The Sound of Silence

Chapter 25

  At least the next three weeks went as expected. It was actually a comfort knowing what was coming. You had pancakes with the team the first morning, and stabbed Loki's hand for trying to steal them, before he'd even moved to do so. Oops. He raised an eyebrow, but didn't question how you'd known. He knew. At least you didn't have to ask if the color landscape around you was real anymore. It reassured the others. You and Loki both still hid with Thor when the thunderstorm hit. He welcomed both of your company and didn't say a word about it afterwards. Shopping with Loki was just as you thought, though you threatened him much earlier in the trip with a leash, knowing he wouldn't get better. He still insisted that you wouldn't do it. You were tempted, but that would be mean, and too embarrassing for both of you in public, so you held onto his arm instead. The sleepover with Sammi was perfect and normal and so silly judging the shirtless boy contest. It was exactly what you needed.

What you didn't need, and what kept coming were the images while you were sleeping. They were all the same useless image of Loki in chains. Occasionally you got a glimpse of the long hall and... throne? But it was useful and unhelpful. How were you supposed to stop it if it was the future? What if it was the past? You couldn't tell without more information.

You had to visit your mom for Christmas. It was awful and she was even more smothering than she had been the last time you'd been home. It was understandable, but not helpful. At least you only had to visit for the afternoon, pretend to be perfectly ok for a couple of hours, and then curl crying in Loki's arms on the way home from the emotional strain. You couldn't tell your mom you weren't ok. Despite the fact that you were an adult, she'd try to make you come home, and that couldn't happen and wouldn't help anything.

*

"Darling, you might want to wake up before your friends burst in to surprise you," Loki told you too early in the morning. You groaned at him and tried to hit him with a pillow. He laughed. "They're on their way," he warned. You ignored him until there was a room full of Avengers. Your bedroom full of Avengers. You sat up and looked at them all confused, wondering what they were doing in here, and why they were all so excited.

"Loki, did you pack her bag?" Nat asked. Loki inclined his head as he climbed off of the bed. "Good, let's go!" Nat grabbed your hands and pulled you out of bed. You gave a frantic look at Loki who was being ushered out of the room with the rest of the boys.

"Surprise!" the team called before the boys left you to Nat.

"We decided you needed some fun, and to get out of the tower for a few days," Nat explained. "So we're taking you somewhere fun and we're not telling you where it is until we get there," she was avoiding using the term that they were kidnapping you for fun. You nodded and watched as she went rifling through your closet. "These will do until we get there. Get dressed. If you don't argue, I'll give you an extra five minutes to do your hair and brush your teeth so you can kiss your boyfriend," she grinned. You stuck your tongue out at her, but ducked into the bathroom to change into jeans and cute top that Nat had picked out. You did your hair, and very carefully brushed your teeth. Her hand was raised to knock on the door to get you out of the bathroom when you opened it to step out on your own. You shoved your phone in your pocket and shoes on your feet.

[Ready] you told her and smiled. You hadn't seen this coming and were glad for a surprise in your life, especially when you knew it would be fun, whatever the team was planning.

"Almost," she said, holding up a long piece of fabric. "The boys really want this to be a surprise. It will be fine and you're safe with us. The whole team will be there for your surprise. I told them I'd do it, but if you won't be ok with it, I'll kick Tony's ass myself. He's due for an ass kicking," you giggled.

[I'll be fine. I can put up with it for the surprise] you told her, signing quickly. You'd be ok. None of the team would let you out of their sight. And it was worth it for a legitimate surprise. She came around and tied the blindfold over your eyes.

"Are you sure you're ok?" she asked again. You nodded, but reached for her. She took your hand and placed it on the crook of her elbow. "Then let's go. Your surprise awaits,"

"About time!" Tony grumbled when you had left your room with Nat. You raised your middle finger in the general direction that his voice had come from. Loki took your hand and kissed it. You'd recognize his cool touch anywhere. Nat left you to Loki's care. You soon found yourself on the jet, sitting with Loki on one side of you and Thor on the other. You wondered why they had the blindfold you before you got on the jet, but let it be. They were having too much fun, and promised you repeatedly that it was going to be fun for you too.

You had no idea how long the flight was, but it had only felt like a couple hours tops. The jet was fast, so there was no real way of knowing where you were. You tried to take the blindfold off when you landed to see where you were, but Loki took your hand before you could and kissed it. "Not yet, darling," he told you and you could hear the grin in his voice. He led you off of the jet and settled into the back of a car.

[Where are we going?] you asked when he sat next to you.

"Soon, darling. We're almost there, right Stark?" he asked.

"Right, almost there kid," he replied, sounding pleased with how well his plan was working.

[If this isn't good, I'm going to knock you out for a week] you warned.

"You'll love it," Tony replied. "If not for your own sake, than for the sheer joy of Thor being in this place.

After the car ride came waiting in a short line outside where the weather was much warmer than it had been in New York. There was lots of Cap telling everyone you ran into that this was a surprise Christmas present and you had no idea where you were and to please not ruin the surprise. You held on to Loki's arm tightly, disoriented with the number of people around you. The line either moved quickly, or people realized who you all were and parted for you. "Careful, love, we're getting on a ferry," Loki told you, holding your arm to steady you on the uneven difference between the dock and the ferry.

"The best view is upstairs," Tony announced and started walking up that way. You all made your way to the top deck at the front of the ferry. You could smell the water, feel the sun, but where on earth had they taken you? The ferry started and made it's way slowly by your blindfolded reckoning to your destination. You felt Loki's hands on the knot of the blindfold at the back of your head, obviously waiting for the right moment. "Now!" Tony announced. Loki untied the knot and let the blindfold fall away.

"Surprise!" announced the team as you stared in awe across the lake. You couldn't take your eyes off of the sight as you gasped and grinned in delight. It had been entirely worth the blindfolding and surprise. This was going to be such fun. You turned and gave each of the team a hug, enjoying their joy at your reaction, before you turned back to stare in wonder at the sight.

You were staring at Cinderella's Castle.