Notes:
Hello everyone, been a long time since I posted, I know. Life is life. Figured I post this little snippet I have been very slowly working on whenever I feel like it. I don't rush and/or finish things unless I have the time and dedication to make sure it's the way I want it, so it took a while with the limited freedom school and life has given me. But, this part is at least good enough now and I figured I'd stop it where it is and post it before continuing, as this chapter could definitely have gone on longer. But I guess there's my motivation to write, because I want to see this little side-story told.
As some requested way back when, Daredevil is finally here! I hinted at his existence in this version of the MCU back when Wren was kidnapped by Zemo for that month. Zemo made some comment about the Devil of Hell's Kitchen. Well, I fully intended one day in a spinoff, whether brief or not, to confirm his presence. Aaaaaand of course I couldn't resist, I had to do more than just confirm, I needed Wren to meet him. If you have never seen the Daredevil show, I first highly recommend. Best Marvel show ever made, easily. I'd also say you do not need to have seen it to read this, as I'm making it so that Wren has never officially seen the show either. Names and/or events that Wren will be describing to Loki will be all in regards to the Daredevil show, so she'll basically walk you through it. Naturally I'm tweaking some things to make it fit the MCU, but a lot of things Daredevil fans should recognize from season 1. That's all for now, enjoy!
"Care to fill me in yet?" Loki whispered through the com.
"I told you, we're supposed to track these guys back to their source, see if we can find where the Russians are working out of."
"Yes, but why do we care about a Russian mob? Isn't this the job of the local officials?"
"Granted, mob activity isn't usually an Avenger-worthy threat," you admitted.
"So why are we here?"
"If you were down here when you said you'd be, you'd have been at the briefing."
"I'm sorry being king puts a few wrenches in my desired schedule," he sassed back, "Besides, we were supposed to be coming down for a night in the city."
"It's night. We're in the city."
"Typical of them to ask us on our night off. We come down for five seconds and they're putting us to work."
You made a face you were glad he was not present to see, but your silence betrayed the truth.
"You didn't," he sighed in disappointment.
"Oh come on, I've never actually been on one by myself, and I was more joking when I volunteered, but then they didn't say no and I was like 'Oh my gosh, me being an Avenger is natural enough now that they don't even worry about sending me on a mission!' so then I had to go with it naturally before they changed their minds," you blathered out in defense of yourself, "You coming with me might have something to do with them not worrying about me going, but still, it was cool being able to."
"You had coffee before I got down here, didn't you," he deducted from your whispered speed-talking.
"Hey, ya need heightened senses on a stealth mission."
"And silence."
"I'm whispering."
"Lovely of you to offer up our services," he snarked, bringing the conversation back on track.
"You know you love fighting guys as much as I do. And isn't this cool? We're getting to do one by ourselves, this is fun! We're like Batman and Robin or Lilo and Stitch---"
"Lilo and Stitch?"
"You could see them doing something like this."
"Remind me to have Tony remove the coffee pot whenever you're coming down here."
"Point is, this is cool and fun."
"It's fine, I understand," he said kindly, "I do enjoy this. I guess I just thought you'd have loved to see Phantom of the Opera on Broadway more, but this is definitely more---"
"WHAT?" you whispered loudly, nearly crossing into the realm of actually shouting.
"It was going to be a surprise, but then I came down to be rushed into a car so---"
"You coulda mentioned it!!!"
"Why would I when this is a great deal more fun? You're right, I'd hate to be cooped up in a beautiful theater," he taunted.
"You asshole."
"That'll teach you to break our date night."
"I thought I was passing up a dinner for a physical activity, and we could go eat after!"
"Relax, Darling," Loki chuckled, "We'll go see it another night, it's Stark's money anyway. You're right, this is our first mission together, just the two of us."
"See? I'm such a romantic."
There was a pause, and you were certain Loki was looking around his own grungy rooftop.
"Yes, a real charmer," he said, "You really know how to plan a venue."
"I do, don't I? I mean, would ya look at that view. Talk about sketchy."
"So why is this of importance?"
"Oh yeah. So, basically, remember that tracksuit gang y'all tackled after you chucked me mercilessly through a portal?"
"Yes," he sighed, used to your teasing about his dramatics, "But they were only of interest because they stepped on the wrong toes. Politics never ceases to play a role, and that asshole Ross could only say no to money for so long."
"God, I hate Ross," you grumbled, "Not Everett, he's an angel."
"Who?"
