liesmith-loki:

i-am-the-firechild:

liesmith-loki:

i-am-the-firechild:

“You think I’m just going to let this go,” she muttered into her hands. “You think I can let this go.” Summer stood up to place a hand on Loki’s arm. “Let me be your friend.”

Loki withdrew—not jerking back, but a calm step backwards.

“You have been very kind—your advice will serve me well.  Thank you again for keeping Macrowafter out of the street.”

Summer’s shoulders sagged. “Gods /****/ it.” The temptation to force it out of him was so strong, bitter in her throat. But she was a hero. Wasn’t she.

“My sister set me to spy on you,” she said to his retreating back. The tonelessness of her voice was at stark odds with its intensity only a moment before. “I think I’ll go set her on fire.”

Keys, shoes, id … she didn’t bother to suit up, just stepped outside right after Loki. At least there’d be no trouble summoning her wings.

Loki stopped dead in his tracks and turned, face set in grim lines, blazing eyes on Summer’s face.

“And who, pray tell, is your sister?” 

The half-formed wings, roaring with flame, collapsed into smoke. “SHIELD. She’s a SHIELD agent. The better twin.” A beat, then: “You deserved to know. She’s wrong.” There was still no inflection in her voice. “I won’t be used.”

liesmith-loki:

i-am-the-firechild:

liesmith-loki:

i-am-the-firechild:

“But you’re not. Are you. Not even of a cat.” Summer held out a finger, and Helios arched his neck, sniffing at it. She scrupulously kept her gaze away from Loki’s, and her voice was very soft. “Are you going to let yourself love Cat? Because if you aren’t, you need to find him someone who will. I,” she drew a deep breath, and her voice hitched, “don’t know what I just saw. I — “

She broke off and swore, vehemently, for thirty seconds, putting her face in her hands. “I don’t even know what to say to you!”

Loki picked Helios up in very gentle hands and placed the cat on Summer’s knee, then rose.

“…I should go.  Cat will be shredding my pillow about now—he does that when he’s annoyed with me.”

“You think I’m just going to let this go,” she muttered into her hands. “You think I can let this go.” Summer stood up to place a hand on Loki’s arm. “Let me be your friend.”

Loki withdrew—not jerking back, but a calm step backwards.

“You have been very kind—your advice will serve me well.  Thank you again for keeping Macrowafter out of the street.”

Summer’s shoulders sagged. “Gods /****/ it.” The temptation to force it out of him was so strong, bitter in her throat. But she was a hero. Wasn’t she.

“My sister set me to spy on you,” she said to his retreating back. The tonelessness of her voice was at stark odds with its intensity only a moment before. “I think I’ll go set her on fire.”

Keys, shoes, id … she didn’t bother to suit up, just stepped outside right after Loki. At least there’d be no trouble summoning her wings.

liesmith-loki:

i-am-the-firechild:

liesmith-loki:

i-am-the-firechild:

Summer reached out to lay her hand over his. “He must have known you had a good hear—” A storm of emotion blazed through her mind, pain and anger and desperation and longing — she jerked her hand away and sat for a long moment, breathing hard. Helios laid his ears back, his purr dimming.

Loki’s hand went rigid under hers—and he pulled his own hand away as she jerked hers back, his eyes fixed on the cat.

Summer swallowed hard. And then again. “Excuse me,” she said faintly, turning away slightly. She cupped her hands, and a flame grew inside her palms, flickering against her face and filling the room with the smell of fire. A single tear tracked down her face as she closed her eyes.

When she reopened them, the fire vanished. Apparently without self-consciousness, she smeared the tearstain from her face and turned back to Loki. Clearing her throat, she said, “I’m sorry, where was I?”

Loki didn’t flinch at the fire—he knew it burned, but he kept his eyes on the cat and his hands clasped tightly in his lap.

“…cats are trusting,” he said, in answer to her question. 

“But you’re not. Are you. Not even of a cat.” Summer held out a finger, and Helios arched his neck, sniffing at it. She scrupulously kept her gaze away from Loki’s, and her voice was very soft. “Are you going to let yourself love Cat? Because if you aren’t, you need to find him someone who will. I,” she drew a deep breath, and her voice hitched, “don’t know what I just saw. I — “

She broke off and swore, vehemently, for thirty seconds, putting her face in her hands. “I don’t even know what to say to you!”

liesmith-loki:

i-am-the-firechild:

liesmith-loki:

i-am-the-firechild:

Summer noted the tiny smile, and damned herself for the answering curl of her own lips. Screw it, she thought, I barely even know this guy and I’ve already bonded. How stupid can I be.

