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yeah-thats-probably-it · 3 months ago

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#what i love about this is that to bertie it's a foregone conclusion that it's Their Car#it isn't 'you should take the car' it's 'why on earth would you take the train? we've got a car you know!'#the employer-employee relationship has become the thinnest possible fiction for married behaviour#and honestly this is making me feel a lot better about the spinoza thing. like. to bertie being mindful of jeeves is just normal.#why WOULDN'T he take the car. it's easier. bertie might not have remembered to tell jeeves to take the car#if jeeves hadn't told him when the train was leaving but it isn't because bertie doesn't care. he just assumes jeeves would take the car.#the guy had to order the spinoza. we know we don't see a lot of the conversations they have and basically all they do whenever there isn't#any plot going on is talk to each other about daily news literature history whatever jeeves is reading.#so it seems a lot more likely that we just didn't see that bit of communication happening than it is for bertie to forget briefly about#the book he wanted to give jeeves and then decide oh well let's hold onto it until christmas. because that doesn't make any sense - that's#a level of unthinking that's more about 'well who cares' than about 'i had a very busy few days and was at my aunts place so i couldn't#pick up your book'#the same in regards to bertie interrupting jeeves - because he (iirc) usually only does it when Something Is Going On#he likes hearing jeeves talk about poetry! he asks about his family! but he doesnt want to hear about jeeves aunts while he's In A Situatio#(and honestly. 1) jeeves sometimes has very bad timing. see the bicycle story. the 'cheesewright is going to crush you like a fly' thing.#the 'that's a lot of money you're owing and captain biggar is not patient' thing from RFJ. he just gets a little carried away#2) having started tally ho (thank you for recommending it btw!) this is so incredibly stressful. like. i have been underestimating#just how stressful the situations bertie gets into are. jeeves must have nerves of steel. we know that bertie does not.#and if i had to deal with not even an unwanted engagement but just a situation like 'this guy's fake moustache might fall off after#i went to some lengths to smuggle him in' and someone tried to talk to me about their aunt i would also think that This Is Not The Moment.#Can't You See Everyone Here Is An Idiot And I'm Somehow Responsible. this is the most stressed i've been in my life. (i am having a lot of#fun aside from and during the stressful! it's just stressful af) so really bertie should get a break for that#very long story short this is absolutely married behaviour

tags from @noandnooneelse

While we’re on the subj. of Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit, this earlier scene drives me insane too, because speaking in just black and white, contractual terms, Bertie, you literally DO have the option? You’re the only one who has an option in this situation. You have the power to tell him he can’t go, you are literally his employer. And then he offers Jeeves use of the car to go to London, even though Jeeves never would’ve asked! Married behavior! Married behavior!!! This is the sort of negotiation spouses have with each other, we are fully out of the realm of master/servant now

#i like that interpretation of the car! like bertie truly just forgets that jeeves is technically still employed by him #and therefore technically isn’t supposed to be allowed to take the liberty #re spinoza i said this before but my assumption has always been that it was a second spinoza book #(either that or plum just forgot when bertie was supposed to have given him the spinoza. which is entirely possible)#but if it IS the same spinoza as the one in jitm that can probably still be explained #as the bookseller didn’t have it and needed to order it in #maybe there were shipping delays #maybe there was a series of comical misunderstandings where none of the people at the shipping facility were familiar with spinoza either #so they kept sending books with titles that sound vaguely similar with an increasing amount of distance from the name spinoza #getting more and more implausible #so by the time the bookseller actually got the correct book it was closer to christmas anyway #it DOES however sometimes bother me when bertie interrupts jeeves when he’s trying to talk about something tbh #but you’re right that jeeves does often have pretty terrible timing #and bertie DOES like to talk about poetry w him at other times #(also sometimes i think jeeves does the badly timed infodumping thing on purpose to be a shit)#(the example you give in rfj for example. i fully believe he was needling bill about the amount of money on purpose)#(bc he was annoyed at him for not listening to his advice to drop the bet)#also god yes tally ho can be so stressful #when you buy the game they give you access to the documents with all the coding #and i have to admit that i looked at the code to figure out how to do what i was trying to do sometimes #it’s interesting to look at actually though because the way different options affect your stats is actually quite complex and sophisticated #like sometimes a given option will increase a stat you want increased while decreasing another #or decreasing your relationship with another character #so you have to decide which advantages you’re willing to trade off in order to gain other advantages #it’s a really tricky balancing act i’m amazed jeeves hasn’t snapped under the strain

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notyetneedcoffee · 5 years ago

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Soul Seer, Pt. 7

Pairing: Loki x Reader

Warnings: Nothing really in this chapter

Author’s Note: Takes place right after Avengers 1, with time travel elements and hints of Infinity Wars. Does NOT follow cannon after Avengers.