"Another day," you dismissed his query, "But, yes, the tracksuit guys were not that big a deal until they started becoming noticeable to some higher-ups. But Tony always thought there was something bigger going on. When he has a funny feeling, he can't shake it. Since then, he's tried finding the supposed individual, or individuals, who shuffled the money and tips over to Ross."
"To no avail?"
"You could put it that way. The man responsible knew Ross personally, though they weren't on great terms. Who is with Ross? Ross owed the man though. His name was Daniel Fisher. So, like it or not, Ross had us help him out and investigate Fisher's allegations that his company was affiliated with our not-so-friendly mafia. Still took money to convince Ross, as that man probably couldn't stand lowering himself to such a task, even when all that required was pushing it on us. Or you guys, I should say."
"So what's so strange? Did Tony find Fisher?"
"Yup. In the obituary column of the local news."
"I see," Loki said in a contemplative fashion, "And the company he worked for?"
"I'm told they were caught in the scandal after the Avengers exposed the tracksuits. People 'faced the consequences', or so the executives of the past company like to claim."
"Past company?"
"Union Allied Construction, which was making a pretty penny off the reconstruction efforts from...well, uh, since 2012...anyway, they uh, they were liquidated after the whole conspiracy. Though it's doubtful whoever took the fall is really to blame."
"So, our man is dead and the company no longer exists."
"Not as Union Allied at least. We have reason to believe that equipment and assets were being bought out by the same guys, or whoever is in charge. They shuffle some papers, and on the surface it looks like Union Allied and all the shady stuff they stood for is disassembled and justice is paid."
"Things are rarely so neat."
"Exactly. But it begs the question of who is actually running the joint?"
"I'll admit, it does seem rather elaborate for a few suits of a construction company. How do we know it isn't just that, though?"
"Well, mafia dealings and money laundering is a problem regardless of who it is."
"Yes, but, again, not necessarily an avengers-level threat. Why hasn't Stark put men onto it?"
"What do you think we're doing here?"
"You know what I mean."
"There's something bigger. Something worrying Tony. With his resources, it shouldn't be hard to find the answers he's looking for, but that's just it. It is. Whoever is behind this is clever and well-protected. Everyone is uncharacteristically tight-lipped. Trails are running cold everywhere, nothing but dead-ends. It's driving Tony crazy. If it were just money and suits, that would be one thing. But whoever these people are, we think they run deeper than what we're seeing. Tony hasn't been able to turn up much, but it could be that the Russians are running a human-trafficking center out of here," you gestured around you, not that Loki could see it.
"And the Russians and tracksuits are working for the same group? Same man?"
"I don't know. But ever since the Union Allied issue, the Russians have been getting sloppy. Flustered. Apparently, Daniel Fisher died soon after alerting Ross. Was presumably murdered by a colleague of his, Karen Paige."
"They were too late to silence him."
"Yup. But Ms. Paige was apparently aware of the dealings as well, or so her story goes. She was cleared of all charges in the end, the murder exposed as a setup. She had two assassination attempts on her."
"And the men responsible?"
"One was a guard in the prison Karen was being held in early on. Tried to strangle her in her cell. The other attacked her at her apartment. The guard, Farnum, was found by his daughter at home with a bullet in his head. Suicide they say. The second hitman, Rance, hung himself in his cell. Seeing the pattern?"
"This implies whoever is behind all of this can get to guards in the police force."
"Which, I mean, I'm not shocked officers or government officials are bought off by people. But the whole situation being so easily overlooked? Like no one in the NYPD cared to examine further? This could be a deeper level of corruption than we think."
"The tracksuits, possibly Russians, and now potentially the police department."
"Quite a list."
"The makings of a more severe problem than a few suits laundering money. Someone's personal little empire."
"Exactly. An empire growing rich off of assassinations, human-trafficking, and who knows what else."
"Situation is delicate as well," Loki noted.
"Unfortunately. It isn't something we can blast our way through. If Tony goes barreling in, whoever is behind this will clamp up. Another series of other people taking the fall and conveniently dying."
"Hence why Stark hasn't just sent the officials to this little rendezvous tonight."
"Yeah, we don't know for certain if the tip is accurate either. Again, no one seems willing to talk, and these guys are good at covering their tracks. Cops seem to be missing an entire trafficking gig in their district."
"Or deliberately turning a blind eye."
"I can't believe that all of them are in on it. That seems ridiculous," you mused.
"You don't need all of them. Just those who give the orders."
