His Dove (Loki Laufeyson)

Part 6 (Job Opportunity)

The next morning I got up rather early and went to clean up from dinner, but was a bit surprised to see it had already been done. A clean coffee cup sat in front of the machine, which was full. I felt my eyebrows furrow a bit as I looked around, not seeing Loki anywhere around. I made my cup and tightened the lid on it, before taking a drink and heading towards the lab to work on my spare suit. Tony had invented the one I wore with the Avengers specifically as a rescue suit, but I had been working on my own little project for months, adding and enhancing certain features of the original nanotech prototype we had made years ago. Tony had put the project on a back burner for years, feeling as though my idea for nanotech just wasn't strong enough for combat, but I kept at it. I worked on it until around 11, then headed to the training room.

I huffed and cracked my neck. "FRIDAY? Set training sequence for 3D targets in Krav Maga style."

"Completed, Danielle." The system responded, and immediately 3 holographic targets appeared from the floor. I ripped my t-shirt off, leaving me in my usual workout outfit of a sports bra and shorts. I pulled my earbuds out of my pocket and synced them to my phone before quickly getting started.

I trained for a few hours, careful not to overwork my injured arm, before I went back to the main room, grabbing my shirt and the empty coffee cup on my way out.

I immediately went to the kitchen area, my earbuds still plugged into my ears. I grabbed a water from the fridge and a protein bar off the counter as I checked the time on my phone, just to realize I needed to hurry if I wanted to shower and make it to my laptop in time for class. Being a Stark I had plenty of leeway, especially when SHIELD gave me valid excuses for each missed class, but I still tried to attend as many sessions as I could virtually.

I turned to rush towards the shower, but bumped into Loki, who was grabbing a drink himself. I pulled one of my earbuds out.

"Sorry!" I said, instinctively resting my hand on his arm.

"You're in a rush?" Loki questioned. "I didn't think you did anything." I almost took it as a jab, but it felt like a genuine statement. That probably makes it worse.

"I have class in 20 minutes and need to shower." I called as I slipped passed him.

I quickly showered off and threw on an oversized t-shirt and a new pair of shorts, before grabbing my bag and taking it to the island. I looked over at Loki, who was still there. "I'm logging into class, I can take it to my bedroom if it's gonna bother y-"

Loki shook his head, so I logged in on my laptop and waited for the instructor to get on. I grabbed a drink from the fridge and sat down at the island, grabbing a notebook and pen out.

The first half hour was just my professor talking, making me incredibly bored. It was nothing I couldn't read in a shorter span of time. I looked down at my notes and held the tip of my pen to the notebook before freezing my camera, then getting up and walking over to the bar. Loki's eyes followed me.

I didn't say anything, making 2 and handing him one on my way back to my laptop. I sat there, half-listening while I played on my phone for the remainder of the class. Afterwards I logged out and went walking towards the balcony.

It was only minutes later that my phone dinged,
'I just saw you in class, call me xx - Derrick'. I rolled my eyes and ignored the message.

Looking out at the city, I called out "FRIDAY, turn off balcony cameras for 30 minutes."

"Completed, Danielle."

Seconds later, another message, 'Danielle please. I just want to talk. - Derrick'.

"I must say, I don't see the purpose in sitting at a computer for 2 hours, listening to some horribly boring person talk." Loki came out saying, leaning against the railing and taking my attention away from my phone.