It was on the long stretch from Stark Tower to Central Park, surrounded by armed guards in what Tony affectionately called, "The Walk of Shame,' that Loki seemingly stumbled on a crack in the sidewalk, his knees collapsing without resistance as his upper body continued its forward momentum, and he crumbled without a sound.

"Loki!"

Rushing to his side, Thor turned him over, making as though to tear the muzzle off his face, when Tony laid a restraining hand on his shoulder. "Leave it, Thor. Prima Donna Girl over there's probably faking, and even if he's not," he added hastily at the dark glare Thor threw his way, "it's too much of a risk to chance it."

Steve knelt down beside Thor, glancing briefly at the Thunder God before placing a pair of fingers on Loki's pale skin to search for a pulse. "His heart's beating," his brow furrowed, "but I don't think he's breathing."

There was shriek of warping metal as the device was torn from Loki's person and ripped into pieces, before being casually thrown aside. With it gone, it was now plain to see a thin layer of sickly sweat over Loki's ghostly pallor, and a network of blue veins that gradually began to fade.

Loki gasped, his eye flying open to dart frantically before finally settling on Thor. Somehow, after a brief pause, he managed a wan, slightly sheepish grin, "I'd forgotten how weak I was." Thor blinked rapidly, a look of confusion stealing over him, and Tony nearly stepped in to separate the pair - lightning bolt to the face be damned - before Loki leaned away from Thor, tilting his head back to bask in stray streams of sunlight pouring from gaps in the flowering canopy overhead.

He seemed oddly peaceful for a guy that just had his rear handed to him by a giant green rage machine.

"How bright the sun is today, brother."

A look of realization came over Thor, whose arm shot out to grip the trickster's shoulder with enough strength to bruise, and Loki couldn't quite suppress a wince, but when he spoke, "Tell me your name," there wasn't any anger or disappointment, only hope, the desperate kind, and a sharp, unpleasant undertone of fear.

This didn't seem to affect Loki, however. If anything, he seemed pleased.

"Should I start from the top?"

When Thor merely looked pained, Loki averted his gaze, huffing, "It was only a jest." Then he drew himself up, and not with the false bravado from before, but with a demeanor that spoke of power and the wisdom to wield it.

"Loki Odinson."

And Thor was on him before any of the guards could even think to react, lifting Loki high over his head by his arms like a child and squeezing him like Thor would rather fight the Chitauri singlehandedly on every Tuesday from that point on than ever let him go, and Loki struggled futilely, blustering, "Put me down, you insufferable oaf!" But his green eyes were a little too bright, the expression with which he gazed down at Thor a little too fond.

Thor rested his head against his chest,"I thought I'd lost you for good this time."

Mouth ticked up at the corners, Loki cocked his head to the side, allowing some of his fringe to obscure the softness in his eyes.

"Some would argue you did."

As usual, it was up to Tony to address the elephant in the room. "Does this mean we're not getting Mr. Interstellar Disaster out of our hair?"

Without waiting for a response, Clint walked away.

Natasha went after him.

Loki watched the pair disappear amongst the sea of empty cars parked on the street with a disconcertingly blank expression, before hastily arranging his features into a pale imitation of a grin, "No, I'm afraid you're quite stuck with me." Almost immediately, the facade faltered.

It seemed he didn't quite have the energy for theatrics, which was worrying if only because Tony knew damn well the diva scene appealed to both of them, and every time he'd personally dropped the act, it'd been during or close to a near death experience. "For the time being, at least." Loki didn't seem afraid, though. More resigned. Get backed far enough into a corner and eventually you get tired of being afraid. "And I think you'll find you'll be wanting to hear what I have to say," after a moment's hesitation, Loki gestured disdainfully at the broken pieces of muzzle scattered across the lawn, "so do kindly refrain from putting any such detestable contraction on my person in the near future. My deeds be they as they are, I'd much prefer…" his gaze distant, he absently massaged his neck, finishing with a strained smile, "not to be confined."

A/N: Just you wait.

I'm working my way up to a proper time travel fix-it fic