"No, you don't understand, I need to -"
"You. Need to rest, and let the antidote keep working," He scolded, his fingers rubbing gently on her skin.
Delaney let out a deep shaky breath, and closed her eyes, "It's my brother." She admitted quietly. "...
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"And this is the rest of the team. I promise they don't bite," Barnes said as he entered the room with the newest addition to the band of reprobates that referred to themselves as "The Avengers."
Loki barely managed to swallow down his scoff of derision and he refused to even acknowledge the newcomer on principle. His attention was drawn towards the front of the room when Stark cleared his throat and began one of his self-absorbed information overloads about their newest threat and the planned mission to neutralize them. Loki wouldn't usually have graced them with his presence but the nasty little worm they were chasing had the audacity to mimic Loki's signature style and that was something he just couldn't stand for.
"But how do we know it isn't Loki?" The newcomer asked, obviously having failed to see him in the corner where he sat half-hidden in the shadows.
"Because, little lamb, one why would I want to take over a place as dull as New York?" Loki purred dangerously, shifting from his cross-legged position to lean forwards into the light, a menacing grin on his face and he relished in the startled jump that Agent Delaney Bello gave.
"You already failed once," Barton hissed nastily from across the room but Loki held his eerie expression.
"And two," he continued, outwardly unperturbed, "if I were to try to take over somewhere like this I would not do something so ostentatious. It's very déclassé."
"Because leading a horde of alien mercenaries is so very low-key," Banner said from his seat near Stark. "Low-key, get it? Loki, low-key!"
The red-haired assassin reached over and patted Banner sympathetically on the hand but Loki had already retreated back into his corner. He raised his hand to his face and picked at some non-existent imperfection on his nails, using the cover to finally take a good look at the newest addition to Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
"I'll believe it when I see it," Delaney squared her shoulders and turned to Barnes.
"Agent Delaney Bello," He introduced her to a room of heroes that should make her cover but she kept her nerves and scanned the room to take in the faces. Natasha, Bruce, Loki, noticeably absent, Steve Rogers and Thor.
"Is it really necessary to bring him along?" She asked, crossing her hands over her chest.
"Bring me along?" Loki chuckled, "Agent Bello, I'm your partner on this case. Your protection."
"I was top of my class, held nine of the eleven records for a graduating student and have been commended by Steve Rogers himself on my critical thinking skills." Delaney snapped as politely as she could. "I don't need protection."
"Critical thinking skills," Loki pushed from his chair and practically floated across the room. "A S.H.I.E.L.D puppet is what you are, darling. This is the real world, real monsters."
"Like you?" She cocked her head to the side, "this individual isn't a monster, they're enhanced."
"And how exactly did you come to that conclusion?" He asked, looming over her.
