The Rules of Living with the Avengers

29. Always talk to the old ladies you meet at charity dinners.

I look miserably around the room and scowl at everyone who catches my eye. There's a cute slow song playing that would be perfect to dance to but unfortunately the only guy in here that would have danced with me is dancing with his new boyfriend.

Even Loki is dancing with some gorgeous girl. She has blonde hair and she's wearing this big pink dress. She doesn't suit Loki at all and-

"Would you like a mint, dear?" An old woman appears next to me, holding out a bag of mints to me.

"Um, no thank you," I say warily. "I've filled myself up on pie."

"Okay." There's a pause. "Would you like some vodka?"

"What?" I half-laugh as she offers me a flask. Seriously. Am I being pranked? "Uh, I really shouldn't," I say. "My guardian wouldn't be happy."

"Tony Stark isn't looking, dear," the old woman winks at me. "You're Eleanor, right? I saw you on some magazine cover the other week with that lovely Captain Rogers. If I'd have met him back in the war time, ooh we would have got along."

"It's just Ellie and yeah, I used to date him," I say. We both look at Steve as he twirls Bucky under his arm and Bucky grins up at him, his whole face lighting up. As Bucky's friend, that makes me happy but as Steve's ex, damn do I want to throw something at them. "Does that offer of vodka still stand?"

"Yes, Eleanor," the old woman hands it to me and produces another flask. She gulps from the second flask and I nervously unscrew the lid of mine. It doesn't smell like poison or anything so I gingerly take a sip.

"Not bad," I say. "What's your name? I don't think you told me."

"Oh, I'm nobody," she smiles. "I'm just trying to stay out of sight. My great-niece dragged me here and my ex is over there. The only man I truly loved." She gestures to the dance floor where Steve and Bucky are still dancing around amid the crowd.

I try to look for anyone old enough to be her ex but there are a few old men dancing. "Poor you. Do you have a name though?"

"Call me Mags," she says. "I think that's as personal as we need to get, don't you, Miss Potts?"

I hide my smile and nod seriously. "Yes, of course, Mags. I don't think we need to become too friendly."

She smiles back and I take another gulp of vodka. The song has finished and everyone has stopped dancing. Then Rhodey comes over. "Would you like to dance?" He asks me.

"Yes please!" Mags says enthusiastically. I can feel the laughter oncoming but I try to hide it because Rhodey is blushing so bad and Mags looks so happy. "Hurry up, boy! We'll be waiting all night if you don't take me to the dance floor now and ravish me!"

"Ah...what?" Rhodey says.

Mags winks. "Never mind, dearie!" She says. Rhodey starts to lead her to the dance floor and she stops. "Eleanor, hold onto my purse!" When she comes close, she whispers to me, "I only did that because another young man is approaching you and he's been staring at you all night. I figured that he might be more interested in you romantically than a one-off dance."

"Mags, you're the best," I grin. "Who is this guy?"

Mags drags Rhodey off to dance before I can get an answer. I try to casually look around to see who's coming over but no-one is heading this way but Steve. Shit. Steve. With Bucky. I panic and turn round, grabbing Loki's sleeve. "Loki, talk to me before Steve comes over," I say quickly. I don't question why he was standing in this corner when there's nothing interesting around here, apart from a few plants. And Mags.

"What about?" He sounds amused.

"um, anything. Cats. Asgard. Bow ties. Soulmates. Whatever." I grab his arm and fake laugh loudly.

"That wasn't a good fake laugh," Loki says. I roll my eyes.

"Come on, work with me here. I don't want to talk to Captain Cheater and his fricking boyfriend the Home-Breaking Soldier."

Loki laughs and then I laugh. A genuine laugh which is quite nice. It doesn't pull as many face muscles as a fake laugh. "Ellie," Loki starts to say then he stops. "Never mind."

"No, go on."

"You look very beautiful tonight."

And all of a sudden my hand on his arm feels like it's too close and that's too casual and I should be about a metre away from him at all times. Because I've just noticed his eyes and oh my God his eyes.

"Thanks, uh, Loki. I...oh I can see Tony glaring at us so..we'd better stop talking before he kills you." I step back and let go of his arm. I start to walk away but Loki grabs my arm and the contact of his hand on my bare skin makes me shiver.

"Can't you dance with me?" He asks.

"Um, sure, Loki," I smile at him. Who cares what Tony thinks? If Pepper was here, she'd tell me to go with my heart and my heart is telling me yes please.

(My brain's telling me that this song is one of Mozart's pieces so doing music for four years wasn't a total waste).

***
The dance is extraordinary. As it's Loki, all we do is expertly spin and step but it feels all natural to me. Eventually we have to stop dancing because Tony is rounding everyone up to go home. Natasha comes to fetch us off the dance floor but before we go, I have to hug Mags.

"Hey, Mags, did you have a good night?" I ask after I hug her.

"Yes, I did. That James is a very bright boy. I had a good chat with my great-niece, Sharon, too." Mags says with a smile. "She's decided to move back to New York with me. She mostly travels on the helicarrier but she misses me, she says, when she's in Washington."

"That's great, Mags." I smile. "I had a good night too." Even if I didn't find who was staring at me.

"And I was very pleased to see that that young man found you," Mags tells me.

I frown at her. "What do you mean?"

"That young man who looked very much in love with you. With the way he was staring at you. My love used to look at me like that, before he went out to war." Mags' eyes get misty and she wipes them forlornly. "He was such a good soldier. He was brave and he dived on grenades to save people."

I know that story. I'm sure someone's told me it before. I shake my head to clear those thoughts. I can't dwell on the past. "What man did you mean?"

"The dark-haired one!"

"Which one?"

"He has a ridiculous name. L..." My heart freezes. "Loki, maybe? Like that Norse God. I thought he was making his name up when he told me. Ridiculous, I told him!" Mags chuckles.

"Loki was the one staring at me?" I ask. I never get a reply because Bucky comes up to me and pulls on my arm.

"We need to go, Ellie." He says. Then he frowns. "Sergeant, come on. We have to leave the other soldiers."

"Yes, sir," I sigh at him and am about to say bye to Mags when I realise that she's disappeared. "Bucky, did you see where Mags went? That old lady I was talking to?"

"I don't know. She went before I got a chance to look at her," Bucky says. His eyes are so big and he looks so lost that my heart melts. "Sergeant...I want to go home. I want Steve."

"Okah, Bucks," I kiss his cheek gently. "Let's go get you Steve and then we can all go home."