* * *

Chapter 7

“Good morning.” You knocked on the door frame. “Mind if I come in?”

Steve Rogers looked up from a conference table covered in reports. He had a cup of coffee in one hand and was wearing generic issue SHIELD workout sweats. Stubble shadowed his jaw. “Sure. You, ah, look good.”

“You look like you a week-long nap is in order.” You tried to smile. “Delegating isn’t really in your wheelhouse, is it?”

His conflicting feelings hit you even though he only frowned. “I give orders just fine.”

“True, but you still have to be working just as hard as everyone else… even if you’re already running on fumes.” His scowl deepened at your words. You stepped closer, voice softening. “I’m sorry. I tend to let my mouth run away from me. It’s just that I can see that you are far more exhausted than you look. Stopping to sleep for a bit is completely understandable.”

The Captain stared at you for a long moment before nodding. “You’re right. That why you’re down here? To send me to my room?” He tried to joke.

“No, actually. Loki is going to roll out a plan to Fury’s people, and he asked me to be certain you were there.”

“I wasn’t invited to that meeting.” Steve stood up, squaring his shoulders.

“Neither was I.” You smiled. “But look who set it up.”

“Loki wants me there? You’re certain?”

“He was very specific.”

“Give me five minutes.” Rogers put down his coffee and left the room. A few minutes later he returned in a fresh uniform. “Let’s go.”

Waiting for the elevator he kept glancing sideways at you. “What?”

“Just trying to figure you out.” He sighed. “You seem like a good person. Stable. Yet you’ve been in Loki’s head. You seem connect now. I just don’t trust him.”

“Probably a good plan.” You smiled. “And for what it’s worth, I’m trying to figure me out, too. But I can promise you, I’m not a liar and I’m not going to betray Tony’s trust.”

The elevator doors opened and you both stepped in. He turned to you with an smirk. “You, for some weird reason, I trust.” He laughed. “I’m learning to quickly adapt to weird.”

“Good to know.” You smiled. The Captain’s straightforward and honest personality made him a bit of a calm amongst the stormy auras of the spies which made up the highest ranks of SHIELD and the unique people of Stark’s organization.

Through the glass wall of the conference room, you could see Loki standing at the head of the table scowling at the man sitting to Fury’s left. Stark, too, scowled. Your paced slowed as the aggravation and hostility hit you full force.

Steve’s steps faltered as he quirked an eyebrow at you.

“Just got kicked in the teeth by their bad attitudes.” You shook your head. “It’s okay. My shields are stronger than yesterday.”

“You let me know if you need anything.” Steve offered, placing his hand on the small of your back. He looked up to see Loki’s eye turn to him, eyebrows high. “Though, I’m sure Loki won’t let them get away with much.”

“I’m sure.” You walked through the door as Steve held it open. All of the seats were taken, so you stood towards the back, beside two men in black SHIELD gear. Steve edged in between you and the men. The man beside Fury stopped talking and stared.

“Were you supposed to be here?” He said, it wasn’t really a question.

Stark rolled his eyes. “Griffin, it’s fine. Go on.”

“She doesn’t have clear...”

“Continue.” Loki hissed.

The man, Griffin, looked at Fury for the nod before continuing his brief. “The hanger is being used to store the alien equipment until it can be identified further and crated. We will need you to train a team of technical SMEs to head up the inventory logistics.”

“Ah,” Loki looked at the ceiling. “There it is.” He paused before looking at Tony. While staring the man in the eye, he pulled up a complex set of calculations on the 3D display. Everyone looked confused, but Stark and Banner leaned forward. “I took the liberty to review the calculations of the containment field for your arc reactor powering the tower. With some modifications and improvements that I’ve provided here, you will be able to create a large enough containment chamber to effectively disintegrate the material while modulating intensity due to variable non-earth element fusion events. Of course, the bleed-off excess energy will be immense. Therefore, I have included a conversion device allowing the energy to be transferred into your existing National power grid.”

The room was silent. You could feel the question and uncertainty screaming off everyone but Banner and Stark. They were both bright with concentration and wonderment. Tony sat back, his hand over his mouth. Banner slowly took his glasses off, turning an opened mouth stare to Loki.

“What?!” Fury finally broke.

“This would power the whole country for, what? Um...” Tony rubbed his face.

“At yesterday's consumption rate, 11 years, 4 months, and 22 days.” Loki answered plainly.

“Tony,” Steve had an idea what they were talking about, but he wanted to be certain. “What is Loki’s proposal? Exactly?”

“It’s a furnace.” Banner answered. “A way to destroy all of the alien material and convert it to useable electricity.”

