Still Holding On

Chapter 30

Tony looks between Natasha and Loki warily. When Loki looks over at him, he shares the same expression. Natasha, meanwhile, remains stoic, her hands folded up on the kitchen table as she stares pointedly at the god.

Tony clears his throat uncomfortably. "So, um..." He smiles awkwardly. "Nat, Loki. Loki, Natasha Romanoff."

Natasha makes no move to greet him, so Loki holds a hand out across the table. "Lovely to meet you, Ms. Romanoff."

Natasha raises an eyebrow, silent, and, after a long moment, Loki awkwardly takes his hand back.

"I'm sorry about her," Tony says, shooting her a look as he does. "Natasha here is actually a spy. Being cold and heartless and bitchy is part of the job description."

Loki opens his mouth as though he's going to say something, then seems to think better of it and closes it again.

Finally, Natasha speaks. "How'd you two meet?" Her tone is nothing short of interrogational; not at all what Tony had asked of her.

Loki furrows his brows. He thinks for a moment, then looks questioningly at Tony.

"It's a long story," Tony says tersely.

Natasha fakes a smile. "We have time."

Tony narrows his eyes. Maybe he shouldn't have let them re-meet. It's too late to back out now, though, so he says, very sarcastically, "He's Thor's brother. How do you think we met?"

"Weird that Thor wouldn't introduce him to the rest of us," Natasha remarks.

Loki looks at her curiously. "You know my brother?"

"Mm-hmm."

Loki furrows his brows. "I hadn't realized he'd made so many friends in this world."

"Yeah, he's pretty popular," Tony says with an awkward shrug.

"Are you friends with Jane Foster?" Loki asks her.

"Never met her."

"Oh."

Awkward silence.

Loki looks at Tony uncomfortably. He can't even imagine what the poor guy's thinking right now. All he wanted to do was, what, watch a movie or something? And now this... And with how Pepper and Rhodey acted when they last saw him, too, Loki must think Tony has the worst friends.

When it becomes clear that nobody else is going to say anything – Natasha out of stubbornness and Tony because he wouldn't know what to say – Loki decides to break the silence. "I assume Thor's talked about me?"

"I've heard about you," Natasha replies, very diplomatic in her answer, though her tone is less than pleasant.

"Whatever he's told you, I would just like it to be known that I tease him because he is my brother," Loki says. "I am far nicer to everybody else."

Natasha huffs a laugh. "What kind of things do you think he's told me?"

Loki chuckles uncomfortably. "It's probably for the best that I not answer that."

Natasha and Tony share a look, and he knows they're both thinking the same thing: they're absolutely going to ask Thor the next time they see him. There have to be some good stories hidden in their past somewhere, and Tony's always down to hear about his friends being bullied.

They lapse into silence again, but this time, Natasha is the one to break it before it can get awkward. "So, Loki," Natasha says, her tone perfectly emotionless in a way only a spy can master, "you must be having a hell of a time, hanging out in Tony's big ol' mansion all day."