Loki got up from his crouched position on the floor, stretching out his back. He dusted off his hands with a spare rag and let down his hair from its position high up on his head. He walked to retrieve his glasses he had abandoned on the desk Tony was now sound asleep on, a pencil balancing in his loose grip. He had sworn he was just resting his eyes. That over an hour ago. Loki pulled down the sleeves of his shirt, covering the battle scars adorning his skin. One by one, he turned off the monitors and lights on his way out the door, leaving a trail of darkness behind him. He tucked his jacket in the crook of his arm and locked the door behind him.
Luna sat at a bench in her lab, reviewing notes from the day. She lifted her head to yawn and spotted Loki passing by the open door. She waved at him.
"Hey. Are you and Tony finally done for the night?" She clicked her pen and closed her notebook, standing to greet him properly.
"Stark has been done for a while. He clearly lacks the stamina I have." Luna could only guess what that meant. She rubbed her forearm against her brow.
"I keep telling him to go home and sleep there. FRIDAY, could you please tell Ms. Potts that Tony will be very late for dinner? Again? And let Happy know when he wakes up so he can drive him home."
"I will relay your messages promptly," FRIDAY said. Luna sighed loudly and put her fists on her hips. She looked to Loki and checked out his appearance.
"What were you guys doing the whole time?"
"Taking the ship apart. I never believed it would be such delicate work."
"Told you it would be a challenge. If you're ready to leave, just hang on for a bit. I need to clean and double-check everything."
"You know where to find me," Loki said with a smirk. He continued down the hall, Luna's eyes lingering on him. She walked back into the lab and grabbed a spray bottle and proceeded to clean the tables.
Peter was seated on the couch once again, sitting upright with a laptop in front of him and a notebook by his side. Though busy as he seemed to be, his head was tilted back, and his eyes lay shut. Loki tossed his jacket down, startling Peter with the thump it made.
"Asleep again, I see," Loki said.
"No, I was just resting my eyes." Peter rubbed his eyes and smoothed out his hair.
"Could have fooled me and I am a hard one to fool." They both laughed a little at Loki's jest. Peter closed his notebook and powered down his computer.
"Do you know what time it is?"
"Time to leave, I suppose." Peter checked his watch.
"Oh man, that late? May is gonna kill me." Peter bounced his leg up and down. Silence crept into the room, more awkward than comfortable. They weren't sure what to do with themselves.
"What's with the glasses, Mr. Loki?" Peter spoke out. Loki looked at him, and down to the spectacles he hung on his shirt collar.
"An attempt at a disguise. They've been deceiving thus far."
"But don't you have magic powers or whatever? Why don't you use those?"
"A petty sorcerer cast a spell that blocks me from using them," Loki grumbled, crossing his arms.
"Aw man, that sucks." Distraction presented itself in the form of Luna knocking on the door frame and stepping into the room, bag in hand and wearing a flowery smile.
"Knock, knock. Peter, you ready?"
"Yes please." Peter slung his bag over his shoulder and caught up to her side. Loki joined her, receiving a suspicious eye from Peter. "We all going the same way?"
"Since I'm driving you home, I'm taking Loki to where he's staying as well," Luna said.
"How come he's not staying here? There's lots of room."
"He can't very well be here and have someone recognize him. We're trying not to cause a scene."
Once outside, Luna walked ahead, leaving Peter and Loki to walk behind her. They admired the sky, painted in pinks and oranges from the sun setting quick on the horizon. One by one, they turned their attention back to where they were walking. Peter glanced up at Loki.
"If it's any consolation, I think the glasses are cool. They remind me of Clark Kent."
"You're the second person who's said that to me. Who is this Kent individual?"
"He's Superman. Clark Kent is his human name so he can go around and do human things."
"So you know him personally?"
"No, he's a comic book character." Peter's cell phone rang, interrupting him. "Oh hey, May. I'm ok, I promise. No, we just got caught up doing science stuff. Yeah, I did my homework. No, we're leaving right now. Ok, see you at home. Love you." He hung up with a beep. "Sorry. My aunt always likes to check up on me. Uh, but yeah, he's an alien, and he was sent here when his planet got destroyed, and he was taken in by some nice people, and he grew up to be a superhero. If you want, I could show you some of my comics. Are you gonna be here next week?" The three stopped outside of Luna's car. All eyes were on Loki.
