Loki Misses the Asgardian Prison System

Chapter 86

It is not Steve who comes back for the USB stick.

It's Natasha Romanoff.

She walks up to the vending machine, and, as casual as casual can be, slips a few quarters in the change slot. She types in a code, and a stick of gum comes out. She sticks a few more quarters in. She types in the code. Another stick falls out.

Loki watches her curiously. Is she supposed to be doing this? He'd assumed Steve was hiding this from her, but maybe not. Maybe it was just a safe space to keep it until one of them could come for it. Maybe he wasn't even the one to put it in there. Loki never saw him do it. It could have been her. This could have nothing to do with Steve Rogers.

... Yeah, he doesn't believe that, either.

It's not that he thinks that she's "the bad guy" of the situation. He's fairly certain that's not the case. But there must be something going on here that he's not aware of, and whatever it is, it doesn't seem to be in her favor. So when Natasha finally reaches the USB drive and types that code one last time...

It doesn't move.

Natasha rolls her eyes, mostly unphased, and slips another few quarters in the machine. She punches the code again, obviously expecting the USB to fall, but it doesn't.

"Oh my," Loki murmurs. "I hope you have some more quarters."

Natasha tenses at the sudden sound of his voice, but she doesn't jump, staying very composed in the eyes of anyone else who may be looking.

Without taking her gaze off the vending machine, she says quietly, "What do you want, Loki?"

"I could be wrong, but I don't believe Rogers wanted you to take that," Loki remarks.

Natasha raises her brows. "Does Rogers know you're here?"

"He does not," Loki says. "Though you are welcome to tell him the next time he sees you. Perhaps it will distract from the sudden unexplained tension between you."

Natasha juts her jaw to the side, clearly frustrated, but from any other angle, nobody would know. "What are you doing here, Loki?"

"I heard rumors that Director Fury had died," Loki says. "I had to see that for myself."

Natasha clenches her jaw, silent. There's a glimmer in her eye, though it's difficult to tell whether it's just her anger or if it's tears welling up.

Loki decides to lay off the condescension for now, his voice growing more sincere as he says, "And I'm sorry for your loss. He was a good man. The world was all the better for having him in it."

Natasha squeezes her eyes shut and swallows hard. She takes a deep breath. "Yeah. Yeah, it was." She wipes her face with her sleeve before she allows herself to open her eyes, and after one more deep breath, she says, "I need this hard drive."

"What for?"

"Because I do," she says.

Loki eyes her up and down for a few moments. He's really sure why he's keeping it from her. He has no reason to believe that he should. He does think that Steve was trying to hide it from her and he must have a good reason, but he can't think of what that could possibly be.

So, giving up, he decides to just flat-out ask her that. "Why did Rogers hide it from you?"

"I don't know," Natasha admits. "I don't know what it is or where he got it or what's on it, but I'm going to find out."

Loki watches her for a few moments, then nods once, not that she can see it. "I look forward to finding out alongside you."

Natasha lolls her head back. "So you're coming with us."

Loki furrows his brows. "'Us'?"

"Yeah, 'us,'" Natasha says. "What, you think I'm just going to take the flash drive and ditch? No, I'm waiting for Steve to come back for it first."

"Hmm." Well, that makes sense, he supposes. Now she can ask Steve what it is and withhold it if he won't answer. All this time in near-solitary is really starting to do him in. He can't believe he hadn't realized what she was up to earlier. "How long do you expect that to be?"

"Don't know," she says. She slips another few quarters in the machine, and the USB stick falls out. She crouches down to pull it out, and along with it, the numerous packs of gum she had to buy to get to it. She shoves most of them in her pocket, but she opens one up, tossing it in her mouth. "At least I got some gum to munch on while I wait."

"I wish I could say the same," Loki says. Bruce gives him gum sometimes when they're working in his lab. It really is a wonderful creation; all the joy of a piece of candy but it lasts for much longer. "I assume you don't plan to wait out here in direct sight if Rogers is avoiding you."

Natasha shakes her head. She turns around and walks into the room directly across the hall, leaving the door ajar and the blinds wide open. She leans against the wall, casually looking out through the window. It's not much of a hiding spot, but it will do, he supposes.

"Well," Loki says, "this looks spectacularly boring."

"Welcome to the life of a spy," Natasha says.

Loki purses his lips. "Alright, you enjoy yourself," he says. "I cannot believe I am about to say this, but Avengers Tower is no longer the most boring place to be."

"Good," Natasha says. "Go away."

"Gladly."