The Revenge of Devil | Irondad, pepperony

Chapter 56

Loki sat in a chair in the living room, frowning in displeasure. When Peter and Michelle came home with Barnes and Romanov, the young Stark suggested that they play a family game together. But Bucky and Natasha apologized because the rest of the team was due to come in a moment to talk about the next day and share any news. And so he remained - and immediately regretted ever appearing today - and Rhodes and Bruce, who stayed home today. Peter suggested that they could play Activity, which everyone agreed to, except for Loki, of course. Because he had no idea what the Activity was.

But, of course, he should have found out soon. He saw for himself how embarrassing and humiliating the game was. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, but he was horrified. When it was his turn with a pantomime, he was eager to disappear.

"And no tricks or transformations. You have to show it the way you are," Peter emphasized, his eyes sparkling with amusement. Loki swore that the boy must have done it on purpose, just to see him humiliate himself. That's how he repaid him for everything! Loki suppressed a disgruntled clap.

"I don't want to show anything," he grumbled unhappily, squeezing the card in his hand.

"I thought you loved being able to show off in front of people?" The brown-haired young man teased him. Loki gave him a killing stare and vowed in his mind that one day he would return this to him. Bruce was the first to recognize the dog, quite quickly, so Loki was released, and Peter grinned at him. "Ah, it's shame, it could have been fun."

"Don't worry, it will be his turn again soon," Rhodey chuckled, winking at Loki.

"I hate you all and I hate this game," Loki growled unhappily. He wanted to leave, but he knew that if he did, they would tease him forever.

"We know, Loki. We know," Peter assured him with a smile, knowing full well that God did not mean his words. And that annoyed Loki. He had become all too readable, too weak, and vulnerable, because in fact he had always longed for a loving family, and now that he had it, he was grateful. He cared about them, and one part of him hated it. He knew that it was safest not to bind and rely only on oneself, but once he had tasted the warmth of loving arms, feelings of belonging, support, and understanding, he could not get out of it. He was already part of them, whether he liked it or not. But honestly – he liked it.

In the dining room, meanwhile, Natasha and Bucky waited for Sam and Steve to join them. Natasha decided to find out first if they had any news, and then call Bruce and Rhodey, and maybe Loki if he wanted. Nat knew he would want to disappear and do anything to avoid playing the Activity, but she wanted to suffocate him a little more maliciously. Let him really enjoy being part of the family.

"So?" She struck them as soon as they arrived. Steve shook his head in response. She nodded. "I'm not really surprised. They're not gone for a day, and she must at least know we're going to watch him. I think she'll wait a few days before she attacks. She would think we would stop being so vigilant and relax, so it would be easier for her to seize him. But that will not happen."

"Of course not. Not this time," Steve replied in a firm voice.

"It's a pity we don't have Wanda and Vision here," Sam complained. "Wanda would squash the woman with a snap of her finger."

"But Wanda is somewhere far away with Vision, just like Clint and his family," Natasha recalled. "There is no hearing about them, so it will be better not to involve them in anything. If they missed us, they would show up. But I'm sure it's not a threat, and they'd rather be further away from it all," she smiled. She liked Wanda, knowing that if she were still on the team with them, everyone would feel even better. But she's suffered a lot in her life, so now it's probably a good thing she's retired and she's with someone who loves to look after her. "Besides, we don't want to destroy Teresa with a snap of a finger," she said quietly.

"I think a lot of things would be solved," Sam said aptly, earning a kick in the leg from Bucky under the table. "And what was that for?" he snapped at him.

"For disrespecting the decisions of others," he said, "Not everything is easy, and it doesn't have to be solved by murder right away -"

"Coming rich from you," Falcon interrupted.

"Sam," Steve growled in warning. Bucky and Sam could work well together, but in quiet moments they could often bark quarrelsomely at each other. The Captain sometimes felt that the fighting had even begun to entertain them.

"We really don't need to argue now," Natasha frowned, straightening up. "I'd rather go for the others before the blood will be flowing. I believe that the attack will not take place yet, but I would like to be ready. She won't get a single chance. "

Natasha and the others were wrong about this. Teresa has already been given the opportunity. She had a free hand. Because her target was someone else now.

•••

It was ridiculously simple. The Starks have experienced so much, and yet they are still so careless and blind. The cards played again in her favor. She had let Peter escape twice already. Twice she gave them all a chance to find her and fight her. They never used it. This was her third meeting with them. The third, and also the last.

She threw a satisfied smile at the motionless Tony and Pepper. They were half sitting and half lying in their seats. She had plenty of time before they woke up, and she also noticed that Tony hadn't forgotten to take his suit with him. Great. She would be genuinely surprised if he flew somewhere without it. But it was useless to him like that. So why couldn't she try it herself?

In a few moments, she could feel the suit wrapping around her skin and pressing her into its iron grip. It was the first time she had worn such a suit, and it wasn't bad at all. She had a hunch that Peter had a similar suit, just tailored to his abilities, but the equipment would most likely be the same as the Iron Man suit. It wouldn't hurt to examine it and find out what Peter could come up with. She knew that when he found out she was holding his parents somewhere, he would come to her. And if he came without his suit, he would be a real fool.

"Surprise, darling," she whispered with a smirk as the helmet wrapped tightly around her head and small holograms lit up before her eyes. "I think it's time to remind my little brother that he has a sister."