Rise of the Phoenix (L. Laufey/Odinson)

29.

Nina sits curled up with a blanket as she stares blankly at the tv in front of her. Her heart and her mind are not in it to concentrate on something so mundane, not when something else is going on. Something she is uncomfortable with. Loki walks into the room behind her and Nina looks at him.

"I know you humans are fond of....movies," Loki tells her, Nina nods a little. That is true. "And I found this..." He holds up a DVD case for some zombie film. "Edwayen told me about zombies" He offers. "I would like to see why you humans like them so much" He sits beside her and smiles. She smiles tensely at him.

.........

Nina sits, tense, through the whole movie. He bothers her. Loki bothers her. She knows she is right. She can feel it deep down inside of her soul that something is wrong. It's not just everything that has happened. But she can't figure it out. Loki's arm tightens around her and she looks at his hand on her arm. Tears gathering in her eyes. Maybe she was just wrong about him. Maybe what they shared on Jotunheim was a mistake, a situational thing that's now outgrown it. She begins to lose hope. To lose her feelings when another Loki walks through the door. Nina stands, alarmed, and looks between the two of them.

"What is going on?" Nina asks steeping away from the Loki that was with her. He reaches his hand out to stop her but she is too confused to allow him to touch her. This just proves her point about something being on.

"Stay calm" Loki #2 tells her. "It's okay...but Gonseyt's dead" He assures her. Nina watches him a moment, her eyes scanning. Studying. Trying to work it out just what is going on. Loki #1 looks between Nina and the other Loki before stepping closer to Nina. She holds up her hand, producing a flame. Both Lokis hold up their hands towards Nina who's eyes flickering between them. Confusion. Fear. She reaches up and threads her fingers into her hair to press to her head.

"No" She crouches and curls up, slamming her eyes closed. "No" She whispers and whimpers. She is actually losing her mind. Loki #2 steps closer to her. "No!" She snaps at him, he stops and stares at her. "No" She repeats as she points at him, he nods a little. Can see how difficult this is for her. Her eyes are wide. She is having trouble processing what is happening.

"It's magic," Loki #1 tells her. Loki #2 snaps a glare at him. "An illusion...."

"It was Gonseyt's plan" Loki #2 offers. "To infiltrate...to...take you" Nina frowns.

"Why?" She asks.

"Býleistr" They both state together.

"So....one of you is him?" She asks, they both nod. Her eyes flicker between them. Loki #1 and Loki #2 both share a look and then look back at Nina as the temperature heats up, she's using her powers in her panic. Loki #1 is quick to step closer to her, Nina takes one back from him.

"Nina" Loki #1 starts. "You know me," He tells her. "You know me" He repeats, she looks between them. Standing side by side, she finds it difficult to tell them apart. She has no idea what she is going to do. Nina looks between the two of them. Loki #2 nods and gives her a soft smile.

"It's okay" he assures her. "It's alright..." She looks at him. "We're going to be just fine" he promises her.. "Fire and ice" She softens, understanding now. She takes a breath and holds out her hand, palm first towards Loki #1. He relaxes, thinking that he's won. Instead, Nina lets loose a stream of fire, burning him. The spell breaks away, revealing Býleistr. Loki moves to Nina's side and threads his fingers with her free hand as she burns Býleistr. When he stops screaming, Nina lowers her hand and then turns to Loki. They share a look before she wraps her arms around Loki who clutches back to her, lifting her up off her feet to embrace her, his fingers threading through her hair as he breathes her in. Clutching to her tightly.

"I knew he wasn't you" She whispers. "I knew" He nods and sighs softly. He knew she was smart enough to get there.

"I thought I was going to lose you," Loki tells her sadly as he pulls back. "I really thought I had" She shakes her head at him.

"Nearly" She whispers. "I...started to think that...." He clutches her face.

"It doesn't matter" he stops her. "It doesn't matter now...I'm right here....and I love you" he admits. "I should have told you that before we came back...I really love you, Nina...."

"I love you too" Her voices break as she admits that. "It's the first time I have felt this since before Hydra, and I have never felt it to this extreme...." She lets out a breath. "I've never said that before...." He smiles at her and then leans closer to her, they share a look and she nods, allowing him to kiss her. She wraps her arms around his neck and kisses him back, he brushes his hand through her hair and smiles against her lips. Behind them, Bucky walks into the room and then stops seeing Býleistr's burnt corpse.

"Who's that?" Bucky asks motioning down at Býleistr, Nina and Loki both look at him. "What the hell happened?"

"Security in this facility requires some attention" Loki answers and looks up at the ceiling implying that he is talking to Friday. "If it cannot discern before real and magic"

"Nin?" Bucky asks her, confused as to what is going on. 

"I told you that there was something wrong with Loki..." She then motions to Býleistr's body. "He was...." Bucky frowns.

"It will take some explaining" Loki offers as he wraps his arm around Nina. "Over dinner?" Bucky looks between them both and then nods.