Loki Misses the Asgardian Prison System

Chapter 70

The party unofficially ended an hour or so ago, and now all of the Avengers are just lounging around, probably just about ready to go to bed, though no one wants to be the first one to do it.

Loki and Steve are sharing the couch, and she's curled up with her head on his shoulder so she can see his phone. They've been watching cat videos for at least half an hour, and she's been enjoying it far more than she expected. Apparently not all cats are like Snowflake, and that's not a bad thing at all (though she is pleased to see that Snowflake seems to be on the smarter end of the cat spectrum).

Loki finds that she has to yawn, and though she could easily hide it with a simple illusion, she decides there's no point in keeping it to herself.

"Me too, Sylvie," Natasha says, yawning as well.

"Mm, no, stop that," Tony says. "You're gonna make me yawn, too."

Steve puts his phone down in his lap and looks down at Loki. "It's getting late. I don't know if you want to stay here for the night, or...?"

"Not with Loki living here," she says darkly, because she is nothing if not unreasonably dramatic. "I could never sleep knowing that he is nearby. I do not trust him for a moment."

"He's not that bad," Steve assures her. "You don't have to worry about him. He's pretty content just doing his own thing."

Loki really hopes he's only saying that to keep the peace, because she does not like how he phrased that. She's not that bad? So she's a little bad? Ouch.

"I agree with... Sylvie," Thor says, making a face as he says the name. "I think you would do best to return home."

"Mm, yes, probably," Loki agrees. She readjusts her position, resting her head on Steve's chest. "In a few minutes."

Thor shoots him a glare. "You should go now, before people begin asking questions."

Loki sighs. He's probably right; she's just a guest, and all the other guests have already left, Rhodey excluded. It's probably about time for her to head out, too.

Loki pushes herself to her feet, and the entire right side of her body feels cold now that she's not propped up against Steve. She hadn't realized humans were so warm until today. It's kind of nice. It reminded her of home — of Asgard. Frigga always made a nice heater, too.

"You're off?" Steve asks, standing up as well.

"It appears so," Loki says. She holds her arms out, and Steve gives her a gentle hug. "Tonight has been a lot of fun. Thank you for introducing me to the internet. I hope we can watch more cat videos at the next party."

"We absolutely can," Steve assures her.

They pull apart, and Loki scans the room, looking for the next person she's like to say goodbye to. She's thinking either Natasha or Rhodey, not she's not sure which...

Natasha answers the question for her when she says, "You know, Sylvie, you can come by whenever you want. You don't have to wait for us to throw another party."

Loki raises her brows. "Oh, really?" She can just show up whenever she wants? If she's bored in her room, she can just change forms and let "Sylvie" pay them a visit? She might have to take them up on that.

"Yeah, we're always up for company," Natasha says from her seat at the bar. "You have no idea how boring these people are."

Clint gives her a playful shove. "Oh, come on. You love us."

"Mm, do I, though?" Natasha asks teasingly.

Loki laughs just because she's not sure what else to do. She approaches the assassin next, stopping just short of the stool she sits on. "Lady Natasha, it was lovely to see you again." She leans in for a kiss, leaving a peck on her cheek. (It's a bit disappointing that none of her lipstick came off. The mere idea of branding the Black Widow with a kiss is unendingly hilarious.)