My Milkshake Brings All the Spies to the Yard...

[atrickygod]

Who: Kid Loki and Natalia Romanova
When: Sometime during Loki's sad excuse for a party...
Where: A kitchen in Stark Tower
What: In which Loki tries to make Natalia a milkshake...and fails.

Comments

[red_in_ledger]

Natalia had been avoiding ingesting anything. She really had. It was standard procedure, in case of drugged food or liquids. She could go without longer than any of the other girls.

But they had already been working on reduced rations. One could never be certain of anything on a mission and as such needed to be able to operate without full stomachs. Similarly, withholding food was a common interrogation technique. What use was a spy who broke at the first sign of sustenance?

Unfortunately, she was reaching a point where she would need to eat soon. She would just get some packaged food, she rationalized. There would be signs if the packaging had been tampered, and it should be safe otherwise. It was highly unlikely they could purchase tampered food from the factory.

She slipped into the kitchen and had to stare at the sight in front of her. The place was a mess. She had heard Americans were wasteful, but just leaving dairy and fruit out to spoil? That was just disgusting. She was almost relieved when she spotted Loki. The kitchen was still a mess, but at least it hadn't been abandoned.

Still. "What are you doing?"

[atrickygod]

Loki popped his head up over the counter and grinned.

"Hello! I am looking for the blending machine, but I am afraid I cannot find one." He straightened up and moved towards the food he'd set out earlier. He made a sweeping gesture over the fruit, iced cream, and other items, saying, "See I wish to blend all these ingredients to make milkshakes. They are quite good. Your internet told me so."

Pulling out the Stark Phone, Loki pulled up a picture of the frosty glass topped with whipped cream and a cherry. He showed the picture to the girl.

"Have you ever tasted one before?"

[red_in_ledger]

Coming a bit closer, Natalia shook her head. "Nyet," she replied softly, staring at all the food. "We do not have such food to spare, especially on such frivolous things."

She reached out toward the nearest strawberry, before catching herself and holding her hand close to her chest. "Such a waste..." she said quietly, more to herself than to the child with her.

[atrickygod]

Pulling back the Stark phone, Loki scrolled through the screen until he found the short milkshake recipe.

"I do not plan to waste it. I wish to make a milkshake for all my friends," Loki explained. He pulled out a large bowl nearly twice the size of his head and dumped all the ingredients in at once. With that finished, Loki began searching for a big spoon.

"If I cannot find the blending machine, I shall make do without." He pulled open a drawer next to the large fridge and discovered a collection of silverware. He selected a thin wooden spatula-shaped spoon and returned to the bowl of ingredients.

"This should not be too hard, I think." Loki rolled up his sleeves and began swirling the contents around.

[red_in_ledger]

She shook her head, gesturing toward all the food. "No. Using all these things for some dessert. It is a frivolous use of the food, and a waste."

Natalia proceeded to watch, horrified, as Loki dumped everything in together. True, she did not have much experience with fruit or chocolate, but she was sure not everything was supposed to be mushed together. "Are...are you sure you know what it is you are doing?" she asked. "Because..."

She trailed off at the last, horror increasing at the amount slopping over the sides of the bowl. "Give me that," she insisted, jerking the bowl from the boy's hands and taking over the task of mixing herself.

[atrickygod]

"Hey!" Loki pouted. "I can do it myself! I must be a good host and provide proper refreshments. You can't help. You are a guest."

Loki tugged the bowl towards him, sloshing a great amount of milk and strawberries across the countertop. He frowned at the mess. "Look at what you have made me do!"

He tried to snatch the spoon from her.

"Give it here!"

[red_in_ledger]

Natalia just rapped the spoon against his knuckles. "Nyet," she insisted, tugging the bowl back toward herself. "It would not have spilled if you did not try to take it. And if I am a guest, then as a good host, you should allow me to do as I wish. I wish to stir."

Taking up stirring again, Natasha looked up at Loki through her lashes. "Why am I a guest?" she asked. "I am flattered to be invited, but we are strangers, you and I. Why would you want me here?"

[atrickygod]

Rubbing his knuckles and pouting, Loki watched the girl stir the contents of the bowl. He worried someone would eventually ask this. It was hard to claim friendship with a group of people if they could not remember ever meeting you. And if they did remember....

"I wanted to throw a party. That's all. And I invited you because I know you," Loki began, but bit his lip realizing that wasn't helpful either. He searched for a different answer. "Well, I just wanted to get to know you. Yes! And everyone else."

