Somebody's Watching Me by Rockwell
"Eek! I'm so excited to see my office! I'm still surprised that you even considered doing something like that for me," Emerson shouts as she throws her bag onto her bed. It's not out of the blue for Strange to do something kind for her, but she truly didn't expect a gift from him. He's given her enough; the hospitality has been a gift itself. The moment she appeared in the sanctum, the Cloak of Levitation scooped her up and out of her chair, allowing her to travel freely. She floats beside Strange, her feet touching the ground and her legs moving as if she were taking the steps on her own. Being able to practice the motion of walking should help her more once she drinks the elixirs.
Fuck. She still has to tell Strange about the cure. He's not going to be too happy to hear she went behind his back and negotiated with the god of Mischief. Anxiety fills the sergeant's head at the thought of losing the sorcerer's trust.
"Wong helped me set it up," Strange informs the sergeant all while trying to keep a blank face. "I suggest thanking him as well." He stops before the door, allowing Emerson to unlock it using the key. With the giddiest smile on her face, she pushes the door open. Strange stands beside her, silently hoping she likes her gift.
"Oh my god!" She beams, taking in the scenery. It's nearly identical to Strange's with a few minor differences. The desk takes a more modern approach compared to Strange's, having an L-shaped desk with attached shelves to hold books and items. Her laptop sits neatly on the desk with a Victorian-esque lamp beside it, illuminating the dimly lit room. Sitting in the window sill are a few plants she recognizes from her study of mystical flora and herbs. A dark, earthy green Wingback chair rests in the corner to the left of the mahogany door. A soft, round rug slays flat below the chair, the colors matching perfectly. To the right side of the door stands a wooden mannequin holding a set of maroon robes. Many different shades of red are present-- the under tunic is a deep red while the over tunic is more maroon with intricate stitching. The many belts and utility holders are black which contrasts nicely with the reds. A matching baldric rests across the back of the mannequin holding the golden Dragonfang leaving the red and gold hilt to show. "Is... Is this for me?"
"I figured it was about time you retired the apprentice robes," the sorcerer supreme tells Emerson with a cheeky smile. The sergeant looks down to see a pair of boots to go along with the robes as well. Her smile widens as she floats closer to the Sorcerer Supreme.
"I love this all so much. Thank you, Stephen." Emerson wraps her hands around his torso, giving him a gentle hug. Slowly his arms return the gesture as he softly rubs her back.
***
After laying for hours, sleep has yet to take the sergeant. Anxiety and guilt plague her mind as she contemplates how she'll tell Stephen about the elixirs. Making deals behind his back was the last thing she wanted to do, but after this long, the sergeant is getting desperate. Strange did tell Emerson to start doing some research of her own. She managed to get a hold of her cure albeit she practically made a deal with the God of Mischief himself. Still, that doesn't excuse her lack of communication and truthfulness. She's a liar-- how could Strange fathom to trust her after all of this?
Speaking of the godly man, Emerson hasn't heard from Loki in days. She's supposed to meet with him on Friday-- something she's not looking forward to. He seems to be the type of man to manipulate and blackmail a person. He gives off all of the bad vibes. She's thankful he helped her, but there has to be a catch-- why would he do this out of pure kindness? The sergeant should probably tell Strange about the elixirs soon then if she's going to be meeting with the god on Friday.
After glancing at the elixirs in her bedside drawer, Emerson throws her head back onto her pillow. Begging for a blissful sleep to think things over, she grudgingly spends another few hours wide awake.
***
It's been almost a week since the sergeant's nearly sleepless night. Strange has yet to know about the elixirs in Emerson's possession-- something that she feels absolutely terrible for keeping from him. Every time she's about to bring them up, he gets busy or sidetracked. Wong will summon him for help, or he'll be too busy with work to talk. The sorcerer has given her everything, a second chance at life, and this is how she treats him? Sneaking behind his back? As she gets dressed up to meet the God of Mischief, she braids her hair to the side and applies a little bit of makeup. It's not an attempt to woo, or seduce the God, but rather for him to assume she cared enough to look nice. Maybe he'll take her seriously if she looks somewhat dressed for their dinner-- it shows she put thought into her appearance.
"Where are you off to?" Strange speaks up as he trails into the kitchen. Emerson freezes, not planning for him to come out of his office to see her. Shit, this is not ideal she thinks to herself. The sergeant finishes tying her shoes before she sits back up in her chair, using that time to think of an answer.
"I, uh, I'm off to have dinner with a friend," Emerson tells him, not quite lying. She is having dinner—not with a friend but rather with the God of Mischief. Fuck, she mentally curses herself. Just another lie she'll have to apologize for. She should just tell him now. Blurt it out. It might save her the trouble, but then the argument might make her late to dinner.
"I never knew you had friends in the area," Strange says, looking at the sergeant expectantly. Emerson just fiddles with her chair, trying her hardest to keep eye contact. "I'm glad you're getting out of the sanctum and staying busy. It's easy to get bored here."
"I could never get bored here in your presence. There is almost always something to do," the sergeant spews out, talking too much in hopes that he won't ask any more questions. Just tell him, she mentally shouts at herself "Well, I'll be off. See ya later."
