A New York Secret

Chapter Eighty-Three

In Steve's apartment, Loki grunted as he turned on the couch, trying his damndest to get comfortable, but found it to be futile. Everything on his body hurt. He just stared at the ceiling, hoping he could fall back asleep.

When he heard a knock on the door, he groaned and muttered to himself for a moment. "Who is it?" He called out, not really wanting to see anyone.

"It-It's James," Bucky answered. "Steve sent me with some food for you." It wasn't really the case, but James needed something that would prompt Loki to let him in.

Loki took a minute to think it over. Part of him wanted to be stubborn and decline, but the hunger pains were becoming unbearable. "Fine, you can bring the food." He finally called out.

James placed his hand on the door scanner, happy to know how to work it. When the door clicked, he pushed it open and stepped inside. "I brought some sandwiches and chips for you," he told him.

"Thank you. You can leave them on the little table." Loki said politely. He knew what would come next, but he had no interest in being questioned. He didn't even have interest in attempting the monumental task of sitting up at the moment.

"Do you need anything?" James asked. "You don't look very comfortable. I can see about getting something for pain."

"That would require being under the care of a physician, which I am not interested in." Loki said simply. He slowly turned onto his side, then looked at the empty-handed James. "Do you always falsely claim food to gain entrance?" He grumbled.

James pointed to the coffee table. "I didn't lie," he told him. "It's ham, cheese, tomato, lettuce, and mayo."

Loki glanced down and saw the food but stopped himself from reaching for it. As hungry as he was, he knew better. "What is it going to cost me?" He asked, knowing James was there for more than just a food delivery.

"Just to talk," he answered. "Nothing more than that."

"I will agree to listen. Anything past that is solely at my discretion. Is that enough of a deal for the food?" Loki asked, hoping it would be.

James nodded and sat in a chair adjacent to the couch. "What do you want to know?" he asked. Loki had to have questions of his own.

Loki slowly forced himself into a sitting position, then reached forward for two of the sandwiches. "That's what I should be asking you. You go first." He said, not wanting to ask anything that might give them reason to doubt his story.

"What happened to you?" James questioned.

"Nothing really, just ran into some typical trouble. It happens to me often." Loki answered, being as truthful as possible. He quickly finished the first sandwich and started on the second.

"How long did it feel like?" He asked next. "Did feel like you were gone for a while?"

"Days tend to blend into each other. In some ways, it felt like a day, and in some ways, an eternity." Loki said truthfully. He quickly finished the second sandwich, then grabbed the glass of water Steve had left for him. When he did, he saw the note, which he picked up, but frowned at.

"You were gone almost seven months," James told him.

Loki just sat there for a moment, trying to wrap his head around what James had just told him. After seven months, they shouldn't care at all about him in any way. "Alright, my turn." He finally said as he took a bag of chips from the table. "Why does it matter?" He asked, sincerely wanting to know.

"You made friends here. Family of sorts. So, when you vanished... it... hurt a few people," James answered. "But I guess in a way I could thank you. Emily saved my life."