that Loki.” I looked at Nick Fury who was scowling with his one eye at the battered forms of Steve and Loki. Thor approached Loki with sympathy in his eyes,
“Brother are you ok?” Loki batted away Thor’s outreached arm,
“Thor do not baby me, I’m fine. Worry about your Captain America.” Thor looked from his brother to see a hunched over Steve Rodgers; Thor quickly lifted the limp body onto his shoulders causing the body to groan, as the avengers walked away with the injured Steve Rodgers leaving me with a bruised bloody and battered Loki.
I looked behind me to see the retreating figures of the avengers. Apart of me wanted me to follow them, but as I looked at Loki I knew I had to help him like he helped me. I walked quickly over to his swaying form, and as soon as I reached him he collapsed to his knees. I looked around me, there was no one here. I quickly met Loki on the ground, he looked up at me with dark green eyes, I reached out for him, he flinched backwards and looked me dead in the eyes,
“I don’t need your help.” He tried to push himself up with his shaky arms, which he did; he stood up tall and powerful, but suddenly faltered causing him to fall forward. But he caught himself, as he clutched hard at the metal railing of the observation window. He pulled himself back up and leaned himself against the white wash wall, his lips where tight in pain, and his body crooked with injuries,
“let me help you Loki, like you helped me.” He chuckled deeply, and shook his head causing his hair to fall forward,
“why did Steve Rodgers attack me Liberty was it because of what you said, or was it because of what I said to him after he explain what you said?” I was taken aback by his question, but I stepped towards his leaning and bloody form,
“what did you say to him Loki?” he chuckled again and leaned towards, clutching the railing, his lips where close to mine and his eyes where piercing,
“that there was no surprise to your answer, if you were with me you could finally experience a relationship, you could truly experience love. But with Steve Rodgers the closest thing you would get would be a cold un-touching friendliness.” And just like that I slapped him, but straight away my wrist was gripped in a vice and I was pulled forwards,
“would you rather lead him on for the time here making him believe that there was a chance in hell he could be with you? When you know you want and can be with me?” my breath was caught in my throat as Loki’s cold lips pressed against my ear, I leaned back and looked at him shocked and hurt,
“I’d never want to do that to him.” I turned away from the laughing form of Loki, and looked to my cold burning hand. Suddenly Loki’s maniacal laughed with a hiss of pain. I quickly twisted around to see Loki wiping away dark red blood from his mouth,
“Just let me help you to your room Loki.” he stared at his blood covered hand and then to me with blood shot eyes,
“fine.” Suddenly he held a hand up to me pausing any verbal speech from me,
“listen Liberty.” I broke down my mental wall to hear the worried mental voice of Steve,
‘where is Liberty? Is she with that monster? I’m going to kill Loki!’ I gasped in shock at the pure hatred that had been poured into his words,
“let’s go.” I simply stated, Loki nodded with a tight lipped mouth and an arm curled around his crooked waist, I hooked my own arm around his weak form as we walked quickly through the quiet halls towards his room located in a row of agent rooms, I quickly opened the door and used my own shoulder to push it open. Loki pushed himself away from me and crawled onto his bed, he hissed again as he swung his legs over the edge and sat up straight, he began to pull away his armoured jacket, revealing a plain black buttoned up shirt. The few signs of physical injury looked painful, so I dared to think how bad the rest of his physical injuries were.
I stood awkwardly in the door way as Loki sat tense and squared shouldered on his bed, I slowly crept into the room and closed the door behind me.
“Loki, are you ok?” he looked away from his feet and up to me, his eyes shadowed, he smiled showing bloody teeth, I paused a gasp.
“To you do I look ok Liberty?” I knew he wasn’t ok, but right now the extent of his injuries where unknown to me,
“no you don’t look ok, but I don’t know what’s wrong with you either Loki.” he nodded and stretched his shoulder blades causing his muscles to ripple underneath his black shirt. I sighed and walked closer to Loki and sat next to him on the edge of his bed,
“what did Steve do to you?” he looked at me and slowly and painstakingly pulled up his black shirt to reveal a twisted and bruised rib cage, I reached out to touch it but quickly withdrew my hand, Loki chuckled deeply.
“You’re not going to hurt me Liberty.” I sighed and placed my warm hand against his cold skin, I could feel each broken rid underneath his swollen and dark skin. I looked up at him and pulled away my hand from his injured side, he pulled his shirt back down and looked at me with a pained smile,
“there is nothing you can do Liberty but I can promise I will be fine tomorrow, but I cannot promise the same for Steve Rodgers.” I nodded and got up off the bed, and walked towards the door, and as I shut the door, I couldn’t help looking over my shoulder at the hurt and harmed Loki, with some sort of guilt for Steve’s actions towards the God of mischief.