for halfassed

[dreamsofpoison]

Just how and why Loki was back on Earth was a mystery. There had been no communication from Thor any Asgardian representatives. It wasn't obvious that Loki was back, in fact, his presence could have gone unnoticed if not for, well, mischief.

He'd somehow taken something belonging to one Clint Barton. Something very dear to him. His bow. Said bow now sat on a mantel above the fireplace in his current residence. It was a stone and log cabin. Lodge would be a more appropriate description. Logs make up A frame structures to support the roof. They also provide an excellent place to suspend someone from. Which inevitably happened when Barton followed the little trail of bread crumbs to find his bow and ultimately, Loki.

He's suspended near the fireplace, which is lit. Turned so he can see his bow sitting there on the mantel. He's hung high enough his toes barely brush the ground and apparently Loki took great care in securing his wrists in a specific type of cuff. The kind that would ensure he could keep him there for quite some time without much damage to his hands or wrists. He was stripped of his weapons and all his clothes save for his pants. Hence why he choose the beam close to the fire. It was the dead of winter outside.

As for Loki himself, he stood by the window, watching the snow fall and waiting for the subtle signs his captive has awoken. He's far removed from the armor and leather of before. Instead he's in simple mortal clothes but they still had a certain Loki-esque flair to them.

Comments

[dreamsofpoison]

That wins him a puzzled look. As far as he's concerned, it was left as a punishment. He is not having this conversation with a mortal, let alone him. Besides, something more important got his attention. "How many months, exactly?" he asks urgently.

[halfassed]

"There's even a thing on Earth called the Blue Man Group." Oh god, he just can't shut it off, can he?

He clears his throat.

"If you count the storage outside," he says, "I'd guess up to six. There's also a cellar door outside, and we should check that. Whoever lived here looks like a survivalist, and that kind generally stocks up downstairs like a bomb shelter." A beat. "Why?"

[dreamsofpoison]

Loki glares when doesn't drop the topic right away. Meanwhile he moves on to the new one. He looks thoughtful over that information. So much so it's like he didn't even hear the question. He glances toward the window. "If you see any ravens outside. Shoot them."

[halfassed]

"Why?" He'll do it, without an explanation, but he'd like one. If at all possible.

[dreamsofpoison]

"I do not wish to be spied upon by the All-Father," and that's as much of an explanation as he's giving.

[halfassed]

Well, that's creepy as fuck.

"Got it," he says. "No ravens."

He sighs. "If I make breakfast, will you just... stay under the blankets?"

[dreamsofpoison]

Loki shoots him a sharp glare. He looks like he has a scathing remark to say but it doesn't come out. He moves back to the mattress and gets under the blankets.

Fine, he needs to think of a way to salvage his plans anyway.

[halfassed]

Well. He wasn't expecting that to work, but okay.

He slips out of the blanket, immediately pulls on a sweater and two pairs of socks -- he looks ridiculous, but who gives a shit. He gets a fraction of a stick of butter that's pretty much solid ice, and he gets a pan that's supposed to be suspended over the fire. Some eggs. Some jerky. Not as good as bacon, but it's a decent substitute.

Soon, he's by the fire, making four sunny-side up.

[dreamsofpoison]

Because Loki isn't causing trouble now can only mean he has plans for some later. So Clint will have to sit through Loki intently watching him. He can practically be heard thinking.

"What will you tell Fury?" he asks, finally.

[halfassed]

"I'll burn that bridge when I come to it." In other words, he hasn't decided.

The eggs are somewhat burned on one side and somewhat undercooked on the other side. But hey! The whites are pretty much solid, they should be safe.

He scrapes a couple up, slides them on a paper plate (fuck doing dishes) and passes them to Loki. Grabs his two, and then carefully sets the pan down on the brick by the fire to cool off a little.

[dreamsofpoison]

"He will have questions," Loki points out.

He still watches him but he spares a glance down to the eggs. He frowns at them but he does start to eat them.

"The tesseract works both ways, you know," he says, jumping subjects abruptly. "It left an... imprint that I find rather hard to ignore."

[halfassed]

"It made you crazy," says Clint. "I think we've discussed this." He has his opinion, and Loki's not gonna change it. Loki might have detoxed, but it still has its appeal.

