"Loki, I think the last time we met your brother had you in chains"

The dark-haired man closed his eyes the moment he heard her. That voice. That sensual and confident voice he had heard several times in the past. In New York. He knew that coming back to Earth was not a good idea, but Thor had insisted.

Why not? he would say. They adore me, and they will discover you are not that bad after all.

Nonsense. Midgardians would not accept him. Especially the Avengers.

Loki liked to spend his free time in libraries or wandering around the city, observing the pity mortals around him. They had boring and stupid lives. And yet, they still distrusted him. Of course, they did. They still remembered his attempt to conquer the Earth and to bring the Tesseract to Thanos. Thor's friends would be no different.

That night he had decided to go for a walk, enjoying the chilly night. He could have expected meeting everybody. The tin man, the soldier. Everyone. Except her. The woman who could trick the trickster and could sneak up on him.

Natasha Romanoff, the deadly Black Widow.

She hadn't expected to meet the God that night. It was one of her very rare night-offs and decided to enjoy the day. But apparently fate was a spoiled one and wanted to mess up her evening.

"I presume you would prefer to still have me tied up. It is a shame you can't work as a team"

Natasha pressed her lips in a thin line, showing her discomfort at his presence. Not that he enjoyed her company either.

"Well, that way you'd be silent for once"

"Why would you like to silence me, Natasha? Everybody knows who much you love hearing me speaking?" The spy rolled her eyes at his words. Obviously, he was the same insufferable man that tried to subjugate humanity years ago. "Especially when your life is the main topic"

Natasha Romanoff leant against the bar and took a sip of her drink, raising her perfect eyebrow with a sarcastic smile on her features. Loki had not changed at all. He was still much taller than her and had his black hair slicked back.

"My life is not that interesting. Why don't we talk about that time when Hulk smashed your ass against the Stark Tower's floor?"

Bingo. His smile faltered while he observed her features, but, being the God of Lies, he was a good actor after all. Loki cleared his throat and raised his hands. His characteristic smirk adorned his face again.

"You have other interesting qualities, but your life is not one of them" Loki paused and made a gesture to the empty glass, leaning against the bar, by her side. "I prefer to invite you to a drink"

"What kind of qualities?" the Black Widow contained her emotions at his idea, raising an eyebrow again. What was he up to? "Listen, Loki. If you think after all you did you can come here and invite me to a drink, you're wrong"

"Manipulation. Lies. We are not that different, Agent Romanoff. We learn to live with them. To use them. We take a lie to make reality more bearable. We make it into the only truth" Loki leant against Natasha, his lips curved into a broad smile. "If Barton had killed you, he would have learnt from you. It's just…" The God clicked his tongue while observing the Agent. "I don't know how long he would be able to deal with it. Besides, drinking is a way to avoid the conversation about how Hulk 'kicked' my ass"

Natasha listened to his words carefully, observing Loki's movements while he ordered two drinks anyway. She sighed and rolled her eyes, taking her glass.

"Truth depends on who tells them. And why? I think you love that story. The 'great' Loki defeated by a green guy"

"And what's your truth, Natasha? Your truths change quite often" Loki raised his eyebrow while taking a sip of his drink, tapping on the wooden bar. When he heard the following words, he couldn't stop himself from smirking smugly. "The great Loki. It's fantastic. You should say that more"

"I have no truth, Asgardian" replied the spy with a serious gaze in her features, analysing the man opposite to her. Should she trust him? She had been taught to recognise her enemies, and Loki had been a powerful one years ago, even if Thor insisted in his brother's change. "In your dreams"

The God stared at the red-haired woman in awe. His smile never faltered while he scrutinised her. She had been the only one capable to defeat him. Both still remembered their last encounter. A glass barrier divided them.

The Trickster and the Spider.

"C'mon. I want to hear it again"

"I prefer to rip off your tongue, so I can stop hearing you" muttered Natasha, unimpressed. The people around them chatted happily and the noises of the glasses were heard in between the whispers and the voices.

"Stop saying that. You love hearing me. Just once more" Loki insisted with his signature smirk, leaning against Natasha, who stayed still, glaring at him. She should have stayed in the compound. A movie, some popcorns. That would have been nice.

"Yes, why don't we talk about all the lives you destroyed in your mad adventure?" hissed the spy while turning to him. Loki forced himself to not roll his eyes at her retort. There it was. The same story all over again.

That was the reason why the God of Mischief was not comfortable in Midgard. Time could pass. He might offer his help countless time and still, it would change nothing. He would always be the criminal. The villain.

"It's hard to get used to living in Midgard. Asgard was so different" Natasha was surprised to hear his revelations and she observed the man. He seemed absent-minded. But then, the change in his features revealed a wicked smile. "I just hope I don't have to meet my… 'dear' brother as often as I used to"

"Whoever listens to you might think you have feelings" said the spy with a brief smirk in her plump lips. There were several couples around them, and the room was filled with the echo of conversations and the clinking of glasses and cutlery.