She pushes herself out the door, wheeling herself down the sidewalk before slinging to the restaurant Loki told her to meet him at. It's a high-class establishment, definitely too expensive for her to even enjoy. This place wouldn't have even crossed her mind. Luckily, the restaurant makes Italian food, something the sergeant enjoys. After being seated and not seeing Loki anywhere, the waiter brings her water while she waits. Minutes pass before the waiter brings over a complimentary bread basket and a size of salted butter. With her stomach growling, begging for food, she grabs a piece and butters it up. Eventually, a few minutes turn into twenty and she's half-convinced he won't show. Maybe he forgot.
Mentally cursing herself, she realizes she finished off the breadbasket. The waiter refills her water and offers her an awkward smile. She looks down at her phone now embarrassed to be sitting here all alone. Hardly noticing the chair across from her scrape across the ground, she continues scrolling through her phone.
"I see you helped yourself to the bread," a voice startles her before she looks up from her phone. I relieved sigh leaves her lips as the God of Mischief sits across from her. His eyes watch her every move, noticing the little things she does.
"What can I say? I was hungry," the sergeant shrugs while taking a sip from her water while a bit of annoyance shows in her tone of voice. "You're late."
"I'm hardly late. You just happened to be early, pet," the dark-haired god says with a smirk playing on his lips. He doesn't even glance at the menu as if he has been here many times before.
"No, you were just late. Then I had to sit here all alone," Emerson huffs in annoyance at his indifference. The waiter comes over, taking their orders before heading off to the kitchen. "So, why did you drag me out here to this overpriced restaurant? What do you want?" The sergeant cuts to the chase, not wanting to play his games.
"I simply wanted to enjoy a nice dinner with my new acquaintance. Is that too much to ask for?" He inquires with a sly look on his face.
"I don't believe you," Emerson responds as she eyes him up and down. Once again he is dressed in an all-black suit, looking ever so professional and intimidating. Does he ever wear anything else?
"Intelligent woman. I cannot argue with one who trusts their instincts," Loki starts. He locks his hands and rests them on the table before speaking once again. "You have not taken the elixirs, I see..."
"I am waiting for the right time," Emerson lies through her teeth and he notices right away.
"Ah, the wizard hasn't been informed," he says before clicking his tongue against his teeth while shaking his head. "Why is that?"
"It's none of your business. I'm in no rush to take the elixirs," she tells him. She has been hesitating to take them, not just because of Strange, but at the possibility of needing to give them back to Loki. If he asks something too absurd for her to do, she would have no problem handing them back and telling him to fuck off.
"It is my business. I was the one who gave them to you," he chuckles before our waiter comes back to the table with our food. "There is something I require you to do."
"How did I guess?" Emerson replies sarcastically while digging into her meal. She cuts a piece of the steak off before putting it into her mouth, watching the god not touch his food.
"I did do you a favor, after all. I just merely need a favor returned," he says plainly. "You will need to inform me of what the wizard does on a daily basis. I fear he is dabbling in affairs that are not his to dabble in."
"I hate to break it to you, but I hardly know what he does. He disappears during the day to do things that are none of my business."
"I suggest you make them your business and report back to me. I would hate to resort to my next option," the god says as he begins to eat his meal.
"Then I'll give you the elixirs back because I am not spying on Strange. I refuse."
"You cannot refuse and I will not take the elixirs back. If you don't do this, there will be consequences. I simply want to know what he's doing in regards to my brother and Asgard," Loki laughs at Emerson's audacity. She should've guessed he'd try a power play on her. The sergeant can't even begin to fathom what Loki is capable of.
"That's it? Just stuff about your brother and his people? Nothing else?" Emerson inquires, suspicion fills her mind as she considers his request.
"Maybe a few other things here and there, but for now that is all I require of you," he simply responds, convincing the sergeant that he isn't doing anything too shady. If that's all he needs, surely she can provide the information.
"Fine, I can do that. But you can't just show up whenever unannounced." Emerson gives in to his demands, not considering the possible consequences of doing such a thing for him. He gives her a sly smile, satisfied with her answer.
"What a good little pet. I shall give you my phone number if you'd prefer to communicate that way. Don't think for one second that my eyes are off of you though. That ring ensures me of where you are and what you're doing. You cannot hide or try to fool me as you do to the wizard; I am not as naive."
"You don't scare me Loki. You may think you can have your way with me, but just because you're a god doesn't mean I need to respect you. We're simply making a deal for the elixirs, nothing more. Once this is over and you get the information you need, I expect to never see you again. Understood?" The sergeant snaps, standing her ground. He will not use her and have his way with everything.
"I knew there was a reason I liked you. I expect to hear from you soon," he responds as he throws cash down on the table to pay for the meal. He abruptly stands up and strolls away, leaving the sergeant sitting at the table all alone. She lets out a huff of anger and disappointment, knowing she'll have to let Strange know what's going on.
***
A/N: Don't forget to like and comment! Thank you for reading and I apologize for the wait.