"Well, Loki, are you?" Luna said with a smirk.
"And miss out on what he wants to share with me?" Loki opened the passenger side door and got in. Peter looked at Luna in slight confusion.
"That means yes," she whispered. Peter gave a thumbs up and got in the back as Luna got in the driver's seat. Music playing and Peter glued to his phone, Luna backed out and exited the parking lot.
Peter smiled and waved goodbye as he walked into his apartment complex. Once he was safely inside, Luna pulled out of park and continued down the street. A calm settled in the car.
"Is he always like that?" Loki said.
"Like what?" Luna kept her gaze on the cars ahead.
"Like he plans to make friends with every person he meets." A red light offered the chance for Luna to look Loki square in the eye.
"Peter's addicted to friendship so be prepared. Though he pretends, the guy doesn't have a mean bone in his body, so I beg you ... please play nice with him," she said, more serious than the dead. They stared at each other, eyes shining from the lights outside.
"My reputation precedes me, but contrary to belief, I would never purposefully harm a child," Loki said, equally serious.
"Good." The light turned green, prompting Luna to look away from Loki. "He's been hurt enough in his life."
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The elevator ride gave them a chance to rest their aching feet, if only for a short duration. They each leaned against the back wall and flexed their toes to the best of their abilities.
"Would you like anything specific for dinner? We have leftovers, but I can always do something new." There Luna was, giving Loki choices again.
"Anything you come up with will be fine. If it's all the same to you, I would like to wash up first." Loki gestured to his attire.
"Oh yeah, of course. I plan on doing some laundry anyway so just give me what you're wearing, and I'll wash it for you." The elevator came to a stop, and the pair exited.
Upon locking the door, the two shed their jackets and shoes and went their own way, Loki to the bathroom along with a spare outfit and Luna to her room to change. The soft thump of clothes indicated it was safe for her to come out with a small hamper in hand. It slowly filled with Loki's clothes, the sheets he used, dish towels, and the like. The muffled sound of falling water is heard, and Luna empties the contents of the hamper into the washer. She parcels out some soap and starts the machine.
Luna leans against the clothes washer, feeling its subtle vibrations, and stares at the closed bathroom door. It seemed to her that she was always worrying and thinking about Loki. At work, at home, going to sleep, out at the store, wherever. How he was feeling, what he was doing, if he wanted to start a war with the government. If he did, she could relate, but that was beside the point. He seemed easy to understand, but he is, in fact, far from it. He's menacing and shy, intuitive and distant, strong and hurt.
She knew he looked more ok than he was but to inquire such things of him so early in their acquaintanceship was absurd. How would it feel if someone she met a week ago wanted to know everything about her? All of her deepest, darkest thoughts and feelings? Incredibly intrusive, that's what. She was doing her best to make Loki feel like she wasn't probing at him. Luna knew it took a long time to get to that level of comfort with someone because she hasn't reached it yet herself. If he wanted to be open, he would do so himself.
She retrieved her phone from her bag and looked through her social media. Being away from it all day earned her a little indulgence. There was more of the same: concert dates, movie premieres, political happenings, and humorous blog posts. Peter had posted a picture from inside the lab while her back was turned. No matter how many times Luna tells him not to, he always manages to sneak one. He likes to show off about the Stark Internship now that it's a real thing and not another name for when he went around looking out for the little guy.
Seeing as Loki was still taking his shower, she opted to have a little fun in his absence. She switched on her stereo, like she did every day, and connected her phone to it. A long day called for a specific kind of music. A peppy, happy song would work. One like 'Honolulu.'
Luna bounced along to the staccato guitar notes, being careful not to be too loud, occasionally stopping to reorganize or put something back in its proper place. She eased into a slower pace upon feeling her feet complain. She tossed the hair out of her eyes. A haircut was indeed in order. She came to a full stop to blow dust from her glasses, causing her to be able to hear the second verse.
"Oh, darlin' if you could read my mind. Oh, heaven knows what you would find."