"Feelings?" Loki's voice was tainted with a mix of disgust and amusement. "What kind of weak God do you think I am, Romanoff?" He sighed dramatically and moved his hand. "He seems quite sensitive since Hela destroyed his hammer. I can't afford myself the chance to hurt him as I used to"

"I think you are that type of weak God" replied the agent with a sarcastic smile, turning herself in the stool, facing him. Hearing his story, she remembered.

The Asgardians had escaped after Ragnarok and Norway had accepted to share a part of their land with them. It was a surprise to everyone to see that Loki was with Thor and Banner, who was missing since Sokovia's battle. Obviously, the Avengers were reluctant, but they accepted giving Loki an opportunity.

"I heard the story. Your brother seemed quite sad about it"

"Yeah, he's the sentimental one"

"Really?" Natasha's voice was sarcastic as she feigned surprise. "I wouldn't have guessed if it weren't for you"

Loki listened to her words and he didn't know if he wanted to despise her or to laugh at her remark. The Agent was intelligent, something he had noticed in their first encounter. Her mind was sharp and agile as his, or even more. Not that he would admit it, of course. Yet, a part of him still hated the Avengers.

"Yet, I don't care about anyone nor I care about hurting others. You should know that" Loki added before raising his eyebrow, as a way to make Romanoff remember New York in 2012, even if…well, even in that wasn't him.

The Agent didn't have to know that.

"Besides, you will change your mind when you have to use "My king" with me. Even though I do not know what you think of me, considering you called me great" he retorted with that wicked smile again. Natasha had to force herself to stop her eyes rolling.

"I'd prefer to rip my tongue with my bare hands before calling you that" she answered bluntly, not looking at him. "Moreover, I think it's all a mask. All of you. A performance"

"Please, don't do that. Not because of me, of course, but because of the other mortals" Loki played with his glass and somewhere in the bar a group of people started to laugh loudly, making other customers to turn their heads. But not them. "You speak to me as if you were speaking to yourself, Romanoff"

"I am pretty sure you are more similar to the humans you claim to despise than you would like to admit"

"There's nothing to admit. You humans are weak. You are made to serve and be ruled. I have not that disgusting sentimentalism that lives within you. Behind this 'mask', as you say, there's only a king"

"You are not a king. And you will never be. You can write that on your diary"

Loki chuckled loudly before shaking his head. He was the God of Mischief and she was the Black Widow. Both had been trained and had learnt to lie, to deceive. To play with their deepest fears and make them their armour.

"A diary? That's hilarious, Romanoff. I don't consider myself the writer sort. Is that what you do? Writing your deepest secrets in your diary? Oh…" he added with a fake concerned voice. "I just remember that... there might not be many secrets now"

Natasha opened her lips briefly before letting a soft sigh. She didn't know how he had the slightest idea of her past or Washington, but it seemed he did. She had fresh in her mind the memories of that year. When everything was crumbling and both Steve and she had discovered that Hydra controlled SHIELD and that Pierce was their leader.

All her past. Her tainted ledger was out in the open now. Everybody could see her as she really was.

Natalia Romanova, the Avenger. The spy. The lethal assassin. The murderer.

"Well, things have happened over these years. But all of us have secrets. Even you" she replied with a dry tone, not even looking at him. This was bad. Really bad. He couldn't be interested in her and she had to find a way to divert his attention to another topic.

"Things have happened…but not what I expected" His voice surprised the Agent, who turned to him. Loki had his blue eyes fixed on a point on the wall, as if his mind were wandering around other places rather than this particular moment. What was that? Disappointment? Sadness? No, that could not be. Not from him. "That's true. The difference is that you don't have mortals writing stories about you in a book. Some of them are lies or half-truths. If I told you one of my secrets, you wouldn't believe me. And if you read one of those books, you will never know if that's true or not"

"And what do you want now?" she muttered, moving her glass to see the amber liquid against the surface. Her lips curved into a ghostly smile before it disappeared. "Well, that happens when someone wants to kill me. I don't trust them" She sighed before turning again to him, staring at his eyes right in the eye. "Those are stories, Loki. We all have them. Yet, living according to them is up to you alone. I don't even believe those about Thor and Odin are right. Humans need stories. Maybe if you behaved differently, things would change"

Natasha Romanoff surprised herself by saying this. If someone had told her years ago that she'd be having a drink with Loki Laufeyson, the God of Mischief and the one who had tried to subjugate the human race in 2012, she would have hit them with her Widow's bites.

"My desires are different now, Natasha. As you said, we all have secrets" he said with a bitter tone before he flashed a sarcastic grin. "It sounds like you're getting tipsy. Are you agreeing with me, Agent? It seems you're using me to feel better with yourself. Anyway, we are completely different. I am not human, and I don't need stories. The opinion they have about me is much less terrifying that the truth"

"Yeah, you're right. We all have secrets and we're not equal. You're just an egocentric God with air of superiority who prefers to lose an arm before admitting that feels more than he seems"

"I'd like not to be in a situation in which I might lose an arm, thank you" Loki replied with a smile. Opposite to Romanoff, he knew his true nature, and he didn't want to tame it. He had accepted it with all its consequences and had forced himself to believe that there was nothing warm in him. "I like to lie, but not to myself. I have nothing good to you and your little group, Natasha. And if you still think there's more inside me, then you're wrong. I don't have the need to hide myself behind shields and barriers. But you…" Loki's eyes flicked with interest as he leant against the bar, scrutinising the Agent's face, who kept his expressions hidden behind a stern mask. "Who are you? I mean…who are you right now. In this precise moment. Who are you when nobody's watching you?"