"Yeah, but even that couldn't last forever. One chief or commissioner couldn't keep all of his men across the city from staying out of the Russians way."
"Which leaves the conclusion that a significant number could be involved here."
"How? And why? Half a police force bought out by money? Cops aren't horrible people, I can't imagine so many are roped into submission simply with payment."
"There are other methods of persuasion."
"Blackmail? Who would have dirt on so many people?"
"Threats are a very real thing, Darling."
"Who is powerful enough or has enough resources to scare a police department?"
"That's what we're trying to find out, is it not?"
"True. Let's hope they actually show tonight. Tony wasn't too confident in his intel."
"Tony confessing to a lack of confidence?" Loki said in amusement.
"You can understand why this case is slowly starting to bug him. It started out as something small, and I think he's still trying to keep it that way. Or hold out hope that it isn't as bad as it looks."
"Well, I'll admit, you did sign us up for an interesting case at least. Even if it yields nothing."
"Yeah the others have lives too. Not a whole lot of people free to send on a possible wild-goose-chase right now."
"Oh, so we're the expendable ones who can afford to waste our time?" he scoffed, " Lovely."
"We're the newbies, it's our job."
"Speak for yourself, rookie."
"Oh, and why do you have two years more experience on these sorts of things??" you faked puzzlement in an accusatory tone, "Oh yeah! Because---"
"Alright alright, my bad!" he cut you off, "Damn, you never let anything go."
"You still glare at me when the Gummy Bear Song is ever brought up," you shot right back.
"Shhh---"
"See?! I just have to mention it---"
"No, shhh, someone's coming," Loki said in an even lower whisper.
Your heartbeat quickened, the familiar feeling of adrenaline beginning to course through your limbs.
"I don't have visual," you replied, craning your neck to peer down the street.
You were careful to not lift your chest up too far from where you'd been laying on the roof. The new golden armor pieces on the chest and shoulders of your suit might glimmer in the faint street light. Not that there was much of said illumination to worry about, as they had chosen a rather dark and discreet location for their criminal affairs.
"You'll see them soon. A van, coming from the east side of the building."
"Do all of you guys carry a small compass with you or something?"
"We're not all navigationally inept."
"Oh oh oh!" you whispered in excitement, "There's a taxi coming ."
"A taxi?"
"Yes."
"Are you sure?"
"I know what a taxi looks like, Loki. I nearly get hit by them every time I'm in the city. Yellow ones don't stop."
"Where are they coming from?"
"Uh...sun rises in the east," you muttered to yourself, pointing with your right hand to what Loki had indicated as east, "Sets in the west," you pointed in the opposite direction with your left hand, "Which means this way is---"
"Seriously?" Loki sighed.
"South! South side of the building," you finally concluded with confidence.
"I see them," Loki answered, and you looked towards his roof, able now to barely see his head from where he'd repositioned himself.
"Aaaaand, another taxi," you said, as one came down the street from the north.
Loki said nothing as the van pulled around the corner, stopping along the side of the warehouse. A dark-skinned male stepped out of the driver's seat, waiting expectantly for the taxis to pull up to his position.
"Do you have what you promised?" a white male spoke as he stepped from the taxi, his voice possessing a heavy Russian accent. Between the two cars, there were eight men that joined the van driver.
"Man, when don't I deliver?" the driver responded smugly, though careful to cover it with a good-natured grin. The man said nothing, only stared back. The driver's smile faltered. "Right, yeah, I got everything you need," he said hastily, walking to the back of the van.
What was inside the trunk was hidden by the doors he'd swung open.
"You know the plan," Loki muttered in your ear, "Do you have the tracker?"
"Yeah, but getting it there won't be easy. Woulda been so much better if these guys had come on foot."
"We have Plan Bs for a reason, Darling. Leave the distraction to me, you---"
Before he could finish, a masked figure dropped down behind the men. Where he had come from was anyone's guess. One minute there was no one there, the next, a man in black was kicking the butts of the guys closest to him. The rest overcame their momentary shock, pulling guns on the vigilante.
Ah shit, there goes this guy, you thought bitterly, standing quickly with a desire to go help.
Much to your surprise, the bullets never found their target. The man in the mask was flipping and rolling out of the way. As if he knew the precise timing of the bullets and where they'd be.
"This boy's got Spidey senses," you commented, shooting your grappling cable into the roof, attaching it to your belt, and jumping swiftly off the edge.