Talk about a coincidence. What was she just thinking about not twenty minutes ago? She let out a breathy laugh. Sometimes music speaks what we cannot say aloud. What did Loki hear when he heard songs like these? Probably along the lines of 'human nonsense.' A god would not be concerned with such things, especially one like him.
Luna swayed a bit as she listened to the song fade out. She hoped for a song that didn't remind her of any strange feelings. Lucky for her, she got her wish. A gleeful smile broke out on her face, singing along as best she could as there are very few people that can adequately do it to 'Come On Eileen' from beginning to end and she's not one of them.
She danced around any open space she could, determined to get rid of any unsavory sensations. She felt the floor under her feet, the slight breeze as she moved her hands, her hair as she shook her head. It felt so good. She danced like no one was watching until, well, someone was.
"Must you always do that?" A low voice said behind her, startling her. She pressed a hand to her chest and faced Loki.
"Do what?" She said once she had caught her breath and her heart.
"What you're doing to the music playing."
"Oh, you mean dancing?" She raised her eyebrows amusingly.
"You call that dancing?" He furrowed his brow and contrasted it with a ghost of a smirk.
"On Asgard, did you not dance?" Luna moseyed closer to him.
"We certainly did but not like that."
"Well, if any Asgardian heard 'Come On Eileen,' I have a feeling they probably would." She walked to the refrigerator and opened the door, silently swearing to herself for letting someone see her dance. She eyeballed the shelves and their contents before calling back to Loki.
"We have leftover pasta and the sauce I made. You liked that, right?" He hummed in affirmation. Luna felt a little relieved that she didn't have to make anything. It was late, and the two of them were tired.
Not ten minutes later, Luna and Loki were seated side-by-side on the couch, replenishing their energy while absentmindedly watching a show on the television. Something about the Arctic. David Attenborough was narrating. Luna cleaned her bowl first and took this opportunity to put the laundry in the dryer. She sat back down in her spot and watched the penguins on the screen hunt for fish. She glanced to the side at Loki, who was staring off to the bottom of the TV. She mused about what his mind was on. He had that far-away look in his eyes so most likely nothing rosy. She wished Attenborough would appear and ask him. With the way he said things, Loki would probably tell him anything. But David was not about to turn up in her living room, so Luna was still stuck doing everything.
"Why did you come to Earth anyway?" She said in a soft voice. Maybe he wouldn't hear her, and they could go the rest of the night without talking.
"Didn't Stark tell you by now?" Damn. He did hear her.
"No. I thought I would ask you. Seemed more polite." She took a sip of her water.
"My brother asked me to go ahead of him. Thor is king and a king stays with his people." He answered, taking a sip of his own water.
"Makes sense, but you didn't look like someone that was simply sending a message when you got here. What happened after Asgard was gone?" Nothing. "You don't have to tell me, but I have a feeling that something awful went down. Am I right?" He took his time, but he spoke up.
"Our refugee ship was attacked." Luna gulped and appreciated the fact that Loki's gaze was affixed elsewhere. Her own expression was indeed not one to behold. Her heart squeezed itself in her chest. He wasn't just alone, and out of time, he was grieving. She measured her next words.
"And Thor held the attacker off for you? That's why he stayed behind?" A single nod came from Loki. "Wow," she whispered and looked at him. "Do you think he's ok?"
"I've always believed him to be too stubborn to die." They each let out a breathy, empty laugh. The slight smiles they wore did not come from their hearts. Their eyes looked up at the television, watching the images but not seeing them. Hearing the sounds coming from the speakers but not listening to them. Loki silently grieved for the people he and his brother were to shepherd into New Asgard on Earth. Luna grieved for the countless innocent lives fleeing a desperate situation, only to have their hopes crushed by someone with no regard for them. She held onto her glass, feeling its biting chill against her skin. She got that urge again, the one telling her to grab ahold of his hand and never let go. Still, she ignored it. It was invasive and patronizing.
Luna felt her eyes grow weary. She rubbed at them with the sides of her hands and got up to rinse Loki's bowl. As she opened her bedroom door, she reversed and plucked everything out of the dryer and plopped it all on her bed. She quickly sorted out Loki's items, folding them and bringing them to him. She set it on the spot she had been sitting in, whispering a soft "goodnight," and entered her room to maybe let sleep claim her.
