Science and Magick (LokixOC)

Chapter Fourteen

"Well I hope you're all free Friday" Tony stated as he joined Zoë, Sam and Steve sat in the living room.

"It's all sorted already?" Steve asked.

Tony nodded "I invited the whole team to meet Zoë too" he added, sitting in the chair next to them.

Zoë fidgeted nervously "You don't think it's too soon?" She asked quietly.

"Says the girl that argued about taking time off" Sam laughed.

Zoë rolled her eyes and crossed her arms "There is big difference between working in my lab on genetic mutations and being celebrated as America's next super hero" she argued. "Especially when that hero was working with Hydra as a German terrorist not two months ago" she added.

Steve put his arm around her shoulders and shook his head "You need to stop beating yourself up about that, you didn't know any better. Plus you were technically being held against your will" he corrected her.

Zoë sighed and the other two men nodded "It's gonna be fine, everyone is gonna love you" Sam assured her.

Zoë hummed noncommittally and glanced back at the movie that was playing on the tv. Sam was attempting to help educate both her and Steve on the pop culture they had missed, Steve because he was frozen and Zoë because she was only allowed to work her entire life.

"I do not get this breakfast club, they all hated each other then they did drugs and suddenly they're all friends?" She asked, frustrated by the whole concept.

Sam groaned and shook his head "No no no, they only ever hated each other because that's what they were told to do. They were all in different groups and it's a general unspoken rule that groups don't mix in high school" he explained.

Zoë shook her head back at him "But that is stupid, if they liked each other from the beginning why weren't they just friends anyway?" She asked, still not understanding.

"Because peer pressure wouldn't let them, no one would approve" Sam retorted.

Zoë just got more frustrated "But if that snooty girl and the moody guy had feelings for each other all along why wouldn't they just be together?" She argued.

"BECAUSE HES THE BAD GUY!" Sam yelled, as if it were obvious.

"SAYS WHO!?" She yelled back, she had seen no evidence in the entire film that he was bad or evil.

"He- I don't know he just is!" Sam answered.

"Why? Because he is a 'rebel'? Because he mouthed off to the asshole teacher?" She asked "I mouth off to Steve all the time, does that make me a bad guy?" She questioned.

The three of them froze and Steve instantly shook his head "No, of course not. You're good, Zoë" he argued.

She stood up now and walked away from them "You don't even know me, you know as much about me as you know about that guy in the movie. How can you so easily say he is a bad guy and I am not?" She reasoned, frustration turning to anger. She knew she didn't really care that much about some dumb American movie, but this wasn't really about the movie. It was about Loki. She couldn't understand how they all so easily labelled him a terrible villain when they didn't even know him.

"Zoë calm down, it's just a movie" Steve eased softly, standing and walking over to her.

"I know it's just a stupid movie!" She yelled almost hysterically, taking a step back.

"Then why are you so upset? Talk to us" Sam insisted, looking at her concerned.

Zoë frowned and looked down at her feet "I'm not upset" she denied.