Love is For Fools // Loki Laufeyson

Part 39 - Falling (in Love)

I scoff lightly, deciding to choose anger out of the dozens of emotions clouding my mind.  "May I ask what the hell you're doing here?" I ask, the offense clear in my voice.  "Because it's been six months since the Avengers reclaimed the city from Loki and restoration efforts began, yet you did not even attempt to contact me.  What, do you only care about my safety whenever you're making yourself look good for the press?"

Shit.  I did not mean to dump all of that on him.  I just started to state my mind, and then the rest rolled off my tongue.

The room falls silent, everyone not expecting my mood escalation.  They all knew that my father was a touchy subject, but I never let anybody besides Loki and Natasha know the full extent of my frustrations.

Stephen finally speaks up, breaking the silence.  "Scarlett, I'm so sorry.  I truly, truly wanted to contact you before now-"

"So why didn't you?  A simple phone call would have more than sufficed.  I mean, after your 'emotional, tell-all interview' with that sleazy news reporter, is it really that big of a deal to check up on your daughter who was kidnapped by a literal god?"

"I was busy-"

"Ah, yes.  Work - how did I not see it coming?" I ask rhetorically.

"Scarlett, I swear, I tried to come back to New York as soon as I could.  I had the FBI all over my ass about you - they thought I was in on your kidnapping and it was either a large scam between you, me, and Loki or that it was an arrangement between me and Loki.  SHIELD got in touch with me and snuck me into Canada while they were fixing things.  I wasn't allowed any electronics besides my laptop which was heavily monitored by SHIELD to make sure I didn't try to contact you or anybody else in the states. They've finally got everything sorted out, so here I am."

The room goes silent, everyone waiting for my response.  I glance at Fury who just nods, confirming Stephen's story.

I direct my attention back to Stephen, dropping my defensive tone for my joking one.  "Okay, I will admit that's a pretty good excuse."

"That's my girl," he chuckles, holding out his arms to invite me into a hug.

I pretend to begrudgingly hug him, but there is nothing begrudging about it - I actually did miss him.

"You know, I told Fury that you were definitely going to be mad," he comments.  "I figured that if anything changed about you during this time, it'd probably be the shortening of your already-short temper."

"Make fun of my temper one more time and I'll show you just how short it is," I threaten jokingly.

Stephen chuckles as he releases me, but his smile fades as he looks past me.  I turn to see his gaze focused on Loki who is clearly growing visibly uncomfortable.  He walks past me, advancing towards Loki, and I follow cautiously, unsure of his reaction.  I typically would never be concerned about my father impulsively choosing violence, but Loki has given him more than enough reason to do so.

Stephen crosses his arms as he plants his feet on the ground firmly, watching Loki carefully.  His demeanor emanates the same energy he gave when disciplining me when I was younger.  "Loki..." he states, his voice carrying a tone of warning.

Loki watches him warily, seeming slightly shorter than Stephen even though he's actually taller.  "Dr. Strange," he replies, mostly matching Stephen's tone.

Stephen claps a hand on Loki's shoulder in a fatherly manner.  "Hurt Scarlett again, and I'll kill you," he states calmly, his voice not matching the threat at all.  "With that said, welcome to the family."

He releases Loki and walks back to us casually, ignoring the shocked expression on Loki's face.  "So, now that Scarlett no longer wants to kill me and I've finished threatening her boyfriend, I've come to make an announcement.  As I resume my residency and career in New York, I'm going to solidify my daughter's stay here as well.  To make sure that the Avengers are extra comfortable in their budget, I'm going to become the Avengers' top sponsor."