Infatuated with a God

Chapter Twenty

I thought that things would only continue to improve between Loki and me. He seemed grateful for the present and the trust between us seemed to steadily grow as he trained me. I had informed him that training wouldn't start again until January and he seemed okay with that. He kept to his room mostly and I tried not to disturb him. Over the next week I mainly spent time with Wanda, Thor and occasionally Alex. On Christmas Day I brought a plate of food up to Loki's room. He didn't answer when I knocked so I left it outside. I just thought he wanted some time alone, he had been locked in a cell for months with little freedom. On the 28th I had joined Alex in the Guard's quarters for his games night. They were all hesitant around me at first, but I had made sure to grab some bottles of expensive whisky from Tony's bar for everyone to drink. A little bribe towards friendliness never hurt anyone. It was fun to play board games that were more than two player. We started off with a few deduction games and until I got the hang of it I simply didn't pretend to be anyone else. I still got voted off as the werewolf quite a lot and while it was frustrating to get excluded I didn't let it get the better of me. I think Alex saw my discomfort though, and he seemed to always stand up for me. We eventually moved on to a card game where you had to make shocking remarks. I was okay at it, given all my time spent around Tony and his inappropriate remarks. To my surprise, Alex won. Although he did know how to make me laugh more than the rest so whenever it was my turn to pick the point did end going to him. Overall, it wasn't a terrible night, and the others were too hostile towards me by the end. I told them to keep the rest of the whiskey at the end, hoping it sweetened the bitterness of me intruding.

Alex had walked me back over to the compound and up to my door.

"I'm sorry about them." He spoke once we were out of the guard's quarters. I shrugged in response.

"It's not your fault, Alex. I understand their hesitation. I was part of the organisation that almost put them out of jobs. Not to mention my powers can be unnerving." He sighed in frustration.

"It's still not fair to judge someone for their past or who they are. I keep telling them to give you a chance. But I think Claire gets in the way of that." I thought back to the brunette who harboured the most anger towards me. I didn't try to press on the matter or question why, too worried about the damage Hydra may have done to her. I didn't want to find out any more information about what the organisation I had believed in had done. We talked about the games we played in the elevator to my room, and Alex mentioned some other games he wished to introduce me to. When we were at my door and said our goodbyes he reached out at a strand of hair that had fallen out of my ponytail and brushed it behind my ear. I blushed at the gesture and cast my eyes down to the floor as he walked back into the elevator. When I closed my doors a smile lit up my face. I was hopeful that maybe something could blossom out of our friendship. I could imagine spending evenings with him play games and talking about things that didn't matter. It would be a peaceful life.

New Year's Eve passed, and Tony threw a more intimate party. It mostly consisted of us sat around chatting shit and drinking beer. But it was nice to spend time with everyone together. Well almost everyone. Loki hadn't joined but I doubted he was invited or wanted to spend time with us. Eventually conversation passed on to the topic of Mjølnir. Thor had told me that they had all tried to lift it at the party before Ultron had shown up. I managed to find the footage when he told me and laughed as I watched them try to lift it. Thor confided in me that it had worried him when it moved slightly for Steve, mentioning that it should not be possible for him to move it without lifting it. I didn't doubt that Steve would pretend he couldn't lift it for fear of bruising Thor's ego. It was the kind of selfless act that probably made him so worthy of it. Tony brought around several whisky glasses with ice cubes and handed them out before setting down a bottle on the table. As he passed Mjølnir he tried to casually lift it, sparking laughter when it didn't move. I drank my glass of whiskey, surprised at how smooth it was and happy from the pleasant warmth it brought.