Loki, Unraveled|| NovaVerse 2

15|| Grovel

Word Count: 2,135

He smiled cruelly, looking from the pale Loki to the fuming Nova. "I will let you have your fun, then." The holograph was gone, and Thanos' words echoed in the room.

Loki looked at Nova. Her hands were in fists (red light could be seen shining through) by her sides as she stared at the little device that Thanos had been projected just a few moments earlier. Her face was red like flames. From her eyes a red light shone, and the device exploded.

"Nova, it's not what you think it is." But how would he explain it? How would he explain that he was going to trade in Natasha in place of Nova? How could he tell her that Natasha would be tortured until the information flowed like how her blood would, until her body was battered and bruised and cut and mangled. And after that, how he would have to be the one who murdered the Avengers, who murdered half the planet she loved, and who ruled the place she had once called home. How could he tell her that? "I have not betrayed you."

Nova scoffed, shoving him into a wall. Had anyone else done it, he would have fought and used his quick wit to insult or distract them. But this was Nova. He had hurt her, and he was willing to pay any price she deemed fit.

"You threatened to torture the both of us."

"It was a lie- devised only to buy us time. I would never let him hurt you, do you understand?"

Nova crossed her arms. "And what about Natasha? Would you let him hurt Natasha?"

He sighed and looked at her solemnly. "Thanos will not rest until he has at least one of you to spill your secrets. I just needed time to make sure I could keep you safe, please understand. It wasn't you I have betrayed."

She shook her head, fighting back tears. "No, you just betrayed Natasha, which is worse. I would rather have Thanos torture me than ever lay a hand on a friend of mine." A pause. "Maybe before I would have done it for you." Loki stared at her with his widened eyes and his hands pinched each other nervously. If only she knew how much hurt she caused him. Hurt that she would have cared so much, hurt that the only way to keep her safe was to take away her family, hurt that no matter what good intentions he had for her, something would always make them seem foul. Hurt that her heart could never be his. He feared he had wound it enough. "And other than feeling so angry at you betraying Nat, I'm so disappointed that you lied to me, Loki. I thought you trusted me. I thought I could trust you. It was merely a few days ago you wanted to be my ally. That means we talk to each other to plan against the enemy, and we don't do things that bring the other harm."

Loki blinked. He stared at her tight knit brows and stiff shoulders and how even though she was very angry, she looked like she was pouting. No matter how hard she tried to look upset- ever since the first day he met her- she always looked like she was pouting.

"I'm a tad bit confused," he said, "You feel betrayed on Natasha's behalf but still wish to be my ally? After all my lies?"

Nova placed a hand on his arm. The warmth radiated off his skin and through the sleeves of his tunic. "You are more than your mistakes, Loki. I think you really are a good person; I can see that from these past few months I've gotten to know you. Just...it's going to take a while to rebuild that trust that you broke."

He released a breath he didn't know he was holding. He then gently picked up a hand of hers and said, "I am the luckiest god in the universe to have such a forgiving, sickly, illiterate, probably-has-a-concussion vampire."

Nova rolled her eyes at him. "The list keeps growing, I see. Despite the fact I have not yet forgiven you."

Loki smirked, "Oh, but you will, even if it is the last thing I do." He took a step closer, and Nova could feel his warmth even more. She wondered how warm the average Asgardian was, how cold her skin must feel to him.