"I could help you with the arm thing, you know" Natasha shook her head, almost turning to him in disbelief. Did he really expect her to open to him like this? He must be drunk. "I am myself, Trickster. And that's all you have to know"

"An arm could be truly useful in plenty of situations" Loki said with a flirty tone and a wink before sighing, leaving his glass on the bar. "You are you. I hope that's enough for you, Agent. I think I demonstrated that I know you better than anybody else. Not the best way, I have to admit, but I don't know another way"

There it was. The moment they both confronted. SHIELD's best intelligence weapon against the God of Lies and Deceive. The God and the spy. Natalia Romanova against Loki Laufeyson.

"Anyway, with the Titan on his way, we are all lost" Loki muttered, and Natasha felt that stingy pain in her guts. The God had told his brother about Thanos and his purpose and Thor had told the Avengers. They needed to be ready, whatever it takes. "Have you…ever been afraid, Agent Romanoff? I mean…you can't fear something you don't know. Maybe that's why I've never been truly feared. But…I'm talking about being afraid about you. About knowing that there is something else out there, stronger and bigger than you are" His voice was now softer than before. It seemed as if that sarcastic act had faded away and Natasha wondered why. Why her and why in that moment, in a bar in the city. Why did he decide to open a bit?

"We all fear something. It's natural to be scared. That's what make us…well, I was going to say humans, but that would offend you, probably" added Natasha with a brief smile and a joking tone before clearing her throat. "The thing is, I felt afraid. It's natural. We can't control our fate, our future. Sometimes…we can't even control who we are"

Natasha's voice was losing her strength as she spoke, her mind drifting to another place. A place back in time and space. The Red Room. She could still hear it. Smell it. Years of training in that place. She shook her head and kept talking.

"It's uncertainty what corrupts us. We can't control it. Only assume it and try to fight it the best we can"

Loki smirked when he heard the word 'human' from her lips but that smile faded when her words sank inside him. The spy knew what Loki hated, but not what Loki loved, even if he didn't seem to love anything.

But he did. He loved Frigga and she had been taken away from him. And, in some way, he loved his brother. And that was one of the reasons why he wanted to rule Midgard. Apart from his selfishness, he wanted to destroy the world Thor loved. He just wanted to be remembered. Appreciated, just like the God of Thunder.

"No, I don't want to assume it. I want to control it. It seems you forgot that option" Loki stopped and clenched his fists. When had he decided to confess his deepest thoughts in a bar in Midgard with the deadly Black Widow by his side? When did he achieve what he wanted, instead of being others' puppet? "Frigga said that a true king must accept his mistakes. She asked me how many lives I sacrificed in New York. Yet, they are far less than Odin's victims. And still…"

His voice trailed off as he spoke. His mind had failed in its usual attempt to keep his mother's features away from him. He did not have the opportunity to say goodbye before the dark elves had killed her. Now, he only had a few memories left.

"I never wanted to be like him but…he was my father" he finished, staying still with his blue orbs fixed on his glass before turning to Romanoff, who seemed attentive to his story. He didn't know why he was saying this to her, and yet, here they are. Natasha's lips turned into a bitter smirk, shaking her head.

"Fear is always there. You can try to manipulate it, use it to your profit. But can you really control it? Life is a chess game. At least from my point of view" When she heard him talking about Frigga, she couldn't stop a small pinch of compassion in her guts.

Thor had told his friends and colleagues about what happened in London. Of course, SHIELD wanted to know, and some cleaning was necessary. Those kinds of secrets could not be out in the open, like that.

"And do you? Do you recognise your mistakes and how your acts provoked thousands of people dying?" Her tone was harsher than she expected. But nobody could blame her, couldn't they? She still remembered the smell of the dust, the blood, the flying Chitauri around them. Stark falling from the sky. "Ah, parents. We hate being like them and still, we do"

Loki did not say anything as Natasha's voice got inside his mind, making him remember all the things that happened. Stuttgart, New York. It would be useless to deny her accusations. What should he tell her?

"Hey, Agent Romanoff. I know you all hate me, but I didn't play with Barton's mind and killed all those people because I wanted. The stone was tricking me too"

That was pathetic.

"I'd say it was nice to see you, Loki. But I'd be lying"

Romanoff paid the bill and took her jacket, placing it over her shoulders in an elegant movement Loki appreciated. He smirked and raised his glass at her words, turning to watch her steps leading to the main door. The Black Widow was dangerous, and he knew that. Every movement, every word was calculated, and the Trickster would not give her the pleasure of falling into her web. Yet, he could feel his palm sweaty and he frowned.

Meanwhile, Natasha Romanova was inside her car, with the music blasting and echoing in the small place. Her hands grabbed the wheel and her knuckles were white, still playing the conversation in her mind.

What the hell was that?