This is a companion piece to "Heart of a Loki" but can be read on its own just fine. They're written in different formats, so if you liked that story but wanted even more fluff and longer chapters, then this is the story for you!

This story is dedicated to Princess Prettypants, for being an awesome reader, reviewer and always giving me the best ideas with her comments.

I do not claim to own Marvel's Avenger's.

TapTap

Loki smirked and moved the last piece, finally claiming victory. It had been hard earned, and was therefore precious. Besides his brother, most occupants of the tower were simply appaling hnefatafl players. Tony Stark, however, he could play now. Very well, too.

It had been a mere four months since Stark had entered this very room with a newly made steel and glass board, offering to play with him, asking to be taught how, but Loki had to admit: the man picked things up quickly. After teaching Tony, he had played it with Pepper, Bruce Banner and Rogers, the annoying git, as well. Virginia would be a fair player eventually, he surmised, and Banner would be alright if only he practised more, but Captain America was almost as annoyingly bad at the boardgame as he was generally annoying otherwise.

During the past few months, Odin's near-complete bans on Loki's magic had started to slowly wane, and after his help in averting a small magic catastrophe, it seemed most of the Avengers agreed his skills could be useful. Now, between a spell Thor had brought from Asgard and Stark's magic (which he called science, which could be debated), Loki's magic couldn't be used for harm, or indeed to reach outside of his cell, and that seemed to be that. Loki could have tried to make trouble, of course, but he had decided not to. That was the strange thing about being happy - you felt a curious lack of desire to cause undue mayhem.

"Rematch, Raindeer games?" Tony's voice interruped the Trickster's thoughts. Loki grinned: he liked Stark. "Don't you have some toys to go cut out of cardboard, Stark?" The frost giant bantered back, but it was all in good humour. Like with Dr Banner, he had started to allow Stark to examine him and run elementary tests on his magic. It helped alleviate the boredom, and while Oden had tried to place restrictions on how he had to allow it for his magic to remain unbound to this extent, he deeply liked how Stark hadn't joined him in this quest. If there was anything Loki hated with all of his heart, it was others trying to pressure him.

"Nope, Rudolf, I am all yours" Tony grinned, starting to reset the board for their next game. He had been beyond wary at first, when Pepper had started to visit Thor's adoptive brother, but it had since long receided into a sort of weary thought at the back of his mind. Loki had clearly mellowed during these last few months, between his and Pepper's happy relationship and the new understanding between him and Thor.

The sometimes blue man was still messing with Steve, any chance that he got, but Tony did not hold that against him. After all, he had used to do the same, and the Capsicle could be very high-strung and silly. What mattered more to Tony was not only how happy (and safe) Pepper seemed to be, but how Loki and Clint had been forced to be in the same room during the recent magic incident, and Loki had resisted making any type of joke or mischief at the archer's expense. Teasing and banter aside, Tony cared deeply about his team, and that Loki had refrained from hurting one of them meant a lot to him. He would never admit it, of course, but he'd bet he didn't need to.

They started their new game in companionable silence, playing for another four hours, until Tony finally left when Jane came in with a cup of Loki's favourite tea as a bribe, probably planning to ask him for more cute stories about Thor. It said something about the brothers' healing relationship that not only did Loki oblige without malice, but Thor merely smiled and laughed in his booming way about what quickly became a regular occurence.

It had been increasingly common as well for anyone seeking Loki's company to find someone else already accompanying their former enemy. Pepper was there every chance she got, of course, and Tony had recently had the cell rebuilt to accommodate a proper bedroom, as it got more and more uncommon for Pepper to leave for the night. No one really minded. The list of "five rules for Loki's inprisonment" was still taped to the refrigerator, and everyone went by it.

Thor, too, was a common visitor of his younger adoptive brother, the two of them spending hours at a time on the carpet infront of Loki's digital fireplace, playing boardgames (even midgardian ones, lately), reading together or just talking. It was clear that their relationship, firmly on the mend, was good for both of them.

Tony himself dropped by at least a few times a week, no longer bringing the hnefatafl board with him, but simply leaving it on a table in Loki's quarters in case Pepper or Bruce wanted to convince him to join them for a game - not that it was ever much of a struggle for either of them to persuade him.

Bruce dropped by almost as often as Tony did, either for a game, a discussion on quantum physics or a small, magic experiment. Tony had started to join them for that, after the two science broos discovered that their prisoner/guest/contained friend didn't seem to mind his presence in the least.

Jane's visists had been a much more recent development, but after she had realised that not only did the frost giant know an awful lot of physics that neither earth's scientists nor Thor did, but also knew a seemingly inexhaustable amount of stories about Thor, it was a done deal. All three scientists held a secret hope that one day, they might convince Loki to shift forms and let them scan the process.

Pondering his own plans for that, Tony Stark stepped into his kitchen, making a beeline for the coffee pot, chuckling for himself as ever as he passed the note on the refrigerator. He simply could not avoid being smug at how well that idea had worked. He really was a genius.

Five rules for Loki's inprisonment;

1: Loki is not to be tortured. (There is such a thing as the Geneva convention, people)

2: If Loki attempts an escape, it is his own fault if he gets hurt and violence is not only allowed, but encouraged.

3: Loki is not allowed to do anything to Pepper. If he does, we will lock him in the Green Room with the Hulk. (Sorry Bruce)

4: Above rule does not apply to Pepper doing things with/to Loki. She can do whatever she likes. Unless it directly violates human rights. See rule one. ("Come on, that's a useless rule. Pepper wouldn't!" "Probably not, but it never hurts to be clear")

5: If Loki insults anybody, he is not allowed tea. ("That's a ridiculous rule!" "Yes, Steve, but it'll probably work")