Chapter Text
Sunlight trickled through the windows, illuminating the book I had in my hands. It was on the history of the Assyrian Empire in Mesopotamia. I needed something to draw my mind away from the events of the past three days. Reading always calmed me down.
The doctors had kept Loki in the hospital room for observation. They wanted to be absolutely sure that no other seizures or accidents would occur. But he seemed fine. Thor was with him every hour to hear his whining about being kept as a lab rat.
Clint visited once. He didn’t say much, only asked to see if Loki was okay then left. It was a start.
The other Avengers came in and out bringing food and drinks. They seemed to have accepted him as an ally at the least, and they didn’t treat him as an outcast anymore.
Meanwhile, I brought him books to keep him occupied, which Thor was always thankful for. He hadn’t asked me about my powers since, even though I dodged the question because the doctor interrupted us. I had a feeling he hadn’t dropped it but simply saving it for a better time. I wasn’t looking forward to it.
Another issue was my mark. It was burning like crazy again, on and off for three days. It was like the intimate contact I made with Loki set off an explosive inside my wrist. I kept looking for things to soothe it, but it was all temporary. I even went to Bruce, lying that it was a kitchen accident with a knife, to see if he had any anecdotes. Nothing worked.
I put a cool bandage around my wrist in place of the bracelet now. I explained it all away to the team, but I couldn’t keep the act up for longer. Kitchen cuts don’t bleed for days. The bandage had to come off soon, but it calmed the burn if only for a slight bit.
“Dana,” a voice called to me. Tony walked in front of my chair and sat down on the couch next to me. I had never seen him in the library before, assuming he had read everything already. “Can we talk?”
I hadn’t exactly been avoiding him the past few days, but I just couldn’t feel comfortable in the same room. What if he still saw me as a monster?
“Sure.” I put the book down, settling in my seat more comfortably.
Tony sighed. “Listen, I realize what I said to you last week was… bad. I didn’t mean for it to come out that way. God, I didn’t mean it at all. I just want you safe and protected, not because you’re a monster but because you’re family.”
“You said I would never be an Avenger,” I started.
“I meant… that you weren’t ready. Maybe I was wrong, but Dana if something were to go wrong, what would the world see you as?”
“You’re worried about what the world thinks? Since when?!”
“Since you were thrown into my life! I want to protect you not just from physical harm but from emotional damage, and having the world hating you counts as that.”
“I’m not worried about their opinions.”
“Yeah, well you should be.” He looked me dead in the eyes. “Their opinions mean everything. They can take away your privileges, your rights, your life. If they don’t like what they see, they will push back.”
“Well then I’ll just have to do my best to not piss off the whole damn world. Sounds easy enough.”
“I’m serious Dana! One wrong move, one innocent life taken, they will be at the gate.” His words were sinking in. He was leaning forward, making sure he had my full attention. “Can you honestly say
you’re ready?”
I stuttered. “I… I saved Loki’s life.”
“One life, not in the midst of heavy battle,” he interrupted.
I blanked at that. He was right, I wasn’t fully ready for battle. I could control my powers in a controlled environment, but a real fight was different. And if civilians were around… things could go south for me very quickly.
“Dana, let us keep training you,” he pleaded. “Don’t give up on us yet. You’re here for a purpose, not for imprisonment. We just need a little more time.”
I nodded, defeated. I couldn’t reject the one man who had stuck by my side through all of this.
“Thank you,” he breathed.
He stood up and gave me a big hug. I held him tight, almost tearing up at his love for me. We were all each other had most of the time.
“And another thing,” he added, “Loki is back in his rooms. He’s been released by the medical staff; they say he’s in the clear. You did well kid.”
I smiled at his words but also at the confirmation that Loki was okay. I let out a breath I feel I had been holding in for days.
Before Tony walked out of the library, he turned to me, smirking. “And he wants to see you.”
“See me?” I exclaimed.
Tony shrugged. “Evidently so. But if he gets too friendly, I’ll kick his ass.”
Chuckling, I stood up to follow him. We parted ways when he turned to go to the lab and I kept straight to the resident area.
I felt my heart skipping a few beats. What could Loki want? He was probably going to interrogate me on my powers now that he was able to be alone in his rooms again. I had no idea what I was going to say to him. I wasn’t confident in my ability to lie to the God of Lies’ face. Surely, he would know!
The walk to his rooms seemed far too short, but there I was. I took deep breaths, willing my heart and mind to steady so I could be more composed in front of him. But I was also facing the issue of calming my heart from the excitement of seeing him.
I had a crush! What was this? It didn’t seem like an ordinary crush. Feeling so intensely for someone so fast. And a god at that, who wouldn’t think of me like that in a million years. But there was something there, between us. I swear I felt it. Did he?
Okay, Dana calm down. It was time. I knocked on the door, eager and dreadful of the next step. The burning in my wrist made an appearance. It was like it could tell when he was near, like it wanted something. But what?
I scoffed at myself. This was all silly, just romantic notions in my head getting out of control. The burning was something medical, and it needed to stop soon. Very soon.
I heard footsteps approaching the door. I breathed in as much air as I could take in, praying that this was just a “thanks for saving my life” conversation. But doubtful.
Suddenly, the door opened.