The Sound of Silence

Chapter 27

 "I should have fed you these before we let you pass out," Nat commented dryly when you woke a sparse hour later. Your body had freaked out at sleeping in a strange location. It had reminded you too much of your year of constant travel and fear.

Nat handed you a mug of hot chocolate and two sleeping pills. You set the mug aside for the moment. [You know I can't take these. They make me talk in my sleep] you reminded her

"It'll be alright," she replied, tapping her ear. You knew she must've been wearing the comm devices to say that. "You need sleep and not to have that panic attack that you're bordering on. Don't even try to deny it. I know the hell you lived in with constant travel over the last year. Of course you're jumpy at being in a hotel." Her tone was kind, commiserating instead of patronizing. She'd lived through horrors too.

"Take the pills and I'll tell you stories about my past until you fall back asleep," she bribed. You sighed and took the pills. She was right. You sipped on your hot chocolate while Nat told you stories of the horrors she had faced in her life and the training in the red room. You would think such horrific stories wouldn't help you sleep, but it was comforting that she had been through at least equally horrific things as you had.

*

You didn't remember falling asleep. The next thing you knew, Nat was shaking you awake. You groaned and tried to roll over to go back to sleep. She smacked you with a pillow. Loki was so much nicer when he tried to wake you. "C'mon, it's your turn for the shower. If we don't hurry, the boys will eat all of the breakfast. And don't even think about telling me to go down to breakfast without you. I'm not leaving you alone," she added quickly. You rolled your eyes and reluctantly got out of the bed to go shower and throw on the clothes she had set out for you. You were too groggy from the sleeping pills to argue with her.

When you left the hotel room, you walked directly into a muscular person-shaped wall. You looked at it stupidly, wondering why there was a wall outside of your hotel room. That seemed like a silly place for a wall. Your brain still hadn't woken up. "Good morning, darling," the wall greeted you warmly. You looked up and smiled at Loki, AKA the person shaped wall. He expression was concerned, though.

"She's fine, Trickster. Stop Mother Henning," Nat grumbled, pushing past the two of you to go find her breakfast. You laughed and took Loki's arm to let him escort you to breakfast.

"Apparently Lady Natasha thinks I am a bird now," Loki pouted at you. "She yelled at me for checking on you last night." You raised an eyebrow; you didn't remember him coming to check on you.

"She was perfectly safe in my care. You deserved the stabbing you got for teleporting into our room in the middle of the night," Nat told him grumpily. "It was after the sleeping pills," she added for your benefit. That explained why you didn't remember this event. You looked over at Loki. He didn't seem injured....

"Luckily, I decided to send an illusion instead of teleporting myself," Loki explained with a smile. You sighed in relief.

The boys were already at breakfast in the hotel's fancy dining room. Really 'hotel' wasn't nearly a fancy enough word for the place Tony had booked, but it was the best one you could think of. All of the boys stood when you and Nat entered the room. You felt your cheeks heat at the old-fashioned courtesy. Nat didn't seem affected, or at all surprised, when Clint pulled out her chair for her with a little teasing about how everyone was apparently being formal that morning. Of course Loki pulled your chair out for you and kissed your cheek before he sat in the chair next to you.

*

After a ton of coffee and a decent breakfast in you, you were finally more awake. After breakfast, everyone climbed into the limo Tony had acquired. You asked to know where you were going today, but no one would say until Tony announced: "We're almost there. Reindeer Games, I think now's the time for everyone's costume change." Loki actually smiled at something Tony had said. He was pleased to use his magic for fun, and he loved feeling appreciated for his skills.