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.

[red_in_ledger]

Natalia repressed a smirk at Loki's reaction to her. Still, she let him back away, take his space.

"You are welcome," she replied. She turned to the cupboard, grabbing two glasses, before picking up the mixing bowl. Carefully, she poured the milkshakes into the glasses and passed one to Loki.

"За здоровье!" she toasted, tapping her glass against Loki, before taking a long drink.

[atrickygod]

Drinking the milkshake down fast in order to hide his embarrassment, Loki choked. The texture was all wrong. And although the flavors were palatable, the mushiness of the fruit and ice cream made him gag. He found himself spitting strawberry stems into his hand. He set down his own glass.

"Ugh...I believe your Internets have lied to us. This is not at all as refreshing as it was described," Loki sighed.

Loki poured his drink back into the bowl. He then pulled the carton of ice cream towards him and dug the spoon into its contents.

"This is not so bad on its own," Loki commented, taking another scoop. "Perhaps I just serve this?"

[red_in_ledger]

Natalia merely shrugged before finishing the drink in her hand. She had imbibed much worse things, and she was not about to let the fresh fruit go to waste.

Still, when Loki next lifted the spoon, she leaned forward to steal the ice cream, tongue darting out to catch the last drop as she pulled back. "The drink was not bad," she replied, taking a bite out of an unmangled strawberry, "But I think you are right. It is much tastier like this."

[atrickygod]

Loki frowned at the girl and pushed the carton of ice cream out of her reach.

"If you had wanted some of the iced cream, you could have asked. Your actions were not necessary," Loki explained, opening a drawer and tossing a clean spoon in front of the girl. He kept the ice cream in front of him, his face still set in a scowl.

"How I am to be a proper host, if you do not act like a proper guest?" Loki continued. "Stealing food out from beneath someone's nose is rude. And uncivilized. And very much like my brother when he chooses to humiliate me in front of his friends. Although in that scenario, the food found its way not only off my plate, but in my hair as well."

[red_in_ledger]

"I-I did not..." Natalia deliberately stuttered, widening her eyes, trying to get sudden mirth under control. She had to drop her gaze, drop her head, letting her hair fall to cover her face. This boy was such a child! To be so upset about a shared utensil, to be so pouty over a past food fight, was almost too much for her training to take.

But only almost. When she raised her face again, it showed the perfect blend of hurt and embarrassment. "I am sorry--I did not--I am not--"

She buried her face in her hands. "I am not good at this, not good with boys and, and I like you, a lot, and I see girls flirting like that on American television, and!"

Face still hidden in her hands, she shrank into herself. "I am so sorry."

[atrickygod]

And now the girl was crying. Loki bit his lip not sure what to do. Should he pat her shoulder? Pet her hair? Did girls like that? He glanced at the kitchen's door and wondered if she would notice if he slipped out. Probably.

Loki turned back to the girl. Sif never acted like this. Or Brunnhilda. Loki had seen Amora cry before, but that was usually when she....

"Oh...," Loki said, eyes widening. Oh.

Amora shed tears to get Thor to notice her. Often it was part of yet another scheme to catch his eye and steal him away from Sif. Thor was usually too dense to notice the subtle hints she threw at him.

Feeling a bit of panic well up in his chest, Loki grappled for the magic rose he'd conjured earlier. Some of the petals were smeared with milkshake, but he wiped them off with his sleeve. Once clean and a bit wilted, he presented the rose to the girl for a second time.

"Here. Have this," Loki commanded, pushing the flower into the girl's face. He looked anywhere, but at her eyes.

[red_in_ledger]

Natalia let herself drop her hands at the words, slowly trailing her fingers along her cheeks, as she fixed her gaze on the flower in Loki's hands. "Thank you," she replied softly, smiling sweetly at him. "I'll treasure it."

Her face fell a moment later, however. "But you do not like me," she said quietly. "Not how I like you. You do not even think I am good enough to teach." She summoned a bitter laugh. How pathetic I must seem. Just a silly little girl."

She kept her eyes on the rose, spinning it sadly, before deliberately allowing one of the thorns to puncture the pad of her thumb. Crying out, she lifted her hand so the blood welling to the surface was visible.

[atrickygod]

"That was stupid of you," Loki blurted out, feeling his face grow red. He waved his hand over the girl's finger, whispered a word, and the bleeding stopped. "Have you never held a rose before? All mortal girls are not this daft, are they?"

Once he'd finished the spell, he tried to think of what to do with his hands. First he folded his arms over his chest, but then decided to lean one hand on the counter. When that did not work, he settled for hugging himself as if he felt a cool breeze. All the time he kept his eyes averted from hers.

"Look, I do not like you as you like me. You are mortal. I am not. You cannot hope to comprehend my existence," Loki rambled still not looking at her. "You should stop now. Go play with your Hawk friend."

[red_in_ledger]

Jerking her hand back, Natalia curled her hands into fists. Talia may be a sweet, scared girl, but she wasn't a pushover, which was good because Natalia so wanted to let loose the rage that swelled up at those words. Who did this boy think he was? She could kill him five different ways with the flower alone, and he couldn't even make a simple drink