No one's POV

Rose stirred as someone tickled her soles. She groaned and withdrew her legs in but again the tickling. Groaning she kicked and then "OWw!"

Rose sat up straight at the yelp to find Stark rubbing his nose.
"Mr. Stark!"

"I should stay a feet away from you, kid. You keep hurting me." Tony chuckled and as soon as he went near her, she pounced on him, engulfing him in a tight hug.

"I'm so so sorry, Mr. Stark! I didn't mean to hurt you, trust me. I'm extremely sorry!" Rose blurted out. Tony patted her back. "I know I know, child. No need of sorries and all. It's all fine." They pulled back from the hug.

"And by the way, thanks for the healing. I hate scars on my beautiful face." He sighed, dramatically making her laugh.

"Kid!" He placed a hand on her face and looked closely. "You have beautiful eyes!" Rose smiled shyly. "Thanks Mr. Stark."
He nodded. "And come down. Breakfast is ready. And wear something else. You can't pass your day in the hospital gown. And that too blood stained."
Rose looked down, ashamed. "Umm...can you ask Nat to lend me some...clothes."

Rose looked up at Tony to find him shocked. "You mean you don't have anything to wear! Kid you're a dumb goldfish! Why didn't you tell me before?" He chided her.

"I-I didn't need any extra clothes except for undergarments. I had my illusionary form." Tony groaned.

"Get refreshed and come down fast. You will accompany Nat for shopping. "
" But-"

"No buts Rosabelle. You will listen to me. Clear?" Tony asked sternly. Rose nodded, defeated as she knew Tony never calls her by her full name until he is serious about it.

"Good. Now brush your teeth and take a bath. You're stinking." He said smiling and kissed her forehead.
" Ok."

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"You mean she was going nuts last night, right?" Natasha asked. Loki looked at Natasha, confused.
"Aargh! I mean she was going crazy?" Loki nodded.

"I told you all. She was possessed by some devil during that stab works." Tony piped in, making stabbing motions with his hands.
"Zip it Stark. I'm going to check on her once. " Natasha said and walked out of the room. "Don't forget the clothes!" Steve yelled.
"Ok!" She yelled back, answering.

Almost twenty minutes passed, when suddenly there were some shouts heard from above. "What are they doing? Is Natasha fighting my sister?" Thor asked looking up.

"I don't know. But she won't fight her, Thor. Don't be a..." Clint trailed off as a bewildered and angry Natasha entered the room dragging a guilty and flushing Rose behind her. They all stood up.

"Natasha! Are you really fighting with her?" Clint asked earning a glare from her.

"Alright ladies. What's the matter? Lipstick fight? " Tony asked, hands on his hips.

"Look what she was trying to do!" Natasha said as she pulled out a sharp knife from her back pocket.

"Rose!?" They all glared at her and she turned away her beet red face, avoiding everyone's gaze. "You tried to commit suicide?" Loki asked, shell shocked. "I didn't expect it from you!" Steve added, horrified.

"No WAIT!" Rose and Nat yelled at the same time. "She didn't try to commit suicide."
"Then?"

"She tried to cut her hair short with the knife!" Natasha replied.

"Wut?" The men blinked slowly and looked at the pair with an unamused look.

"Yeah! I had to pull her down." Nat added, glaring at Rose.
"I'm sorry... But my hair is too long and I used to cut my hair like this before. It's a shortcut method." Her answer earned her some eye-rolling and face-palm.

"God! Kill me now!" Tony groaned.
"Really!" Loki snickered earning a smack from Bruce on his back.

"Now Nat. Drag her with you and renovate this wild woman. Kid! You seem more older than this grandpa here with your those early human's habit!"
"Oi !!" Steve protested.

"And take Rudolph too. He is out of sufficient human clothes." Tony added, completely ignoring Steve.

"Well only after I finish cleaning her stitches, you can take her wherever you want. And don't let her walk too much. It will cause her pain." Bruce advised.
"Breakfast is getting cold! Don't make me late." Clint yelled.

