Leave You Be? Never.

Ch. 19 - I Can't Tell Bruce

Monet

Okay so quick catch up. Four days ago: woke up in the middle of the night, sex dream. Loki. You know all that shit.

Three days ago: Procrastinating, overthinking, argument with Loki.

Two days ago: Vampire Diaries, out with Bruce, argument with Loki.

Yesterday: deadline for Chrissy is nearing, a lot of work, argument with Loki.

Now guess what has been happening for the last six minutes.

"Are you serious?!" I yelled out. Loki was sitting on Tony's armchair with his leg crossed in the way his foot rests on his knee, and an open book in his hand as his eyes scattered across the pages. I was standing around several metres away from him with one hand in my hair and the other on my hip.

"It's the only reasonable option, Monet," He said calmly.

"This shouldn't have been any of your business to begin with," I mumbled, both the hand in my hair and the other one on my hip sliding down.

"Ah yes, well surprise surprise. It is." The sarcastic undertones of his voice really made me wanna grab that book of his and throw it across the room. "If you didn't want it to be," he raised his head to look at me while the open book remained laying in his hands, "you should never had told me in the first place."

I paused to think. Then spoke, "Yeah, I know. I'm sorry."

"Great," he murmured while shaking his head and returning to his book, "Now the girl is apologising."

"I don't know what you expect me to do Loki!" I took two steps forward as I continued. "You told me to do this, I said no, you claimed it was the only way, I told you it's not your business, you said it was my fault I told you at all, so I apologised, and now you're upset! What else do you want from me?" I continues to raise and raise my voice as I grew more and more impatient.

"What I want," he yelled as he slammed his book closed got up and took two strides forward until he was looking down at me, "is for you to simply listen to me," he whispered.

We were chest to chest, almost touching, with our faces moving closer as Loki himself slowly got closer.

"I can't," I whispered looking down. "I can't tell Bruce. He would never forgive me."

"You must."

"I can't!" I whipped my head back up to look at him. "Why don't you understand that?"

"Because all of your reasons," he paused to tilt his head to the side and lower his voice, "are simple excuses."

I sighed tiredly, resting my head on his chest, "Why do you care?"

"I don't."

"Then why are you helping?"

He sighed after that too and raised his hand to my head, placing it on top, "I don't know, honestly. I think I just understand."

With my head resting on his chest, I could hear his heartbeat slowing and the rises and falls of it as he breathed calming.

"How so?" I asked as he slowly lowered his chin to rest atop my head. Will he finally open up as much as I have? Will he tell me whatever it feels like he's keeping from me?

"I know what it's like to feel like you're alone. Yes, you're surrounded by many others around you yet you still feel all alone."

I took a pause, hoping he would elaborate. He didn't. But I didn't want to push it, so all I said was, "I'm sorry."

"No need to be," he quickly said. "I just assume you wouldn't wanted to continue this way."

I hummed in understanding, confirming his suspicions.

"So now I'm going to get you out of this. Though I would like to remind you," I brought my head up to look him in the eyes as he continued speaking, "there is nothing more to what I'm doing. No more, no less. I simply see it as" he scoffs, "the ethical thing to do."

I paused again. Longer this time. I knew what he was doing wasn't special or anything, but I thought he would be doing this to make me feel better. Not just for the ethics. But, as we've conversed, I can now see how he's right. About not caring. Maybe this friendship between Loki and I was really just something to help him pass time as he was stuck here. Or at least what I thought had been a friendship. Now I've got no damn clue.

"Monet?" His raised voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Huh?"

He raised an eyebrows.

"Oh, erm, right."

"So...?" he said.

"Uh- sorry, can you repeat the question," I said as I smiled awkwardly.

"Will you do it? Tell Banner about Christine."

I couldn't just decide here and now, it was too big of a choice. "I'll think on it."

"Sleep on it. You keep zoning out, you've been doing too much work, you're tired. Go."

I didn't even bother to argue. I stepped back and turned towards the elevator, waving him goodbye without turning back.

~~

A/N: Sorry that this was all just one scene. It was quick early morning writing :)