A Stranger In A Strange Land

Untitled Part 7

The aromas of mown grass with citrus, bubblegum, and butterscotch came through the front door, bringing my solitude to an end. I didn't bother looking up as I typed away. Not even when bubblegum came up to my desk and demanded, "What do you think you're doing?"

"Working. I have a lot to catch up on. I go to Norway for a couple of days, and everything goes to hell," I answered. I shut my eyes against the glare as Sam turned the lights on. I really needed to get sunglasses to wear in this building.

I blinked to help my eyes adjust, and then I noticed that Sam, Bucky, and Steve were staring in my direction. I didn't bother to follow their line of sight. I already knew what they were staring at. "I thought you were going to take it easy for a while." Steve's voice was going into Lecture Mode.

"I am. No heavy lifting, no acrobatics...just sitting here typing."

"You're still moving that arm." Not really, not with how trussed up Loki had it. "Thor told us that burn went all the way to the bone." Steve stared at my upper arm and shoulder, wrapped in the neon pink gauze Loki insisted on using over the other copious amounts of wound dressing he had used.

I looked up. "Sorry, you can't see it. But if you want, you can sign it."

"Why hasn't it healed yet? I thought you healed fast." Sam helped himself to Nat's chair in front of my desk.

"The theory, that both Loki and Stephen came up with, is that since I was injured by a mystical creature, that the magic that imbued the acid is canceling out the magic that allows me to heal fast. As a result, I'm healing human-slow from the burn caused by said acid."

"All the more reason you should take some time off," Steve pointed out.

"Stephen already kicked me out of his house as soon as he saw my arm. I'll go crazy without something to do." Stephen had been kind but very firm in stating that I was not up to doing any magic anytime in the near future with how fucked up my arm was, so I wouldn't be going there for a while. I wasn't above begging Steve to let me work. Three days at Loki's home after returning from New Asgard had been more than enough. It wouldn't have been so bad if Loki had let me do anything. I was getting the same protective vibes from these three. I really didn't know who had White Knight syndrome the worst.

"Wait...Stephen and Loki agreed on something?" Bucky's skepticism wasn't unfounded, since the two magic users hated each other.

"I know, right? Don't tell them...I'm saving that for when one or both of them piss me off again." That might very well be tonight considering how crazy Loki had been driving me.

"Tracy..." Steve started again.

"Oh, for fuck's sake...I'm fine! It doesn't even hurt anymore thanks to the ointment the healer gave me before leaving New Asgard." Steve raised an eyebrow, because he knew that I had just fibbed. The man was almost as good a lie detector as I was.

"Is that what that smell is?" Sam asked.

"Yes, it stinks. Loki said that it and the pink gauze is an olfactory and visual reminder not to do something stupid again."

"He may have a point," Steve said without missing a beat.

Everyone was ganging up on me. It was frustrating, and kind of frightening.

"So why not just change the gauze?" Bucky asked, still staring.

"Already tried. Loki put on a nifty little spell to make it so only he can change the gauze and other dressings. I tested it this morning, and... well...the sparkles were the result."