You wondered if you'd ever get used to the falling feeling that came with the absurd things you would now experience many times in the rest of your life. Thankfully, you'd practiced this enough to not shriek as you dropped six stories to the ground. You released the clip on your belt, walking towards the violent scuffle that had ensued from the man in black's appearance.
Miraculously, he had managed to stay alive. A betting man might even place the odds of victory on him, as he had just finished throwing a fifth man to the ground. Two of said five were crawling away, seemingly desperate to get to the cars. The van driver had departed with his vehicle at the first sign of trouble. You were analyzing who best to attack, when Loki stepped into stride with you.
"Who the hell is this guy?" he asked.
"Never seen him before. Which car do you want the tracker on?"
"If our masked friend doesn't ease up, there'll be no one left to track," Loki grumbled, the two of you starting to jog as you approached the fight.
You tapped your watch, and Another One Bites the Dust started playing.
"Again with the music?"
"Can't beat Queen!"
At the sight of you and Loki charging into the fray, the remaining six individuals scattered. Those closest turned to defend themselves.
"No killing!" you reminded Loki, as you grunted at the punch swung into your stomach. Time and training had taught you to better absorb a punch in a manner that decreased the intensity of the blow. Still, you saw it fitting to repay the man's kindness with a knee to his abdomen and elbow to the nose.
"I know," Loki sighed in disappointment, effortlessly bringing a man to his knees.
The man you were fighting was the blonde one who'd spoken with the driver. You figured he was in charge of this particular exchange, if not in charge of the Russians in general. He had a scar running from above his right eye down his face. It's a shame he was actively trying to kill you, because he was fairly attractive.
He pulled a knife, which you had to dodge several times before getting a hold of his wrist and finishing with a kicking move you'd practiced ad nauseam with Natasha. He fell back a few feet, landing roughly on the ground. You used this temporary respite to observe everything else.
Loki had just thrown his man into the side of the warehouse. He then whipped a knife past your ear without looking. Despite being used to his tactics by now, you still jumped. The knife had found it's target in the hand of the man you'd just beaten. He'd evidently inched his way towards the gun on the ground, though the last advancement of his outstretched hand had been abruptly halted by Loki's precision.
"Ewwww, Loki," you cringed, watching the man clutch his hand in screaming agony.
"He's alive," Loki said dismissively.
The individual Loki had thrown against the wall remained groggily on the ground, two were fighting your mysterious ally, and the other four had reached the taxis.
"Loki, if we're gonna do this at all, we gotta do it now," you pulled out the tracker, running towards the cabs.
Gunfire stopped you in your tracks, the bullets hitting the pavement in front of you. Scar, as you were now calling him until further notice, hadn't let a knife through his hand stop him. He was lifting himself to his feet, firing rounds at you with the automatic he held in his healthy hand.
Loki pulled you along with him, the two of you forced to flee in the other direction. You heard the bullets ricochet off of the ground, streets signs, and the walls of the building to your right as they narrowly missed behind you.
"How do bullets always miss just behind people when they run???" you yelled, "Like, can't they just aim a little ahead of us?"
"You're complaining???" Loki yelled back in exasperation, dragging you behind a large dumpster with him.
"No," you shouted over the sound of bullets pelting the front of the container, "I'm just saying."
Out of the doorway the bullets rip---
"You can pause that now!" Loki shouted.
"I know I know," you tapped your watch again.
The assault stopped, though the sound of the weapon continued. You and Loki peered from your hiding place to see Scar shooting at the man in black from the car window, as the taxis made their escape. One of the Russians who had been fighting the Walmart-brand Batman was left behind, and he'd used the barrage as a chance to run. Way down to your right, in the opposite direction, you saw another man running in the distance.
"There goes the guy you threw against the wall," you pointed.
"We have to follow one of them," Loki stood up, "They have to meet back up with the others eventually."
"Zorro's going after the dude on the left. Here, take this," you handed Loki the tracker, "You're faster then me, the other dude has a bigger head start. Do your thing."
"What're you doing?!"
"I wanna meet the ninja!" you called out, already in pursuit of the two figures retreating down the road.
Karate Kid was fast, but you didn't train with Steve or run miles on Asgard for nothing. Still, every time you turned a corner, you were relieved to see them still ahead of you. The man you were after ran like he had a fire under his ass, and you didn't blame him. NinjaMan had an intensity about him. He had moved with such speed back at the fight, it was almost unhuman. Anyone would run like hell from him.