Loki clambered up onto the counter to sit.

"I just wanted to play some games. Is that bad?" Loki gave the grin a small grin. "I like games, but it has been years since I have had the opportunity to play."

[red_in_ledger]

"It is not bad," Natalia was quick to assure. "It is just that I must apologize. I do not think I recall you. And I do not know how I got here."

She deliberately widened her eyes, mimicking an expression of impressed surprise. "Did you use your magic to bring us here? You are very powerful."

[atrickygod]

Leaning close to the girl, Loki winked. "Maybe. Maybe not. Magic is tricky you never know what it might do. But I usually have a good grip on it."

Loki sat up and folded his arms over his chest, straightening his back. "I have been studying magic for years. I am the best in my class. The only man in Asgard save the Allfather himself to brave the hardships of the art."

[red_in_ledger]

Pushing the bowl in front of her, Natalia braced her elbows on the counter, leaning in. "I have never known someone who could do magic," she confessed, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "It is quite fascinating to me."

She leaned in a bit closer, gazing up at Loki through her lashes. "Could you show me something?"

[atrickygod]

"Of course," Loki grinned. "Er, nothing too big though." He added thinking how he'd made himself sick with the previous trick of lifting all the furniture in the room.

Loki hopped down from the counter and glanced about the kitchen for ideas. Maybe changing the colors of something. No, too small. Maybe conjure an animal? Loki thought of summoning Lord Whiskers, but the kitten was annoyed at being used in the other spell and had hidden under the bed in Thor's chambers.

Turning back to the girl, Loki got an idea. He held out his hands, clasped together as if he held something within them.

"Watch," he whispered.

A faint glow of green and Loki slowly pulled his hands apart to reveal a small rose bud. It hovered between his hands and continued to grow blooming and sprouting leaves. When it reached the right size, Loki brought his hands together and grabbed the flower's stem.

He gave the girl a wink and brought the flower to his nose to smell it.

"Do you like it?" he asked.

[red_in_ledger]

Reaching out, Natalia cupped the boy's hand with hers, drawing it and the flower to her face to smell it in turn. "It smells lovely," she replied, giving Loki a shy smile. "I like it very much."

She worried at her lower lip, miming nervousness. "Do you think--" she started, hesitant. "Would it be possible--Do you think I might be special enough? To learn it too?"

[atrickygod]

"I-I..uh...," Loki stammered, suddenly very aware that this girl was touching his hand and standing close enough that he could count her eyelashes.

"M-magic is very difficult," he managed to spit out. "It - er - requires years of training. You are also mortal so it will be much more difficult. It is not impossible, but...."

Loki leaned away from the girl and ended up resting his elbow in the remnants of the forgotten milkshake. He grimaced and pulled his arm away. He watched as the soupy milk and strawberries trailed a line down his sleeve.

"Gross."

[red_in_ledger]

Twisting, Natalia reached out to snag a towel that was lying by the sink. "I am a good student," she said in reply. She managed to get the towel under Loki's sleeve before the mixture dripped to the floor with a small noise of triumph. "I study very hard, and I am very diligent." Carefully, she dabbed the cloth against the sleeve, trying to get the liquid out without staining the boy's clothes.

Satisfied with that, she slid up Loki's sleeve, running the towel over his skin to catch anything that soaked through. "I always show the utmost respect for my teachers," she continued. Once done, Natalia tossed the towel into the sink, before running her fingers over Loki's elbow and inner arm, ensuring no stickiness remained. "And I am at the top of my class."

Natalia smiled up at him. "See? It is all better. No harm was done."

Her fingers lingered on his arm.

[atrickygod]

This was new. She actually believed he was as great at magic as he boasted. True he was the only boy in his magic class, but that was because the art was reserved for women. His fascination and mastering of the skill cast him as strange and unnatural among the other Aesir. Furthermore, if he ever did manage to catch anyone's ear and speak of his trade he was often met with suspicion.

And yet he saw none of that in her. She believed him and better yet wished to learn!

...she was also still touching him and still very, very close.

Loki wondered how Thor handled this type of thing. Sif wasn't like most girls, but Thor had talked to other ones. Ones who flipped their hair and giggled too. Ones who touched your arm and moved close enough so you could see the tiny lines and flecks in their green eyes.

And smell them too....

With a sudden jerk, Loki stumbled back from the girl.

"Uh...I, I...thank you."