Two Fractured Souls

𝐀𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞

(Y/n's POV)

"What's going on?" I ask as all of the Avengers rush into the room.

"It's a code red," Tony answers as he prepares his blasters. "The city is being attacked, but we don't know who's attacking it."

"Oh, my first mission!" I shout in excitement, pumping my fist in the air.

"I'm sorry, but you can't go." Tony's response is immediate and slightly standoffish. As I open my mouth to protest, he adds, "Besides, we need you to stay here and watch Loki."

"I'm not just some babysitter, Tony," I growl. "We both know that the real reason I can't go is because you don't trust me."

Tony doesn't respond to my previous statement but instead, simply walks out the door. "See you later!" he shouts over his shoulder before he disappears from view.

After all of them are gone, I turn to Loki and ask, "So, what do you want to do?" Instead of giving me an answer, he starts to walk away. "Hey, where are you going?" I ask, following closely behind him.

I almost bump into him when he suddenly stops in his tracks and spins around so that he's facing me. "I'm going to get as far away from your pathetic Midgardian form as I can," Loki spits in disgust. He once again makes a beeline for the door, and this time, I let him.

After he's out of my line of vision, I huff in frustration, grab my tea, and head back to my bedroom. After I reach my safe place, which is really just my bed, I grab the book that I was reading before I went to bed last night and begin to read. At least, I attempt to read. Every time I open my book, scenes from my nightmare flash through my mind, and in the end, I only get through two pages.

I officially give up on trying to read after another ten minutes of reading the same sentence over and over again. After five minutes of doing absolutely nothing, I decide to head down to the gym in the hopes that training will help take my mind off of the bad memories, which are still haunting me. Since I still can't use my powers thanks to the stupid power dampening cuff residing on my wrist, I decide to work with the next best thing.

Approaching the table in the corner of the training room, which is covered in weapons of different shapes and sizes, I let my hands roam over many of the dangerous items before they stop on top of a very specific set of weapons. My fingers wrap around the hilt of the weapon, and I allow myself a few seconds to truly admire the emerald embedded dagger that I'm tightly gripping in my hands.

I slowly step up to the target and take a deep breath before lifting my arm over my head, getting ready to strike the target. The dagger rapidly soars through the air as I toss it with all of my strength, although I realize right away that my accuracy is lacking. The clattering of the dagger as it hits the ground echoes throughout the room, startling me to the point of nearly jumping in fright. What startles me even more, though, is the deep voice that suddenly speaks up from behind me.

"Pathetic!" I turn around to see Loki leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed. "You're not even doing it right."

"Oh, yeah? You show me how to properly throw a dagger then. Unless you don't know how," I taunt, hoping that he'll be insulted enough to give me exactly what I want.

I get the confirmation that my plan worked when Loki scoffs in disgust and moves away from the wall. "Of course I know how to properly throw a dagger, mortal. It is, after all, my weapon of choice besides my magic," he boasts.

"Really? That's so cool!" I declare, meaning every word. I've always wanted to be able to fight with daggers, but I never got the chance because HYDRA didn't allow their warriors to fight with such weak weapons. Not warriors, I bitterly think, tools. That's all I ever was to them, a tool.

I'm pulled out of my thoughts when Loki suddenly grabs my hand and places another dagger in it. He then guides my hand back so that it's right next to my head. "This," Loki whispers, "is how you hold it." I slightly shudder as I feel his warm breath fan across my neck. I watch in silence as Loki bends down and moves my right leg back so that my left leg is in front before standing back up. "Now try," he instructs.

Biting my lip in concentration, I pull my hand back slightly before launching the dagger, watching as it flies toward the target. Unlike last time, the dagger hits the bullseye, leaving a hole in the middle of the target. Before I can register what I'm doing, I race over to Loki and pull him into a hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I shout in appreciation. I realize what I've done when I feel Loki go stiff in my arms. "Shit! I'm sorry!" I apologize, quickly letting go of him. "I got caught up in the moment! I didn't mean to..."

Loki hastily holds up his hand, stopping my rambling. "You didn't do horribly," he simply states before exiting the room.

I stand there in shock, staring at where Loki stood only a few seconds ago, before a ginormous smile splits my face.

~~~

I toss my towel aside as I finish pulling my sweatshirt over my head. It feels so good to be clean again after sweating so much during my workout. I'm thinking about watching a movie, but as soon as I look at the clock, I know that that idea is going to have to be put on hold. It's way past dinner time and going on eight o'clock. I must've been too busy to notice the sun setting, but my stomach is quick to remind me of how late it is as it growls in protest of my negligence.

The hallway is dark when I open my bedroom door, and I stumble a few times while trying to find the light switch. As soon as I locate the switch, I head to the kitchen, intent on finding something edible for dinner. When I enter the living room, I'm shocked to see Loki reading quietly on the couch. "The God of Mischief reads?" I quietly joke, approaching him.

"Books are the key to intelligence," Loki states without looking up. "They reveal the past, which gives us insight on how to respond to certain situations in the future. I have noticed, however, that many of the Midgardian books nowadays are simply written with the purpose to be entertaining and not to share knowledge. No wonder all of you mortals are so dull."

"Excuse me?!" I shout in indignation, feeling anger rise within me when Loki's lips lift up in the beginning of a smirk. I take a deep breath in order to calm down. "I came down here to get some dinner. Would you like something to eat as well?" I ask as Loki finally glances up at me, although he simply stares at me with a bored expression.

"I guess I am a bit peckish," he finally says after several moments of silence, "but I highly doubt that you simple minded people could have something tasty enough to appeal to a god."

My jaw tightens in anger as I listen to his demeaning words. It was bad enough when he was insulting humans in general, but now he's insulting our food?!! All I want is to slap him across the face and shout at him to get his own food if he insists upon being a narcissistic douchebag. I somehow manage to control my anger and simply say, "I guess you've never tried pizza then."