Loki Misses the Asgardian Prison System

Chapter 136

Steve had hoped Loki would come out today.

He knew it wasn't going to happen, of course. Not with how quiet he was on the Helicarrier, and certainly not with how withdrawn he was when Steve tried to talk to him last night. But he'd still hoped. He still hoped he'd see his friend today.

He was wrong.

He asked Loki if he wanted to come out for breakfast, but he didn't get an answer so he just left some pancakes outside his door. A part of him wants to ask if he'll come out for lunch, but he knows the answer he'll get. Asking him if he'll eat out here is just going to end in disappointment when he refuses.

He eats his own lunch first. He usually doesn't. He usually goes to Loki's room first. But right now, he really doesn't have it in him to do that. He doesn't have it in him to be ignored once again.

He hears laughter from down the hall, and he can tell that Natasha and Clint are coming his way. If he hadn't been in the middle of boiling water, he might have made a hasty retreat, but he can't, so reluctantly, he stays where he is and braces himself for a fun conversation he won't enjoy at all.

"Hey, Rogers," Natasha greets him, hopping up on a chair by the counter.

"Hey." He forces a smile.

"Guess what Clint did last night." She smirks at her own question, and she and her friend share a knowing look.

Steve fights back a sigh. "What did Clint do last night?" And why is he supposed to care?

Clint smirks, too. "I talked to Loki."

Steve's eyebrows shoot up. "You did what?"

"Mm-hmm," he hums. "He said he likes my steak."

Steve balks at him. "He said that?" he repeats in disbelief. "He talked to you?"

"Mm-hmm!" After a pause, Clint's smile grows a little less cocky, and he admits, "We didn't really talk. I came out for some water and he was already out here."

"But he talked to you?" Steve asks.

"A little bit," Clint says. "He said that he's okay, if that makes you feel any better – and he really did look like he was okay. He was quiet, but he wasn't, like, crying or anything."

That puts a small smile on Steve's face, but he can't deny that it kind of hurts. Clint got to talk to him? Up until a month ago, Clint hated him. He and Loki have barely acknowledged each other's existence at all in the three years they've all been living together. Why did Clint get to talk to him? How is that fair?

Natasha must know what he's thinking, because she says, "Give him some time to get used to the place. The fact that he was in the kitchen at all means he must be doing at least a little better. I'm sure you'll see him soon or you'll get to talk with him soon or something. Don't stress it."

Steve just nods. He doesn't believe it for a moment, but it would be nice if that was true. It would be nice if Clint running into Loki was more than just a fluke, but it's not. He knows that. He's sure they do, too.

It gets awkwardly quiet – Steve suspects they thought this would cheer him up far more than it did – and he turns his attention back to his not-quite-boiling water. There has to be a faster way to make noodles. There just has to be. Maybe Tony or Bruce can invent one.

Steve's pot isn't big enough to make noodles for three people, so Clint and Natasha begin debating what to have for their own lunch, which becomes Steve's form of stupid entertainment while he waits for his water to boil – and then, because this argument takes so long, it becomes his form of stupid entertainment while his noodles cook, too.