“It would take months to build.” Stark was staring at the calculations again. “But it would be worth it, a billion times over.”

“Well,” Griffin shrugged. “That’s one way to get rid of the slag. It doesn’t address the training you need to provide...”

Loki shut down the 3D model. His face went hard. The room went silent again. “No. There will be no cataloging assets. No training on Chitauri weapons. No alteration to Earth technology. It all burns.”

The room exploded. Everyone shouted at once. You flinched back from the onslaught. Loki shouted “ENOUGH!” at the same time Steve shouted “QUIET!” - The room froze.

“I don’t think that decision is up to you, Loki.” Fury said calmly. “The technology out there...”

“Will shift the balance on the world stage, immediately.” Steve scowled.

“There are bigger things in the universe, Captain.” Fury scowled.

“But we still have to live here. A shift that big will have major geo-political consequences, and not necessarily for the better.” Steve retorted.

Banner looked between the two before turning back to Loki. “You said Thanos would be coming.”

“I did.”

“So we need every advanced weapon we can get.” Griffin growled.

“How effective are traditional munitions against your suit? Against your shield?” Loki asked.

“Chitauri weapons are the AK’s of space race, huh?” Tony sighed.

“I would suggest something of a more innovative nature.” Loki nodded.

“I can’t agree with this.” Griffin growled.

“If we move as if we are going to keep all this alien technology, it will cause global turmoil. If we say we’re going to share it, there will years of posturing and infighting before anything gets accomplished.” Steve leaned forward, hands on the table.

“But if by destroying it, we can provide clean energy to bring the world’s powers together to work on a solution...” Banner muttered.

“It’s a step in the right direction.” Rogers nodded.

You leaned back against the wall, eyes catching Loki’s. He was good. The corner of your lip tipped up. The hard, determined lines of his face never changed, but you could see the gold shoot through the green of aura. You felt the satisfaction.

Ghost like finger swept down your cheek, down your jaw, around the back of your neck. The urge to tip your head back for a kiss was overwhelming. Instead you smiled and closed your eyes. The touch vanished and you looked up to see his eye sparkle with mischief.

“You mean to say,” Fury was leaning forward on the table. “You want me to go to the World Security Counsel and tell them we’re destroying all the alien weapons in exchange for putting the utility companies out of business? That’s not going to fly, gentlemen.”

Loki stood at the head of the table, looking every bit the royal he’d been raised to be. “You’re going to tell them the Chitauri weapons are useless in the defense of your world against alien forces, and your only specialist refused to tell you how to use them against your own people. I will, however, help you clean up the damage. I will assist your finest minds with their plans to protect this world. I will help you harness the energy and materials necessary to turn those plans into reality. I will fulfill my oath. I will not be a tool for your government, or any other.”

He paused, turning a small smile to Bruce. “Unless the good doctor wishes to order me to teach the people of SHIELD the secrets of alien weaponry.”

“I, ah,” Banner’s eyes shot around the room. “Um, I think, ah...”

Loki’s brow arched. So did Fury’s. You felt like laughing.

“Just go with your gut, Doctor.” Steve said kindly.

Banner took a deep breath. “I’m going with Loki’s plan.”

“That’s not -” Griffin growled.

“Don’t.” Fury bit off. “There’s no point. So, this continues as a salvage operation. Sweep up the alien technology as quickly and as safely as possible. Run down anything that lands in the wrong hands. Quarantine at a protected location.”

“So we’re done here.” Griffin frowned.

“This meeting is, yeah.” Fury closed his folder, standing to leave. The SHIELD personnel began to file out behind him.

Loki pulled out a chair and sat down. He crooked a finger to beckon you over. His hands pulled you down to sit on his knee. You smiled, the calmness on your face not betraying the nervousness you felt at everyone’s scrutiny. “I would like your assistance with the next meeting.”

“We have representatives from the Office of Emergency Management, the National Guard and the city coming in.” Stark explained.

“Emotions will likely be running high and there will be a great deal to accomplish in a short time.” Loki’s hand slid down your back.

“You need someone to cut through the posturing and get to the point?” You asked.

“It would definitely be better coming from you.” Stark rocked back and forth in his chair. He swung around to look at Rogers, who now rested a hip on the table. “So, did you just decide to pop in or we’re you following Y/N through the halls?”

“I asked her to fetch the Captain.” Loki admitted freely.

“Pieces on a chess board, huh?” Stark rolled his eyes.

“What?” Steve asked.

“You have to admit, Cap, what you said was critical to shutting SHIELD’s plans down.” Stark shrugged.

You saw anger flare to life around the Captain as his brow creased, glaring at Loki. “You used me! You had her come get me just to manipulate me.”

