In The Shadows | Loki

I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU NOT TO READ MY MIND

 "This is why you're compromised? This is why you can't be an agent, right?" Fury is screaming, and I can't do anything but stand there and take it. "You didn't think that I should know that one of the Earth's biggest threats is back on the damn planet?" I cross my arms over my chest, taking in a deep breath. "Speaking of, arrest him." Fury turns to the agents who had come with him.
        "No." Fury raises an eyebrow.
        "Excuse me?" He's daring me to challenge him, so I do just that.
        "Loki is staying here with me." Fury's jaw sets, his glare harsh. "And I'm not budging on that." I glance towards the god of mischief, and Fury follows my gaze.
        "If you think I am not walking out of here with him in handcuffs, you're wrong." I let out a snort, and his gaze returns to me. "Is there something you wanna tell me Winters?" 
        "There are multiple reasons why you aren't going to arrest him." 
        "Enlighten me." Fury says, frustration clear on his voice. I raise an eyebrow before shrugging once. 
        "Okay. For one, there's this." I turn, taking three quick steps over to Loki. Fury was not prepared for me to grab Loki by his shirt collar and pull him down so I'm able to press my lips onto his. The kiss only lasts a few seconds, and I pull back slowly. 
        "Was that really the best way to tell all of them, Love?" Loki asks a smug smirk on his lips, and I shrug, turning back around to Fury. He's just staring, his expression completely blank. Everyone in the room, and I do mean everyone, was openly staring. Nat had a small smile on her lips though, as if she had known. 
        "For two, you also have the bond to worry about." 
        "What. Bond." The words come out slowly. As if Fury is trying desperately not to scream. Knowing him, he was. 
        "The one where, now prepare yourself, if he dies, I die. He feels pain, I feel that same pain. We're bonded for life." Fury is insanely still. "The bond is why I'm compromised at the moment." 
        "Wait, wait." Everyone turns to look at Tony. "Did no one just see that?" He gestures to Loki and I. I glance at Loki, meeting his eyes. I shrug, and he turns back to Tony.
        "Geeze Stark, where have you been?" Steve speaks up. "I thought you told me you were good at spotting relationships." 
        "I think he's losing his touch." Nat comments.
        "You two knew? What?" Tony looks so horrified that he had no clue about this. He looks at Bruce and Thor. Bruce takes a step back, raising his hands up in surrender. Thor shakes his head. 
        "I did not know, but I'm glad my brother finally got over his stubbornness to tell Lady Winters about how he felt." Thor replies. "It's been long enough."
        "Long enough? How long?" I ask curiously. Loki glares at his brother, but Thor smiles.
        "This is not what is important right now!" Fury shouts, making us all stop. "He is a criminal. He tried to invade the damn planet. Or are you all forgetting that fact?"
        "He was just as brainwashed as Clint." I shoot back. "Or are you going to arrest him too?" Behind Fury, Maria is watching the entire exchange with wide, startled eyes. She was an agent first, and a friend second, but even I knew this was hard for her to digest both ways. 
        "Uh, sir?" Maria speaks up, drawing the attention to her. "The compound has everyone in interrogation rooms. Everything's ready." She glances at me, and Fury sighs.
        "Fine. Send in the first round of interrogators." Fury looks at me. "Are you going to come?"
        "And find out why my family is paying people to kill me now instead of just waiting for nature to take its course? Yeah. I'm coming." Fury turns to head back towards the jet, Maria following. When the agents that came with Fury don't move, I frown, letting my mind roam. I catch Fury's train of thought, as well as the orders that the agents had just received. I sigh.
        "Loki's not leaving my side now." Loki looks down at me, raising an eyebrow. Fury stops, not bothering to look at me.
        "I thought I told you not to read my mind, Winters." 
        "Then you shouldn't have just sent out an order to arrest him the second that jet left with me on it." I reply. The room is dead silent, everyone waiting for Fury's reaction. 
        "He is your responsibility then." Fury replies after a long moment. "If he so much as breathes in the wrong direction, it's your ass that'll be paying for it, do you understand me?" Fury turns, glaring at me head on. "Do you understand me Winters?" My jaw sets, and I straighten, giving him a hard look.
        "Yes sir." Fury's eye looks to Loki before he turns back around. 
        "Then get on the jet." He mutters, moving towards the quin-jet. Maria nods at the other agents, and they follow Fury as well. Maria stands, waiting for it to be only the team. She looks up at me, a small frown on her lips. 
        "You know I had to tell him, right?" She asks, looking up at me. I let out a long breath, nodding once. "I'm sorry."
