Shades of Red

Underestimated

"You use your mouth for evil

and harness your tongue to deceit.

You sit and testify against your brother

and slander your own mother's son."

-Psalm 50:19-20

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Natasha shouldered her way back into the cabin, dumping the wood in the little alcove behind the door. Something had been bugging her. She turned to find the god exactly where she left him, his long frame sprawled out over the couch with his knees hanging off the end, tossing a cup up into the air and catching it.

"You can't do magic," she stated.

He didn't even glance at her. "Duly observed."

"So what was that?"

Pale blue eyes slid her direction, narrowed in disdain. "What?"

"With the fire. First you dried the wood with magic, then you did that thing-you know, you made me breathe again. I thought Odin took your magic back in Asgard."

His upper lip curled at the mention of his father. His eyes returned to the ceiling, and the cup flew into the air again. "My magical competence is none of your concern."

Natasha set her hands against her hips. She was used to dealing with obstinate subjects, but something about the arrogant air of superiority exuded by the being before her grated at her years of training.

"Like hell it's my business." She marched forward and snatched the cup out of the air before he could catch it. He glared at her, but made to move to take it back.

"If you have magic, you're taking me back to S.H.I.E.L.D."

He smirked at her. "Ah, yes, so you can toss me back in your little cage."

"Yes."

The smirk broadened. "I'm quite comfortable here, thank you."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "How did you get your magic back, Loki?"

"What makes you think it has fully returned?"

"Has it?"

He regarded her through half-lidded eyes. Then he tipped back, folded his arms behind his head, and shut her out.

Natasha ground her teeth. Well, there was one way to find out for sure if her opponent was truly as formidable as he claimed.

In one swift motion, she lunged at him, fist connecting with his solar plexus. His eyes flew open and his breath expelled in a pained whoosh. Natasha danced away before he could grab her, and delivered a bone-crunching kick to his shin. He rolled off the couch and dove for her. Natasha flipped herself into a back handspring, evading his grasp, then propelled herself back off the floor so her feet collided with his gut. He stumbled backward. She took advantage of his lack of balance and darted across the room, so the couch was positioned between herself and him.

A heartbeat of silence fell across the room. His blue eyes locked onto her green ones in absolute incredulity.

"What the devil, woman?" he demanded. "Are you asking for death?"

Natasha met his gaze evenly. "Kill me, then. Use your magic."

He gave a low growl of fury, and made to spring around the couch and snatch her, but Natasha anticipated him. She flitted to the other side of the sofa, still a good five feet out of his reach.

"Can't you just zap me or something?" she goaded. "The God of Lies and Mischief deterred by a simple couch?"

His lip curled, showing his teeth, and his expression was one of pure rage. "Do not tempt me, mortal."

"You can't, can you? You can't even touch me. Because you don't have full control of your magic still. It's not all there."

He tried to come around the couch again, and she kept it skillfully between them.

"You know nothing of the matter," he snarled.

"I know enough to know when someone's bluffing. And I'm calling you out."

The look he gave her was so murderous she was sure the couch barricading them would disintegrate.

For a split second, Natasha thought she had won.

And then he vanished. With a rush of air, he appeared directly in front of her.

"Think again," he hissed.

Natasha let out an involuntary yelp. She jerked back, but his hand shot out to close around her arm. She twisted away with enough strength to break a mortal's arm, but it was she who cried out when his grip held fast. Secondary reflexes kicked in and she flipped her leg up and over his wrist, crashing all her weight down on top of it. The move surprised him, at least, and his grip broke just enough for her to pull free. But not even half a second passed before he had her throttled, pressed back against the mantle. Her back hit the brick wall. Her hands flew up to clutch at his wrists, her eyes widening.

Don't freeze, fight.

She drove her knee forward, and he doubled. The chokehold slackened, and she drove both her fists into his gut. But instead of go over in breathless pain like he was supposed to, Loki charged forward with a low growl. She dodged his driving fist and ducked around him, but only got two steps before he caught her by the back of the arm and spun her back around. She pulled back, using his own strength against him to yank him back and then shove him to the ground. But he pulled her down with him.

He flipped her so fast she couldn't react. Her back slammed into the ground and the wind rushed out of her in one sharp gust. Then his blue eyes were inches from hers, and he had her pinned to the floor beneath him, knees on her hips and fists on her arms.

Natasha drew in a ragged breath. Her head swam. Maybe she'd underestimated the fight she'd picked.

"What-" she gasped, chest heaving beneath his. "How can you do magic?"

He let out a dry laugh, but a wildness lurked behind his eyes that belied his amused demeanor. "Staring death in the face, and still asking questions. I admire you, Romanoff."

"You won't kill me," she rasped.

One perfect eyebrow arced. "Confident for one in a position such as yours."

Her heart was thrumming in her chest, but she kept her features smooth as stone. "Fury and the Avengers are already sweeping the globe for you. You kill me, and the thin ground you had with them keeping you alive disappears. Barton will put an arrow through your eye socket sooner than you can blink."

The trademark smirk grew into more of a twisted smile. "I believe he's tried that once before. And failed."

Natasha struggled beneath him, regaining her breath, but he had her in one of the few positions that left no tactical escape. But her movement shifted his weight just enough that something caught her eye. The hint of a chain beneath the neckline of his armor. An idea sprang to her mind. A wild, twisted idea, but an escape nonetheless.

She had one last weapon in her assets.

Steeling herself before she could lose her nerve, Natasha stretched upward and pressed her lips to his.

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Sunny: Mwahaha! Now that's a rotten cliffhanger if I ever wrote one, please don't kill me. AND SOOOO SORRY THIS IS SO SHORT. But guys, this story is literally living off reviews, I know what I want for the next chapter and a half, but after that it's all yours. Give me somethin' to work with. I'm trying to do my best to respond to each and every review from now on, so everybody gets their voice heard! :)

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