Just myself

Chapter Six -Heh, They Think Me Normal

I have now met the Avengers... They all look like they've just watched a puppy repeatedly be run over with a pickup truck but I get the feeling they just don't like me. Well, Bruce seems to like me and Steve seems indifferent but Nat and Clint seem to openly despise me. Welp, can't win everyone over. Now I am sat in a large laboratory with Tony while he runs tests on my blood. He seems to think he will be able to find out where I am from. I may have told him a small lie... I told him that I do not remember where I come from and he believed me. Of course, I do remember where I am from but I would rather they did not know.

"There are no geographical markers in your blood, none at all... how is this possible..." He runs a hand through is unruly hair.

"You know, maybe I'm just not normal." I suggest, rolling my sleeve down.

"Oh no, you're normal. Heart rate is normal, blood pressure is normal but you're blood type and geographical markers aren't."

"Well, guess you should give up. I have been trying for six hundred years to get home, you aren't going to succeed now." I stand and head to a bench to my left. On it rests a red, metal hand. "Aww, cool! Iron man glove." I pick it up and turn it in my hand.

"It's broken, put it down." He doesn't even turn around.

"Yeah, I can see." I mutter.

His head perks up at this. "You can?"

"Well, not see as such but I can feel it. There's a very small broken circuit within. I can fix it?"

He hesitates for a moment but says "Sure, knock yourself out." and turns back to his screens.

Ten minutes later, the glove is fixed and I am, once again, tapped into his machines. "Tony this isn't going to work." I sigh.

"No, I just accidentally spilt your blood and need another sample, for the future, ya know."

"Right, you need blood but, I'm afraid, I need food!" I cry with a hint of melodrama.

"Yes, we will head up to dinner in a minute, I just have to drain a little more blood." 

He takes my blood and, as I slide my jacket back on, he says to me "You know, you don't have to be so uncomfortable all of the time."

"Yes, I do." I shift awkwardly as we walk.

"Nope."

"Yes. Now, please, leave it." I order, my tone full of finality. To my surprise, he does shut up, something that, I believe, is hard to make him do.  

Dinner is a tense affair. I meet Pepper, Tony's girlfriend, and, though she is lovely outwardly, I can tell she harbours less sweet feelings inside. The actual meal is just full of Bruce attempting to make conversation and Natasha quickly shutting it down (Yes, the stone woman has an actual name). 

After the meal, Tony shows me to the room which I will stay in. He talks to me as we go. "You know, Natasha doesn't actually hate you." To which I reply with a small grunt. "You remind her of someone." I turn to face him. 

"Yes, Loki, right? I remind her of a man that tried to rule earth and destroyed New York simply because I have powers? Might I remind you all that Loki was simultaneously of Asgard and Jotunheim, had been lied to his whole life, was denied his right and was shunned in his home. I am nothing like Prince Loki, Mr Stark. It would do you all good to remember that." He stops me outside of a door. "I know not what I have done to inspire this distrust but I promise that I will not grovel for forgiveness, no, I will continue with my life and if Natasha and Clint do not like that then you may let me go whenever. I would not object. I assume this is my room? Goodnight, Mr Stark."

I open the door and step inside, slamming it shut behind me. I do love a touch of the dramatic.

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I wake to light streaming in the window and a firm knock on the door. As I stand to answer it, my back gives a cry of protest. I slept on the floor last night, for what little time I slept. Residual energy from the regeneration gave me pains in my abdomen that only subsided when I curled in a ball on something hard. Many women have told me that this is simply a symptom of menstruation but it is not. It is part of the curse of my people and the power we wield. 

I stagger to the door and open it a crack to see a startling blue eye staring back at me from a few inches above. "Miss Elizabeth, I... uh... have some clothes for you. Tony said he was scared to bring them to you, something about you killing him?"

"Right," I open the door further "Yeah, I might've killed him, had he come here. Thanks." I say, taking the pile of clothes. 

"Be upstairs in ten?"

"Sure, see you them." I smile as he walks away.

Once back inside my room, I look at the clothes. A pair of black sports trousers and a loose white top... Yeah, no. I cast the clothes to the floor and summon a new black dress. This time, however, the dress is a black, high neck, body-con dress. I pull it on with a new pair of tights and my boots then head up to the room from yesterday.

When I enter, Tony looks up with a vaguely terrified look. "Tony, I'm not going to rip your head off."

"Oh... good. Where... where did you get those clothes?" 

"Uh, magic? Remember?" I ask, sarcasticaly, holding up one hand and twirling it slightly, letting gold sparks fly.

"Right... right. Anyway, we've, uh, got some visitors coming." 

I saunter to one of the chairs and sit down, one leg crossed over the other, my image the epitome of ease but my insides feel like they've been run over and put back in my body. "Visitors?"

"Yeah, our very own godly helpers. They should be here in about five minutes." Aw shit.

"Five minutes?"

"Yep."

"Five minutes where I can do anything?"

"Yep." he narrows his eyes a little.

"I'm gonna shower." I rise from the chair once more and walk off of the raised platform.

"No, we have five minutes, I know how women shower. You say quick and then I see you again in three years."

I stop and turn back to him. "I don't think she was showering... dude, you okay? Actually, I don't care, bye." I teleport back to my room, into the bathroom. This is bad. All it would take is for them to recognise me and I could be sent back, I could be taken away from the thing I have dedicated my life to... I'm screwed.

I really do stink though. He says five minutes, I say fifteen.