Shadows of the Past

Part 17

(Two weeks later)
A lot had happened with work in the last two weeks.  Everyone had been so impressed with your initial findings about the base in Bulgaria and your continued work that you were put in charge of all the research for the next stage. You were given a small team of analysists to manage and an office to work out of.  You had been working so many hours, even coming in on the weekends, so Fury actually decided let you move into the Tower full time.  Tony even helped you get out of your lease which you appreciated.  You honestly couldn’t be happier with how work was going, even if it meant your work load had increased tremendously.

You had been working so many hours, that even though you now lived full time in the room next to Loki, you hadn’t seen him since you ran from his room.  Although you had to admit to yourself, your work load wasn’t the only reason you hadn’t seen him.  You were avoiding him, throwing yourself into work was an easy excuse and it kept you from thinking about him. 

Staring at your laptop screen, you type up your notes from the day’s meetings while you chew on your pen absent mindedly.  You are so focused on your work you jump when there is a knock at your office door.  You look up and check the clock, it’s almost 9PM.  Who could that possibly be, you thought, everyone had left hours ago.  You get up and open the door and there he is...

“You’ve been avoiding me,” Loki says, not as a question but a fact.

"No, I-” you start to lie to him but he cuts you off.

“Please don’t lie to me, Y/N,” he says flatly.

“I’m sorry, you’re right... I have been avoiding you,” you tell him without looking at him.  He doesn’t move or say anything so you take a step back from the door, allowing him to come into your office.  Its at that point you notice he has something in his hand, its a piece of Tupperware. 

Loki noticed you looking at it questioningly.  “I know you’ve been working long hours and skipping meals again,” he puts the container on your desk.  “It’s the only thing I know how to make,” he tells you with a shrug as he turns to leave. 

With that, he leaves and you are left standing in the middle of your office.  You sigh and then walk around your desk, sitting back down to you open the container.  You can’t help but smile... its mac & cheese.  

You start to eat, not realizing how hungry you had been.  While you eat you think about that night you spent together.  He was so cute when he finally admitted that he liked the mac & cheese, although he insisted on using air quotes when he called it cheese.  You had been so comfortable with him, not even noticing when you two had begun to inch closer together on the couch.  The conversation flowed easily while you watched the show, he told you it was the first time he had ever binge watched anything before. 

You lean back in your chair, putting your hands over your face you remember how you had made plans to keep watching the show the next night.  That never happened though, the next morning you had run into Sarah and everything just exploded. 

Hill called you the afternoon after the fight and told you that the two of you needed to talk.  Walking to the meeting you fully expected to be fired or at least suspended.  To say she was disappointed was an understatement.  You sat in the meeting with your head down, not making eye contact with her while she talked.  She had told you that Sarah’s nose was indeed broken and she was being suspended for three weeks for the fight.  Since Thor, Steve, Nat & Loki insisted you only hit her after she had shoved you several times you were given a written warning and told to keep yourself in line. 

The first thing you wanted to do after your meeting with Hill was find Loki and tell him he was right, that you weren’t going to lose your job.  As you stood outside his door your mind was suddenly flooded with the memory of him taking care of you after you hit Sarah.  The way he played with your hair and held you, the way he kissed your arm and your hand so softly.  You had wanted to kiss him so desperately in that moment and you would have if Thor hadn’t interrupted the two of you.  When you pulled away from him he looked hurt and confused but instead of saying anything, you left him.  So you did it again, instead of knocking on his door you walked back to your room.