Aspects of Hope

// chapter eleven //

"We're all human, aren't we? Every human life is worth the same, and worth saving." - J.K. Rowling from "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows"

Chapter 11

SHIELD Helicarrier, 2012

Charity

I was under the watchful eyes of Tony Stark at the moment. Having been put here by Fury because God forbid that he watches me himself. Tony was so immature it was unbelievable. I can't see how Fury trusts this five year old man to keep me "out of trouble."

Tony and I sat in the lab in silence. He was twiddling with a piece of metal, then he turned to the computer and started swilling through file after file. It wasn't the least bit exciting, but I forced myself to watch his hands move back and forth as my mind drifted.

What was Loki doing right this minute? Was he wondering where I went? Had he even noticed I was gone? My hand absentmindedly reached up to my lips. I could still feel his pressing against mine, his hands gingerly placed at the sides of my head, pulling me closer so that he could deepen the kiss.

Tony must've noticed my behavior, for his hands stopped moving and he snapped me back into reality. "Do you have a thing for staring? At my hands? I think my face looks a lot better."

I glared at him, letting my hand drop back down onto my lap. "Shut up, Stark. I'll cut them off and then you won't have to worry about people staring at your hands."

He held them up in surrender, that smirk still plastered on his face. "Woah there, tiger, settle down. I was only making conversation."

"We're conversing right now," I spat. "No need for all your stupid remarks."

He rolled his eyes, setting back to his work. "Someone's in a bad mood. Care to talk about it?"

"Not to you."

"But you'll talk to Capsicle?"

I rose from my seat, marching over to where he stood in front of a large counter. "Steve has nothing to do with this."

"Oh," he drew out the word, "so it's Loki, then?"

I staggered back a bit, glaring at him. "Of course it isn't. What makes you think of something like that?"

He chuckled, looking down at his piece of metal. His arc reactor glowed through his Black Sabbath t-shirt, catching my attention. He looked back up at me. "When I heard Fury put you in the cell, I put a bug in there; which is like a camera, only I couldn't hear you."

"You spied on us?" I asked, only it sounded more like a statement.

"Of course," he snickered. "You're lucky I didn't talk about it with Fury. I took the bug out of there once you two escaped. He never found out."

I sat down in a chair closer to Tony, holding my head in my hands. If he watched us, and with a mind like his, I'm sure he's figured out what I was stressing over. It had to be obvious to him now. And if it wasn't, then he certainly wasn't the genius he labeled himself as at all.

After a few minutes of silence, a woman around my age walked into the room, an object in her hand. She strode over to Tony, glancing down at me with curiosity.

Tony looked up from his scrap metal, smiling brightly at the girl, "Kennedy! Come to accept my offer on drinks? I'm still free on Saturday."

The woman, Kennedy, rolled her eyes at the scientist. "You honestly believe I'd go out for drinks with you? I don't go on dates with men that have humanly normal conversations with their robots."