Rose frowned. "Why? You're going somewhere?"
"Yeah! I'm having a secret mission. I've to leave today." Clint said.
"Oh! When will you be back?"
"After three months..."
"Three months!?... When are you leaving?"

Clint smiled. " After hugging you."
"Then I'm not gonna hug you." Rose smiled sadly.

Clint sighed and hugged her tightly, avoiding the stitch. "I will miss you." She murmured, returning the hug. "Me too sis. Me too." He rubbed her back.
She has grown close to Barton as a sister just like Thor. Now she will miss his cheerful remarks for three months or fifteen weeks or ninety days.

Next Clint hugged Loki. It was really sweet to see how close they both have grown. It was surprising too as Barton was the one who hated Loki the most.
"Take care, Birdman." Rose wheezed at the name.

Clint laughed. "You too Cow." Rose laughed now at Loki's face.
Cow! Wow!!

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"No! No! Oww!" Rose yelped in pain when Bruce tried to unwrap the bandage. It was sticking to her sore skin with dried blood.
"Stay still, Rose. It has been almost fifteen minutes I've been trying to unwrap the bandage. So now, don't squeak or move. Let me do the job." Bruce said, a bit irritated now.

"You're so mean! It's hurting!" Rose protested, tears filling her eyes. Bruce sighed. "I know it hurts dear. But it should be cleaned." Rose shook her head quickly. Bruce groaned.

"Now now Pud, it would be better if you don't tick off Banner. You won't like the green papaya." Loki teased, as he entered the medical room.
"She's is impossible, Loki. You handle her." Bruce huffed. Loki turned his attention to a pouting and sniffing Rose who was ready to cry.

Is she really twenty one? Or five years old?

He sat down beside Rose started rubbing her back. "Pudding, you have suffered hell worse than this. Don't be scared. You are strong."

"I know I've suffered worse than this but that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt!" She said in a low voice. "Ok! Just let me see the stitch once! Will you?" Bruce asked, leaning on the table. Rose looked at Loki who smiled encouragingly and then turned to Bruce and nodded slowly. "Good girl!"

They helped her to lay down on the table once more and began unwrapping the bandages. First the arm and then the belly. Seeing the wounds made their blood boil again. Bruce was beginning to look a bit green when Loki placed a hand on his shoulder. "Calm down Banner... Not now." He whispered to which Bruce who nodded and took a deep breath to calm himself.

Bruce took out a bottle of rubbing alcohol and Rose paled at the sight of that.
"No! No! No! I-I know what it is and it burns like hell. Please don't use it! Why can't you just use water to clean it?" She threw pleading glances at the duo. 

"Alcohol makes sure that your wound remains clean of germs. Don't worry, it will be over soon. You won't even feel it." Bruce tried to coax her.

"Ha! I'm not a child!! Don't fool me!" Rose yelled, offended. Bruce rolled his eyes, sighing and threw up his hands in despair.

Loki turned to Bruce. "Let me do the cleaning."
"N-no!" Rose protested.
"Ssh dear. You have to get your wounds clean. I'll try to make it less painful, ok?"
"Not ok."
Loki chuckled. "I'll take it as a ok."

He dipped the cotton in the liquid and brought it near the arm stitch. She whimpered making him smile. "I haven't started yet Pud."

He brought the wet cotton in contact with her wound. She whimpered loudly and tried to withdrew her arm but Loki held it with a nice grip. He started blowing airs to reduce the burning. The air was cold. Too cold for anyone's breath. At first it surprised Rose but gave her immense relief.

Bruce just stood at the side and watched the two, smiling. Loki cleaning the stitches, Rose flinching and trembling, Loki soothing the pain by blowing cool airs and whispering sweet nothings. Bruce was pleasantly surprised.

Surprised to see the troublemaker handling someone with so much care and love. This Loki is not the so called psychopath who attacked their city a year ago. This Loki is different.

"Jarvis, record it please." He whispered, enjoying the view in front of him.

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Loki POV

Rose had to hide her face and eyes with a black mask and black sunglasses matching with the black sweatshirt and black jeans. Everything black.