"Keep breathing, that's the key," you muttered to yourself, hoping this guy would call it quits soon.
Your wish was half-granted. One of the cabs from before pulled in front of the exit to the alley you were currently occupying. The door opened for your guy to jump in the back, while the driver provided cover from the open window. You huddled down by the wall while the man in black dropped behind a series of trashcans. The bombardment was seconds at best, and the car was screeching out of there the moment they had their man.
"Well, shit," you slapped your hand in frustration on the brick wall as you stood back up.
Ninja wasted no time, sprinting across the street.
"Hey!" you shouted, mostly in confusion. "Why we still running??!" you called as you bolted after him.
He entered another alley, and you could only assume he was simply trying to get away from you.
"Bro there's no need to run! Come on, all I want is to meet a ninja!"
He didn't stop, though you wondered how he was going to make it over the seven-foot-wired fence halfway down the alley. You chided yourself on such a thought, forgetting you were in a superhero world. Proving your point, he didn't break stride as he leapt halfway up the fence, grabbing the top and pushing off the fence with his foot. He neatly twirled over the barricade. As if he'd never stopped, his running continued the minute his feet hit the ground.
Ah shit, you can do this.
You would never, in a million years, consider hurtling a fence back home without stopping to climb it slowly. And even then you probably would have failed. But you were far better trained, and had climbed, jumped, rolled, and been physically launched several times in your training since returning to the MCU. You could do it.
Knowing you still needed more assistance in the leap up to the top than America Ninja Warrior had, you angled your approach. Just before the fence, you jumped at the wall to your right, planting your foot against it as aid to push you up towards the top. You had practiced enough to know momentum was key in many physical tasks. Therefore, the minute you felt your hands grab the top of the fence, you pulled yourself upwards, using your available left foot as leverage against the fence. You let your feet go over your head as you swung over, essentially finishing like a front flip.
"Parkour!" you yelled, starting off again after the new super.
He was climbing the fire escape now...though climbing was perhaps not the most accurate of terms for the situation. The man was scaling the flights of steps without actually having to use the steps.
"Nah, nope, not today," you mumbled to yourself, not bothering to climb like he was. Instead, you shot your grappling wire up to the top of the roof. The mechanism aided in lifting you, but it was not attached to a ceiling directly above you, so you could not just sit and let it carry you. Instead you climbed your way up the side of that wall, impressed by how decently you were doing it. "Oh my God, I'm literally Batman."
You stepped onto the roof in time to see your guy running to the next rooftop. These particular buildings were closely situated, so any gaps were mild. It was still thrilling to leap over the first one, while mentally telling yourself not to look down.
"Parkour...parkour parkour....Parkour," you said it every time you jumped, whether that jump was between buildings or simply over a small water pipe across the roof.
"You're just being extra!" you called ahead of you after the man did an excessive flip over some ventilation unit.
It wasn't until you hurtled the same unit that you realized why he'd leapt so far. Directly on the other side, unknown to you, was a small gap. Only three or four feet at best, but enough for you to fall through if you didn't know to jump...which you hadn't. Thankfully, you managed to kick off the box just enough to propel yourself partially to the other side. Your chest slammed into the wall, you arms latching on to the edge. Your head had been above the height of the roof when you made contact, but you were now holding on for dear life.
Thankfully, the edge was a step higher than the rest of the roof, so you were able to reach your arms over the edge for a better grasp. Had it been a flat surface, you weren't so sure you'd have been able to hold on. You started slowly pulling yourself up, grunting from the task, when two hands grabbed your arms and helped you the rest of the way.
The man in black wasted no time in continuing his pursuit, starting off again before you could even catch your breath for a thank you. He stopped abruptly at the other end of the roof, his head tilting slightly. Besides the rise and fall of his shoulders from his heavy breathing, the man had gone as still as a statue.
"Hey!" you jogged over, slowing a few steps behind him.
He ignored you, but at least he moved. He let out a frustrated groan, hands going on his hips as he paced a few feet to the left before turning around. Even with the mask covering from the nose up, you could tell he was angry. You were well-versed in that body language. Afterall, you lived with Loki.
"You good?" you asked tentatively.
He let out a bitter chuckle, shaking his head at the sky again before answering.
"No, I'd say you letting my one lead get away is far from good," he said through slight pants, his breathing slowly coming back under control like yours. Though a bit harsh from the anger and exertion, his voice was oddly soft, something you hadn't anticipated. Though you figured not every masked vigilante had to speak like Christian Bale.
