Loki Misses the Asgardian Prison System

Chapter 170

Loki really does not want to do this.

It's been a shitty day, and the last thing she wants to do is play dress-up with Natasha and Wanda. Even if she is feeling somewhat feminine today, she doesn't want to play this game. She just wants to sit on the couch with her brother in silence and be vaguely aware of her femininity in the most non-committal way possible.

With that said, there are two reasons she agreed to do this.

The first is that she feels like a woman anyway. She has no problem using her male form even if it doesn't match her identity because it's her standard form: it's the one that people know her as, and she learned a long time ago that it's the form she gets the most respect in. But she is feeling like a woman, so she might as well be a woman, inside and out.

The second reason is simply her curiosity. They really wanted her to join them. They said they'd be content with just twenty minutes of her time. She wants to know why. They're doing this for a reason, and she wants to know what it is. (Also, she's not sure what a girls night entails, and she will admit that she's curious about that, too.)

They're on their way to Natasha's room, she's told, and though she's been here once before, it still feels strange to her. She's allowed in Natasha's room. Not only that, but she was practically begged to go to Natasha's room. She can hardly make sense of it. Maybe it's her own misunderstanding of Midgardian culture, but in her mind, bedrooms are a private place; a sacred place, almost. She doesn't feel like she should even be allowed near it.

But Natasha doesn't seem to mind, so Loki tries not to think too hard about it. She was invited; that's what matters. She's allowed to be here. She's wanted here. It's fine. She's fine. It's all fine.

Natasha opens the door to her room and steps inside, and Wanda doesn't hesitate to follow her. Loki does hesitate, but only for the briefest moment, and she's only taken a single step inside when everything starts to make sense.

"Oh, hey!" Darcy greets her with a grin. "I almost didn't recognize you without your boobs out!"

If it had been a different day, that might have gotten a laugh out of her, but Loki's not quite in the mood to laugh right now. Still, she gives the girl a small smile. It was a somewhat amusing comment. She must admit that much. It's more amusing than anything that's been going on in the common room with Thor these last few hours.

To the other women, Loki says, "I presume this 'girls night' was to get me away from my brother so that Dr. Foster could see him." He knew there was something more going on. This would explain it.

Natasha huffs. "That obvious?"

"You're not exactly subtle," Loki says. She's just glad she figured it out. It was going to bother her all evening if she couldn't puzzle out what they were planning. "You didn't have to go through all this trouble. I have a handful of books left to read. I will gladly spend the rest of the day with them." She's long since processed that Thor hasn't been murdered, that he will not be murdered, and that this won't change just because Loki's not right next to him at all times. Sitting with him is not so much a comfort now as it is good company on a bad day.

"You better not," Darcy says immediately.

"You already agreed to a girls night," Natasha reminds her. "You can't back out now."

Loki shakes her head. "You really do not have to–"

"Yeah, well, Wanda wants a girls night," Natasha interrupts, "and you are a girl and it is a night – kind of; the sun's kinda starting to set – so you're stuck with us."