[dreamsofpoison]

Loki shakes his head. "It did more than that. What we haven't discussed," he spits the word. For once, Loki is tired of talking and it shows.

"It left a link between us. It must be resorted or severed completely or neither of us can move on."

[halfassed]

"Oh, thank god."

Somewhat of a paradoxical reaction. But really, Clint is just relieved that he's not completely nuts. That there's a reason he's not going kamikaze on Loki's ass. Connection.

"I'm glad I'm not crazy," he says. "So, what's the link?"

[dreamsofpoison]

Loki has a suspicion what the link is but he's not going to drop that bomb. Well, and be believed. "I can't be certain," he says, making sure to sound hesitant.

"It can't be severed by conventional means whatever it is. I've tried."

[halfassed]

"Don't fuck with me, Loki."

God, is it just his imagination, or does Loki smell really good? How did he not notice this before now? -- He probably got used to it, and then with the food and everything -- yeah. But damn.

[dreamsofpoison]

"That is precisely the problem," Loki says in a low hiss. "Do you understand?"

He pulls the blankets closer around himself protectively. That is partly the truth. He's still guarding what he thinks is the true cause.

[halfassed]

"Well, whose idea was that?"

Not exactly capable of giving consent while under mind control, here.

Then again, they'd just established that maybe the mind control went both ways. And Clint still is maddeningly attracted to him.

"Wait. Did the scepter make you want to ... do whatever with me?"

[dreamsofpoison]

"Well," Loki says, "The desire was there. I can't say if I would have acted on it without the scepter. If I had, without it, it's unlikely you would have known it was me."

[halfassed]

"Jeez," says Clint. "Creepy." And then belatedly, it occurs to him that part of that statement might pass as a compliment, if you squint a little.

"I usually prefer women." Ouch, no, he probably shouldn't have put it like that. "I mean, you were an exception." Because apparently just giving out orders like he's born to it is enough to get Clint on his knees. Come to think of it, he is born to it. -- Or wait, no, that's right. He's a Frost Giant.

He clears his throat. "So it sucks for both of us," he says. "What is it that's lingering? Is it some psychic thing? Pheromonal?"

He really just wants to press his nose into Loki's neck and inhale.

[dreamsofpoison]

Apparently Loki is used to that kind of response. "I would have appeared as a woman," he says with a shrug, "It wouldn't have been the first time."

As for what it is, he frowns faintly. "I'm not certain. Pheromonal is possible but it cannot be the only cause."

[halfassed]

Something goes thunk in Clint's brain at that thought. Should've seen that one coming. He grits his teeth; god damn if it doesn't make his sexual desire surge.

He gulps down the last of the eggs and slides under the blanket again, next to Loki. Maybe hoping to hide the slight boner that he got from that thought. Oh god, what if Loki had him go down on -- him? her?

"I don't even know what I'm talking about here," says Clint. "But I have this weird feeling that you have something specific in mind that you do or don't want to tell me, and if you're so sick of talking, maybe you could stop beating around the bush."

[dreamsofpoison]

"It's possible I am pregnant," Loki says flatly. He's sitting up under the covers warped around him. "It would explain why I wasn't completely turned into a human. Why my skin changed and why I have only enough magic to cover it up."

[halfassed]

"What."

It takes him a very long moment to realize he said that aloud. And a longer one to actually parse the words. Pregnant. Loki might be pregnant. Loki might be pregnant and exactly where the hell is he hiding a womb?

Clint truly, deeply wants to go somewhere else and just absorb this news, but there's not much alternative to here, unless he wants temperatures below the approximately 40-50 that this room wavers between.

A kid. Clint never wanted kids. No, that's not true. He entertained a sort of weird, distant fantasy about being married and being happy, but never really accepted that as a viable outcome to his line of work. He can't be a good dad and a master assassin at the same time.

Would he even be a dad to this thing? This half-Frost Giant, half-human -- this happened in mythology all the time, right? Clint has to reread that shit.

He turns over onto his back, and attempts to absorb this news.

[dreamsofpoison]

Loki just stares at him. Huh. It appears he broke him. "I have an illusion in place that helps conceal it," he reiterates, "so I appear fully male."