        "It's okay. I had a feeling this would happen when I called you." I reply, looking up at her. Her eyes flick to Loki. "I know Fury doesn't trust me with this. He's not going to understand this. Do you?" Maria's eyes dart back to me. 
        "I don't understand, but I trust you." She finally settles on. Her eyes flick to Loki again, then back to me. "Not him. Just you." She adds, and I let out a long breath before nodding. She sends me a small, reassuring smile before turning back to follow Fury. I feel a hand touch the middle of my back, and I glance to my left at Loki.
        "Are you alright, love?" He murmurs, looking a little concerned. I ignore the eyes of the team that are on us, shrugging. 
        "No." I couldn't lie to him. I knew that. "But I have to be." I feel a soothing feeling wash over me, and I raise an eyebrow, looking at him.
        "Soothing spell." He informs me. "I thought it might help." I send him a small smile before letting out a long breath, moving to follow Fury an Maria to the jet. The entire team piles on, and I notice Loki stick close to me, sending distrustful looks at the SHIELD agents. The ride to the compound doesn't take long, but it's full of tense silence. Fury refuses to look me in the eye. 
        "Sir, none of them are giving us anything. The youngest girl is blubbering though, telling us that she didn't know what her parents were going to do." 
        "Cordelia." I sigh, and Fury glances at me. 
        "Are you going to interrogate her, or do you want one of the other agents?" I shake my head, motioning to Loki. 
        "I've got it. If you don't try to arrest him while I'm in there, he can tell you if she's lying, seeing as he's the God of Lies." I can't help but make the jab, and I see Fury's jaw clench. 
        "Interrogation room seven." The agent adds. I push past him, moving towards the room. Loki's next to me, and I feel someone come up on my other side. 
        "You're just trying to make him mad, aren't you?" Nat muses. 
        "Oh dear, you noticed?" I deaedpan, earning a snicker from the man beside me. Nat glances at Loki before looking back to me, a smug smile on her face. I raise an eyebrow. 
        "It took you two long enough to finally admit your feelings. I mean, all the things I had to do." I stop at that, turning to look at my friend. 
        "Excuse me?" Nat shrugs, continuing to walk so I'm forced to do so as well.
        "I kicked him in the stomach so you and Steve would stop kissing. Oh, and I've been dropping hints like crazy." She adds. "A couple of other things. It's not important." 
        "It is important." I insist, a little startled. 
        "Not right now." Nat stops, nodding at the room in front of us. "C'mon Trickster. Observation room is over here." Loki casts me a look before following Natasha. I let out a long breath before pushing the door open, walking inside. The agent interrogating my sister looks up, and I nod towards the door. He stands, glancing towards my crying sister before he quickly exits the room. 
        "Ophelia?" My sister is handcuffed to the table, her makeup running. I sit down at the newly vacated chair across from her. crossing my arms over my chest. "Everything happened so quickly, and I didn't even see." She shakes her head quickly, her eyes darting around the bare room. 
        "Why?" I ask quietly, stopping her rambling. "Why would you do that?" Her chest is heaving as she takes in deep, gulping breaths. 
        "They said they wanted to apologize. I... I just thought..." She hiccups, shaking her head again. "I didn't think they'd do anything like this! I'm so, so sorry!" She begins crying again. I glance in the one way mirror behind my sister, catching a glimpse of my scarred face. 
        "You should've told me what you were doing. I almost walked into a death sentence, Cordelia." She lets out another sob.
        "I know! I'm so sorry! I never meant for this to happen!" Another hiccup. "I just wanted to try and put our family back together." She can't even wipe at her eyes, her hands are still handcuffed to the table. I don't miss the fact that she keeps trying though, out of instinct. I let out a long breath, getting to my feet. "Where are you going?" Her voice cracks, and I meet her eyes.
        "If you're telling the truth, they'll release you." I say after a second. "I'm going to go interrogate our parents now, so if you'll excuse me."
        "You're just going to leave me here?" She asks desperately. 
        "Like I said, they'll release you if you're telling the truth." I repeat, keeping my face void of emotion. "I really hope you are." I quickly leave, ignoring her protests. It takes me two seconds to go from the interrogation room to the observation room, and I'm not surprised to see everyone there. I focus on Loki. "So?" He glances at my sister.
        "She was telling the truth." I resist the urge to let out a sigh of relief, instead turning to Fury. I know most of the team is looking at me with pity, and I don't care. 
        "Who's next? Mom or Dad?" Fury hesitates. "What?"
        "One member of the strike team. We got a hit on the facial scan." I raise an eyebrow. "It's your brother."