Mischief on Midgard

Times past

Loki allowed Bucky to take the lead as they left his place. Honestly, as long as Bucky remained convinced that Loki was just an ordinary person way in over his head, then the man would remain protective of his new 'friend.' Bucky had asked if Loki had any hoodies so that they could travel with their faces covered. Loki was able to quickly acquire the requested garments, creating the perfect illusion. The two of them now looked no different than any of the others walking around with their hoods up, even though Bucky was a hardened soldier protecting a supposed civilian.

After Bucky had approved of the new outfits, he turned an earnest expression on Loki and frowned at the single bag that 'Robert' had grabbed.

"You have everything you need, right?" he asked in a concerned tone. At Loki's raised eyebrow, Bucky held up his hands. "I'm sorry if I am being pushy, but I can't guarantee that you'll ever be able to come back here once we leave."

Loki made a show of swallowing as if nervous before he lifted the backpack over his shoulder. He shifted his stance as if gathering up the reigns of his courage and then nodded resolutely at the other man.

"Okay. If you're sure, then let's go," Bucky said, lifting his hood over his face. Loki did the same a moment later, and they casually left the apartment behind.

Together they made their way across New York itself, heading towards the park. Loki had done a bit of research and found that Steve usually ran around the lake every morning without fail. Well, the man had stopped for a time, at least during the Hydra incident when he'd been too busy. Since then, he had restarted his little daily routine. Bucky himself had gone out a day before to confirm Loki's findings and make sure that Steve had indeed resumed his usual exercise habit. When Bucky had returned, Loki had been both smug and amusingly surprised as Steve was no longer alone during his runs. The 'good Captain' had acquired a work out buddy, and the pair would meet every morning to run laps around the lake.

Bucky had caught a name during his outing, Sam Wilson.

From what the other man told Loki, said workout session was a little on the pitiful side. Wilson would run at a steady pace, which was rather quick for a Human given Bucky's opinion. And yet by the time Wilson had completed a single lap around the lake, Rogers would have overtaken him several times, greeting the other man with a jaunty 'on your left' every time he passed him. After their morning run was over, they would then sit down on a bench facing the lake and exchange what looked like notes.

Bucky hadn't risked getting closer the day before, but now that they were approaching the pair, Loki could hear them saying things that led him to believe that Wilson teaching Rogers about modern pop culture. Rogers, in turn, was showing Wilson that he had done the previous day's 'homework.' Apparently, each day Wilson would give Rodgers a new song or movie to go see or listen to.

How... domestic of them, Loki thought to himself with a mental sneer. He glanced over at his new companion and almost sighed aloud in annoyance. Bucky's eyes were filled with an unmistakable sadness as he eyed the pair sitting on the bench.

Loki's own eyes were filled mostly with that of indifference... and calculation. Rogers' new friend was one more person that he would have to keep tabs on while he played his role of 'Robert.' Hopefully, this 'Sam' would turn out to be useful to him in some form.

Rogers suddenly seemed to notice he and his friend were being watched. His body tensed, and he turned to look directly at them. As he eyed them warily, Bucky reached up and pushed back his hood, revealing his face in the process.

Rogers' eyes widened, his expression shifting to one of utter shock. For a moment, Wilson stared in confusion at his companion before he too looked in their direction. Like the Captain, he gaped at them in shock before turning his attention back to Rogers, muttering something that Loki was too far away to hear. Rogers shook his head, replying just as softly before lifting a hand and gesturing for Wilson to stay put.