Bets and Wagers

One

It wasn't often that Loki would sit around with his brother and his merry band of heroes as he celebrated a job well done with mead and good food, but something about this particular venture had left him in high spirits and he too felt like celebrating.

Granted, he wasn't drinking as much as Thor, given his nature he wasn't one to get drunk and lose sense of who he was, he preferred to be coherent and aware of his surroundings but a drink here or there wouldn't do any harm.

Thor, however, was less cautious about his intake.

In fact, the stronger the mead, the better in his eyes.

Though it took some digging around for Stark, he tracked down one that satisfied Thor's tastes and kept it stocked for his visits, totally not because he wanted to indulge in something a little stronger himself from time to time.

"To our victory!" Thor cried, holding up a tankard that Tony had also supplied after the God mentioned that Midgardian cups weren't vast enough.

The small group who lingered cheered, clanked drinks together and promptly started down the hill of inebriation.

Loki looked forward to the morning, where he would tease them for not only the injuries sustained during their recent outing but also for their hangovers.

He wasn't here to make friends, after all.

So, as he sipped his generous helping of wine and listen to them go over the details of the job together, Loki set about planning a morning of absolute Hell for them.

Unsurprisingly, the shield, the widow and the monster didn't stick around for long, despite how entertaining he thought the night would be if they stuck around.

'A foolish thought,' he said to himself, 'they aren't fun.'

It was coming towards nine when the merriment was becoming more, the food had been consumed and everyone left over was reaching a peak on stomachs full of a good meal and strong drinks.

Thor, Stark and the arrow were regaling each other with growing exasperations on their parts in the job, which had taken a week and some to finish.

Loki had started to grow bored and was beginning to make plans on leaving once his glass was empty, especially now that the phone calls that interrupted the evening had come to a stop, meaning he had nothing to eavesdrop on.

From the corner of his eye, he noticed a movement and turned his head in time to catch one of the workers coming out of the office to stand behind the railing a platform above where they stood, her arms leaning against the metal railing.

"Mr. Stark," she called down, making everyone's attention shift towards her.

"Oh, you're still here?" He replied, somehow managing to not slur his words.

"I'm just finishing up, I've checked over the last report and I'm about to send it off, I just wanted to make sure there was nothing else you needed me to do."

"No, you're all good."

She gave a faint smile and nodded before retreating again.

Once the door clicked shut, Stark shook his head and let out an exaggerated sigh.

"Poor girl, only ever seems to work, doesn't she ever want fun?"

He said this, then lifted his near empty cup to his lips.

"Perhaps she is lonely," Thor suggested, "have you ever seen her with a partner?"

The others, bar Loki, stopped and shrugged, shaking their heads.

"She's never mentioned anyone, not even friends," Hawkeye said.

"That is a shame, perhaps we should find her a partner."

Loki rolled his eyes and let out a long sigh, giving his brother a withered look.

"Not everyone needs a partner, some are happy alone."

Thor looked at Loki, his expression unreadable but he guessed that was because Thor's intoxicated brain hadn't clicked into place yet.

"Of course," Thor nodded, "I'm just saying that love can be great and we could help, we'd see a change in no time!"

"And not everyone falls in love over a wet weekend," Loki commented, lifting his glass to take a sip.

The dirty expression he got from his brother made him smirk and chuckle lightly.

"I bet you could make it happen."

Loki's eyebrow quirked and he lowered his glass.

"Pardon?"

"You're a charming man, Loki," Thor grinned, ignoring the scoff that came from Stark, "if anyone could charm her 'over a wet weekend' it could be you."

"Are you challenging me?"

"If I were?"

He leaned back in his seat, taking a long breath through his nose as his eyes flickered towards the closed door, his fingers beginning to drum upon the tabletop.

Eventually, he levelled an infamous smile to those at the table and gave a slow nod.

"I would ask you to name your wager."