The Familiar Taste of Poison

“SHIELD has facial recognition?” Loki asked.

“Yes. I’m certain they’re searching for all of us, not just you,” Lacy answered Loki, staring out the back window of a limousine as it slowly stopped at their destination.

“Good,” with that said Loki exited first, standing and observing their surroundings for a moment before offering his free hand to Lacy.

“…Good?” Lacy quietly asked herself before accepting Loki’s help. She emerged looking quite like a goddess herself. Loki had adorned her in a delicate and backless evening gown in a shimmering emerald green. In Lacy’s opinion, with the way the fabric was nearly translucent and hung off her body, she felt over-sexualized. She didn’t feel like herself at all, through how unearthly beautiful Loki had made her and the dead filled nerves from what she knew would come of this night.

Loki smiled at Lacy, now gently grabbing her arm with his free hand, as his other held the top of his disguised spear, before kissing her forehead. “I find it astonishing that a being such as yourself is capable of projecting such beauty.”

“Humanity can’t be beautiful?” Lacy asked quietly, stepping away from him, and watching the numerous Germans make their way to the party she and Loki were crashing.

“Its not impossible, just impractical for only mere mortals.”

“You speak so lowly of humans, why do you want Earth?” Lacy looked back to him.

“A promise I made to my brother,” Loki sneered, turning away from her.

“You promised Thor that you’d take over and rule the Earth?”

“No. That I’d pay a visit to his precious girlfriend and make her suffer…”

“Oh,” Lacy said simply, folding her arms across her chest. “So you Asgardian Royalty really love you some Earth women, huh?” She tried, jokingly, but the look on Loki’s face when he turned back to her was confusion, mixed greatly with anger.

“I’m not Asgardian royalty, I never was accepted. And I always had to live in the shadow cast upon me by my brother’s glory,” Loki spat.

“Please don’t scold me Loki… I meant no offense,” Lacy defended herself, slightly shocked that he had grown so angry.

“No, I’m not scolding you, darling,” Loki’s face instantly softened, cupping Lacy’s cheek in his hand gently, “My apologies.”

“So, you’re really only here for Jane Foster?” She asked him seriously.

“No, I’m here for the Tesseract. Jane is just a conveniently placed extra perk of ruling Earth.”

“I still don’t think you could do it, even if you were to become king.”

“Your lack of faith troubles me,” he told her. “Perhaps once you’ve seen my full power you’ll understand.” Lacy didn’t bother arguing again, though, knowing they would only repeat last night.

“You’re troubled,” Loki whispered into her ear, lingering for a second. Lacy barely turned to look over at him but remained quiet. He looked troubled as well but still seemed calm. She was a nervous wreck on the other hand, but only sighed and looked forward once again.

“You’re the one who can read minds,” she said finally and Loki laughed without any emotion.

“Its distasteful to know what everybody thinks all of the time,” he told her, his fingers slowly running across her collarbone as he spoke, a grand pearl and emerald necklace appearing around her neck. “On the other hand, you aren’t letting me in.”

“I’m not?” She asked, slightly amazed because she wasn’t even trying to block him out. “How?”

“You wouldn’t understand, it’s something that you’d have to experience first," Loki smiled at her question. She would understand soon enough.

“Really?” Lacy asked, now fully turned to Loki, a small, crooked smile adorning her face as well.

“Yes. It’s difficult to describe, almost like clouds or smoke... You’re looking devious. Please don’t ask me to guess what you’re thinking.”

“Oh,” She replied, her smile growing. “And here I was thinking the only reason that you engaged me in conversation was for my own amusement.”

Loki smiled at her before nodding in the direction of the party. “Shall we?”

Loki led them forward, towards a crowded entrance. “How are we supposed to get inside?” Lacy asked him quietly.

“I would jest about your knowledge of doors but with your increasing insecurity, I’ll keep that to my own,” Loki smiled, continuing to lead Lacy towards the entrance like the gentleman he was disguised as, her arm laced with his.

