Unexpected

Dinner Conversation

I was extremely careful putting together the rest of the chicken noodles soup, trying my very hardest not to drip or spill anything on my skirt and blouse. I wasn't a messy cook to begin with and I was wearing the apron, but even so I'd be the person to get a big grease stain on my skirt while ripping the roasted chickens apart and de-boning them or having the bubbling soup of tomato, celery, carrots, and noodles along with the chicken spit at me and stain my outfit. The closer the meal got to being done and dinner to being served, the more nervous I got about delivering Loki's dinner tonight, considering the fact that I was eating with him. Already flashes of me slurping, spilling, and jabbering awkwardly shot through my mind.

As the dinner rush started up I kept the dinner rolls and pots of soup running, trying to postpone my dinner date for as long as I could until I saw Ed, Ben, and their cronies walked in the cafeteria. Filling up the covered tray I made a dash out of the cafeteria before they could spot me. The last thing I needed was Ed, the flirtatious creep, commenting on my dressiness and Ben, the jerk, slandering me with the rest of their goons encouraging them on. Coming up to Loki's door I stopped as a new thought popped into my head making me groan slightly. What if Loki thought I had dressed up for him? I was wearing his colors, minus the gold, and my time in the kitchen since my forced costume change had gone by without drip or spill, so I was still looking rather nice. He probably wouldn't give it a thought, I told myself, knowing that I was lying. He had proven to be much more observant of me than I would like. Taking a few deep, shaking breaths I finally approached the door and knocked.

"Enter." Came Loki's voice, quickening my heartbeat again.

Pushing the door open I stepped in to see Loki standing by one wall of the room with Agent Barton. It looked like they had been having a conversation of some sort. At the sound of the door opening the two men turned around to see me, making me freeze under their gazes. What should I do? Enter? Stay where I was right inside the doorway? Barton gave me a slight nod of greeting and Loki's mouth curved into a quick smile before he turned to Clint, "You're dismissed Agent Barton."

"Sir." Clint then strode out of the room, leaving Loki and I alone.

The two of us just looked at each other for a moment, me trying to gauge his mood today and what he was thinking while he scanned me up and down with a quick flick of his eyes. His face had been serious when he'd first turned towards me, probably from talking business with Barton, but now his face was interested and looked like he was holding back a little chuckle. I wondered worriedly why he looked like that. Did I have something dribbled on myself that I hadn't seen earlier? Did he assume that I had dressed like this for him? Because if he brought it up I would be certain to explain that it had not been by my choice. Why did I have to feel so self-conscious under his gaze? Why did he have to have this thing for staring with those keen emerald eyes?

"Are you going to come in Penelope or are you going to stand in that doorway for the rest of the evening?" he finally spoke with a smirk, tucking his hands behind his back.

A blush bloomed on my face and I walked the rest of the way in and placed the tray on the table. "Sorry." I had always been awkward around guys ever since grade school and it didn't help that this one happened to be an alien that was mistaken for a god by the ancient Norse trying to take over the world.

"There's no need to apologize." He said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

Desperately I tried to think of something else to say, but nothing came. How I wished it was like last night that I could just curl up with a book and wait for him to eat instead of now when I didn't even know what to do.