Winter's Nightmare

Before the Party

Lia's POV at her house

After her training turned induction into the Avengers, Lia's excitement had turned into fear and hopelessness. Yes she was still excited, but she was afraid she'd let them down or not be good enough. Needing a break she had teleported back to her house. She needed space from their expectations. Her quiet house in the woods gave her that. Still feeling cooped up she decided to go for a walk along the path that was behind her house.

She loved going to the small pond that was her favorite spot to hide away. All of the greenery almost reminded her of Washington. All she needed was some rain and it'd be complete. Lia was almost to the pond when she felt a presence behind her. She continued along the path at her slow and steady pace like nothing was wrong. Reaching out her mind to search for who was there. She heard a familiar chuckle. "It's only me, pet."

Turning slightly she saw Loki step out of the shadows. "How do you pull the shadows around you like that?" She asked with genuine curiosity.

Loki smirked down at her. "Centuries of practice." Continuing on her way with him by her side she hoped she'd learn much quicker than that. It would definitely be a useful skill to have. She didn't have centuries, but with the serum she would have a longer life span than she would have had before. "What brought you out here to mope about on your special day?" He asked while keeping pace with her.

She hadn't known Loki long, but they certainly knew each well enough after two months to know when one needed the other. He had quickly become her best friend and she could tell him anything knowing he would never judge her. "The fears of my inadequacies."

Before he could say anything she continued. "What if I fail them, Ki? What if someone gets hurt or dies because of me? I don't mean because of a faceless stranger. What if Tony or Steve or any of the team dies because I wasn't good enough?" The pond slowly comes into view as Loki takes his time thinking before answering.

They stop at the waters edge looking out at the woods beyond the pond. "I have the same fear, Aurelia." He says before looking down at her. "You and I have done far more bad to people than we've helped them. The fear that we will let the people we care about most down is a normal fear. Knowing that it is a normal fear doesn't stop it from being terrifying."

Lia stepped up closer to Loki and laid her head against his arm. He always seemed know exactly what she was thinking and feeling. She didn't have to hide her dark thoughts from him. She still talked a couple times a week with Olivia, but sometimes. Sometimes you just needed to voice that darkness inside you with someone who had their own darkness and didn't judge you for it.

She could feel him looking down at her. Bringing her gaze up to his she saw a twinkle in his eye which usually meant mischief. That was Lia and Loki's thing; if one was having a hard time they would spill out their darkness to the other. Then the listener would bring them out of their funk with a trick or prank. "What do you have planned, oh ticksty god of Mischief?" He knew just what to do to pull her back from the darkness.

"I have a treat not a trick. You have to come back to the Compound though. No more darkness today. Today we celebrate our Beautiful Nightmare's great achievement." It was with Loki's help that she had embraced her Hydra code name. He told her that she should turn it back on the people who had made her. Becoming their worst nightmare.

Her interest was peaked. Loki wasn't a big gift giver, but she wasn't one to turn down a gift from a friend. Especially a friend who wasn't from this galaxy and had access to really cool stuff. "You've got yourself a deal, Ki. Wanna come with me or do you want to walk back?"

Sighing, he begrudgingly agreed to teleport with her. It wasn't his favorite thing to do, but Lia knew Loki was too much of priss to walk the ten miles back to the Compound. He held his arms out. "Come on then, up."