Bets and Wagers

Five

A week and a half passed before I saw Loki again.

The mission had gone on longer than anyone expected, but they had managed to close the case before two weeks were up and returned early in the AM while everyone else was asleep.

Walking in a couple of hours later had been a pleasant surprise.

Though I'd never say it out loud and tried to play it off calmly in front of others, I was excited to see him back and healthy, casually enjoying a joke with some of the other Avengers while standing in the foyer.

His relationship with most of the group had grown closer since his arrival, the coldness of his first few months in the group had thawed and it seemed that genuine friendships had taken place.

I was happy for him, walking into work and seeing him forcefully isolated made me feel bad for him.

Granted, he preferred his own company more often than not, but I knew from experience that choosing your own isolation and having it forced upon you were two entirely different things and too many people would deny participating in the latter.

I hadn't realised just how deep I considered this budding friendship between Loki and myself until I saw him stood there, smiling and conversing with the crowd.

My stomach flipped uncomfortably when I saw him and a bubble of excitement grew inside of me in a way that hadn't happened since I was in school and saw my best friend walk through the door.

That cemented it that Loki's forced company had become something mutual between us.

Not wishing to interrupt, I head towards the elevators and tried to keep as low a profile as possible, though kept continuously glancing towards Loki.

At one point, he must have noticed my movement and glanced towards me, taking a minute to click that it was me before giving me a dashing smile.

My heartrate might have sped up a little and I gave him a little wave, happy to see that he was as pleased to see me as I was him.

I turned back towards the elevator just in time for the doors to open with a soft ding, a handful of people stepping out and rushing off to wherever their job called for them to be while I stepped inside and pressed the button to my floor.

I'd barely straightened myself when I caught Loki sliding in between the closing door, making them slide open again before finally closing and encasing us both inside together.

"You didn't need to stop talking," I said upon reaching the third floor, the silence growing torturous despite having no atmosphere.

"And ignore my friend? How rude do you think I am?"

I smiled, shifting on my feet.

"You think we're friends?"

"Do you not?" He asked, turning towards me with a soft frown.

I glanced back at him and shook my head before panicking and nodding quickly, huffing a little laugh.

"I would like to think we are," I replied.

We both smiled at one another and then turned our attention to the elevator doors, basking in the blissful nothingness of a mutual relationship.

As my fingers played with the straps of my bag, I remembered the book that I had been keeping in my office for when he returned and a bubble of excitement built up in my stomach, a true cinch within our friendship being something I enjoyed that I could offer to share with him.

Were friendships supposed to build this quickly?

I hadn't had the chance to make a new friend since college, what with my job keeping me busy and my habit of shutting out the world when I got home made it hard to meet new people unless it was online and even then, I tried to keep relationships at a distance.

I had my select few friends that I enjoyed talking to and didn't seek out anything more, so Loki's ability of worming his way into my affection had taken me by surprise when I had actually stopped to think about it.

"I do hope you didn't miss me too much."

Loki smirked down at me coyly, making me smile and roll my eyes, playfully avoiding eye contact.

"Not at all, it's been very peaceful without you."

"My, I'm almost hurt."

"Then next time I'll make sure it actually does."

"You truly wound me."

"Not yet," I smiled, stepping out as the doors opened with a ding, "but I will."