I too had to wear a mask and tie my hair in a man bun or something like that. But it looked good. We both had to hide ourselves because it's still not safe for us to roam outside freely. Everything was fine until we entered the erm...mall.

"WHAT TRICKERY IS THIS!?" I yelled, shocked and a bit afraid. The stairs are moving up on their own!

"SSsh Loki! This is escalator. And don't shout! Everyone's watching us." Natasha whispered and Rose laughed at me.

"What 'tor'?" I asked confused.

"Esca- never mind. Just put one foot on the approaching step and then quickly the other. See like this." She casually stepped on those cursed things and waved to us as it took her up. I watched her with an open mouth.

"C'mon Loki! You can do it!" Rose encouraged, nudging me. " What if I fall down?" I asked eyeing the living stairs.

"Well, if you fall down, you will surely get severely injured. Normal people can die too." Rose stated as a matter of fact, shrugging. I was shocked. How can she be so relaxed about it!?

"But I won't let you fall down. Just hold my hand." She grinned extending her hand. I looked at her hand and then at the still moving stairs, gulping.

"I can just teleport you know-"
"No! There are people around you and they aren't habituated having a fricking magician among them."

"Magician!" I exclaimed, offended. "I'm not a magician! I'm a sorcerer. A sorcerer is a-"
"Don't patronize me. Hold my hand fast. Nat will be angry if we delay any longer. And by the way..." She looked up at me. "If you fall down, I'll heal you. I can't let your perfect handsome face get damaged." She winked.

I gasped softly. Did she just...call me handsome? I felt giddy.

"C'mon!" I gripped her hand. "Keep your foot on the step that will appear just now. Follow my move." She stepped and I followed her lead quickly. I staggered and would have fallen down if she hadn't caught my arm tightly.

"Jesus! Be careful buddy."
I looked behind and smiled. "That was fun! I should try it again!"

Rose laughed. Oh that clear ringing laughter! "Yeah! We will do it again."

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My shopping was almost done when Natasha returned with a sniffing Rose.

She cries a lot... I thought, smiling.

"Now why is she crying?" I asked, approaching them.
" She had her ears pierced and a tattoo done. That's why." Natasha replied. "Show him, sis."
"I told her that no need of that. And now it's paining. I hate you." Rose sniffled again. Natasha laughed. "I love you too sis. Now show him."

Rose slowly removed the hood and the first thing I noticed was her hair that tumbled down till her mid back instead of hips. And then her ears. Small diamond studs. And then she turned back and swept her hair at the side to reveal her top back portion.

"Woah!" I breathed out. The floral design on her back was beautiful! The skin around it was a bit red but...it was beautiful.
"It's beautiful Pud!" I complimented with a smile but she glared at me.

"Ok! Very well. Loki your shopping finished?" I nodded. "Then I'm taking her with me to buy her clothes. Wait for us, ok?" I nodded again.

They turned to walk away and Rose looked back once, waving at me. I waved back, smiling.

"She's adorable..." I kept looking at their direction when someone tapped my shoulder. I turned to the side and "BLAAARGH!!!"

"AAIII!!" I yelped jumping back, seeing a monster face beside me.

"HAHAHA!! Oh my!! Your face!! HAHAHA!!" The monster laughed, slapping it's knees. Wait...wait a second. I know this voice.
The monster mask was removed to reveal Lucy.

What the-

She continued to laugh, slapping her forehead. "HAHA! Your face was priceless!! Oof! I should have clicked a pic. Dammit! Poor Licky!"

"I was not scared." I glared at her. "And my name is Loki, not Licky." I brought up a menacing look trying to scare her but as usual she was unaffected. 

"Don't make that face Licky. It looks like you have got dung under your nose." She laughed again at her own joke.

I planned to wrap a snake around her but dropped the idea. She loves snakes. Just like my imbecile brother. I remembered the day I came to know about it.

Unable to tolerate her teasing and bickering any longer, I had conjured up a non-poisonous but long snake around her neck. I had prepared myself for a blood curdling scream but my smirk fell when she had squealed excitedly.

