Dead Memories

14

Chapter Fourteen

The second the portal closed Bucky wrapped his metal fingers around Loki's neck and pushed him two steps backwards. The heels of Loki's boots were just off the edge of the platform, his whole body leaning slightly above the dark abyss, just slightly off-balance. Loki grabbed hold of his metal arm with a gloved hand, but did not counter.

'Don't ever touch him again,' Bucky gritted out.

Loki did not even look surprised, nor intimidated, but this was more a matter of principle anyway. Loki lifted an eyebrow.

'Are you sure you are in any position to threaten me?' he asked.

Bucky let the expression on his face answer that question, Loki knew him well enough by now.

'Come now,' Loki said as he moved slightly forward to get back from the edge. Bucky let him, cause he was really not in the mood for this to turn into something worse. He let go of his neck too.

'Still chained to your bright golden hero?' Loki mused with a smile. 'You ought to free yourself while you still can.'

'Cause that worked out so well for you?' Bucky asked in return and he knew the comment hit its mark. Loki was too easy sometimes. He leaned closer, eyes darkening with anger, but Bucky never backed off from him, so he stayed firmly in place.

'Be careful,' Loki warned quietly. 'Careless words can cause a lot of misery.'

Bucky waited a second, let the moment stretch out, leaving the words hanging between them.

'Get out of my face,' he said then calmly.

'Or what?' Loki reacted immediately. Fine, they were playing this stupid game then.

'Don't think I can't get my hands on a weapon I can gut you with,' Bucky told him. There was no real anger in his voice and really, it was a familiar song-and-dance. He was almost absolutely sure Loki just wanted to amuse himself.

'You know you can't threaten me with death,' Loki said. True.

'But it would hurt,' Bucky told him. 'A lot.'

Loki kept looking at him for another moment, but then just smiled, sharp and pleased. Freakin' child.

'Aw, there you go making me like you again.'

Bucky resisted the urge to roll his eyes, because then he would be stuck here trading insults with this guy for who knows how long.

'Ugh, this again?' they were interrupted, and that finally made Loki back the hell off. Bucky took a step back as well and glanced up at Loki's stairs.

'Hello, Leah,' he greeted.

'James,' she nodded back. 'I trust that you are well.'

Bucky shrugged. 'M'fine, Stark Tower, not exactly a Nazi prison.'

She nodded again. She didn't look either pleased or bothered, it was more an acknowledgement of his words. She always looked a bit like a dispassionate school girl. Simple green dress, knee length and long-sleeved, her black hair put up in a nice bun. Plus she looked like she was in her teens, course Bucky knew better than that. And not just because of her disturbing habit of using bird bones as hairpins.