Unlikely Match

Chapter 5: Mine

You didn't think much of it at first, but as you walked next to the red-haired beauty, you couldn't help but get more nervous with each step. It had been so long since you were asked to dinner with other people and you couldn't help but worry about messing up. It was never a pleasant experience when you were a child, your parents would always show you off and you always had to be on your best behaviour. You think back to so many nights you would get screamed at or hit when you didn't act the way they wanted you to. It could have been as simple as dropping a spoon, eating too loud, or heaven forbid you coughed while they were talking. It was ingrained into you from an early age, perfect dinner manners and it was a hard thing to unlearn, even while eating by yourself in the mess hall at Shield you had a hard time relaxing with other eyes on you. 

You used to be always so polite and serious, always acting like a proper lady, after all, it was the way you were raised to act. You remembered your debutante ball, a tad old-fashioned for the time but even now so many years later, it still scared you a bit whenever you thought about it. You hadn't changed much since then, but it made sense, after getting your powers you stopped ageing. Even though you still looked and acted like you were 18 or 19, you weren't and hadn't been for a long time. 

You knew you still didn't have to act that way, you were free to talk while eating, slouch in your chair, or have a second helping if you wanted to but when others were around you were always in default mode, following every stupid rule. You couldn't even dress down if you knew you would be spending time with others, and tonight was no exception. You found yourself being able to act more relaxed and more yourself around Loki but it was different with him, he was different. Thinking about him and the time you've spent together only made your heart sink a little, he left without a word. I mean he kissed you and that was amazing but he left so suddenly, you began to wonder if he actually liked you or if you were just something to occupy his time.  

Before you went in you once again asked Natasha if you looked alright, still not sure if you were dressed correctly for a "casual dinner" with other adult people. You had on a black fitted and slightly cropped halter-neck blouse with no sleeves and a peekaboo back, a black high-waisted pinstriped pencil skirt with black tights and a pair of black leather vintage-style Mary Jane heels. You also had on a vintage black leather jacket, it looked like the one Sandy Olsson wore in Grease, you put it on hoping it would make your outfit look more easygoing and relaxed. As for accessories you weren't wearing much, a simple and long witch-inspired necklace, made up of multiple chains with little Wiccan Symbol charms. You also had on a pair of studded crescent moon earrings and a re-creation of "the One Ring" from Lord of the Rings. You had your hair in the same long dutch braid, only taking a minute to make sure it didn't get all messed up from your make-out session with Loki.  

Natasha rolled her eyes at you, telling you that again, you looked fine, you would probably be the best-dressed person there but she didn't think you were overdressed, at least not by much. You nodded your head and followed her into the meeting room they had set up for dinner. Thor was drinking beer, it probably went well with the Chinese food they ordered and you briefly wondered how they were able to get Chinese while aboard a flying aircraft carrier. You grabbed a sugar-free Fresca and awkwardly stood in one of the corners noticing everyone was periodically staring over at you. It wouldn't surprise you if Captain Rogers told them about Dutch Sanderson, nor would it really bother you, he knew the real story, the whole story so at least they wouldn't be getting some half-baked version the others so commonly spread. 

As you stood there awkwardly looking around or down at your shoes, you were completely unaware that the weird male agent from earlier was watching you from afar. He was talking to his buddy about your medication, how the new stuff he delivered was a lot stronger than your old meds. How you would be out all night long and wouldn't remember a thing, he smiled at the thought. He looked forward to stopping by your room later with his friend, they were going to have a lot of fun with you.