For the next thirty minutes, she had kept pouting and posing with the snake around her shoulder, clicking selfies. I had felt bad for the poor snake.
This mortal is fully crazy and dangerous...

"Oye! Where are you dude?" Lucy snapped her fingers infront of my face.
"I'm right here. But what are you doing here?" I asked her.

She huffed. "I was going to ask the same to you. What are you doing here in the ladies section? Buying panties?" She smirked.

"Panties? What are those?" I asked confused.

She rolled her eyes. "Leave it. You Asgardians live under rocks. Are you alone here?"

I shook my head. "Rose and Natasha are here with me buying Rose's clothings and all." We sat down on nearby chairs.

Lucy furrowed her brows. "Belle's clothes? But she doesn't wear any extra clothes, right? Only that black-"

"She isn't in her illusionary form anymore. Her true form is revealed."  I smiled seeing her eyes getting wide and round.

"Really! That's great! Does she really look like an alien? I mean green hair, blue skin and all?" I shook my head.

"She's beautiful. One of the most beautiful maiden I've ever laid my eyes on." I said, surprised at how smitten I sounded. Lucy smiled, beaming but then her smile dropped.

"It has been two days she didn't call Aunt. Aunt is dead worried. Was... Is everything alright? I mean, how did she agree to show her true form?" Her blue eyes were dulled with worry.

But I can't say her the truth. I can't say her that how Rose killed her father gruesomely, got injured badly and almost lost her sanity last night!

"Lucy, I know that you care for her, a lot. But trust me, you shouldn't hear about it. Just leave it and try not to bring up the topic. Please. She's mentally delicate and is still recovering."

"Was it...that bad?" She asked softly, her eyes glazed. I nodded sadly.
" Hmm...and don't tell anything about it to Aunt. She's old and this will put unnecessary pressure on her which is bad for her health."

Suddenly, she chuckled. "You're changed, buddy." She smiled.

"Ehehehe! Thanks! It's surprising to hear something good from you." I grinned.

Lucy frowned. "I don't always speak foul, Licky." She protested, punching my arm.

"Yeah... You're good only to your Captain Love..." I teased and she blushed. "Shut up Loki!"

"Loki! Look what I have got for... Lucy!"

We turned at the voice to find Rose rooted to the ground.   

Don't worry. She knows nothing that should worry you. I handled it.  I said in her head giving her an assuring smile to which she nodded slightly.

"Belle? Is that you?" Lucy stepped forward, hesitantly. In answer to that, Rose hugged her tightly, swaying side by side. "Yup, this is the silly." Lucy chuckled, patting her back. Next she hugged Natasha.

"What's up, Tasha?"
"Fine! What about you? Aunt?"

"All fine. She was worried about this pumpkin here." Lucy pointed at Rose who looked guilty. "Well...umm.. I-I was a bit...busy... I mean..." She stammered and I rushed for her help. "We can pay a visit to Aunt, today."

Thanks a lot Loki. Rose smiled at me.

"That's a great idea! Aunt's home today and we can surprise her!" Lucy said, patting my back. "But I can't stay. I have a meeting to attend on behalf of Clint." Natasha informed.

"Can you drop us there?"
"Sure sis. Why not?"

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Lucy and Natasha continued to gossip about something but I don't know what because my sole attention was on Rose who was unnaturally quite.
And quite Rose means troubled Rose.

What's in your mind? I asked in her head.

You. 

Hearing her reply, I snapped my head towards her direction, surprised. She was blushing.

I-I didn't mean to say that. I mean you are literally in my head and I umm... that's why I err... She tried to explain, awkwardly, hiding her face.

It's ok....So what are you thinking about?

Aunt.... What if she's angry with me. I didn't call her for two days. She must be worried. I'm such a bad girl.

Don't worry. Everything will be fine. Aunt never gets angry with you. You worry too much Pudding.

She hummed in response.

Finished!! Umm... I really don't think this chapter is good. Sorry dear readers ️☹️ but I assure you, you'll like the next one😊
Till then Bu-Byee!! Take care! Love ya all!!😘🥰