Bets and Wagers

Two

Twisting the key in the lock, my office door clicks open and I step into the room, a cold drink and a packed toasted bagel in hand, ready to start another day of office monkey work.

I'd been working in the Avengers Tower for nearing a year, taking over some duties from Miss Potts to take some pressure off of her so that she could ease whatever tension was happening between her and Mr. Stark.

I never pried, their personal business was none of mine, I just applied for the healthy wage that definitely pushed me into leaving my old dead-end job.

Could I say I was qualified? No, but the job had proven easier than I had anticipated and I hadn't been fired or reprimanded at any point so all's well that ends well.

Besides, my job mostly consisted of leaning back and proof-reading their statements of their latest jobs, making sure stories line up and blanks are filled, as well as editing basic mistakes that could be overlooked before sending them off to the higher authority and whichever department would need the information.

What I read was deeply fascinating and made me extremely thankful to not be a hero, screw all that pressure.

It was also interesting to dive deep into their thoughts on what they had to do.

Some were explicit and didn't hold back in their opinions, while others kept everything strictly professional. The contrast was hilarious.

Sometimes I'd play a game with myself where I'd try not to look at who I have picked and will try to guess whose report it is based on the first paragraph.

Small things please small minds as they say.

Beyond reading their reports and compiling everything, I knew nothing further about any of the heroes.

I liked to keep my private and professional lives separate and they seemed to prefer keeping workers as acquaintances rather than friends.

The only one who ever seemed friendlier than that was Peter, who I couldn't help but chat with and greet with a warm smile, he was adorable and I enjoyed helping him out with the formatting of his reports.

Not that he couldn't do them, more that there was a very specific way they had to be done which couldn't be straightforward, that would be too easy.

Sitting down at my desk, I dropped my bag onto the floor and nudged it beneath with my foot before tucking my chair in while adjusting my cardigan.

Pressing my thumb to a scanning pad on my desk, I wait for my screen to boot up and ask for further confirmation that it was me trying to access my secure files.

Mr. Stark's technological advances always astounded me, the genius that surrounded me was more than a little intimidating but being able to use tech created by the Tony Stark was an incomparable perk of the job.

The screen turned blue and I barely had to blink before the icons popped up to alert me that I had four reports to read through, which was already two less than I had anticipated.

"Hm," I hummed to myself, tapping the first box that was flashing for attention to load the content, "good thing I brought a book for extra time."

The bottom left corner of the document showed that I have nine pages to read on this single document, including any possible edits, I estimated that it would take me about forty-five minutes to an hour to check over and a little longer if I needed to call anyone to ask questions for specifics.

"Easy enough," I shrugged, opening the bag and taking out my breakfast bagel before having a sip from my much needed drink. "Let's do this."

Three hours later, I leaned back in my seat and rubbed my eyes to release the strain that had been building up behind them.

The first two reports had taken longer than I had anticipated, mostly because I did end up calling around to get minor but very important details that needed to be added in for clarity, lest I get a shirty email back telling me that I, not the original author, was an idiot.

Dropping my head back, I closed my eyes and let out a long sigh.

"I think I need a break," I mumbled.

Sitting back up, I locked my screen and pushed my chair back just as a knock sounded at the door.

Quirking my eyebrow, I looked to the door and rested my hands on the arms of my swivel chair.

"Come in."

The door opened soon after and Loki stepped inside, his imposing figure taking up the doorway.

I blinked in surprise, of all my colleagues he was the one who I had the least interaction with and that was really saying something.

From what I could gather, we both preferred our own company and I'd never talked to him on a personal basis before, so this had to be important.

"Can I help you?" I asked, resting my hands in my lap.

"Perhaps," he replied.

"Okay, with what?"

He stepped closer, his hands hidden behind his back.

Truthfully, it was a little intimidating, I'd never been this close to the God before.

Of course I knew of his reputation and a few opinions that others had of him being accepted within the Tower, but I didn't know what was truth and what was rumour.

Though there was one thing I couldn't deny, he was definitely quite imposing when you're sat in a chair and he's stood at his full height.

"I feel I may have made a mistake in my report," he started, giving an almost embarrassed smile.

"And you came to see me about it?"

"The young spider may have mentioned that you were the one to deal with such things."

"He would be right," I nodded, leaning back in my seat and crossing my arms, "but usually I would contact you if I needed anything."

"I see, I shall take a note for next time, should I be foolish again."

I laughed and shook my head.

"It's not foolish to make a mistake, Mr. Odinson."

He paused, briefly looking away before turning back to me, giving me the distinct feeling that I had perhaps said something wrong.

"Loki would be fine," he eventually said with a small smile. "So, may I check as I'm already here?"

"Sure," I shrugged, turning my chair towards my desk to lean forward and unlock it once again, "it's your report after all."

Once I had loaded up his document, I grabbed my bag from beneath my desk then stood up and indicated to him that he was welcome to take my seat.

"Well, you're welcome to get reading while I grab a drink."

He looked to me before slowly taking my seat, acting as if it were about to bite him.

"You aren't worried about me snooping?"

"No," I shook my head, setting the bag atop the desk to rifle through for my purse, "I'd know if you were snooping and everything is locked tight."

After finding my card and carelessly dropping my purse back into the bag, I set my bag back down and gave him a smile, "So, have fun and I'll be back in a little bit."

Turning towards the door, I take a few steps before turning back towards him.

"Would you like anything?"

Loki looked away from the screen, his expression one of thought before he nodded slowly and gave me another faint, almost uncertain smile.

"Some tea would be wonderful, thank you."

I nodded, giving him a small salute before stepping out, trying to push the thought of the invader in my office to one side.

No one ever came for a casual report check-up and certainly no one had ever sat at my desk before, the last person I expected to be in that seat was a Norse God I had never exchanged a word with until just now.

What a strange day it was proving to be.