The Scientist (Loki x OC)

Pt. 36: The Date

A/N: Here we are in the February month of the story! Yay! We've still got a way's to go, but we're getting closer and closer. I hope I didn't make y' all wait too long for this, but it's here now! As always, the song(s) in the chapter are linked at the bottom of the post <3 

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The door creaked open by a smidge at most. Loki looked up from his phone and furrowed his brow. How odd Luna didn't come sauntering in like usual.

"Close your eyes!" Luna's voice called from behind the door. She poked her head into view. "I have a surprise for you."

Loki smirked, willing to go along. "A bit concerning, don't you think?"

She huffed. "It's not anything bad. Just trust me for at least five seconds."

He sighed and shut both eyes. "Alright," he said in a questioning tone. His ears were met with the sounds of footsteps, rustling, and the shutting and locking of the door. The slight footsteps drew nearer and stopped beside him.

"Ok, open." Loki did as he was commanded – hearing the smile in Luna's voice – and was greeted by the sight of a single red carnation flower and a heart-shaped box from Russell Stover. "Happy Valentine's Day, Loki. Will you be mine?" He grinned and received the gifts from her hands.

"Do I have a choice in the matter?" he joked back.

Luna stood from her crouched position and continued putting her things away. "Of course. That's why I asked."

"I hope being someone's Valentine entitles me to more than a carnation and a box."

She whirled around from where she stood and looked at him pointedly. "You know it does, lover boy." Rolling her shoulders back, she straightened her posture. "I know they're not the best things ever, but I've never had anyone to buy for, and since you're here, I figured why not?" She paused, as did he, and let the residual silence tell Loki she was serious. She opened her bag and rummaged through it. "And I got you this too, so you don't just have flowers and chocolate." Approaching her friend, she held out one last thing for him: an iridescent green tie. Loki put the flower and box down and took the tie, admiring the shifting colors in the light.

"Oh, this is very nice," he complimented, holding it closer to the lamp. Luna smiled.

"Glad you approve." She glanced at the stove clock and made way to the kitchen. "Now, I'm going to take a quick restroom break and start getting ready. I suggest you do the same so we can make it to the restaurant on time. It's anyone's guess as to how much traffic and wait time there'll be." She popped her lunch containers in the dishwasher, stopped in the bathroom as she said she would, and completed her journey to her room.

Loki waited for her bedroom door to close to change into his suit. It wasn't the most expensive one in the store – as he insisted on paying for half of it with his earnings from helping Stark in his lab – and it was less fitted than the one from his illusions, but it was comfortable and, dare he say, looked good on him. A black tie came with it, but he settled on the new one. A pop of color never did him ill, and it was his favorite of all of them. He popped the collar of his dress shirt and draped the tie around the back of his neck, but he hadn't a clue how to proceed. He could picture a tie all the livelong day but tying one was another story.

He ventured to the bathroom and looked into the mirror. Turning the tie this way and that, Loki was at a loss. Any crafting knot he tried didn't look right, and it frustrated him. Thumbing the smooth fabric, he thought of asking Luna for assistance. She wouldn't patronize or shame him for not knowing how to do something. As she's mentioned before, though, in a playful manner, she filled in his gaps.