“Captain, I can assure you...” Loki began but was cut off.

“I can’t trust you at all.” Steve pushed off the table, and turning to leave. “Not at all.” He stormed away.

You stood up to follow, but Loki’s hand on your waist stopped you. His face remained impassive, but you knew better. Leaning forward, you pressed your lips to his cheek. Brushing another kiss over his ear you whisper, “Let me make it right.”

Loki looked at you, but did not answer. You ran your fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck. “I’ll be right back.”

He nodded once.

You ran from the room, trying to catch Steve before the elevator came. You got your arm in the doors just in time, causing them to open again. He stood there, hands fisted and jaw tight. “I don’t want to hear it.”

“Well, too bad.” You got in the elevator with him. “Steve, you said what you said because it’s what you believe. You can’t argue that with me.” He just glared at you. “Loki recognized that you would take the stance you did. It’s consistent with your known beliefs. Someone needed to say SHIELD couldn’t have the alien weapons because it would shift the balance of power and it couldn’t be Loki. It would be immediately dismissed if it were. Coming from you, it’s worth more. Think about it, Steve.”

He just sighed heavily and rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands.

“You’re exhausted. On edge. I understand why you got mad.” You sighed as well. The elevator doors opened and you both stepped off into an empty hall. “Loki may have manipulated the situation to assure the outcome he wanted, but he did not manipulate you. You responded honestly. If anything, Loki knew he couldn’t do what he needed to do without you. He needed you to be there to moral voice in the room.”

“He could have just asked.” Steve grumbled.

“Really? You don’t think Griffin wouldn’t have said you were in cahoots with Loki if he had?” You squeezed his forearm. “Steve, your reaction had to be in the moment and honest. You’re poker face sucks.”

“Did Loki tell you all this? Did you know when you came to get me?”

“No.” You shrugged. “Between my own talents and being able to work through all the stuff I learned while I was in his head... I guess I’m beginning to understand how he thinks... sometimes anyway.”

“He know you’re tell me this?”

“Yes. He would never do it himself.” You smiled up at him. “Not to be mean, just because he wouldn’t think to do it. But I want to do what I can to keep us, I don’t know, just okay. Things are going to get tough. I think we’re all going to need each other and things being so raw makes it hard.”

Steve nodded. “Okay, I’ll think about what you said. I think I’m going to take your advice, too.”

“Get some rest?”

“A little.”

“Good.” You hit the elevator button. Steve began walking away. You called out to him one last time. “Steve. Thank you, by the way, for always checking on me, too. I really appreciate it. Sleep well.”

He waved at you as you disappeared into the elevator.

As you stepped out of the elevator, heading back to the conference rooms, you nearly ran bodily into Loki. His arms wrapped around your waist, pulling you tight against his chest. Your hands instinctively slipped over his shoulders. He inhaled deep, nose trailing over the skin of your temple.

“Did you calm the Captain?”

“I did.”

His tongue slid along the sensitive flesh beneath your ear. His breath hot. “You wish to assure his alliance.”

“I think he’s a friend worth having.”

Loki’s lips captured you lower lip before his tongue slid over yours. He pulled away much too quickly. Beneath his tight control, his simmering desire, you felt something else... “A friend to you or I?”

You sighed. His long experience on the outside, the one not included, left a painful echo.

“There is no difference.” You breathed against his lips.

Loki’s hand came to the back of your head as he kissed you hard. You felt his fingers press into your lower back, pressing you against him. Passionate, deep, the kiss carried as much emotion as heat. You moaned into his mouth, unable to contain it. His lips curled up, even as he kissed you.

“My pet, you are a delight.” He spoke against your lips, still holding you tight against him.

“Not so bad yourself.” You whispered.

“Keep that a secret. I have a reputation to uphold.” He nipped you lower lip lightly between his teeth. “Speaking of which, we need to get to our meeting. How does the saying go? I’ll be the be the bad god, you be the good mortal.”

You giggled. “Is that like bad cop, good cop?”

Loki leaned over and whispered in your ear. “Yes, but with more magic and delicious noises.”

You laughed.

The elevator doors opened. Natasha stepped off with a group of people, Loki released you as she scowled at you both. Pulling you back against the wall as the seven people walked by, Loki breathed against your ear. “I fully intend to finish what I’ve begun, my pet. This is but a minor delay.”

“Promise?” You whispered to Loki as you smiled politely at the last gentleman to exit the elevator, an older Police Chief. Something cold, and feeling distinctly like his fingertips, tweaked your right nipple. You jumped, looking at Loki standing a off to your left. Magic.

He just gave you a wicked smile. Oh, yes. It promised.