"You're telling me you're still chasing him?!"
"Was ," he said pointedly with some sass, using his hands to motion to the conversation he was now having instead.
"How? How did you know where the taxi was going? Did you manage to get a tracker on it, cuz dude that was our plan before someone busted in and started going all Jackie Chan on their asses."
"That's why I jumped in when I did," he said with a hint of condescension, "You don't know what you're dealing with."
He tried to walk past you then, presumably to leave, but you reached out to grab his arm. Instead, though not looking, he grabbed yours with his other hand just before you made contact.
"Damn, you really are a ninja! What's your secret? Meditation? Yoga? Master Shifu?"
From what you could see, he looked at you with a tightlipped, unamused expression. Somehow this man made his facial expressions and feelings clear without the use of his eyes.
"Look, Dark Knight, you can't say some ominous shit like that and then just disappear off the roof," you continued, seeing as, whether you'd grabbed his arm or not, you'd gotten him to stop.
"Apologies for not doing what you want, Your Majesty," he gave an insincere smile, "Unfortunately I think Hell's Kitchen is a little outside your jurisdiction. I'll handle it," he dropped the smile and started walking again.
"If I don't understand what I'm dealing with, then just tell me!" you pleaded, walking quickly to get in stride with him.
"Wouldn't do any good, trust me," he said, again with that hint of a bitter chuckle.
"Why not?"
"In the interest of time, I'll be straightforward, Miss," he stopped walking, turning to face you. "There's nothing you can do. The Avengers seem to be a group of decent people. That's more than I can say for other organizations." He seemed to be referring to something specific rather than a general observation, but you let him continue. "Bring your friends into this, and the stability of your situation plummets. I can't afford to worry about another side."
"Worry how? That we'll make things worse? Dude, have you met the Avengers?"
His silence and slight dropping of the shoulders was all you needed.
"Ok, fine, so sometimes they make things worse, but I don't get what you mean about your decency or stability thing. What situation will plummet? Any time you wanna stop talking in riddles would be great."
"If I tell you everything, that defeats the purpose of me warning you about knowing everything."
"You may not know much about the Avengers, but once they start something, they don't let up. And this little chat we're having and your sketchy words are only gonna make them invest harder."
"I'm asking you not to tell them," he said more quietly and earnestly than he had anything else.
"I lie about meeting a ninja? That won't stop them from continuing this Russian case."
He let out another frustrated sigh.
"You're right," he muttered, more to himself than you.
"Sooooo....that mean you'll let me in on whatever it is you know?"
"With this thing it's...it's better the fewer people know about it. I don't even know everything. But what I do...it's..." he seemed to think of the word he wanted to use, "...worrisome."
"Honestly, with that pause you did, that was kind of anticlimactic. Something like 'terrifying' or 'frightening' would have packed more of a punch."
He actually laughed at that. A small laugh, but a genuine one.
"So what's your deal," you asked, feeling like you'd finally broken the ice.
"Better you---"
"Didn't know?" you finished for him.
He shrugged with an actually pleasant smile.
"Will you help us out though? Is it really better that we have two separate parties going after the same guy? Getting in each other's way? Sounds like a recipe for classic movie mishaps."
He smiled again before staring at you, or past you, in what you assumed was contemplation.
"Ok," he finally answered, "But under my terms, and only mine. You do what I say."
"Try getting that past the others."
"You're not allowed to tell them, that's one of the terms."
"There is no way I can work with information that I seemingly pull from my ass. They'll ask where it's coming from. But...I can do my best to keep you from anyone that doesn't need to know. With Loki's help, we may be able to keep this just between the three of us. But if he and I are working this mission together, he needs to know. Oh, Loki is my husband by the way."
"I know."
"Right, you called me Your Majesty earlier. How'd you know? I mean, I guess my getup gives me away and I've been in the news occasionally. Hard to keep an Avenger under the radar these days."
"Mmhmm," he hummed back, "Plus you whisper really loudly."
With that he started off again towards the fire escape.
"Hey, where are you going?"
"Your husband is coming. I've had all the royalty I can handle," he teased with a quick grin, "Meet me back here tomorrow night, 11."
"Ok Dread Pirate Roberts, as you wish."
His head just tilted again.
"Princess Bride?" you asked, looking for any sign of recognition.
"Haven't seen many movies," he replied with an amused smirk tugging at his mouth, as if he found something secretly funny in his own words.
With that he swung his legs over the edge, dropping down onto the fire escape.