Aloud she responded, “Helios isn’t going to throw up all over your pretty clothes, he’s just going to give you some fur.” The big ragdoll promptly leaped into Loki’s lap, turning around a few times and hitting the dark man in the face with his giant fluffy tail. “He’s a ragdoll cat, which is a breed, although he’s not purebred. They’re called ragdolls because they tend to go limp when held and are generally very relaxed and laid back kitties. Helios is so goodnatured he’s never even hissed at anyone. Go on, scratch his ears. Let him know you’re welcoming.”

Helios kneaded his paws up and down a few times, then walked off Loki’s lap just long enough to sprawl out full length nearby, using Loki’s knee for a headrest and opening his blue eyes wide. He began to purr.

Loki hesitantly laid his hand on the cat’s body, hesitantly stroking down the soft fur—smiling ever so slightly at the vibrating hum of the purr.

“Such a trusting creature.” 

“Cats are. They may seem standoffish, but once one has claimed you, it’s up to you not to break that trust. They aren’t,” she hesitated, searching for the right word, “intelligent. Not the way we are. They can’t understand, if we hurt them.”

Helios increased the volume of his purr, narrowing his eyes to slits. “But they understand our emotions,” she continued softly. “Helios is saying, don’t hurt, I’m here, I care. Maybe that’s why Macrowafter came to you.”

Loki was staring down at the cat with a look of perplexed concentration, his hand still moving with calculated care over the silky fur—he found he had no answer for a long moment, and instead focused on the cat.

“…I found Macrowafter in an alley.  He was hurt.  I took him home and bathed and treated him, and he stayed.” 

Summer reached out to lay her hand over his. “He must have known you had a good hear—” A storm of emotion blazed through her mind, pain and anger and desperation and longing — she jerked her hand away and sat for a long moment, breathing hard. Helios laid his ears back, his purr dimming.

liesmith-loki:

i-am-the-firechild:

liesmith-loki:

i-am-the-firechild:

“Oh, catnip, tuna, fish … any food he’s ever tried to steal from you is probably a good choice. I suggest buying a few different kinds and seeing which ones he devours the fastest.” Folding herself into a cross-legged position, she scooped up the tortie and upended it, petting it’s belly. The longhair checked the floor where the treats had been a few times, then padded over to Loki and began to strop the tall man’s legs, stepping on his shoes.

Loki looked down—and then reached a hesitant hand to touch the cat’s head.

“Macrowafter steals carrots off of my plate when I have steamed vegetables.  Is that normal?  I was under the impression that he was a carnivore.  Is this not the case?” 

“Oh, for — honey, please sit down. You already have one cat, you can’t possibly be worried about getting fur on your clothes, and Helios wants to sit in your lap.”

Helios laid his little dark ears flat and butted Loki’s hand, rising up a little on his back feet. His plumed tail waved gently. Summer turned her feline captive loose, who promptly bolted off a few feet and furiously washed a paw.

“Now, cats are not strictly carnivores. They need similar kinds of nutrients from their foods as we do. You might have noticed Macrowafter — you have to explain that — eating grasses or flowers when he’s outside. Partly that’s to help digestion. Partly,” she made a disgusted face, “they do that to make themselves throw up. Hairballs. Brushing him will help with that. It’s not fun to step on barefoot in the middle of the night. That one,” she pointed at the seal-point importuning Loki, “likes to scarf his food, then bring it right back up. Because he ate too fast, the stinker.”

“You can just call him ‘Cat’,” Loki said, his voice a mutter.
He sat gingerly, his discomfort clear.  ”This cat eats and then evacuates—has he eaten recently?”  He eyed the cat with clear distrust, but he couldn’t resist a tiny curl of one corner of his mouth as the animal butted his hand. 

Summer noted the tiny smile, and damned herself for the answering curl of her own lips. Fuck it, she thought, I barely even know this guy and I’ve already bonded. How stupid can I be.

Aloud she responded, “Helios isn’t going to throw up all over your pretty clothes, he’s just going to give you some fur.” The big ragdoll promptly leaped into Loki’s lap, turning around a few times and hitting the dark man in the face with his giant fluffy tail. “He’s a ragdoll cat, which is a breed, although he’s not purebred. They’re called ragdolls because they tend to go limp when held and are generally very relaxed and laid back kitties. Helios is so goodnatured he’s never even hissed at anyone. Go on, scratch his ears. Let him know you’re welcoming.”

Helios kneaded his paws up and down a few times, then walked off Loki’s lap just long enough to sprawl out full length nearby, using Loki’s knee for a headrest and opening his blue eyes wide. He began to purr.