However, sleep did not come readily to either of them, least of all Loki.
The room he lay in was dark, but his mind was filled with light, and not the friendly type. It was the kind that hurt, the kind that burned every neuron in the body. Screaming rang in his ears, but he couldn't tell if it came from his people or himself. He willed his body to move, but no such thing happened. Hands restrained him without touching him. He shut his eyes to block out the light and prayed to the Allfathers for darkness to take him away.
He gradually came to, opening his eyes slowly to see if he had indeed escaped. He saw the darkness he craved for in his dreams, but he wondered if it was real or another cruel trick to break him further. He sat up and stood to search for a nearby light source. If he made it turn on, maybe it was real. He felt around until his hand bumped a familiar shape. His fingertips brushed against what felt like a knob. He took a chance and turned it. Low and behold, the light did as it should and illuminated the area around it. Loki leaned against the wall and took in his surroundings. It was merely a dream, a fabrication of reality. He was no stranger to them, but it didn't make him enjoy their occasional visits any more than he did right now. Sleeping back would prove to be challenging as the images threatened to show themselves once more before sunrise. A distraction was needed.
Though he was already in the process of reading a book, he plucked a fresh one from the bookshelf and opened it. No matter its contents. He needed new pictures in his mind's eye. He read each word slowly to draw out time and ward sleep away. The stillness of the air around him made him feel safe in the meantime. He savored the moment.
Time kept passing him by, and he barely read two pages. His position on the floor was anything but comfortable. He put the book down and tilted his head to rest. What was he to do now that sleep had left him? The sound of a door opening and closing jerked him back to the present. Luna rounded the corner, straightening her sleep clothes and brushing her hair out of her eyes with her hands. She met his gaze from across the room and leaned against the wall.
"Hey." Loki would greet her back, but he didn't want to. He hoped it went without saying. "Can't sleep?" Obviously. She looked down at her feet in thought. "Do you like fantasy stories?" What a question. He gave a slight nod. "Have you ever seen Lord of the Rings?" Wait, what? Loki pushed himself up to stand. What was she on about?
"Is that one of your Midgardian moving pictures?" He walked closer to her, step by step, and she did the same.
"Yes, indeed, and we're going to watch it right now." She bent down to a separate shelf lined with thin books, all a similar size. She opened one and revealed not pages but a flat disc. She pressed a button on a black box, making it show a platform on which she placed the disc and pushed it closed.
"Whatever for?" Luna stood back up and grabbed remote after remote, turning on this and that until soft theme music and a title screen played.
"To put it plainly, we both need to sleep, and this movie is three hours long so buckle up and enjoy." She moved Loki's sheets out of the way and dropped down into the empty space. She patted the cushion next to her to coax Loki to sit.
Curiosity got the better of him, and he did so. Thor had spoken of these things before, and he was quite interested now as an opportunity to see one had presented itself. He found the voices sounded familiar, but he believed it to be a coincidence. His shoulders dropped down ever so slowly as the movie played. He could almost feel the warmth right through the screen. He favored theater for this very reason, and now he had the privilege to watch plays whenever he desired.
He hadn't been this enraptured in a story for a while. To forget all about time. It felt good. It felt a little like home. He always loved watching other people's lives play out in front of him. But he had never done it in the living room of a Midgardian providing him asylum, especially not with said Midgardian resting their head on him.
He felt the soft drop onto his shoulder, pulling him from the action. Sleep had claimed Luna as some point. Loki did his best to gently nudge her off of him without waking her, but his efforts were futile. If he left her, he would have nowhere to sleep should he choose to do so. He glanced down at her. There was one solution to this.
He put his arms underneath her and lifted her up, carefully carrying her to her room and laying her down, not bothering with a blanket. Must she wake from a chill, she could cover herself. He removed her glasses and placed them on her dresser. He walked back out and closed the door behind him.
He watched the movie until its end and switched off the machines. It was time again for the birds to wake and sing their early morning songs. They serenaded Loki, easing his mind to a state where he could accept sleep.
Loki lay his head to rest on the pillow beneath him, his thoughts consumed with wishes to see the next part of the story. Tales of hobbits, wizards, and beautiful elves accompanied him as sleep slowly claimed his body and mind.