Marvel One Shots

A Way Out (Loki)

"Beep, beep! Beep, beep! Beep, beep!"

With an angry snarl, Sarah reached over to her bedside table, and slammed the button on her alarm clock down. She vaguely felt Guenhywvar's huge, heavy body at the foot of her bed, and vaguely heard her growling in her sleep. Rolling over to face the other side of the room, small beams of light streamed through the cracks in her blinds, and she tried to squeeze her eyes tighter; tried to fight away the headache she was getting, and the memories of the night before.

~~~~~

"Well, that's the last we'll be seeing of him in a while." From her side, Agent Clint Barton was smirking with his muscular arms across his chest. Natasha was on his other side and Guenhywvar was at her feet. The others, Tony, Bruce, and Steve, stood around while Thor stood with Loki in the center, about ready to go back to Asguard. Loki was bound and a metal muzzle covered the majority of the bottom half of his face. His green eyes were sad, and briefly, they connected with Sarah's. In that moment, she was overwhelmed with the feelings she was trying to fight away, and it took all her will power not to cry as the two gods were teleported away.

She couldn't quite place why she felt so strongly towards the god of mischief, but somehow he struck a chord in her heart. She had never truly hated him. She may have hated his actions, but never him. She saw him for who he truly was; a man who only wanted to be loved and accepted. She'd never really thought much of him until he was kept in the cage and she was forced to watch him, and if he could break down her tough exterior with a single glance, she knew he must be special.

That night, Clint had asked her if she wanted to go out to celebrate the victory with the other Avengers, but she had declined. She couldn't face the others in her usual independent way when she was like this.

So instead, she'd spent the night in her room, getting drunk and smoking a grand total of at least three packs of cigarettes.

~~~~~

Now, she couldn't get him out of her head. She felt terribly guilty, like she was betraying her comrades by feeling like this, but she couldn't help it.

When she couldn't take it any longer, Sarah finally decided to get up. "It'd be best if I went down to the others; I never wake up this late." And so, she got up, pulled on her grey, ripped skinny jeans and her red flannel shirt over the white tank top she'd slept in. Boots completed the look, and then she went to the bathroom to attempt to make herself look normal; she pulled her honey blonde hair into a loose ponytail, and washed her face, noticing the dark blue tinge to her eye color. Heaving a sigh, she threw on some makeup and cursed. "I look like hell... Damn."

~~~~~

"You okay, Shadow? You seem tired."

Clint leaned over the table to touch her hand, and she flinched away, bringing her coffee mug closer to her. "I'm fine, I'm just not... I'm not feeling well." She lied. Surprisingly, though, he accepted her response. "Well, I'm glad you didn't go out with us, then; I'd hate to see you get even worse." The sincerity of his words made her smile ever so slightly. He seemed to truly care. Why can't you only having feelings for Clint?! It was so much easier when you liked Clint and Clint alone. She berated herself in her head. "So, what do you plan to do now that we've been rewarded with time off?" The black panther at her feet growled, as if she knew that her owner's attempt at conversation was stupid.

"Nothing much. Just hang around my apartment, relax; I haven't ever really gotten time off, so I'm not sure what I'll do with myself..." The keen sea blue eyes of the other Avenger didn't miss that he seemed to want to say more. "Maybe you could come around for a while. I've got a guest room, and I think you'd like the area; it's got a ton of good restaurants." A full smile spread across her face. "I'd love that." Clint's hand reached again to wrap around hers. "Awesome. I'll look forward to seeing you, Miss Halsey."

~~~~~

A cold breeze blew through the air and the moon shone down on the hourglass figure of the woman as she stood on the roof of Avengers Tower. A small pop sounded behind her, and she didn't have to turn around to know who it was. "You shouldn't be here. You're not supposed to be here. You're supposed to be locked away on Asguard and I'm supposed to be moving on." Her tone was firm, and she was clearly upset and angry. A pair of lean arms wrapped themselves around her waist, and cold lips kissed her neck. "Dear Sarah, do you no longer love me?" She ripped herself away from him, and spun to face him, her hands balled into fists. "Really?! I try and do what's best for the both of us and you assume I don't love you?!" Tears fell down her face, a rare occurrence. "For fuck's sake, of course I love you! And that's exactly why I have to turn you away; people will find out, suspicions will rise, my loyalty will be questioned. I may be able to get myself out of any jam that comes my way, but it won't be easy when an entire country is after me!" Her voice had started to rise in volume, and she was about to continue when Loki pressed his lips against hers, silencing her. He pulled away, and stroked her face gently. "You get far too worked up over the smallest things." Sarah resisted the urge to punch him in the gut. "Small things? Loki, this isn't small! Just leave, already." She was stubborn, almost too stubborn for her own good, and he knew it. "I can't let you dictate my life anymore. I nearly fell apart today, I nearly cried in front of everyone. That's a weakness I can't afford."

She hadn't backed down; her voice was angry and determined, her eyes the usual sea blue color, and her face practically glowed with defiance. Loki could see this, and knew there was no changing her mind. Defeated, he stepped away. "Fine, I shall leave." The young woman turned her back on him. "Good." She growled. Quietly, he took a few steps backward, and disappeared into thin air with a quiet pop. Little did he know, small, silver tears slid down his love's pretty face.

She would never forget him, this she knew. But, she also knew it would never work. It was best to just be as tough as always and walk away. "I mean, it's not like I don't love Clint..." There was always an alternative, always a way out, and she would always be dead set on finding it.