“You’re just going to walk past security with this thing?” She asked motioning to the device in Loki’s coat pocket. “And not to mention SHIELD has most likely made you the most wanted man on the planet.”

“Yes, we will simply walk past the entrance and the security. Please, darling, trust me.”

“You’re mad, Loki,” Lacy said, her palms starting to sweat.

“You would think that…” Loki trailed off. Like he said he led the two of them straight up to the entrance. Amazingly nobody paid them any attention. Though, once inside, Loki made it a point to avoid most people. She was astonished, still, that nobody cared. They stopped once they were a flight of stairs above the party, standing over everyone else.

“Am I still crazy?” Loki asked, whispering into her pinned up, golden curls.

“Yeah,” Lacy replied bluntly, “That was nuts.” Loki laughed out loud, and she looked away from the crowds below and up to him. He had led them up onto a balcony isolated from other party goers. Lacy watched as his mood began to change. Loki knew what must be done, and how dead set Lacy was on performing the task he asked of her. Now he was wishing he had never given her the choice.
His fingers lightly trailed down her bare back, stopping to settle upon her waist. “You’re sure this is what you want, Lacy?” he asked after a moment’s silence, silently willing her to stay with him.

“Yes,” She sounded confident but wasn’t. Lacy was still nervous about the possible repercussions tonight could have.

Loki sighed, “You’re nerves are more radiant than your beauty.”

Lacy smiled inwardly to herself, replying with, “You’re full of flattery. Anyways, I don’t really have a choice do I?” She looked away from Loki and back to the crowd below.

“It would please me greatly to see you walk out that door and have the limo take you back to my base,” he gently took her chin and turned her head so that she was back to facing him, locking her blue eyes in place with his green eyes. “It would be easier for you.”

“You know I can’t do that Loki.” She was completely serious now. She had to get away from him, no matter what he wanted and what her heart wanted. It was her duty to get back to SHIELD.

“Yes you can, you are just to stubborn to admit to yourself that it’s what you would rather do.”

She stepped back from Loki a few feet, biting her tongue. Though Loki was right, she refused to agree. He still knew he was in the right however, it was plastered on his face through his agitation.

“Lacy, please rethink this.”

“You asked me to do this, and I will. I have to. And anyways I have priorities with SHIELD.”

Loki was close to forcing her, taking over her will again and making her walk out. Then again, she might be safer this way. They would end up together instead of Clint Barton protecting her... Loki still couldn’t stop himself. “I asked you to do this for me thinking you would refuse-”

“Well you were wrong!”

“-I don’t want you to, I don’t want you to leave me but that is what you want and I cannot keep you chained to me. It’s the same reason I took the enchantment off of you,” Loki continued, despite her interruption.

Lacy slowly shook my head to Loki’s confession though, forcing her feelings down and drowning her wants. “You’re trying to justify your selfishness.”

“No, I’m trying to surpass that and rationalize this situation with you.”

“Murder isn’t rational,” Lacy argued, taking another step back from Loki.

“Lacy,” Loki’s voice met her with a cold, gentle hand placed upon her arm and he stepped towards her. Slowly, panic tried to burst through the equilibrium Lacy had managed to reach. Loki had pulled her closer to him by now, and his lips fell lightly onto her forehead. She sighed into him, still trying to keep her mind clear of his poison.

As Loki pulled away from her, Lacy’s mind was set and she knew what she had to do. Quickly, she leaned up to kiss him, not letting him speak. It was the only distraction she had and the only way to keep him quiet. He held her closely to him, and if he knew what she was doing he showed no signs. Both of his hands settled on her waist and Lacy draped her left arm around his neck, while her right was slowly aiming for what was in his pocket.

Lacy’s fingers grasped what they were searching for and she leaned back as it was pulled out of Loki’s coat pocket. She was stone at this point and could no longer feel the pain of the decision she had made, however she also knew that if Loki said anything more she may not be able to keep course. When he took a breath in to speak she threw herself into autopilot and ran.