Love is For Fools // Loki Laufeyson

Part 20 - Surprise

Over the next few weeks, I surprisingly warm up to Loki's company, becoming (dare I say) grateful for it.  On a daily basis, he entertains me and helps me with everything, from my makeshift physical therapy ideas to helping me with changing my dressings - throughout that process, Loki's catchphrase became, "Come on, Scarlett, you can't be your own doctor."

It seems that seeing me in a more weakened state has made Loki comfortable with showing me his occasional vulnerability, or perhaps it could also just be due to how much we've bonded over our extended amounts of time spent together. 

We do share a few rare emotional moments, but it's overall just light teasing and banter - and today is no exception.

"Come on, Loki, I'm ready to be cleared," I insist as I finish walking a lap around the pool, having absolutely no pain in my abdomen whatsoever.

He shakes his head as he watches me walking over to him.  "I don't think you are."

"Last time I checked, I was the doctor," I retort.

"Last time I checked, you said you were fine to be cleared a few days after you were shot."

"And I was able to walk just fine a few days after I was shot."

"Sure, if you call heavily leaning on me while swearing every two seconds out of pain just fine."

I roll my eyes.  "Okay, well I mean it now.  Are you going to make me bring Angela into this?  We both know she will willingly discharge me so she won't have to handle the medical wing alone."

Loki crosses his arms, knowing I'm right.  "But what if you aren't ready?"

"I'm ready," I assure him as I place a hand on his shoulder.

......

"I was so not ready to come back to work," I mutter as I lean my head against my desk, just having finished with the last patient of the day.

"Don't be such a drama queen," Angela scolds.

"You let things go to shit while I was out!  I've been back for two days, and I'm still receiving men needing me to fix the shit you did wrong," I scoff.  "How is it that you treated me perfectly yet are fucking up all of Loki's men?"

She smirks to herself as I narrow my eyes.  "You're purposely fucking up, aren't you?" I question.

"I will neither confirm nor deny your accusation," she states smugly.

"Angela, you're going to bring unwanted attention to yourself!"  I lower my voice.  "Do you want Loki sniffing around in your business, everything considered?"

She rolls her eyes.  "He's not going to find anything.  Nick's careful enough to not leave any trace of our communications with SHIELD."

I sigh and lean back, propping my feet up on my desk.  "If you say so.  Speaking of SHIELD, what did they say about Hydra?"

"Steve said that-"

"Steve?  Who the hell is Steve?"

She rolls her eyes.  "Captain America: Steve Rogers."

"Oh," I shrug.  "Anyways, carry on."

"Steve said that he could've sworn that they were all dead after he killed them in the 1940s."

"So he thinks I was lying?"

"He thinks you may have seen incorrectly," Angela corrects.  "But I told him everything else that you told me, and he said that little octopus emblem you described is exactly like their emblem, and the 'Hydra two heads' line was exactly like something they would say."